KovsieJournals - University of the Free State (UFS)
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Psalms 127:3-5 and the status of sons in ancient Israelite society: Salient issues in contemporary African society
Full text linkThe preference for male children is a distinctive feature of patriarchal societies. Psalms 127:3-5 celebrates the value of sons in ancient Israelite domestic structures. Sons were regarded as evidence of God’s blessings and great assets, because they grew to become defenders of their father, and their presence guaranteed the continuation of the family line. Hence, the absence of sons was usuallya source of concern. With historical-critical analysis, this article studies Psalm 127:3-5 to ascertain the historical and cultural context in which the Psalm was written and how it relates to other texts. This article demonstrates how the pericope resonates in contemporary African society concerning preference for male children, large family size and other practices. Although the text is traditionally malecentred, a feminist biblical interpretation emphasises an inclusive interpretation on the premise of the value of both sons and daughters and the significant roles of women in contemporary societies
Reimagining mainline churches that are African
Full text linkFrom the 17th to the 20th century, missionaries brought the Christian faith to Africa. Any assertion that this was necessarily all positive is, however, contested by several African scholars. The article first examines both positive and negative contributions, in terms of the cultural and socio-economic contributions of the missionaries’ work in Africa. Secondly, the article proposes an argument that the initial Eurocentric culture/theology of the missionaries persists and that it is a barrier to mission. Thirdly, the article explores the challenges faced by Black African members within the mainline churches, with a specific focus on the Uniting Reformed Church of Southern Africa (URCSA) and the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA). Fourthly, the article re-imagines what the mainline African church should be. Fifthly, recommendations and conclusion are presented. To achieve these outcomes, the article uses desktop research methodology, and Edward Hall’s cultural iceberg mode
The nature and activities of non-state actors disrupting construction projects: South African construction mafias vs Nigerian Omo Onile
Full text linkThe construction industries in South Africa and Nigeria face severe disruptions from non-state actors such as the South African construction mafias and Nigeria’s Omo Onile. These groups impede project progress and impose heavy economic costs through extortion and violence. This exploratory comparative study investigates their characteristics, operational methods, and impacts on construction projects and the wider industry. A qualitative research design was adopted, drawing on both primary and secondary data. In Lagos State, Nigeria, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 landowners and 19 government officials, using purposive and snowball sampling. Due to safety and access limitations, South African data were obtained through a systematic review and thematic analysis of 25 documents and 3 multimedia sources. Data were analysed thematically, using manual coding and ATLAS.ti software. Findings show that both groups derive social and political legitimacy and employ self-help tactics to extort and disrupt construction activities. Key traits include localised operations, political support networks, and claims of legitimate representation. Their actions cause injuries, fatalities, property damage, investor withdrawal, project delays, and inflated costs. Economically, this leads to cost overruns, shrinking profit margins, and weakening sector performance. While both countries have introduced laws and enforcement initiatives, effectiveness remains limited. The study concludes that holistic solutions, combining legal reform, stronger institutions, community engagement, economic inclusion, and improved governance are essential
Key barriers to GIS adoption for safety management in the Zimbabwean construction industry
Full text linkFollowing years of hyperinflation, Zimbabwe’s construction industry has grown rapidly since 2017, often without adequate safety measures, resulting in increased injuries and fatalities. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have globally transformed safety management in construction, yet their adoption in Zimbabwe remains limited. While existing literature highlights general barriers to advanced technology uptake in developing countries, specific impediments to GIS adoption in Zimbabwe are underexplored. This study investigates the key barriers to GIS implementation for safety management in Zimbabwe’s construction sector. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative data from 86 professionals, including project managers, engineers, architects, and safety officers, via a web-based survey, with qualitative insights from 12 in-depth interviews. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, particularly principal factor analysis, while qualitative data were examined thematically. Four major barrier components emerged, namely industry fragmentation and resource constraints; standardisation, legal, and user preference issues; management-related challenges, and technological complexity and security concerns. The study recommends government intervention through supportive legal frameworks, infrastructure development, and financial incentives to promote GIS adoption. In addition, awareness campaigns via workshops and conferences are essential to support professional engagement. Given the moderate sample size, findings are indicative rather than generalisable but offer valuable insights for enhancing construction safety through GIS in Zimbabwe
Academics: If your work makes no local impact, what\u27s the point?
No full textSouth Africa’s response to HIV and AIDS in the early 2000s taught us a painful lesson: Health information in the wrong language is not only ineffective, it costs lives. Posters and pamphlets were everywhere – in English, in glossy colours, stacked in clinics, on public announcement boards and in the media. Yet infection rates in rural areas barely changed, because the messages contained in these pamphlets did not speak to the people they were intended to serve: They were written in a language community members did not use in their homes. When translated literally, words such as virus, immunity and treatment adherence carried little meaning in communities where illness is described through an entirely different worldview
On the decolonial turn: African language radio as a conduit for Setswana indigenous knowledge revitalisation on Motsweding FM’s Kgolo programme
Full text linkScholars from across the Global South recognise the enduring significance of radio as a site for the preservation, revitalisation, and promotion of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and culture. In recent years, there has been a growing corpus of knowledge that documents efforts by the media to promote IKS and indigenous languages. In South Africa, however, this effort is limited given that some indigenous language outlets dovetail towards advancing the colonial language hegemony by adopting, or code-switching with, English in their programming. This article explores how the Ka Setswana (i.e., in Setswana) segments on Kgolo (i.e., to grow), a programme on South Africa’s indigenous language radio station Motsweding FM, contribute to the preservation of Setswana cultural knowledge and practices. Anchored in Govenden’s (2023) media decolonial theory, this qualitative study analyses 50 purposively selected episodes archived on Motsweding FM’s podcasts. The findings demonstrate that Ka Setswana operates not only as a cultural archive but as an epistemic intervention that challenges the coloniality of language, power, and knowledge. The programme revives Setswana values and highlights indigenous media’s role in African cultural resurgence. The article argues that language-based broadcasting, when grounded in community memory and critical reflexivity, can advance epistemic justice and model decolonial futures
REGULATING CYBERBULLYING: THE DILEMMA OF SCHOOL POLICIES AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
Full text linkThis paper argues for an update to the South African Schools Act to include the regulation of learner-based cyberbullying, rather than relying on piecemeal school policies. Although school codes of conduct for learners can regulate cyberbullying, currently there is no clear legislative approach to regulate it. Bullying, regrettably, is a common and long-standing problem that is typically associated with schoolchildren. This conduct may take many forms including physical, verbal and psychological aggression. As technology advanced, bullying migrated online and became known as “online bullying” or “cyberbullying”. Cyberbullying poses a new challenge to its regulation, where schools formerly regulated traditional bullying. Due to its ongoing nature, cyberbullying can affect children at any time and any place, unlike traditional bullying, which is usually confined to the school grounds or requires physical interaction. The primary purpose of this research is to determine whether schools have the ability to regulate cyberbullying. In countries such as the United States, cyberbullying has been met with mixed responses and school policies have been struck down for unduly encroaching on learners’ human rights. Laws regulating cyberbullying therefore need to be carefully drafted to avoid constitutional scrutiny. A recent introduction of a Social Media Charter by the South African Human Rights Commission attempts to address cyberbullying and other online harms. However, this document is not “hard” law and only offers suggestions in addressing cyberbullying
PRIVATE PROSECUTION IN SOUTH AFRICA: SOME LESSONS FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM TO PREVENT ABUSE?
Full text linkThe Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 provides for private prosecution and the process to be followed in instituting such proceedings. While private prosecutions are rare in South Africa, the few prosecutions that were instituted reveal lax mechanisms that allow for abuse or potential abuse of the process. The key problem, it is submitted, is the ease with which such a prosecution may be instituted and the apparent lack of judicial oversight at the beginning of the process. To illustrate the significance of this lack of judicial oversight, the South African approach is compared with that of the United Kingdom where private prosecution may only be instituted by application in a magistrates’ court, thereby enabling a judicial officer to assess the case before it commences. Following a discussion on the implications of the lack of judicial oversight, it is recommended that mechanisms be introduced to ensure proper judicial oversight right at the beginning of the process as the current approach that requires of the accused persons to approach the court after the process has been instituted is a fertile ground for abuse of the process. It is expressly recommended that the clerk of the court should be required and equipped to conduct a preliminary assessment regarding the presence or otherwise of the jurisdictional requirements, especially those administrative in nature. In terms of the recommendation, the registrar is excluded because the recommendation proposes that the process should commence in the magistrates’ court. As an additional measure, it is recommended that a judicial officer should assess the prosecution for its soundness in law as well as for compliance with the substantive jurisdictional requirements. Put differently, it is suggested that private prosecution in South Africa should commence by application in the magistrates’ court in a manner similar to the process in the United Kingdom
Development of an indigenous African language scientific register for natural sciences: Focussing on challenges, opportunities, and perceptions
Full text linkIsiNdebele, as a language of science, remains underdeveloped. The lack of scientific terms hinders the teaching of natural sciences to isiNdebele speakers. The aim of this qualitative interpretative case study, using interviews and a diary, is to explore the process of developing a scientific register for natural sciences for this African indigenous language. The results of the study reveal that, while some stakeholders are in support of using the isiNdebele scientific language register for natural sciences to support learning in their mother tongue, others prefer English as a medium of instruction. English is still seen as the language of economy and power. These perceptions simultaneously determine and threaten the survival of these indigenous languages. It is therefore recommended that scientific language registers be developed in indigenous languages. With these scientific language registers in indigenous languages being developed, stakeholders might change their perceptions of the use of African languages as languages of teaching and learning