UP Journals (Univ. of Pretoria)
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A mission of transformation: The ANC’s historical project turned one-party demise
No full textFollowing the first democratic elections in 1994 South Africa experienced one-party dominance with the African National Congress winning six consecutive national elections. This was until the 2024 elections. This article engages with two questions: What explains the ANC’s initial dominance? And, what accounts for its recent decline? According to Ken Greene’s (2007) resource theory, party dominance persists when there is a large public sector and an acquiescent public bureaucracy but declines with privatisation and the professionalisation of the public sector. Using this theory, it is argued that under the justification of ‘transformation’ the ANC deployed cadres and adopted policies to extend its access to state-owned resources. However, this consequently led to poor public administration, and a decline in public trust, with subsequent pressures to professionalise the bureaucracy and privatise state entities. In its attempts to entrench its dominance, the ANC lost sight of public interest and initiated its own demise
Sue MacGillivray, Glass maker
No full textSue MacGillivray is a young glass artist from Great Britain who recently spent two years (1997-1998) in South Africa, helping to set up a glass facility for the Department of Fine and Applied Arts at the Technikon Pretoria. Simultaneously, she produced a body of work that earned her a Master\u27s Degree in Glass from the University of Wolverhampton. The work she produced in South Africa was notably different from that she had made prior to her stay in South Africa, and the developments illustrate certain aspects of glass making and raise issues about design processes in general
Pretoria stories
No full textSome of the most taxing challenges faced by graphic and communication design in South Africa over the last few years have essentially been concerned with three issues. Firstly, the increasing dominance of the digital domain with concomitant new tools, new dimensions, new media and new alliances has demanded novel skills and insights from designers. Secondly, a growing awareness of the importance of evolving a South African graphic idiom, whether for competitive differentiation or as the exploration of African identity, has commanded the imagination and attention of local designers. Finally, an acknowledgement and progressive understanding of the expanding and diversified role of design has encouraged designers here and abroad to claim a more clearly defined and pro-active position and voice for themselves in the practising and cultural arenas. This perspective suggests that unique discipline skills and insights ought to be exploited in areas traditionally not considered to be part of the design domain. The systematic integration into design thinking and processes of aspects related to the above issues continues to exercise a profound impact on the ways in which design is currently practised and taught
The Braun design philosophy
No full textBraun of Germany, leaders in the design and manufacture of kitchen, shaving, oral and hair care appliances, is to take an aggressive new marketing approach in Southern Africa, and has appointed Gillette SA Ltd as their distributor. Professor Dr Dieter Rams, head of Braun Product Design , recently visited South Africa to attend a launch function where he outlined the Braun design philosophy
Visuele kunsopleiding aan die Universiteit van Pretoria
No full textDaar kan met reg gesê word dat kunsopleiding in Suid-Afrika nou sy kinderskoene ontgroei het en volwaardig sy plek kan inneem tussen al die ander dissiplines wat aan ons universiteite en technikons onderrig word. Op die vooraand van ingrypende veranderinge in Suid-Afrika bevind die kunsopvoeder hom voor nuwe uitdagings, veral op die gebied van ontwerpopleiding.
\u27Pingo to Paris\u27 en terug
No full textPingó: affectionate abbreviation of Isipingo Beach - once a charming seaside community of mainly English folk, situated 15km south of Durban, which was annexed by the Group Areas \u27Act\u27 in 1960 to accommodate the Indian folk forcibly moved from Cato Manor
The interface of image and text. Breytenbach\u27s Durban exhibition Portraits, Prints and Paper
No full textAt the occasion of Breyten Breytenbach’s exhibition entitled Portraits, Prints and Paper at the Durban Art Gallery from 3 – 25 May 1998, I was asked to conduct a walkabout attended by art critics, lecturers and students as well as members from the general public. This encounter generated very specific questions around the exhibition, which I tried to address from the vantage point of my particular field of interest, namely the interface of art and literature. It was generally agreed that the works on show – many of which explicitly integrate image and text – invite analysis of the way Breytenbach\u27s work as painter-poet exploits the relation between visual art and language. Using this particular perspective, and guided by the three elements which constitute the exhibition title – Portraits, Prints and Paper – I here offer a brief overview of the main issues raised by the exhibition
Silence will not protect you: Speaking up, speaking out, and speaking against domestic violence through the medium of jewellery in The body language - scars by Dominika Kuźniar: Arts activisms and gender-based violence through transnational perspectives
No full textIn this article, I focus on an art project entitled The body language - scars (2023 – ongoing) created by Dominika Kuźniar, a Polish jewellery artist. The collection, which includes six jewellery items, is explored as an arts activist practice raising awareness of gender-based violence, specifically domestic violence in Poland. I will pay attention to the new visual language developed by Kuźniar via the medium of jewellery to counter the culture of silence and shame surrounding domestic violence and encourage collective responsibility and accountability. Focusing on the language of jewellery, I interrogate how we hold space for women to speak up, speak out, and speak against GBV in solidarity a nd adjacency
“It’s not always neat”: Psychological resources in the messy reality of university life
No full textThis qualitative study examined how first-year university students perceive the roles of psychological resources (resilience, hope, and optimism) in relation to student success (academic performance and well-being). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 13 first-year university students (7 female, 6 male, age range: 18-25). The analysis revealed that resilience played a crucial role in promoting well-being and managing emotional stressors. Students referred to the relevance of hope as a driving force for them to persist in pursuing long-term academic goals. Additionally, hope, especially in the form of critical hope, sustained motivation by combining realistic acknowledgement of systemic challenges with a forward-looking commitment to personal and collective transformation. Optimism helped students reframe setbacks positively and maintain confidence in their long-term goals. The data indicated that these psychological resources form an interdependent ecosystem that students draw on to navigate the complexity of university life. The study emphasises not only the individual importance of these constructs but also their integrative and justice-oriented role in promoting student success. Findings support the need for holistic, contextually responsive student development and support services
The Lingering Coloniality of Knowledge: Challenges to Decolonising South African Universities
No full textDespite South Africa’s democratic transformation, colonial epistemic frameworks continue to dominate university curricula, impeding decolonisation and Africanisation efforts. This paper examines the persistence of these colonial knowledge systems within higher education, drawing on the #FeesMustFall movement as a critical juncture that exposed fundamental inequities in knowledge production. Situated within the history of education, this work interrogates the historical, sociological, and philosophical dimensions of teaching and learning through a decolonial theoretical lens. Using qualitative methodology, the research investigates institutional cultures and pedagogical practices across South African universities. The cases of Lwazi Lushaba and Pedro Mzileni contextualise the movement’s origins and significance for international audiences. Findings reveal enduring colonial legacies manifested through Western ideological dominance across disciplines, including history, sociology, development, and literature, perpetuating systemic and epistemic injustices. The research identifies specific forms of institutional resistance to decolonisation: the maintenance of Eurocentric curricula, pedagogical approaches disconnected from Indigenous Knowledge Systems, and historical disparities in educational access. The study demonstrates that Africanisation can foster intellectual sovereignty, cultural pride, critical consciousness, and ontological density among academics and students. However, entrenched institutional practices and Western epistemologies continue to hinder meaningful curricular reform. This work underscores the need for a (re)evaluation of higher education curricula to achieve epistemic justice and authentic decolonisation. The findings contribute to broader discussions on post-colonial education reform and knowledge production in the Global South