Ethics In South Africa Research Articles

African Moral Theory and Media Ethics: An Exploration of Rulings by the South African Press Council 2018 to 2022

ABSTRACT In light of a history of an unethical news media system used by the state as an instrument of oppression, media ethics in South Africa is intended to uphold the foundational tenets of journalism and play a pivotal role in addressing issues of diversity, equity, and social justice. Most recently, the 2021 Inquiry into Media Ethics and Credibility report instructed media watchdogs, such as the South African Press Council, to track data concerning ethical breaches based on the potential that such data can contribute to transparency and accountability. This study examines the trends in ethical issues raised in rulings by the South African Press Council (PCSA) over the period 2018–2022. Our analysis found that most of the South African news media publications registered with PCSA have a good track record when it comes to upholding ethical standards. However, a few publications have a disproportionate share of the complaints against them.

Roles of public service and private stakeholders in the 2017-2018 listeriosis epidemic in South Africa: An ethical conjecture.

The aim of this article is to carry a bioethical and a limited policy analysis on the progression and aftermath of the 2017-2018 listeriosis epidemic or disaster in South Africa. This links the context of the listeriosis epidemic/disaster to the overall public health systems, disaster medicine, and ethics in South Africa, with specific focus on standards of public service and private stakeholder conduct in the country. The public service angle is unpacked in terms the policy framework relevant to ethics and public health/disaster management. In addition, the process and ethical implications of the management, as well as the role of the various stakeholders, in the 2017-2018 listeriosis epidemic/disaster in South Africa are analyzed and reflected upon. Results of the current study indicate that actions of the public health officials and biomedical scientists, who investigated the listeriosis epidemic/disaster as public servants, were executed in line with the code of conduct of the public service in South Africa. The relevant public service legislation and ethical norms of the public service in South Africa were also adhered to. A slightly different approach was discovered in the conduct of the ready-to-eat (RTE) meat producer that had owned the factory, which was identified as the source of the listeriosis epidemic/disaster. The narrative of online resources indicates that there were many negative outcomes of the 2017-2018 listeriosis epidemic/-disaster in South Africa. Those were stories about negative outcomes of the epidemic that impacted individuals, who were listeriosis sufferers. Their voices and their stories' representation provide an important resource of data on the impacts on the complex disasters on the South African population. Novel approaches are proposed to address the challenges identified along the public-private goods continuum and approaches to food production and access to sources of dietary protein in South Africa.

The Bounds of Compassion? Medical Ethics and the Politics of Medical Mercy Killings in South Africa, 1930s to 1976

ABSTRACT The 1975 trial of Dr Alby Hartman for the killing of his father, in September the previous year at the small hospital at Ceres just over 100 kms from Cape Town, galvanised South African debates about medical euthanasia. After the trial, the obligations and duties of doctors faced with extreme suffering, profound disability, or inevitable death were widely discussed. The first study of medical mercy killings in South Africa, this article provides context, from the 1930s to the 1970s, for the Hartman trial and its controversial sentence. I consider why Dr Hartman admitted to ending his father's life, but also entered the plea of not guilty to murder. ‘Compassion was my motive’, he said. Several complexities of compassion and medical ethics in South Africa before 1976 are explored through attention to the role of Dr Guy A. Elliott. Through attention to South African medical politics under apartheid, I explain the contradictory positions on censuring Dr Hartman taken in 1976 by the South African Medical and Dental Council (SAMDC). Finally, I point to how the sentence passed on Dr Hartman – which made him a criminal ‘non-law’- has had a complex legacy for the issue of doctor-assisted dying in South Africa.

METHODS TO USE WHEN TEACHING LEGAL ETHICS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Teaching legal ethics must be more than just compliance with the requirements of the legal profession but also an opportunity for every law faculty or law school to make a contribution to the development of a culture of ethics. Whether legal ethics are taught in a stand-alone module or integrated in any other module, the lecturer has to determine the goals and objectives of the module and how to achieve them and also how to assess whether the set goals and objectives have been achieved. In designing a module on legal ethics, the lecturer’s own style and personality will influence the module’s structure, style and technique. The lecturer therefore needs to choose the teaching method that suits him or her. Teaching methods identified include case studies, problems, Socratic instruction, discussions, group discussions, video and film presentations, co-curricular activities, lectures, the use of social media and the Internet, clinical participation, role play and simulations, law clinics, written assignments, one-minute essays, games, and moot courts. Most of these methods are not exclusive; in teaching, one most often uses a combination of the different methodologies. This article focuses mainly on the methods to be used (the “how” question) when teaching legal ethics. The objectives (the “what and why” questions) and structural aspects (the “where” questions) are also dealt with briefly. The “how” question is important because how we approach teaching needs to reflect the changing student body, the increase in student numbers and the changing learning style of our students. In answering the “how” question, various methodologies are discussed as possible ways to teach legal ethics in a South African context.

Higher education, scholarship and ethics in South Africa : an Afrocentric analysis

Higher education, scholarship and ethics in South Africa : an Afrocentric analysis

Embedding the ethos of codes of ethics into corporate South Africa: current status

Purpose This study aims to examine and describe ways that organisations in corporate South Africa try to embed ethos of corporate codes of ethics in their organisations. Design/methodology/approach The study followed a quantitative research approach. The target population was the top 500 companies operating in the corporate sector by revenue. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire from 222 company secretaries and heads/managers responsible for ethics in the companies. Findings The findings show that the majority of companies have regulations that can help promote ethics ethos. The most prevalent artefact in the area of regulation was found to be conduct of ethical audits. Training was found to be the most prevalent artefact under staff support. Research limitations/implications The study was limited to large organisations in South Africa. The findings can thus not be generalised to include small- and medium- sized businesses which make up the largest segment of all businesses in South Africa. Practical implications The research provides information that can be used to compare companies operating in different contexts on practices that help promote corporate ethics quality. It provides business managers with information that they can use to evaluate and benchmark their companies on practices that help promote the ethos of corporate codes of ethics. Originality/value The study is the first of its kind to examine how organisations go about institutionalising codes of ethics in South Africa. The findings can be used by all sectors of South African business as a point of reference in their efforts aimed at embedding the ethos of ethics in their respective organisations.

Theorising middle class consumption from the global South: A study of everyday ethics in South Africa’s Western Cape

Emerging research on the increasing significance of consumption in the global South is concerned with its links to the globalizing middle classes. Against the backdrop of optimism invested in the new global middle classes to fuel consumption-led growth, this paper contributes to new debate about the articulations and significance of ethical consumption in the global South. Missing from much current mainstream policy, media and academic debate is acknowledgement of the diversity of the global middle classes and an understanding of how ethical interpretations and behaviour differ in various consumer markets around the world. In response, this paper draws on qualitative research in South Africa’s Western Cape to explore the cultural significance of everyday ethical realities in shaping consumption in the global South. In addition to addressing the relative absence of research into ethical consumption in global South contexts, the paper makes two key contributions based our findings. First, it challenges the tendency, particularly in economic discourses, to generalise about the ‘new’ global middle class consumers by highlighting the significance of locality and context in shaping consumption practices in the Western Cape; specifically it finds that, for diverse middle class consumers, thrift is an important ethical choice and practice determining consumption patterns. Second, it highlights the significance of everyday ethical practices in shaping consumption in the Western Cape, focusing specifically on how thrift is imbricated in concerns with not just economic constraint, but also care, habit and aspiration. The paper concludes with reflections on the wider implications of these findings and suggests that they illustrate a need to theorise ethical consumption from contexts in the global South, on their own terms.

Ethics, codes of conduct, morals and professionalism as a bulwark against corruption and unethical conduct in the public sector: A case of South Africa

This paper endeavours to critically examine ethics in South Africa especially after the first democratic elections and later developments. Such an analysis will inevitably overspill to the quality of service delivery and participation. As such there is a need for ethics to be re-examined and investigate how this may be used to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the South African government service. Much has been written on ethics and their relevance to the public sector organisations. Indeed they are critical for service delivery for both sectors namely, private and public sectors. This paper will trace the origins and development of ethics and their relationship with other associated terms such as morals, codes of conduct and relate same to the guidelines emanating from the South African Constitution Act (Act 108 of 1996). Once this objective has been achieved the position of ethics to our daily lives from individual and citizenship perspective will be explored. By such investigation it is envisaged to reposition ethics to our working environment as a vehicle that supports and fuels accelerated quality decision-making and service delivery. In that way it will be possible to locate the area of responsibility and accountability in the public sector. One will also examine the power-authority-responsibility triangle relative to ethics, ethical conduct, codes of conduct, and professionalism and indicate how these can be effectively applied to address issues of violation of human right through fundamental deprivation of critical services and products.

South African newspaper ethics and the politics of cultural belonging: Reflections onThe Spear

This article considers journalism ethics in South Africa by examining the decisions of an Editor first to publish an image and then retract it in response to a public outcry. Notwithstanding South Africa’s constitutional framework that recognises both the Rights to Freedom of Expression and Dignity, this article argues that underlying her decision-making and the public responses to it are contested views about the politics of representation, ‘belonging’ and citizenship. This contestation is approached through Mamdani’s concept of the colonial construction of ‘citizen’ and ‘subject’ and Calhoun’s arguments about the significance of ‘ethnic identifications’ as the basis of ‘solidarity’ and belonging, despite Brubaker’s concern about how such ethnic identifications can be appropriated for opportunistic political ends. This article proposes that the ethical challenges presented by such a scenario can be addressed through Fraser’s philosophical strategy of seeing identity politics as claims for social justice, not ‘recognition’.

An Attitudinal Analysis of Different Groups of Managers towards Business Ethics in South Africa

This study determines the ethical profiles and dispositions of three groups of managers in South Africa. These groups consisted of (1) Managers from a specific company active in the agricultural sector in South Africa; (2) A collection of managersfrom diverse industries in South Africa; and (3) A group consisting of potential managers. The objectives are tomeasure the ethical views of the groups, to identify ethical discrepancies that existbetween the different respondent groups, and to determine the statistical significance of those differences. Individual- as well as company ethical behaviour are tested amongst of 754 participating respondents regarding individual and ethical ethics while the groups do not differsignificantly from each other on individual ethical behaviour. However, regarding company ethics, the groups differ more in their views of which actions are acceptable and which are not.

Review of the second annual Ethics SA conference: An investigation of the state of ethics in South Africa

CITATION: Woermann, M. 2012. Review of the second annual Ethics SA conference : an investigation of the state of ethics in South Africa. African Journal of Business Ethics, 6(1):88-92, doi:10.15249/6-1-12.

Managerial business ethics in South Africa: An exploratory comparison - 1987 and 2009

A sample of 259 South African managers completed a survey originally administered by Nel (1992). The results of the current study indicated a favourable move on four of the 15 questionable ac- tions used to assess each group’s ethical predisposition. Furthermore, the grand means for the two temporal-based samples also provided anecdotal evidence of a positive transition. Virtually identical results were in evidence when the segment of 89 top managers was compared to the sample of its higher level peers from the earlier study by Nel. The results support the premise that today’s South African managers have a more ethical predisposition than did their peers of some 20 years prior to them. However, the study concurrently documents the reality that there is ample room for further improvement.Â

Managerial business ethics in South Africa: An exploratory comparison-1987 and 2009

A sample of 259 South African managers completed a survey originally administered by Nel (1992). The results of the current study indicated a favourable move on four of the 15 questionable actions used to assess each group’s ethical predisposition. Furthermore, the grand means for the two temporal-based samples also provided anecdotal evidence of a positive transition. Virtually identical results were in evidence when the segment of 89 top managers was compared to the sample of its higher level peers from the earlier study by Nel. The results support the premise that today’s South African managers have a more ethical predisposition than did their peers of some 20 years prior to them. However, the study concurrently documents the reality that there is ample room for further improvement.

The Current Status of Laboratory Animal Ethics in South Africa

An overview of the successes and current challenges in implementing and raising awareness of the Three Rs in South Africa

An Investigation into the Attitudes of Business and Non-business University Students toward Business Ethics in South Africa

The main objective of this study was to investigate the attitudes of business and non-business students toward business ethics. The methodology used in this research was of a quantitative nature. The empirically tested attitudes towards business ethics questionnaire (ATBEQ) was used to collect data in a survey of 100 respondents. The data analysis included descriptive statistics as well as the T-test. The research findings show that there is no significant difference in the attitudes of business and non-business students toward business ethics. Recommendations are made to help improve the ethical behaviour of students and to create awareness about the importa nce of business ethics. * Address for correspondence

Social ethics in South Africa: Initiating a dialogue between its relevance and current status

South African biblical scholars – particularly those who focus on the Old Testament – are known for their engagement with themes that can be termed social ethical. This impulse is used as starting point to investigate the relevance of social ethics in South Africa and its current status. It is argued that social ethical reflection is of particular relevance for South Africa. This thesis is investigated in two ways. Firstly, the applicability of social ethics as academic field is examined and it is shown that post-apartheid South African political institutions, systems and processes themselves are subjected to major changes and developments – a traditional area of focus of social ethics. Secondly, the current status of social ethical reflection in theological journals based in South Africa is investigated. The article concludes by showing that the current status of social ethical reflection in South African academic theology does not reflect the perceived need for social ethical reflection.

Review of the second annual Ethics SA conference: An investigation of the state of ethics in South Africa

Review of the second annual Ethics SA conference: An investigation of the state of ethics in South Africa

The glocalization of journalism ethics

This article addresses globalization's effects on journalism ethics in South Africa and India. It shows the ways in which the debates and issues of journalism ethics are being resolved through the process which scholars have termed as glocalization. Both in South Africa and India we found a two-way relationship between global and local epistemologies and practices. By using examples from each country, we suggest that journalism ethics is going through a process of resignification in the local arena. We suggest a global-to-local theoretical matrix that takes into consideration the complexity of journalism ethics in specific cultural and national contexts.

Research Ethics Committees in Africa: Building Capacity

In response to the case study by Kass et al. on research ethics committees (RECs) in Africa [1], the following additional information is provided about capacity building for research ethics in South Africa. South Africa has two programs funded by the Fogarty International Center: the International Research Ethics Network for Southern Africa (IRENSA; see http://www.irensa.org) based in Cape Town and the South African Research Ethics Training Initiative (SARETI; see http://shsph.up.ac.za/sareti/sareti.htm) that allies the Universities of Pretoria and KwaZulu-Natal. Each of these programs has a different focus and both are making highly valued contributions to capacity building in international research ethics in Southern Africa. The goal of the IRENSA diploma program is to develop and nourish sustainable multidisciplinary expertise in international research ethics and bioethics in southern Africa. It prepares mid-career health and allied professionals from South Africa and other developing nations in Africa to assume positions of leadership in research ethics in their home institutions. This program is unique on the African continent in focusing exclusively on training mid-career professionals (who cannot take the time or leave to undertake full-time graduate work), in three intensive two-week modules spread throughout one year, with assignments carried out at their home institutions. In four years IRENSA trained 49 mid-career professionals (17 men, 32 women, 20 white, 29 black) drawn from 20 institutions in South Africa and from 11 institutions in eight other low-income African countries. Sixteen students serve as chairs, deputy chairs, or secretaries of RECs. Students reflect professional training in many disciplines, including science, medicine, nursing, social sciences, law, and pharmacology. Eighteen students hold doctoral degrees and represent a broad spectrum of health organizations. In addition, our annual two-day seminars in research ethics have reached over 400 attendees. SARETI's goal is to build capacity for ethical review of health research and strengthen Africa's institutional training capacity necessary to achieve and sustain this aim. It offers a multidisciplinary, modular master's degree program with funding for nine trainees over four years, an advanced, non-degree program resulting in a certificate with funding for 16 trainees, and a training program for 40 ethics review committee members. In 2003 SARETI co-hosted, with the HIV/AIDS Vaccines Ethics Group, a two-day training workshop for over 40 members of South African RECs, and in 2004 it offered a three-week Ethics Review Committee Training Program sponsorship to nine South African applicants. A spin-off of these educational programs has been the formation of a network of Chairs of South African Human Health Research Ethics Committees. This has significantly improved liaison across the country, reduced the potential for shopping around by researchers, and has enhanced the stringency with which protocols are reviewed. A newsletter from Stellenbosch University on research ethics activities in the country draws attention to current debates and events and facilitates networking [2]. The recent stand taken by the chairpersons of RECS in South Africa not to permit studies that do not provide insurance cover for research-related injuries is one example of how improved knowledge and coordination in South African RECs are making such a contribution [3].

Die regte en verantwoordelikhede van die homoseksuele persoon

The rights and responsibilities of the homosexual person Homosexual conduct is at the moment a very contentious issue in Christian Ethics in South Africa. The arguments in favour of a Christian ethical approval of homosexual relations, that were entertained in the seventies and eigthies of the previous century in Europe and the United States, are now on the agenda of the Dutch Reformed Churches in South Africa. The issue of possible official marriages between homosexual partners is also under consideration due to a judgement of the Court of Appeal in South Africa that a prohibition on same-sex marriages should be regarded as unconstitutional. This article investigates the arguments of the proponents of homosexual marriages by evaluating the Scriptural testimonies regarding homosexual conduct, and by formulating ethical norms applicable to this theme. The conclusion is that Scripture forbids homosexual conduct because it is considered as “contra naturam”. Therefore, the government and the church cannot condone homosexual conduct as well as same-sex marriages, because these relations are against the Biblical and constitutional value of human dignity. However, in spite of this principle both government and the church have an obligation to treat homosexual people with justice and love and to reject any form of homophobia.