Forces In South Africa Research Articles

Faith-Based Organisations as Credible Social Force in South Africa’s Development Arena

The democratic government of South Africa has prioritised effective service delivery and development projects for the people, especially the poor and marginalised. The sociopolitical literature on South Africa is replete with discussions and analyses of the government's efforts and policies to combat the country's underdevelopment. Considering some noted failures of state agencies, it becomes pertinent to explore the critical role played by other stakeholders in society’s development arena. This study adopted a qualitative methodology to explore the role played by selected FBOs in the development of South African society focusing on the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province. Findings indicated that the selected FBOs can be considered credible social forces in KZN’s development arena. The study recommended, among other things, that government takes the positive role that FBOs play in societal development more seriously and establish more channels for mutual engagement.

Occupational segregation and gender pay gap dynamics in the formal sector of South Africa

Orientation: The participation of women in the labour force in South Africa has improved and, whilst the gender pay gap is narrowing, it remains persistent. Gender integration in occupations has been slow, and there remains a strong association between income and factors such as gender and occupations.Research purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effect of the improved labour force participation of women on occupational gender segregation. The term gender is used synonymously with sex in this article, referring to biological (rather than psychological) gender.Motivation for study: Status of occupational gender segregation is a good measure of effect of the increased labour force participation of women and narrowing the gender pay gap.Research approach/design and method: A cross-sectional study with descriptive and analytic components was conducted. The gender representation and pay gap were determined in 10 job families, across six industries.Main findings: Seven occupations have achieved integration at various levels, and three occupations remain fully segregated. The gender pay gap in favour of men in male-dominated occupations is narrower than in female-dominated occupations. A statistically significantly large gap in favour of women was found in some male-dominated occupations.Practical/managerial implications: Convergence towards similar pay for work of similar value has been achieved in occupations in various industries.Contribution/value-add: The number of men in an occupation, whilst still a causal factor in the pay gap, was found to no longer be sufficient to deduce that the income of that occupation would be higher, as postulated in literature.

Data protection, data management, and data sharing: Stakeholder perspectives on the protection of personal health information in South Africa.

The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) 2013 came into force in South Africa on 1 July 2020. It seeks to strengthen the processing of personal information, including health information. While POPIA is to be welcomed, there are concerns about the impact it will have on the processing of health information. To ensure that the National Health Laboratory Service [NHLS] is compliant with these new strict processing requirements and that compliance does not negatively impact upon its current screening, treatment, surveillance and research mandate, it was decided to consider the development of a NHLS POPIA Code of Conduct for Personal Health. As part of the process of developing such a Code and better understand the challenges faced in the processing of personal health information in South Africa, 19 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders were conducted between June and September 2020. Overall, respondents welcomed the introduction of POPIA. However, they felt that there are tensions between the strengthening of data protection and the use of personal information for individual patient care, treatment programmes, and research. Respondents reported a need to rethink the management of personal health information in South Africa and identified 5 issues needing to be addressed at a national and an institutional level: an understanding of the importance of personal information; an understanding of POPIA and data protection; improve data quality; improve transparency in data use; and improve accountability in data use. The application of POPIA to the processing of personal health information is challenging, complex, and likely costly. However, personal health information must be appropriately managed to ensure the privacy of the data subject is protected, but equally that it is used as a resource in the individual’s and wider public interest.

THE USE OF STEM CELLS IN THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT PROCEDURES: LEGAL AND ETHICAL ASPECTS

The use of stem cells in therapeutic treatment procedures involves both legal and ethical aspects. The law and medical ethics walk hand-in-hand in this regard. The tremendous progress and advances in biomedical research, as well as developments in new treatment procedures, are contributing to more and more successes in the healing process. A consequence of these new biomedical techniques and treatments is that the law, and especially legislative requirements, cannot keep up with such techniques and treatments. At this stage there is no legislation in force in South Africa to regulate the use of stem cells in the therapeutic treatment of patients. The South African Parliament promulgated the National Health Act 61 of 2003 a few years ago, but, as at the time of writing, the sections dealing with stem cells are still not in force. These sections permit the therapeutic cloning of human stem cells and,if it eventually comes into force, it will allow the therapeutic cloning of human stem cells for use to the benefit of patients, and will also assist practitioners. The legal and ethical aspects regarding the usage of stem cells in the therapeutic treatment of patients and not for research on stem cells, form the basis of this article. The discussion will include aspects such as stem cells and where they are derived from, patients’ rights to choose to make use of stem-cell therapy, informed consent for stem cell treatment, the recognition of novel treatment procedures, the practitioner’s scope of practice as well as legislative control to indicate the need for such control.

Research on South Africa Mining and Labor Force

As a country rich in mineral resources, South Africa has abundant gold reserves and large mining amount, which effectively promotes the national economic development. However, as the pillar industry, the mining industry also encountered some problems in the process of development, especially the dissatisfaction and protests caused by the long-term development of the mining industry. More and more workers hope that the state will improve the laws and regulations as soon as possible to truly realize the protection of their own rights and interests. By analyzing the development of the mining industry in South Africa, this work first discussed the shortcomings of the labor force in South Africa, and then put forward suggestions on safeguarding the legislative construction of workers' rights and interests.

Women combatants and the liberation movements in South Africa

This article examines women's role as combatants in national liberation forces in South Africa. Three categories – guerrilla girls, combative mothers and the in-betweeners – are introduced to underscore the varied ways in which women have participated in combat within the national liberation movements. Factors such as age and one's ability to leave the country affected whether women could participate in combat as ‘guerrilla girls’ or if it limited them to fighting apartheid violence from home, or if there were women who can be defined as having fallen somewhere in between these categories. These categories are used to theorise women's combat roles in the anti-apartheid struggle, thus broadening and challenging the dominant notions of combat that often hide women's contributions in war. In this regard, different periods of struggle, physical location, as well as age, determined the methods of activism available to men and women.

Article 6 of the Unesco Universal declaration of bio-ethics and human rights: A moral force in South Africa

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights (UDBHR) was accepted unanimously in 2005 by the world community, consisting of 191 member nations. This means that the declaration is currently the first and only bioethical text to which the entire world, including South Africa (SA), has committed itself. Despite this, little or no attention is paid to this declaration in SA. According to UNESCO, the declaration should be brought to the attention of the community because knowledge will promote more effective application of its principles. In an attempt to answer the call of UNESCO, article 6 of the declaration is discussed briefly in this article. It is clear that the principle outlined in article 6, as a human right, comprises two important components, namely giving information and giving consent. These two ethical values must always be applied during medical intervention and research. Where these principles are applied, human autonomy is confirmed and human dignity is expressed. Although the UDBHR is not judicially enforceable in SA, its universal nature offers a clear moral force in the bioethical debate in SA. Normal 0 false false false EN-ZA X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:Table Normal; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif;}

Discursive Constructions of the African National Congress (ANC) and Its Discourse of Freedom: A Critical Analysis

This paper interrogates the various discursive or symbolic constructions or presentations of the African National Congress (ANC) contained in the 1999, 2004 and 2009 ANC national election manifestos and the ruling party’s discourse of freedom. The term discursive construction is used to capture the structural, systemic, cultural and epistemological patterns of hegemonic power that have engulfed the ANC discourse since 1994. We argue that the ANC is discursively constructed or presented as an organisation which brought freedom to South Africa; a leader of the struggle for change; an organisation still committed to the policies of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) and principles of the Freedom Charter; the only force in South Africa with experience of democratic government; the only organisation with plans or programmes to transform South Africa into a non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous democracy; and lastly, a mass-based organisation, rooted amongst the people, reaching into every social sector and every corner. An integral part of this narrative is a discourse of “complete” or “total” freedom – in the sense that it includes the social, economic and political aspects or elements of the reality of the lives of the majority of South Africans – which the ruling party in South Africa claims to have delivered for the majority of South Africans. All these symbolic constructions or presentations, including the ANC’s discourse of “complete” or “total” freedom, are negated by reality as well as by alternative oppositional and academic discourse about what has really been achieved in the country since 1994. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2014.v3n4p93

South African Tax Incentives To Alleviate Unemployment: Lessons From United States Of America Approaches

A quarter of the labour force in South Africa is currently unemployed with the majority of the unemployed being unskilled youth. One of the major causes seems to be the commanding power of trades union resulting in a high minimum wage for unskilled workers, which results in a reduction in the demand for unskilled labour. To reduce the current unemployment rate in South Africa, policy decisions should be focused on youth employment with emphasis on skills development. Policy should also stimulate growth of small, medium and micro enterprises in order to stimulate job creation. A literature review indicates that current tax incentives in South Africa do not incentivise employers to hire unskilled youth labour, and are not applied on a wide enough scale to significantly impact the overall unemployment statistics. The proposed youth wage subsidy will increase the demand for unskilled labour by reducing the cost of labour. However, to have the desired impact, the participation rate must be high. The proposed subsidy was analysed against the successes and failures of subsidies implemented in the USA. It was found that many of the flaws identified in the USA have been avoided.Based on the above, the recommendation is that the proposed youth wage subsidy is plausible in a South African context and should be implemented. The main concern is that newly employed youth would replace workers who do not meet the qualifications of the subsidy. This would have to be taken into account by policy makers.

Parent absenteeism and adolescent work in South Africa: An analysis of the levels and determinants of adolescents who work 10 or more hours a week

Using data from the 2010 Survey of Activities of Young People (SAYP) this paper examines the relationship between parent absenteeism and adolescents’ (10-17 years old) participation in the labour force in SouthAfrica. Due to widespread poverty and the impact of HIV/AIDS, adolescents are forced to forego schooling to seek employment. As Stanton et al. (2004) posited, parent absenteeism affects adolescents’ school completionrates and is associated with risky behaviour. This paper argues that parent absenteeism also forces adolescents to seek employment. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression are used. Results show that 1.58 adolescents per 1,000 adolescent population work 10 or more hours a week. Further, 38.7% of adolescents have at least one parent absent from the household. Almost 2% of adolescents who have at least one parent absent are not enrolled in school. Finally, adolescents are less likely to work more than 10 hours a week if a mother is absent from the household (0.34), yet more likely to work more than 10 hours if a father is absent (1.21).

The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, South Africa: “Self Transformation is World Transformation”

The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University (BKWSU), a relatively new global spiritual movement, was founded in India by Dada Lekhraj or Brahma Baba and arose from a Hindu cultural base known as Om Mandli in the 1930s before becoming known as BKWSU in the 1960s. It emerged as a spiritual force in South Africa in the 1980s. Themovement is becoming more significant in a post-apartheid South Africa, where its non-dogmatic, non-ritualistic embracing of non- cultural and non-religious beliefs appeals to a society that has had to endure generations of racial, religious and class distinction.The movement's strong focus on the spiritual empowerment of women through an understanding of the soul and its connection to God, appeals to South African women who appreciate a spiritual approach which is non-sectarian and non- doctrinaire in nature. This article traces the history and the role of the Brahma Kumaris movement and its contribution to South African society.

DIE MILITÊRE GENEESKUNDE GEDURENDE DIE VROEE JARE

SOUTH AFRICAN MILITARY MEDICINE Until relatively recent times the attention of military commandershas been given over largely to considerations of tactics and weaponry, to the exclusion of the welfare of the ordinary soldiers who must ultimately carry out their Qrandplans. In earlier times no arrangementswere made for the treatment of injuries suffered by the common soldier, for once he was incapable of holding a weapon or moving with the army he became, not so much an embarrasmentas an encumbrance,something to be dis- .carded or disposed of as quickly as possible. Fatal casualties were therefore frequent, for the wounded were usually left to succumb to their injuries or were murdered and robbed by a civilian population wNch regarded almost all soldiery with hostility. Only gradually did military leadersbecomeaware of the need to preservethe wounded for service in later battles, yet even then the basic skills required to heal the sick and injured were lacking, and the first efforts strike us now as pictureque rather than effective Even in the armies of the great European powers the proper provision of military medical services is of recent date. fn Britain the CrimeanWar stands out lin popular memory with its legend of Florence Nightingale. From Britain the innovations of organised military medicine travelled quickly to the colonies, and to South Africa, where Imperialand colonial troops saw service together The volunteer colonial forces in South Africa were soon provided with their own small medical corps, and these, augmentedby the Royal Army Medical Corps, saw considerable service ;in the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902.On the Republicanside the efforts of the Transvaal Red Cross, staffed mainly by foreign volunteers, are of note. Once the war was over the colonial volunteer system was extended to include the Transvaal as well, and in 1912 the first steps were taken to launch a uniform South African African Medical Corps to take its proper place in the Union Defence Force.

Die naamgewing van die dorp Pierre van Ryneveld (Van Ryneveldpark) en sy uitbreidings

Pierre van Ryneveld was born at Senekal OFS on 2.5.1891. Part of his schooling took place at Grey College, Bloemfontein. After obtaining a BSc at the Imperial College in London he enlisted as a cadet in the London Officers Training Corps in 1914 and became a Flight Officer in the illustrious Royal Flying Corps in 1915. At the end of World War I he was a Colonel in the RAF. In 1920 he was summoned by General J.C. Smuts to start the Air Force in South Africa and was consequently regarded as the 'father' of the SAAF. Gen, Sir (as he later became) Pierre van Ryneveld became a legend in his lifetime and this article describes how he and other military figures were honoured by the establishment of Van Ryneveld Park.

VOORTREKKERHOOGTE 90 JAAR OUD

Following the occupation of Pretoria on 5 June 1900 during the Anglo-Boer War an area south of Pretoria became known as Roberts Heights. It was named after Field-Marshal Lord Roberts, Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in South Africa. On 26 May 1939 it was re-named Voortrekkerhoogte following the laying of the foundation stone of the Voortrekker monument. Voortrekkerhoogte reflects its military heritage to this day as is evident from its many fine historic buildings illustrated in the accompanying article.

EDUCATING FOR PROFESSIONALISM: A NEW MILITARY FOR A NEW SOUTH AFRICA

This article explores the role of education in professionalising the SouthAfrican National Defence Force (SANDF) since 1994. The central thesis is thatmilitary education, training and development played a major role in bringing the pre-1994 belligerent forces in South Africa together and blending them into a single,coherent, bureaucratised defence force. There is, however, reason for seriousconcern. The article first outlines the specific need for education in the SANDFsince 1994. The second part provides an overview of the educational institutions inthe SANDF, their programmes and the nature of education, training anddevelopment that are provided. The final section discusses the most salient factorsthat have influenced education in the SANDF over the last decade. Specificemphasis is placed on the lack of suitably qualified academic staff, the difficulty ofeducating soldiers in a second or third language, the lack of research and thepresence of an institutional climate of anti-intellectualism.

Receiving news from the seat of war: Dublin audiences respond to Boer war entertainments

The Boer war and its popular representations were uniquely contentious in Ireland. On the one hand, Ireland was a part of the United Kingdom, one of the ‘home countries’ of the British empire, with a population that contributed significantly to the imperial project, most prominently represented in relation to the Boer war by Lord Roberts, commander of British forces in South Africa in 1900. On the other hand, the majority of the Irish population supported a nationalist politics whose chief aim at the turn of the century was to gain ‘home rule’ for the country and which saw the war against the South African republics as another instance of British aggression against a small population determined to assert its independence. This led to a pro‐Boer fever among a nationalist population that was ill disposed to the jingoistic pro‐war sentiments expressed in much of popular culture coming from Britain. Boer war entertainments in Dublin were frequently contentious, prompting reflection on the possible ideological uses of new media forms.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission proved to be a healing force in South Africa. What lessons are there in South Africa's experience about the power of forgiveness?

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission proved to be a healing force in South Africa. What lessons are there in South Africa's experience about the power of forgiveness?

Job satisfaction, occupational stress, burnout and work engagement as components of work-related wellbeing

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between job satisfaction, occupational stress, burnout and work engagement as dimensions of work-related wellbeing in a sample of members of the police force in South Africa. A survey design was used. Stratifed random samples of members of the police force (N = 677) were taken in the North West Province of South Africa. The Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire, Police Stress Inventory, Maslach Burnout Inventory – General Survey and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale were used as measuring instruments. The results provided support for a four-factorial model of work-related wellbeing consisting of the following dimensions: job satisfaction (indicating pleasure vs. displeasure), occupational stress (indicating anxiety vs. comfort), burnout (indicating fatigue vs. vigour), and engagement (indicating enthusiasm vs. depression).

Age of Despair: the Unintegrated Forces of South Africa

The creation of a new national defence force in South Africa produced ex-combatants - a social group possessing military skills and access to small arms but without opportunities to exercise their skills. Since 2000, former combatants from various military backgrounds have participated in or planned protest action to demand jobs or integration into the national defence force. To date there has been no scholarly attempt to explain the sporadic protest action by former combatants in South Africa. The purpose of this article is to account for the various protest actions by former combatants since 2000. The main argument is that many former combatants who were unable to make careers in the post-apartheid national defence force have failed to reintegrate successfully into civilian society. Consequently, some of them have mobilized to highlight their grievances. While there is nothing inherently wrong with peaceful protest action, the easy access to small arms in South Africa increases the potential for violent conflict.

Poverty, gender and migrancy: Lesotho's migrant farmworkers in South Africa

During the 1990s, eastern Free State vegetable farmers increasingly relied on migrants from neighbouring Lesotho for seasonal labour. This coincided with a major downsizing of the mine labour force in South Africa, hitherto the major employer of Basotho migrant workers. However, there was no simple process of transfer of unemployed migrants from the mining to the farming sector; rather, decisions were mediated by domestic relationships and household poverty in Lesotho. Basotho women and girls have been a major casualty of mine retrenchments and the drying up of remittances, and those with domestic skills but little formal training have been forced into the labour market, mainly domestic work in towns and labour on farms. This article examines the Basotho migrants' experiences and conditions of employment, the regulatory environment within which they are recruited and employed, and their future in the context of changing immigration and migration legislation in South Africa.