Notes towards a Vagabond Humanism

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter D. McDonald
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Complex Network ◽  
The South ◽  
African Writer ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Way

Seen in the context of UNESCO’s long-running debates about the concept of humanism, this chapter considers the importance Tagore had for the South African writer Es’kia Mphahlele. It focuses on the way he influenced Mphahlele’s internationalism and his commitment to ‘Afrikan Humanism’ as a way of reconciling the particular and the universal. Following this lead, the chapter goes on to consider the impact the Bāul singers of Bengal had on Tagore’s own humanism and the bearing this complex network of inheritances and connections has on the way UNESCO understands interculturality.

Narrative, Intertext and Allusion in the Qur'anic Presentation of Job

1999 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. H. Johns
Keyword(s):  
Key Words ◽  
Complex Network ◽  
Key Words And Phrases ◽  
Divine Revelation ◽  
Western Tradition ◽  
Islamic Tradition ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Way

Job (Ayyūb) is a byword for patience in the Islamic tradition, notwithstanding only six Qur'anic verses are devoted to him, four in Ṣād (vv.41-4), and two in al-Anbiyā' (vv.83-4), and he is mentioned on only two other occasions, in al-Ancām (v.84) and al-Nisā' (v.163). In relation to the space devoted to him, he could be accounted a ‘lesser’ prophet, nevertheless his significance in the Qur'an is unambiguous. The impact he makes is achieved in a number of ways. One is through the elaborate intertext transmitted from the Companions and Followers, and recorded in the exegetic tradition. Another is the way in which his role and charisma are highlighted by the prophets in whose company he is presented, and the shifting emphases of each of the sūras in which he appears. Yet another is the wider context created by these sūras in which key words and phrases actualize a complex network of echoes and resonances that elicit internal and transsūra associations focusing attention on him from various perspectives. The effectiveness of this presentation of him derives from the linguistic genius of the Qur'an which by this means triggers a vivid encounter with aspects of the rhythm of divine revelation no less direct than that of visual iconography in the Western Tradition.

The impact of climate temperature on counts, recovery, and death rates due to SARS-CoV-2 in South Africa. (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neven Chetty ◽  
Bamise Adeleye ◽  
Abiola Olawale Ilori
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Death Rate ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Warm Climate ◽  
The South ◽  
Recovery Rates ◽  
Death Rates ◽  
Online Resource ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND The impact of climate temperature on the counts (number of positive COVID-19 cases reported), recovery, and death rates of COVID-19 cases in South Africa's nine provinces was investigated. The data for confirmed cases of COVID-19 were collected for March 25 and June 30, 2020 (14 weeks) from South Africa's Government COVID-19 online resource, while the daily provincial climate temperatures were collected from the website of the South African Weather Service. Our result indicates that a higher or lower climate temperature does not prevent or delay the spread and death rates but shows significant positive impacts on the recovery rates of COVID-19 patients. Thus, it indicates that the climate temperature is unlikely to impose a strict limit on the spread of COVID-19. There is no correlation between the cases and death rates, an indicator that no particular temperature range is closely associated with a faster or slower death rate of COVID-19 patients. As evidence from our study, a warm climate temperature can only increase the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients, ultimately impacting the death and active case rates and freeing up resources quicker to enable health facilities to deal with those patients' climbing rates who need treatment. OBJECTIVE This study aims to investigate the impact of climate temperature variation on the counts, recovery, and death rates of COVID-19 cases in all South Africa's provinces. The findings were compared with those of countries with comparable climate temperature values. METHODS The data for confirmed cases of COVID-19 were collected for March 25 and June 30 (14 weeks) for South African provinces, including daily counts, death, and recovery rates. The dates were grouped into two, wherein weeks 1-5 represent the periods of total lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 in South Africa. Weeks 6-14 are periods where the lockdown was eased to various levels 4 and 3. The daily information of COVID-19 count, death, and recovery was obtained from South Africa's Government COVID-19 online resource (https://sacoronavirus.co.za). Daily provincial climate temperatures were collected from the website of the South African Weather Service (https://www.weathersa.co.za). The provinces of South Africa are Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Cape, Limpopo, Northwest, Mpumalanga, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, and Gauteng. Weekly consideration was given to the daily climate temperature (average minimum and maximum). The recorded values were considered, respectively, to be in the ratio of death-to-count (D/C) and recovery-to-count (R/C). Descriptive statistics were performed for all the data collected for this study. The analyses were performed using the Person’s bivariate correlation to analyze the association between climate temperature, death-to-count, and recovery-to-count ratios of COVID-19. RESULTS The results showed that higher climate temperatures aren't essential to avoid the COVID-19 from being spread. The present results conform to the reports that suggested that COVID-19 is unlike the seasonal flu, which does dissipate as the climate temperature rises [17]. Accordingly, the ratio of counts and death-to-count cannot be concluded to be influenced by variations in the climate temperatures within the study areas. CONCLUSIONS The study investigates the impact of climate temperature on the counts, recovery, and death rates of COVID-19 cases in all South Africa's provinces. The findings were compared with those of countries with comparable climate temperatures as South Africa. Our result indicates that a higher or lower climate temperature does not prevent or delay the spread and death rates but shows significant positive impacts on the recovery rates of COVID-19 patients. Warm climate temperatures seem not to restrict the spread of the COVID-19 as the count rate was substantial at every climate temperatures. Thus, it indicates that the climate temperature is unlikely to impose a strict limit on the spread of COVID-19. There is no correlation between the cases and death rates, an indicator that there is no particular temperature range of the climatic conditions closely associated with a faster or slower death rate of COVID-19 patients. However, other shortcomings in this study's process should not be ignored. Some other factors may have contributed to recovery rates, such as the South African government's timely intervention to announce a national lockout at the early stage of the outbreak, the availability of intensive medical care, and social distancing effects. Nevertheless, this study shows that a warm climate temperature can only help COVID-19 patients recover more quickly, thereby having huge impacts on the death and active case rates.

scholarly journals Truth and reconciliation in South Africa: Hindu experiences and concerns

2004 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
P.G.J. Meiring
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Truth And Reconciliation Commission ◽  
Faith Communities ◽  
The South ◽  
Reconciliation Commission ◽  
Truth And Reconciliation ◽  
Hindu Community ◽  
The Way

The author who served on the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), focuses on the Hindu experience in South Africa during the apartheid years. At a special TRC Hearing for Faith Communities (East London, 17-19 November 1997) two submissions by local Hindu leaders were tabled. Taking his cues from those submissions, the author discusses four issues: the way the Hindu community suffered during these years, the way in which some members of the Hindu community supported the system of apartheid, the role of Hindus in the struggle against apartheid, and finally the contribution of the Hindu community towards reconciliation in South Africa. In conclusion some notes on how Hindus and Christians may work together in th

Looked Class, Talked Red: towards a bio-bibliography of Ruth First

Race & Class ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 40-58
Author(s):  
Barbara Harlow
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Political History ◽  
Intellectual Biography ◽  
National Narratives ◽  
Work In Progress ◽  
Political Events ◽  
Political Activist ◽  
Ruth First ◽  
African Writer ◽  
The Way

This article includes material from a work-in-progress, Barbara Harlow’s major book on South African writer and political activist, Ruth First, assassinated in 1982. Ruth First’s own life followed many paths, intersecting along the way with several historical trajectories, national narratives that remain incomplete today, and political events and eventualities that are still being negotiated, contested and resisted. The author follows these paths in an attempt to locate a framework and a direction for writing what she calls a bio-bibliography, an intellectual biography that is at once a political history.

scholarly journals The impact of the credit legislation on consumers

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 503-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hlako Choma ◽  
Thifulufhelwi Cedric Tshidada ◽  
Tshegofatso Kgarabjang
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Consumer Protection ◽  
The Other ◽  
The South ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Credit Agreement ◽  
Financial Obligation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
National Credit Act

The purpose of this paper is to examine two South Africa legislations dealing with over indebtedness of a consumer. It is clear that in terms of the South African law, section 129 (1) and 130 (3) of the National Credit Act provide that a creditor provider who wishes to enforce a debt under a credit agreement must first issue a section 129 (1) (a) notice to the consumer (the purpose of the notice is to notify the consumer of his/her arrears). On the other hand, the South African National Credit Act encourages the consumers to fulfil the financial obligations for which they are responsible. The second legislation to be examined which serve or appear to serve same purpose as the National Credit Act is the Insolvency Act. It therefore, postulated that the compulsory sequestration of a consumer in terms of the Insolvency Act would stand as an alternative remedy for a credit provider before she/he can have recourse mechanisms, such as debt review that are focused on satisfaction of the consumer’s financial obligation , in terms of the provisions of the National Credit Act. The paper determines to what extend these measures comply with the constitutional consumer protection demands. The legislature had been pertinently cognizant of the Insolvency Act when it lately enacted the National Credit Act. This is much apparent from the express amendment of section 84 of the Insolvency Act to the extent set out in schedule 2 of the National Credit Act

scholarly journals Managing a South African organisation within a dual manufacturing and services economy

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Weeks ◽  
S. Benade
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
The South ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Important Conclusion ◽  
Management Perspective ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Dualistic Economy

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the nature of the South African dual manufacturing and services economy and the impact thereof on organisations from a management perspective. Problem investigated: Services account for over 65% of South Africa's gross domestic product (GDP) and reflects an escalating trend. The manufacturing sector of the economy is just over 26% of GDP. This by implication implies that the South African economy is dualistic in nature. The economy functions as an integrated component of the global economy, one that is highly competitive and turbulent in nature. The traditional management approach tends to be one based on a mechanistic, analytical and deterministic manufacturing perspective that is no longer effective in dealing with the services economy. Methodology: A literature study is undertaken and a narrative enquiry conducted by means of discussions with 24 South African executives to determine the impact of the dual economy on South African organisations and the influence thereof from a management perspective. The approach adopted was intentionally analytical-descriptive in nature. The narrative enquiry constituted open ended but structured discussions with executives in order to learn from their personal experiences in managing an organisation in what is termed to be the dual South African services and manufacturing economy. Findings: An important conclusion drawn from the study is that traditional paradigms of management that evolved within a mechanistic manufacturing economy is no longer effective for dealing with the unpredictable and disruptive changes of a highly competitive global services economy. A complexity theory based management approach it would appear may be more relevant in dealing with the emergent realities associated with a turbulent services economy. Value of the research: Seen within the context of the changing nature of the global and South African economy, the insights gained from the study could assist executives and managers in exploring alternative paradigms of management that would be more appropriate for dealing with the paradoxical nature of a dualistic economy. Conclusion: Appropriate management paradigms differ in terms of contextual realities confronting managers, namely dealing with ordered and un-ordered contextual conditions. The Cynefin Framework (Kurtz & Snowden, 2003) serves as a means of sense making in finding the most appropriate management response for dealing with the contextual realities associated with a dualistic economy.

scholarly journals First Report of Maize streak virus Field Infection of Sugarcane in South Africa

Plant Disease ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 92 (6) ◽  
pp. 982-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. van Antwerpen ◽  
S. A. McFarlane ◽  
G. F. Buchanan ◽  
D. N. Shepherd ◽  
D. P. Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Maize Streak Virus ◽  
Streak Virus ◽  
Yield Losses ◽  
The South ◽  
Sugarcane Cultivar ◽  
First Report ◽  
The Impact

Prior to the introduction of highly resistant sugarcane varieties, Sugarcane streak virus (SSV) caused serious sugar yield losses in southern Africa. Recently, sugarcane plants with streak symptoms have been identified across South Africa. Unlike the characteristic fine stippling and streaking of SSV, the symptoms resembled the broader, elongated chlorotic lesions commonly observed in wild grasses infected with the related Maize streak virus (MSV). Importantly, these symptoms have been reported on a newly released South African sugarcane cultivar, N44 (resistant to SSV). Following a first report from southern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in February 2006, a survey in May 2007 identified numerous plants with identical symptoms in fields of cvs. N44, N27, and N36 across the entire South African sugarcane-growing region. Between 0.04 and 1.6% of the plants in infected fields had streak symptoms. Wild grass species with similar streaking symptoms were observed adjacent to one of these fields. Potted stalks collected from infected N44 plants germinated in a glasshouse exhibited streak symptoms within 10 days. Virus genomes were isolated and sequenced from a symptomatic N44 and Urochloa plantaginea plants collected from one of the surveyed fields (1). Phylogenetic analysis determined that while viruses from both plants closely resembled the South African maize-adapted MSV strain, MSV-A4 (>98.5% genome-wide sequence identity), they were only very distantly related to SSV (~65% identity; MSV-Sasri_S: EU152254; MSV-Sasri_G: EU152255). To our knowledge, this is the first confirmed report of maize-adapted MSV variants in sugarcane. In the 1980s, “MSV strains” were serologically identified in sugarcane plants exhibiting streak symptoms in Reunion and Mauritius, but these were not genetically characterized (2,3). There have been no subsequent reports on the impact of such MSV infections on sugarcane cultivation on these islands. Also, at least five MSV strains have now been described, only one of which, MSV-A, causes significant disease in maize and it is unknown which strain was responsible for sugarcane diseases on these islands in the 1980s (2,3). MSV-A infections could have serious implications for the South African sugar industry. Besides yield losses in infected plants due to stunting and reduced photosynthesis, the virus could be considerably more difficult to control than it is in maize because sugarcane is vegetatively propagated and individual plants remain within fields for years rather than months. Moreover, there is a large MSV-A reservoir in maize and other grasses everywhere sugarcane is grown in southern Africa. References: (1) B. E. Owor et al. J Virol. Methods 140:100, 2007. (2) M. S. Pinner and P. G. Markham. J. Gen. Virol. 71:1635, 1990. (3) M. S. Pinner et al. Plant Pathol. 37:74, 1998.

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