“Wipe Out Lines of Division (Not Distinctions)”

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 81-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Harinck

Race was not a dominant factor in neo-Calvinism. Rather, stress was laid on the universal character of Christianity, especially in the case of Herman Bavinck. While some of the South African PhD students at the Vrije Universiteit’s defended apartheid with reference to neo-Calvinism, it was B.B. Keet—who would become a noted critic of apartheid—who adopted Bavinck’s views. As a professor in Stellenbosch, Keet initially accepted apartheid for cultural and practical reasons, but he became critical when South Africa officially implemented apartheid policy in 1948. This resulted in his book Whither, South Africa?, in which he rejected the theological arguments undergirding apartheid with arguments almost literally derived from Bavinck. It is clear from this case study that neo-Calvinism was employed not only to support apartheid, but also to criticize it as well. In the Netherlands his stand was recognized and shared by two more of Bavinck’s students: J.J. Buskes and J.H. Bavinck. Keet met with opposition within his own circles but stuck to his position and inspired his student, the apartheid critic C.F. Beyers Naudé.

Author(s):  
Christopher Ballantine

Christopher Ballantine’s focus is on timbre, in particular the timbre of the singing voice, and how this combines with the imagination to create meaning. His investigation is largely philosophical; but the growth in popularity of opera in post-apartheid South Africa provides empirical means for Ballantine to indicate this powerful but analytically neglected way of creating meaning in the performance of music. His case study shows how timbre can produce musical experiences that have a particular, and often surprising, resonance. Through interviews with leading figures in South African opera, Ballantine demonstrates that timbre is a vital wellspring of imagined meaning; it should especially be seen thus if we seek to understand the singing voice in a sociopolitical context such as that of South Africa during and after apartheid.


Literator ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
H. Viljoen

Afrikaans metaphors for Dutch and the NetherlandsThere seems to be an irrepressible urge to metaphorize the relation between the Netherlands and South Africa in the Afrikaans popular imagination, perhaps in order to bridge the growing separation between the two countries. Four complexes of such metaphors, window, family relations, root and landscape, are briefly analysed, with most emphasis on the last category. From a handful of Afrikaans poems since 1950, and especially from poems by Elizabeth Eybers, Lina Spies and Marlene van Niekerk, it seems possible to reconstruct a descriptive system that underlies poems contrasting the Netherlands (represented by Amsterdam in particular) as a safe, protected space with the South African landscape as open and exposed. These poems also clearly show up the dialectic of abrogation and appropriation and the anxiety about land and identity so typical of postcolonial literatures.


2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. D. Uys ◽  
P. F. Blaauw

Purpose of the paper: The purpose of this paper is to revisit the dual labour market theory as far as the informal sector in South Africa is concerned. The hypothesis is that the dual labour market theory must be extended in order to be applicable to the informal sector of the South African economy. It is our view that within some informal occupations a further segmentation exists. Problem investigated: Among South Africa ’s grave socio-economic problems, unemployment is one of the most serious and intractable. An increase in informal and self-employment was experienced during the last decades. Traditional dual labour market theory maintains that jobs can be roughly divided into two groups: those with low wages, bad working conditions, unstable employment and little opportunity for advancement; and those with relatively high wages, good working conditions and opportunities for advancement. The problem that confronts researchers is that even within informal employment, further segmentation is possible. Approach: To determine whether the dualism, that described by the dual labour market theory, is also present within the informal sector itself, available data on a typical informal sector activity, namely car guarding, is analysed. This provides the evidence to achieve the objective of this paper. Findings and implications: The case study of car guards confirms that the dual labour market theory can also apply within the informal sector on the condition that it is expanded to make provision for a further segmentation of the periphery sector. This finding presents several important policy implications. A basket of policies is needed to address the problem of unemployment as effectively as possible. Value of the research: The paper provides further knowledge on informal employment in South Africa. This is an area that requires a lot of attention, given the importance of the informal sector in South Africa and Africa at large. It goes further than the traditional implications stemming from the dual labour market theory. Conclusion: The South African labour market is fragmented, consisting of a well-paid formal sector and the periphery that consists of workers in the informal sector, subsistence agriculture and the unemployed. Within the periphery, there is the possibility that a certain degree of dualism exists. The case study of car guards confirms that the dual labour market theory can be extended to make provision for this dualism, even within the informal sector.


2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-231
Author(s):  
Willem F.M. Luyt ◽  
Gomolemu M. Moshoeu

Risk-taking behaviour is a global phenomenon that shows increased presence in certain institutional circles. Various forms of risk-taking behaviours are deeply rooted in the South African correctional system and other branches of the criminal justice system. South Africa needs new approaches to deal with matters related to risk-taking behaviour in the criminal justice system (particularly inside correctional centres), for example, HIV infection, inmate rape and a growing problem concerning substance abuse. This investigation looks into risk-taking behaviour behind prison walls. The Leeuwkop correctional complex, a microcosm of the South African correctional system, was chosen for the investigation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 602-623
Author(s):  
Thendo Masia ◽  
Kahilu Kajimo-Shakantu ◽  
Akintayo Opawole

PurposeGreen building is a relatively new concept with limited applications in property development in South Africa. The objectives of this study are therefore threefold: identify key green building principles considered by property developers, establish the benefits of implementing the principles and determine the barriers to its applications.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a case study of two Green Star South Africa (SA)-certified buildings in Sandton, Johannesburg. These are Alexander Forbes building, and Ernst & Young Eris Towers. The two certified buildings were purposefully selected because of the insightful information they provide regarding application of green building principles. The main themes investigated in the cases are environmental awareness, green building principles applications, as well as benefits and barriers of green building. A total of six interviewees from the contractors', property developers', environmental/green building consultants' and sustainability consultants' organizations who were involved in the implementation of green building principles in the two cases provided the qualitative data for the study. The qualitative data were supplemented with data relating to the two case studies obtained from the ‘Earth Works for a Sustainable Built Environment’. The interviews were arranged over a period of two months, and each interview took between 20 and 30 minutes. Analysis of the data was done through a phenomenological interpretation of the qualitative opinions expressed by the interviewees.FindingsKey green building principles comprising energy efficiency, water efficiency, resource efficiency, occupants' health and well-being and sustainable site development were implemented in the two cases. The fact that the buildings were rated 4-star enabled inference to be drawn that the implementation of the principles was less than 60 per cent. Energy efficiency of 35 per cent indicated in Case I suggests that the level is consistent with the South African green building standard of 25 per cent to 50 per cent. However, the energy and water efficiency assessment of the building were based on projections rather than on ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the buildings' performance. Moreover, perceived saving in operational cost was identified as dominant driver to green building principles implementation. Conversely, lack of government incentives and absence of reliable benchmarking data regarding performance of green buildings were major barriers to its full implementation.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study provide important implications to the developers and government on the application of green building principles. In the first place, the evidence that initial high cost premium could be off settled by long- term saving on operational costs as a result of use of local materials, energy and water savings as well as use of recycled material, as implemented in the two case projects, would improve investment decision in green building by developers. The understanding of the drivers and barriers to implementation of green building principles also has implications for guiding government policies and programmes towards green building.Originality/valueThe significance of this study stems from the fact that limited studies, especially in the South African context, have indicated the drivers and barriers to the implementation of green building principles. The case study approach adopted gave a novelty to the study by providing hands-on information from the stakeholders who were known to have played specific roles in the application of green building. The findings indicated that initial high cost premium was not a consideration in developers' choice of green building which justifies the possibility of a costlier product when factors such as environmental sustainability benefit is considered to be ultimate. The study thus suggests further research involving larger cases on energy efficiency, water efficiency and costs of green buildings compared to the conventional type to bring the findings to a broader perspective and assist to benchmark data for green building assessment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Serena Coetzee ◽  
Jacques Du Preez ◽  
Franz-Josef Behr ◽  
Antony K. Cooper ◽  
Martijn Odijk ◽  
...  

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Collaborative custodianship refers to an arrangement where a number of custodians work together to produce integrated datasets for a spatial data infrastructure (SDI), e.g. local authorities contributing address or street data to a national SDI dataset. Collaborative cloud mapping allows for ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand, configured and tailor-made mapping with resources shared between various entities collaborating on a specific initiative, such as an SDI or for disaster management. This paper presents the results of a workshop in South Africa during which case studies from the Netherlands, Belgium and Austria of collaborative custodianship of address data were presented, and OpenStreetMap as a case study of collaborative cloud mapping. Subsequently, challenges and opportunities for implementing similar initiatives in the context of the South African SDI were debated in break-away sessions. The results from these sessions were analysed using the PESTEL framework.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  

The South African government implemented different legislative mechanisms in an attempt to address gender equality in the workplace, discrimination, and empowering women. To review whether there has been any progress after implementing these legislative mechanisms, this paper empirically analyzes the advancement of gender equality in the South African workplace as of 2020. It also provides an overview of different legislative mechanisms implemented by the government of South Africa as an endeavor to achieve gender equality in the workplace and equal opportunities for all regardless of gender. The main objective of this paper is to review gender equality progress in the South African workplace and a qualitative research method has been used to analyze different gender inequalities. Lastly, the paper provides an overview of gender equality analysis in different occupational levels in the South African workplace. The research shows that regardless of the South African government’s different legislative mechanisms to address gender equality, progress is still gloomy as discrimination against women in the workplace continues and the men remain dominant. The data analyses conclude that progress in addressing gender equality has been inert, delaying equal opportunities for all South Africans.


2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 22-32
Author(s):  
Graham Duncan

If ever mission councils in South Africa had a purpose, they had outlived it by the time of the formation of the Bantu Presbyterian Church of South Africa (BPCSA) in 1923. However, autonomy in this case was relative and the South African Mission Council endured until 1981. It was an anachronism which served little purpose other than the care of missionaries and the control of property and finance. It was obstructive insofar as it hindered communication between the BPCSA and the Church of Scotland and did little to advance God’s mission, especially through the agency of black Christians. During this period blacks were co-opted on to the Church of Scotland South African Joint Council (CoSSAJC) but they had to have proved their worth to the missionaries first by their compliance with missionary views. This article will examine the role of the CoSSAJC in pursuance of its prime aim, “the evangelisation of the Bantu People” (BPCSA 1937, 18), mainly from original sources.


Obiter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thabo Legwaila

The South African government has expressed an intention to market itself as a gateway to investment in Africa. This will be achieved inter alia by redesigning certain aspects of the tax laws in order to encourage investment into South Africa in the form of headquarter companies as a special kind of holding companies. The Netherlands has over time adjusted its tax regime to achieve the same goal, viz, to attract holding companies for investment into European countries and globally. Specifically, the Dutch participation exemption and the advance-tax ruling system have been hailed as the key tax instruments that are instrumental in attracting foreign residents to setup holding companies in the Netherlands. Furthermore, the intentional absence of various tax instruments such as controlled foreign-company provisions and exchange-control regulations further enhance the Netherlands’ suitability to host holding companies. In light of the South African government’s intentions to attract holding companies, it is important to study the Dutch system applicable to holding companies to see what attributes, if any, South Africa could also adopt. 


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