scholarly journals Increasing Public Participation in Local Government by Means of Mobile Phones: What do South African Youth Think?

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Paul Van Belle ◽  
Kevin Cupido
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Political Participation ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
South African ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Mobile Service ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
The South ◽  
The World ◽  
Fixed Line

Apathy towards political participation is of concern for many countries throughout the world, and for many people political participation means no more than voting in an election. The South African Constitution makes several provisions for public participation but E-government solutions are not suited to the South African context, where fixed-line internet penetration is dramatically lower than that of mobile phones. Mobile phones cut across socio-economic barriers and have changed the way we communicate. They have been used to mobilise people in different parts of the world, more notably those who were passive politically, into action.  This research set out to investigate whether using mobile phones to increase participation in local government would be acceptable or not. A mixed-method research was conducted in Cape Town, South Africa, amongst youths between the ages of 18 and 35 who had no access to fixed-line internet from either home or work. Constructs from a modified UTAUT model and Social Capital Theory were used to determine the individual intention to use government mobile service if they were made available. It was found that there is not only great interest in using mobile phones to interact with government mobile services, but also to interact with other members of the community. The ability to report on corruption and service delivery problems was particularly welcome.

Community Participation in the South African Local Government Dispensation: A Public Administration Scholastic Misnomer

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 185-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ntwanano Mathebula
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Community Participation ◽  
South African ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Scientific Discipline ◽  
The South

The interpretation, application and understanding of community participation in the South African local government discourse in particular, is ambiguous, thus, creating a more simplistic and superficial meaning for operationalization. This paper seeks to challenge the notion that community participation is a substitute in its ontological and epistemological form and connotation for public participation. Many scholars in public administration have jumped on the bandwagon of dispensation, thus creating a misnomer in relation to a distinct nature of community participation and public participation which clearly undermines the authenticity of conception within the discipline and scholarship in general. Using a variety of qualitative secondary data collection and analytical techniques, this paper interrogates the misnomer in public administration scholarship in relation to the use andapplication of community participation specifically in local government. To successfully demonstrate this misnomer regarding the use, application and understanding of the concepts and their impact on scholarship, five selected articles on community participation and five others on public participation on local government published in the Journal of Public Administration (JOPA) were reviewed. The paper therefore concludes that the influential role of public administration as a scientific discipline is to forge relations with public administration as a practice for the purposes of conceptualizing and operationalising concepts and terminologies. This will ensure conciseness and bypass the contradictions which have potency of denting both scholarship and practice.

scholarly journals TEOLOGIA PÚBLICA NO BRASIL: UM PRIMEIRO BALANÇO

2012 ◽  
Vol 44 (122) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Rudolf Von Sinner
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
South African ◽  
Rio Grande ◽  
The State ◽  
Public Theology ◽  
Rio Grande Do Sul ◽  
The South ◽  
The World ◽  
Uniform Definition ◽  
Different Parts

À luz de desafios atuais presentes no espaço público brasileiro, a discussão sobre a presença de crucifixos em tribunais gaúchos e a atuação de políticos evangélicos no Congresso, o artigo propõe-se fazer um primeiro balanço da reflexão sobre uma teologia pública no Brasil. Assim, procura responder à pergunta “o que é teologia pública?” não de forma definitória, inequívoca, uniformizante. Antes, mostra uma variedade de origens do termo e de oportunidades, bem como de perigos contidos neste conceito. Num primeiro passo, o artigo apresenta quatro linhas de abordagem presentes na emergente discussão brasileira. Em seguida, recorrendo ao sul-africano Dirk Smit, mostra a diversidade de origens e usos do conceito em várias partes do mundo. Por fim, procura evidenciar a pertinência e o potencial de uma teologia pública no Brasil – com ousadia e humildade.ABSTRACT: In view of actual challenges present in the Brazilian public space, the discussion on the presence of crosses in courthouses in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, as well as on the activities of evangelical Congressmen, this article ventures into a first balance of reflection on a public theology in Brazil. It seeks to respond to the question “what is public theology?” not with a clear and uniform definition. Rather, it shows a variety of origins and opportunities, as well as dangers contained in the concept. In a first step, the article presents four lines of thought present in the emerging Brazilian discussion. Then, with reference to the South African theologian Dirk Smit, it shows the diversity of origins and uses of the concept in different parts of the world. Finally, it seeks to show the pertinence and the potential of a public theology in Brazil – both with boldness and humility. 

scholarly journals V.—A Description of the Big Diamond recently found in the Premier Mine, Transvaal

1905 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 170-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. H. Hatch ◽  
G. S. Corstorphine
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
The South ◽  
Size And Shape ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
Points Of View ◽  
Original Crystal ◽  
Actual Size

Great interest has been excited, not only in the Transvaal, but throughout the world, by the discovery at the Premier Mine, on Wednesday, the 25th January, 1905, of the largest diamond hitherto known. The stone was found by Mr. Wells, Surface Manager, in the yellow ground about 18 feet from the surface, a brilliant flash of light from a projecting corner having caught his attention. After a preliminary cleaning it weighs 3,024¾ carats. According to Gardner Williams the South African carat is equivalent to 3.174 grains; consequently the diamond weighs 9600.5 grains troy or 1.37 lbs. avoirdupois. Through the courtesy of the Directors of the Company, we have been enabled to make an examination of the stone, with the following result:—Roughly speaking, it measures. 4 by 2½12 by 2 inches; but its size and shape will be best realized by reference to the photographs reproduced on Plates VII and VIII, which represent the diamond from four different points of view and its actual size. These beautiful photographs were taken by Mr. E. H. V. Melvill for the purposes of this description. The stone is bounded by eight surfaces, four of which are faces of the original crystal, and will be referred to in this description under the letters A, B, C, D, and four are cleavage surfaces, the cleavage being of course parallel to the face of the octahedron. In the following description these cleavage surfaces are referred to under the letters E, F, G, H. They are distinguished from the original octahedral faces by greater regularity and smoothness.

scholarly journals The potential of mobile phones for increasing public participation in local government in South Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Thinyane ◽  
Ingrid Siebörger ◽  
Edward Reynell
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Current State ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Mobile Phone Usage ◽  
Ict For Development

This paper presents a critical discussion on the current use of technology and participation in local government. It discusses the rise in popularity of mobile devices, and how they have been used in ICT for development. The paper describes the results of a baseline study undertaken in a city within Makana Municipality in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, to empirically investigate how residents are currently using mobile phones and participating with local government around the area of service delivery. The findings illustrate the current state of mobile phone usage and capabilities, and the potential for using the mobile platform to increase participation in local government in South Africa. The paper also can be used to inform and guide project stakeholders on how best to implement m-participation strategies.

scholarly journals Where is the church on Monday? Awakening the church to the theology and practice of ministry and mission in the marketplace

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dion A. Forster ◽  
Johann W. Oosterbrink
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Missio Dei ◽  
The South ◽  
Theology Of Work ◽  
The World ◽  
Missional Theology ◽  
The Church

Recent research by the Call42 group has shown that South African Christians experience that they are not adequately prepared or equipped for Christian living and discipleship in the world of work – here called the marketplace. This article has argued for the importance of a rediscovery of a theology of work that can empower and equip the church and individual Christians for ministry in the marketplace. The article traces why such a theological deficiency exists in the South African church by considering areas such as an inadequate theology of work and mission, a dualism between faith and work, and an unbalanced emphasis on the role of clergy and a lesser focus on the role of the laity in themissio Dei. Having considered these challenges to the mission and theological identity of the church, the article discusses the three general theological views of the church in South Africa as presented by Smit and adapted by Forster. It considers how the church could become an agent of mission and transformation in the marketplace in each of these three forms. The article comes to the conclusion that the church will need to revisit its missional theology, refocuses its efforts on broader society, and empowers and equips its members for ministry in the marketplace in order to be faithful in partnering with God in the missio Dei.Waar is die kerk op Maandag? Ontwaking van die kerk tot die teologie en praktyk vanbediening en sending in die markplein. Onlangse navorsing deur die Call42 groep het bevind dat Suid-Afrikaanse Christene ervaar dat hulle nie voldoende voorbereid en toegerus is vir die Christelike lewe en dissipelskap in die arbeidsmark - hier genoem die markplein – nie. Hierdie artikel poog om aan te toon dat ’n herontdekking van ’n teologie van werk belangrik is ten einde die kerk in die algemeen asook individuele Christene te bemagtig en toe te rus vir die bediening in die markplein. Hierdie artikel poog dus om die kwessie van die sodanige teologiese leemte in die Suid-Afrikaanse kerk na te vors. Terreine soos onvoldoende teologie van werk en sending word ondersoek, ’n dualisme tussen geloof en werk word uitgewys, en daar word aangetoon dat ’n oorspeling van die predikant se rol en ’n onderspeling van gewone kerklidmate se rol die kerk se betrokkenheid by die missio Dei benadeel. Met inagneming van hierdie uitdagings aan sending en die kerk se teologiese identiteit, bespreek die artikel drie algemene teologiese standpunte van die kerk in Suid Afrika, soos deur Smit aangebied en deur Forster aangepas. Die artikel besin hoe die kerk in elk van hierdie drie bestaansvorme ’n agent van sending en transformasie in die markplein kan wees. Die gevolgtrekking word gemaak dat die kerk die missionale of sendingteologie moet heroorweeg, opnuut moet fokus op die uitreik na die breër gemeenskap en lidmate vir bediening in die markplein moet bemagtig en toerus. Sodoende sal die kerk getrou wees aan die medewerking met God in die missio Dei.

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