IN THIS ISSUE

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Henning Melber

In line with the journal's specific focus on current policy issues of local and regional relevance this issue of the Strategic Review for Southern Africa offers you new insights on local, regional and continental matters from a variety of perspectives, with Zimbabwe and South Africa being the most prominent reference points.

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thuso Benton Mongwaketse

South Africa adopted a human security orientation at the start of its democratic epoch in 1994, but its operationalisation by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) proved difficult to implement. Human security is an approach to security which prioritises the protection of the people over security of the state. One of its central tenets is that security is best achieved through development as opposed to arms. Against this backdrop, the principal objective of this article is to critically analyse and understand South Africa's official human security orientation. Two indicators, the functions performed by the SANDF as well as South Africa's strategic defence posture, were assessed to achieve the objective. The securitisation model associated with Barry Buzan and Ole Wæver was used as a theoretical framework to understand South Africa's official conception and utilisation of human security. It was found that the SANDF's operational functioning was compromised by having to perform its primary responsibilities along with secondary developmental tasks demanded by the broad mandate of human security. Furthermore, while South Africa lexically took human security and state security to be equally important, in practice the SANDF tended to prioritise state security ahead of human security both at home and abroad. Some analysts detected lack of strategic coherence in South Africa's security engagements in Africa while ignoring extensive efforts of the SANDF to bring peace, and not destabilisation, on the continent as part of the strategic defence posture. Ultimately, this article argues that the competency with which the SANDF ensures Strategic Review for Southern Africa, Vol 38, No 2 Thuso Benton Mongwaketse  29 state security must be cascaded down to the human level by taking up more secondary functions with some provisos. Alignment of defence policy and adequate resources as well as the involvement of the people will be indispensable towards realisation of true human security.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxi Schoeman

The well-known political scientist, Maríe Muller, passed away on 4 March this year after a five-year battle with Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), a degenerative neurological disorder. Maríe had a long and distinguished career in the South African and broader international Political Sciences communities. She obtained her BA, BA Hons and MA in International Relations with distinction from the University of Pretoria (UP), and her PhD from the (then) Rand Afrikaans University. She joined the Department of Political Sciences at the University of South Africa (UNISA) during the 1970s and became one of the first female International Relations lecturers in South Africa. She was a warm and lovely person who will be remembered for her integrity, commitment and her loyalty to friends, colleagues and students. She is survived by her husband, Andre Viljoen and her three children, Frans, Liebet and Daniel Jooste. This issue of the Strategic Review for Southern Africa is dedicated to her memory. Hamba Kahle, Maríe. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Henning Melber

In presenting the results of the 'Brand South Africa' project as a special focus, this issue of the Strategic Review for Southern Africa has even more to offer than normal. The work of the guest editors is gratefully acknowledged and they will introduce the contributions to the project in more detail in the pages that follow. The journal is proud to have such a wealth of insights to share.The other articles in this volume provide additional perspectives to this special thematic focus: Albert Edgar Manyuchi looks at selected countries on the continent and critically assesses their governance of foreign direct investment. This stocktake highlights the need for careful assessments, if and when governance matters when attracting external economic interests to establish businesses and generate profit, and how best to reconcile potentially adverse interests.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany L Green ◽  
Amos C Peters

Much of the existing evidence for the healthy immigrant advantage comes from developed countries. We investigate whether an immigrant health advantage exists in South Africa, an important emerging economy.  Using the 2001 South African Census, this study examines differences in child mortality between native-born South African and immigrant blacks.  We find that accounting for region of origin is critical: immigrants from southern Africa are more likely to experience higher lifetime child mortality compared to the native-born population.  Further, immigrants from outside of southern Africa are less likely than both groups to experience child deaths.  Finally, in contrast to patterns observed in developed countries, we detect a strong relationship between schooling and child mortality among black immigrants.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonwabile Mancotywa

The Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) is one of the mainline Christian denominations with a very good history. However, it was not immune from the larger political influence of South Africa that was polarised by apartheid. This article is intended to look at the formation known as the Black Methodist Consultation (BMC), which at that time had an individual member who played an important role in its development and activities. Sox Leleki was one of the key role players of this movement inside the Methodist Church


2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Foreman Bandama ◽  
Shadreck Chirikure ◽  
Simon Hall

The Southern Waterberg in Limpopo Province is archaeologically rich, especially when it comes to evidence of pre-colonial mining and metal working. Geologically, the area hosts important mineral resources such as copper, tin and iron which were smelted by agriculturalists in the precolonial period. In this region however, tin seems to be the major attraction given that Rooiberg is still the only source of cassiterite in southern Africa to have provided evidence of mining before European colonization. This paper reports the results of archaeological and archaeometallurgical work which was carried out in order to reconstruct the technology of metalworking as well as the cultural interaction in the study area and beyond. The ceramic evidence shows that from the Eiland Phase (1000–1300 AD) onwards there was cross borrowing of characteristic decorative traits amongst extant groups that later on culminated in the creation of a new ceramic group known as Rooiberg. In terms of mining and metal working, XRF and SEM analyses, when coupled with optical microscopy, indicate the use of indigenous bloomery techniques that are widespread in pre-colonial southern Africa. Tin and bronze production was also represented and their production remains also pin down this metallurgy to particular sites and excludes the possibility of importing of finished tin and bronze objects into this area.


1995 ◽  
Vol 32 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 145-151
Author(s):  
D. B. Versfeld

South Africa has hundreds of thousands of hectares of heavily populated and badly degraded landscapes. Past attempts at land management have been either through avoidance or the top-down imposition of “betterment” schemes. Participatory methods offer a new opportunity for communities living within these catchments to share their knowledge and to become involved in planning and implementing the management process. This paper discusses the use of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) in a catchment rehabilitation programme in rural KwaZulu/Natal, the lessons learnt and the prospects for wider application.


1998 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-24

This article addresses Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health problems and critically investigates current government policies which are attempting to raise the health standards of these Indigenous people. Particular emphasis will be placed on the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, which, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics census in 1986, stood at just over 61,000 or 2.4 per cent of the State's population.


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