scholarly journals A conversation with a stranger: Debunking religiosity and poverty in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Buhle Mpofu
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Homeless People ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
African Context ◽  
Perceptions Of God ◽  
Dominant Narratives ◽  
Role Of Religion

My previous research explored narratives and discourses from marginalised migrants in their quest for survival. This contribution approached the South African context through the lens of the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1 ‘Ending poverty in all its forms’ and employed John Hick’s notion of ‘soul-making’ to analyse themes that emerged from a summary of a conversation with a stranger. Faith in God, forgiveness and vulnerability are thematically discussed within the context of the struggle for survival through a conversation held with a homeless man in Sinoville, Pretoria, on 03 August 2021. Inspired by this conversation, the article highlights religious expressions of the homeless, their vulnerability and their perceptions of God to contend that some of the homeless prayerfully deploy religiosity and seek God’s guidance to practise Christian values in their daily lives to survive on the margins of society. The contribution challenges dominant narratives on poverty in the context of homelessness and religiosity. The contribution concludes that current developmental discourses need to be decolonised to promote new models for ‘development from below’ which appreciate the role of religion and promote participation of the marginalised in local development initiatives.Contribution: This research contributed to the UN SDG 1 on ending poverty in all its forms by interrogating the vulnerability and religious narratives of homeless people in South Africa through the story of an encounter with a homeless stranger.

scholarly journals Practice of Ritual Sacrifice and the Role of Religion in Development

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cas Wepener
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
South African ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
South African Context ◽  
The South ◽  
Ritual Sacrifice ◽  
African Context ◽  
Role Of Religion

The practice of ritual sacrifice within the South African context is explored in the light of the emerging global discussion regarding religion and development. Firstly, some aspects of the theory of René Girard on sacrifice is discussed, as well as African theories pertaining to sacrifice and modern ways in which sacrifice/offering enters language. The following section presents three case studies pertaining to sacrifice from South Africa: one from fiction, one from fieldwork done in an African Independent church and a description of a recent sacrifice conducted on a beach in Cape Town. In a succeeding section, the data presented in the empirical part is interpreted in the light of the preceding theories. In the concluding section a thesis is advanced regarding the possible meaning and significance of sacrifice for an African understanding of development.

scholarly journals Curriculum development in South Africa: the role of professional bodies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Musimuni Dowelani ◽  
Faith Dowelani
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Curriculum Development ◽  
South African ◽  
Professional Associations ◽  
Job Preparation ◽  
Professional Body ◽  
African Context ◽  
Development Literature

The function and main goal of higher education has evolved over time; studies show that there is a shift in focus from pure intellectual exploration to job preparation. Curriculum development literature argues that the collaboration between universities and industries is critical for skills development and provides alignment between skills required in the workplace and skills transferred through higher education. This desk study aimed to synthesis the role of professional bodies as representatives of industry in curriculum development in the South African context. Observations show that a significant number of professional bodies mandate curriculum, by accrediting qualifications offered by universities. Not all programs require professional body accreditation or approval, however approximately 60% of all university programmes in South Africa are subject to the accreditation of professional associations. Without the accreditation from professional bodies, universities would not be able to offer qualifications in certain disciplines such as health and engineering. There is evidence that professional body involvement in curriculum development ascertains a level of quality. 

scholarly journals Public Theology in the South African Context

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Etienne de Villiers
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Public Theology ◽  
South African Context ◽  
The South ◽  
African Context

The objective of this article is to help the non-South African reader to better situate and understand the contributions included in this issue of the journal. A sketch of the challenges public theology faces regarding its role and the role of churches in the democratic South Africa is provided. Attention is also given to the debate on public theology as such and the different notions of public theologians prevalent in the South African context. Lastly, a brief sketch of the most important public theology institutions and initiatives in South Africa is provided.

Theology amidst Wickedness: Is African Theology Equipped to Address Intractable Societal Issues?

2020 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-225
Author(s):  
Teddy Chalwe Sakupapa
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Wicked Problems ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Theoretical Concept ◽  
African Theology ◽  
Societal Issues ◽  
Public Role ◽  
African Context ◽  
Role Of Religion

Abstract In light of scholarly debates on the wicked problems framework, this contribution offers an appraisal of the role of theology in an African context characterized by myriad wicked problems. I argue that within the (South) African context, the decolonization of theology is indispensable for doing theology that is self-consciously contextual and therefore responsive to societal issues. This is crucial not least because of the widely recognized public role of religion in Africa. Drawing on the analytical framework of decoloniality and the theoretical concept of wicked problems, I will argue that although the category of wicked problems emerged within the framework of the intellectual world of the Northern Hemisphere, its analytical capacity is no less significant for contemporary African theological discourse on decoloniality.

scholarly journals The Emerging Role of the Constitutional Value of Ubuntu for Informal Social Security in South Africa

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clarence I. Tshoose
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Security ◽  
South African ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
South African Context ◽  
Family Solidarity ◽  
The Social ◽  
African Context

AbstractThis paper explores the significance of the African value of ubuntu within the context of social protection. The paper argues that ubuntu as a constitutional value plays a crucial role in supporting the existence of informal social security in South Africa. It concludes by reflecting the overarching potential that the traditional African value has for influencing the social protection and enhancing family solidarity in the South African context.

scholarly journals The shaping and formation of a missional ecclesiology of township congregations in the Mangaung Metro Municipality during COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene Baron ◽  
Khamadi J. Pali
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Missional Church ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
Missional Ecclesiology ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
African Context ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
The Church

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caught most organisations, institutions and leaders off-guard, including church leaders. This was not any different in the congregations in the townships of the Mangaung Metro Municipality. The article discusses the responses of the churches in the Mangaung district and poses the question pertinently, ‘How did (or not) the churches in the Mangaung district reimagine, restructure, and position themselves prophetically during the COVID-19 pandemic?’. This is done firstly by providing a background to the development of a missional ecclesiology in North America, United Kingdon, and South Africa. Secondly, a discussion will be focused on the characteristics of the congregations which are necessary for developing a missional ecclesiology, in terms of these phases, as argued by Baron and Maponya. However, in the final section it will bring the missional ecclesiological discourse in conversation with the shaping and developing (or not) of a missional ecclesiology in respect of congregations in the township of the Mangaung Metro Municipality. The authors provide some contours for the missional role of the church in the current South African context and the formation of a missional ecclesiology.Contribution: This article contributes to the missional church discourse in missiology, that has been a conversation within Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa. The authors have been conducting research within mostly Pentecostal church in the township of Mangaung. The article is an attempt to broaden the missional church discussion in terms of region and Pentecostal ecclesiology.

ROLE OF LIBRARIANS IN TEACHING INFORMATION LITERACY IN ZIMBABWEAN AND SOUTH AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Mousaion ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tinashe Mugwisi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
Information And Communications Technologies ◽  
Communications Technologies ◽  
Information Skills ◽  
The University

Information and communications technologies (ICTs) and the Internet have to a large extent influenced the way information is made available, published and accessed. More information is being produced too frequently and information users now require certain skills to sift through this multitude in order to identify what is appropriate for their purposes. Computer and information skills have become a necessity for all academic programmes. As libraries subscribe to databases and other peer-reviewed content (print and electronic), it is important that users are also made aware of such sources and their importance. The purpose of this study was to examine the teaching of information literacy (IL) in universities in Zimbabwe and South Africa, and the role played by librarians in creating information literate graduates. This was done by examining whether such IL programmes were prioritised, their content and how frequently they were reviewed. An electronic questionnaire was distributed to 12 university libraries in Zimbabwe and 21 in South Africa. A total of 25 questionnaires were returned. The findings revealed that IL was being taught in universities library and non-library staff, was compulsory and contributed to the term mark in some institutions. The study also revealed that 44 per cent of the total respondents indicated that the libraries were collaborating with departments and faculty in implementing IL programmes in universities. The study recommends that IL should be an integral part of the university programmes in order to promote the use of databases and to guide students on ethical issues of information use.

‘Limping, Yet Made to Climb a Mountain!’ Re-Reading the Vashti Character in the Hiv And Aids South African Context

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madipoane Masenya (Ngwan’A Mphahlele)
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
External Factor ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
African Women ◽  
South African Context ◽  
Land Grabbing ◽  
The Bible ◽  
History Of ◽  
African Context

The history of the Christian Bible’s reception in South Africa was part of a package that included among others, the importation of European patriarchy, land grabbing and its impoverishment of Africans and challenged masculinities of African men. The preceding factors, together with the history of the marginalization of African women in bible and theology, and how the Bible was and continues to be used in our HIV and AIDS contexts, have only made the proverbial limping animal to climb a mountain. Wa re o e bona a e hlotša, wa e nametša thaba (while limping, you still let it climb a mountain) simply means that a certain situation is being aggravated (by an external factor). In this chapter the preceding Northern Sotho proverb is used as a hermeneutical lens to present an HIV and AIDS gender sensitive re-reading of the Vashti character in the Hebrew Bible within the South African context.

Reimagining Intersectionality and Social Exclusion in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khosi Kubeka ◽  
Sharmla Rama
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
South African Context ◽  
Social Division ◽  
Common Reference ◽  
Local Contexts ◽  
African Context

Combining the theories of intersectionality and social exclusion holds the potential for structural and nuanced interpretations of the workings of power, taking systemic issues seriously but interpreting them though social relations that appear in local contexts. An intersectional analysis of social exclusion demonstrates to what extent multiple axes of social division—be they race, age, gender, class, disability or citizenship—intersect to result in unequal and disparate experiences for groups of youth spatially located in particular communities and neighborhoods. A common reference point is therefore power and how it manifests at the intersection of the local and global. A South African case study is used to explore the subjective measures and qualitative experiences of intersectionality and social exclusion further. The unique ways that language intersects with space, neighborhood, and race in the South African context, enables opportunities in education and the labor market, with profound implications for forms of social exclusion.

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

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