scholarly journals An attack on the Cross: Spiritual leaders’ accounts of fear and resilience during COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mammusa Rosinah Lekoa ◽  
Sibusiso Louis Ntuli
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Church Leaders ◽  
Spiritual Leaders ◽  
Vulnerable Communities ◽  
Difficult Time ◽  
Essential Services ◽  
The Face ◽  
African Context ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Church

This paper provides accounts on the impact that COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown(s) had on the Church and its leaders in the South African context. The study explores challenges that the leaders faced and how they dealt with them to remain standing despite their fears. The context is COVID-19 pandemic, which brought mass deaths, fear, confusion and frustration to congregations globally. Church leaders faced a challenge to show resilience amid fear because they too were directly affected. Governments introduced regulations that imposed lockdowns to control the spread of the virus. Limiting contact by restricting distance amongst citizens. The church was one sector that could not operate. Although some sectors were never declared essential services like churches, this left vulnerable communities without support in the face of fear. Spiritual leaders had to demonstrate resilience to support the congregants. The key question the researchers seek to understand is to what extent did the church remain resilient during COVID-19 pandemic? And how did the church leaders deal with fear despite anointing and expectations from the congregants and communities? A qualitative approach was used in this study. COVID-19 has shown that Church leaders are humans and they are also fearful, however their faith in God has assisted them to show resilience even at this difficult time. The study also asserts that governments should consult different groupings of faith-based organisations, not only those that are under organised bodies before embarking on restrictions for pandemic control. Communities encompass many churches and leaders require support to assist them from church members.

scholarly journals Kerk en owerheid binne ’n regstaat. Die profetiese roeping van die kerk met betrekking tot die Suid-Afrikaanse owerheid

2000 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Vorster ◽  
J.H. Van Wyk
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
Theoretical Argument ◽  
The South ◽  
African Government ◽  
Constitutional State ◽  
African Context ◽  
The Government ◽  
Just Society ◽  
The Church

Church and government within a constitutional state. The prophetic calling of the church towards the South-African government With the transition to a new political dispensation in South Africa, a constitutional state has been established. A typical characteristic of this new dispensation is that the government remains neutral while the executive powers are subject to the Bill of Human Rights. The question of how the church can realize its prophetic task towards the government within the context of a constitutional state is highlighted in this article. The central theoretical argument is that a constitutional state that acknowledges fundamental rights provides an excellent opportunity for the church to fulfil its prophetic calling within the South African context. The church can contribute to a just society by prophetic testimony within the perspective of the kingdom of God.

Towards validating a framework of adaptive schemata for entrepreneurial success

2006 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bae Amanjee ◽  
F Crous ◽  
A Crafford
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Job Creation ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Personality Characteristics ◽  
Entrepreneurial Success ◽  
African Context ◽  
Successful Entrepreneurs ◽  
Industry Sectors ◽  
The Impact

The role of entrepreneurship within the context of an emerging economy has been well documented. Specifically within the South African context, the concept of entrepreneurship has been embraced by most industry sectors particularly for its resultant job creation and associated economic benefits. To date, psychologists have attempted to understand and define the factors that predispose individuals to embark on entrepreneurial careers, focusing primarily on the personality characteristics of entrepreneurs. However, entrepreneurial research from a cognitive psychological framework has been limited. Specifically, the impact of schemata on the success of the entrepreneur has received little exposure. A study was conducted to examine the presence and type of schemata inherent in successful entrepreneurs. The findings indicate that successful entrepreneurs display varied manifestations of adaptive schemata.

scholarly journals A pastoral investigation into some of the challenges associated with aging and retirement in the South African context

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magezi E. Baloyi
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Black South Africans ◽  
African Context ◽  
Long Life ◽  
The Church

This article is a contribution to a project that congratulates from the work of George Lotter, a pastor, pastoral counsellor and academic who wrote much on matters relating to pastoral care and counselling. Elderliness and retirement can be understood as a period in the lives of elderly people that allows them to rest after a long life of activity and service. From another point of view, old age is also a time that offers pastoral caregivers an opportunity to care for people who have contributed to their families and society. Pastoral caregivers have an important role to play in the lives of elderly people. This applies particularly to elderly black South Africans, who often find themselves confronted by poverty and other related problems. This article investigates the challenges and problems affecting retired and elderly black South Africans with particular focus on the economic impact of aging and its influence on family relationships in the lives of elderly people. To conclude: it is the duty of pastoral caregivers to search for and establish guidelines for the roles the church can play in improving elderly people’s quality of life.’n Pastorale ondersoek na enkele van die uitdagings ten opsigte van veroudering en aftredein die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks. Hierdie artikel is ’n bydrae tot ’n projek wat voorspruit uit die werk van George Lotter, ’n pastor, pastorale berader en akademikus wat baie geskryf het oor kwessies wat met pastorale sorg en berading verband hou. Bejaardheid en aftrede kan verstaan word as ’n tyd in in ouer persone se lewe waartydens hulle kan rus ná ’n lang aktiewe en diensbare lewe. Bejaardheid kan ook gesien word as ’n tyd wat aan pastorale versorgers die geleentheid gee om na die mense wat bygedra het tot hulle families en die gemeenskap se versorging, om te sien. Pastorale versorgers speel ’n belangrike rol in die lewens van bejaardes. Dit is spesifiek van toepassing op bejaarde swart Suid-Afrikaners wat dikwels gekonfronteer word met armoede en aanverwante probleme. Hierdie artikel ondersoek die uitdagings en probleme waarmee bejaarde swart Suid-Afrikaanse afgetredenes te kampe het. Dit fokus spesifiek op die ekonomiese uitwerking van veroudering en die invloed wat dit op familieverhoudinge in die lewens van bejaardes het. Die slotsom word gemaak dat dit die plig van pastorale versorgers is om riglyne te soek en te bied vir die rol wat die kerk kan speel ter verbetering van die lewensomstandighede van die bejaardes.

scholarly journals Performance Appraisal as an Antecedent to Innovation: an Analysis of Its Relative Importance

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Navin Gazanchand Matookchund ◽  
Renier Steyn
Keyword(s):  
Performance Appraisal ◽  
South African ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
African Context ◽  
Broad Cross Section ◽  
The Impact

Literature suggests that performance appraisal (PA) contributes to innovation. However, the absolute and relative importance of PA to innovation, the different aspects of PA which drive innovation, as well as PA as a precursor among other antecedents to innovation, has not been adequately described. The aim of the study is to provide clarity on the drivers of innovation, specifically contextualising the impact of PA within the South African context. This study used a cross-sectional survey design, where only quantitative data was collected from full-time employees across private sector, parastatal, and government organisations. The respondents represented a broad cross-section of South African employees. PA and three other known antecedents to innovation, as well as innovation itself, were measured. It was found that PA (as a single variable) was responsible for 5.7% of the variance in innovation. Items in the PA scale with a clear link to innovation were identified, and thematically integrated. It was further found that, when PA was combined with other antecedents of innovation, leading to 26.6% of the variance in innovation being explained, the role of PA was significant, though mostly secondary. Proactive personality was the most dominant predictor of innovation. The importance and relative importance of PA as an antecedent to innovation in the workplace has thus been established. The outcomes of this study may assist managers and human resource practitioners to focus on appropriate, evidence-based information when attempting to enhance innovation.

Promoting career awareness among IT students in a South African context

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 541-565
Author(s):  
J.T. Janse van Rensburg ◽  
Roelien Goede
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
South African Context ◽  
Career Awareness ◽  
Content Type ◽  
African Context ◽  
Capstone Projects ◽  
Theory Practice Gap ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present an intervention strategy for promoting career awareness among IT students in a South African context, followed by a reflection thereof based on qualitative data collected from students. Career awareness during study has shown to be a factor in the work-readiness of IT graduates.Design/methodology/approachThe paper suggests an intervention strategy aimed at promoting IT students' career awareness. It provides context of the exit-level higher education (HE) module used to implement the intervention. Career awareness is achieved by industry talks, projects and events. Interpretive data collection and content analysis are used to understand the impact of the intervention from the students' perspective.FindingsRecommendations are made towards productive interventions for raising career awareness among IT students using industry participation in higher education. The proposed intervention comprises of a combination of industry talks, capstone projects and specific events. Students had largely positive reactions and made suggestions for additional interventions they would find beneficial. A hackathon attended proved the most influential where seven out of eight involved students received job offers from one company. Other students became aware of their own employability, limitations and preferred career paths.Originality/valueFindings provide confirmation on existing feasible approaches and also introduces new interventions that may be generalised to other fields of study. The paper not only provides an instructional design for a module to raise career awareness but also reflects on the feedback of the students. The reflection provided by students acts as a point of reference to ensure that the process followed for the intervention is practical within a South African context. The paper highlights the perceived benefits of involving industry in higher education to raise career awareness, factors that may prevent career awareness among IT students and valuable suggestions made by students to further enhance the intervention strategy. An implication of the research is a set of guidelines identified towards bridging the IT theory–practice gap. These guidelines can be used by many educators in similar environments to justify their interventions.

scholarly journals Managing employee well-being: A qualitative study exploring job and personal resources of at-risk employees

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecile Gauche ◽  
Leon T. De Beer ◽  
Lizelle Brink
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
South African ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Job Resources ◽  
Personal Resources ◽  
South African Context ◽  
The South ◽  
African Context ◽  
The Impact

Orientation: Job and personal resources influence the well-being of employees. Currently, limited information exists in literature surrounding the experience of these resources in employees identified as at-risk of burnout.Research purpose: To investigate the experience of job and personal resources from the perspectives of employees identified as at-risk of burnout.Motivation for the study: Empirical evidence on the integrative role and influence of job and personal resources on the well-being of employees in the South African context is currently limited. Attaining a better understanding of the manner in which at-risk employees experience resources can empower organisations to actively work towards creating an environment that allows for optimal employee well-being.Research design, approach and method: A phenomenological approach was taken to conduct the study in a South African-based financial services organisation. A combination of purposive and convenience sampling was used, and 26 employees agreed to participate. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data, and data analysis was performed through the use of thematic analysis.Main findings: Employees identified as at-risk of burnout acknowledged both job and personal resources as factors influencing their well-being. Participants in this study elaborated on received job resources as well as lacking job resources. Information was also shared by participants on personal resources through describing used personal resources as well as lacking personal resources.Practical/managerial implications: Knowledge gained from the study will contribute to empower organisations to better understand the impact of resources on the well-being of employees, and allow organisations to adapt workplace resources to ensure adequate and appropriate resources to facilitate optimal employee well-being.Contribution: This study contributes to the limited research available in the South African context regarding the experience of job and personal resources from the perspective of at-risk employees. The study may also enable organisations to create a workplace that is more supportive and empowering with appropriate resources to deliver on expected demands.

The Virgin Mary and the People of Liguria: Image and Cult

2004 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 280-297
Author(s):  
Jane Garnett ◽  
Gervase Rosser
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Local Church ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Church Leaders ◽  
Virgin Mary ◽  
Corpus Christi ◽  
The People ◽  
The Face ◽  
The City ◽  
The Church

We begin with an image, and a story. Explanation will emerge from what follows. Figure 1 depicts a huge wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, once the figurehead on the prow of a ship, but now on the high altar of the church of Saints Vittore and Carlo in Genoa, and venerated as Nostra Signora della Fortuna. On the night of 16-17 January 1636 a violent storm struck the port of Genoa. Many ships were wrecked. Among them was one called the Madonna della Pieta, which had the Virgin as its figurehead. A group of Genoese sailors bought this image as part of the salvage washed up from the sea. First setting it up under a votive painting of the Virgin in the harbour, they repaired it, had it repainted, and on the eve of Corpus Christi brought it to the church of San Vittore, close by the port. A famous blind song-writer was commissioned to write a song in honour of the image. Sailors and groups of young girls went through the streets of the city singing and collecting gifts. The statue became at once the focus of an extraordinary popular cult, thousands of people arriving day and night with candles, silver crowns, necklaces, and crosses in gratitude for the graces which had immediately begun to be granted. Volleys of mortars were let off in celebration. The affair was managed by the sailors who, in the face of mounting criticism and anxiety from local church leaders, directed devotions and even conducted exorcisms before the image. To stem the gathering tide of visitors and claims of miracles, and to try to establish control, the higher clergy first questioned the identity of the statue (some held it to represent, not the Virgin, but the Queen of England); then the statue was walled up; finally the church was closed altogether. Still, devotees climbed into the church, and large-scale demonstrations of protest were held. The archbishop instituted a process of investigation, in the course of which many eye-witnesses and people who claimed to have experienced miracles were interviewed (giving, in the surviving manuscript, rich detail of their responses to the image). Eventually the prohibition was lifted, and from 1637 until well into the twentieth century devotion to Nostra Signora della Fortuna remained strong, with frequent miracles or graces being recorded. So here we have a cult focused on an image of secular origin, transformed by the promotion of the sailors into a devotional object which roused the enthusiasm of thousands of lay people. It was a cult which, significantly, sprang up at a time of unrest in the city of Genoa, and which thus focused pressing issues of authority. The late 163os witnessed growing tension between factions of ‘old’ and ‘new’ nobility, the latter being marked by their hostility to the traditional Genoese Spanish alliance. Hostilities were played out both within the Senate and in clashes in the streets of the city. The cult of Nostra Signora della Fortuna grew up in this context, but survived and developed in subsequent centuries, attracting devotion from all over Italy.

scholarly journals The church as a transformation and change agent

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerry Pillay
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Change Agent ◽  
South African Context ◽  
The South ◽  
Community Transformation ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
African Context ◽  
The Church ◽  
Changing Society

This article traces the historical impact of the church in transforming, developing and changing society. It looks at how the church in selected periods in history, mainly in the reformation era, worked towards the transformation of society and communities. Extracting from these the author attempts to show how this can be applied to the church in the South African context. Further, the author explores the changing dynamics and characteristics of being church today and establishes that it is not so much about what the church believes, but in what it does that matters most in this day and age. The author, with the latter thought in mind, expresses that community transformation has to be an integral part of the ministry of the church today.

scholarly journals An integrative review of Albertina Sisulu and ubuntu: Relevance to caring and nursing

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 214-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlene Downing ◽  
Marie Hastings-Tolsma
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Integrative Review ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Healing Environment ◽  
New Directions ◽  
History Of ◽  
African Context ◽  
Nursing Data ◽  
Nursing Pedagogy ◽  
The Impact

Background: Caring forms the core component of nursing. The history of the nature of caring in South Africa is non-specific and is unknown. The impact of nurse and activist Albertina Sisulu – known as the Mother of the Nation – has the potential to offer uniquein sights into what could be the context of caring for nurses.Aims: The study aimed at 1) critically synthesising the available evidence of caring as portrayed by Albertina Sisulu within the South African context, and 2) interpreting Sisulu's work within the Ubuntu philosophy as a framework for nursing and caring.Method: An integrative review was completed using Whittemore and Knafl's framework. Key electronic databases, selected references and web-based search engines were scoured for articles meeting the inclusion criteria. This systematic and iterative approach yielded 18 non-research reports related to Sisulu; eight reports (three research, five non-research) related to ubuntu and nursing. Data was extracted that related to relevant and conclusive new and innovative practices in caring.Results: The findings provided a context for practice guidelines of caring concerning knowledge and critical thinking about caring by nurses. Two primary factors emerged that demonstrated a culture of caring as seen through the prism of Sisulu's life: devoted dancer and creation of a healing environment. These factors also reflect African ubuntu principles, where the focus is on the relationships between people and how these relationships could be conducted.Conclusions: Ubuntu and Sisulu's approach to caring have much to offer for the nursing profession in terms of developing of new directions for nursing pedagogy, curriculum,practice patterns, and policies that emphasise caring constructs.

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