Text in English / This dissertation has examined the University Christian Movement (UCM) over its turbulent five year history from 1967 to 1972 in terms of the original hopes of the sponsoring ecumenical denominations. Contextual factors within the socio-political arena of South Africa as well as broader youth cultural influences are shown to have had a decisive influence. These factors help to explain the negative reaction from the founding churches. While this is not a thesis on Black Consciousness, nevertheless the contribution of the UCM to the rise of Black Consciousness and Black Theology is evaluated. UCM is shown to be a movement well ahead of its time as a forerunner in South Africa of Black Theology, contextual theology, feminism, modem liturgical styles, and intercommunion. As such it was held in suspicion. It suffered repressive action from the government and alienation from the churches. Constant cross referencing to other organisations such as the World Student Christian Federation, the National Union of South African Students, the South African Council of Churches, the Christian Institute, and the Sllldents Christian Association, helps to locate the UCM within the flow of contemporary history. The concluding evaluation differs markedly from the report of the Schlebusch Commission by making both critical and positive judgement from the perspective of the UCM as an ecumenical mission to students. / Christain Spirituality, Church History & Missiology / M.Th. (Missiology)

The Study of Theology plays a crucial role in the construction of a sound theology in this post liberation era of Southern Africa. This exercise is conformed to the academic learning and creates an environment where theology can dialogue with other disciplines. It helps in the critical reflection on the issue of God and human beings as the object of theology in African context. The study of theology and the doing of theology are methods which bring praxis and theory together. The doing of theology is the daily work of a pastor in a congregation. It is an exercise that put theological theories into practice. This is a methodology that guides the process of developing a contextual theology in Southern Africa. It is a process of taking theology from classroom to the congregations the community. The study of theology and the doing theology are soul mates. They work hand in hand to address contemporary situations. Human beings should know their physical organic environment. They are the object of theology. People experience God from natural science. Liberation theologies e.g. Africanist, Black and Women/Feminist theologies should use new approaches in order to meet the post liberation error challenges. The wholesome approach is another alternative to be used by these theologies. The approach is based on the interconnectedness of God, human beings and physical organic universe (Theanthropocosmic principle). The principle of Theanthropocosmic helps to direct theology in Southern Africa to be contextual and universal. Some new contextual theologies are born because of the theanthropocosmic approaches to modern challenges. The modern society is build under principles of democracy, good governance, peace and tranquility. The major role of theology is to ensure that the society enjoys those principles. Theology is directed to a group and individuals. The social, political and economical challenges should be approached as a group. The wholesome approach is an appropriate method to address challenges imposed by globalization ideologies. The increase rate of poverty in Southern Africa brings up other social illness in communities e.g. corruptions, crime, diseases. There is a need to engage theology in economic globalization. The concept of Botho calls everyone in the community to participate in the fight against these social illnesses in the society. Theology is obliged to restore economic justice. The Church is encouraged to participate in the cultural liberation and renewal. She is compelled to do mission work in this paradigms of cultural changes. African renaissance is an urgent thing to be implemented order to overcome challenges imposed by globalization in Southern Africa. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Systematic Theology)

International teacher migration has emerged as one of the key policy challenges confronting many countries, particularly in Southern Africa, with Botswana, South Africa and Zambia experiencing variable degrees of the cross-border movement of teachers. The aim of this research was to develop a strategy for managing teacher migration in Southern Africa, and balancing the right of individual teachers to migrate internationally, while protecting the integrity of vulnerable education systems and their human resources. The research comprised a literature review and an empirical study based on a mixed-methods research design combining the quantitative and qualitative research approaches. The literature study examined international teacher migration, including its main concepts, theories, causes and effects, while the empirical study assessed the statistical scope of teacher migration in Southern Africa (Botswana, South Africa and Zambia), its causes, effects, and management. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather quantitative data from education officials, school principals and migrant teachers, while personal in-depth interviews were used to elicit complementary qualitative data from some experts on migration, education officials, teacher union leaders, school principals and migrant teachers. The results of the study revealed that teacher migration statistics and data were generally patchy and incomplete in Southern Africa; that international teacher migration in the region was driven by three main causes related to economic, political and salary conditions; and that teacher migration had both positive and negative effects on the education systems of Southern African countries, migrant teachers and their families. The findings further revealed that improving the management of teacher migration in Southern Africa required a systematic and coordinated approach involving sending and receiving countries, with reference to a common policy and legal framework supported by comprehensive teacher migration data. In this regard, and based on the identification of key principles and guidelines for teacher migration management, a model is proposed for the viable management of teacher migration in the Southern African region. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

Despite the fact that the Bible as the inspired Word of God deals primarily with the relationship between God and humankind and the way to salvation and eternal life, the Bible also presents tenets that entreat the protection of the natural and biophysical world. Consequently, since the environment is a foremost aspect of God’s creation it is appropriate to establish the Biblical perspective on creation as a whole and Christians’ subsequent position and duty to creation. Humankind has been ecologically irresponsible. Greed, inadequate knowledge and negligence have led to exploitation, degradation, and disregard for the natural environment. Unfortunately, there appears to be a “deep silence” within the Christian Church worldwide as well as in South Africa on believers’ role and duty towards the natural created environment. The premise underpinning this thesis is that God’s redemptive care applies not only to people, but also to the whole of creation and that believers have a Biblical mandate to care for the natural environment and afford it its concomitant value. The Bible provides believers with directives regarding environmental care summarised in God’s requirement for man to “work [the earth] and take care of it” (Gen. 2: 15). The anticipated outcomes of this research were to establish the status of Environmental Stewardship as a dimension Christian Stewardship and the level of Environmental Literacy provided for in the curricula of theological seminaries of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa. The study further attempted to determine the level of understanding and stance of ministers, lecturers, elders and students towards these issues. Believers have a duty of care in relation to God’s creation in totality – both humanity and the natural environment. There is a great need for Christian discussion on and improvement in the appropriate use and protection of the environment. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)

Summaries and keywords in Afrikaans and English / Hierdie histories-argeologiese studie bied ‘n basiese beskrywing van die materiële kultuur van ‘n afgeleë Suider-Afrikaanse plaas wat tussen die 1880’s en die 1930’s bewoon is. Die studie berus op ‘n gedetailleerde ontleding van die opgegraafde vondste wat herwin is van ashope wat met drie wooneenhede op die plaas Welkomskraal, geleë in die distrik Venterstad in die Noordoos-Kaap, verbind word. Die artefakte is aan die hand van die naslaanversameling in die Bloemfonteinse Nasionale Museum en handelsadvertensies geïdentifiseer. Die materiële kultuur dek die volle spektrum van die alledaagse lewe van die plaasbewoners en word aangevul deur genealogiese data, wat aantoon dat die grondeienaars die nasate was van die eerste trekboere wat hulle in die gebied gevestig het. Die bewoningsperiode van Welkomskraal val saam met die tweede industriële revolusie, wat gekenmerk is deur die massaproduksie van goedere en ‘n toenemend globale handelsnetwerk. Die versameling lewer bewys dat boere in die verre binneland toegang tot ‘n wye reeks ingevoerde produkte gehad het, hoewel hulle nie noodwendig welvarend was nie. / This historical archaeological study provides a baseline description of the material culture of a remote southern African farm occupied between the 1880s and the 1930s. The study is based on a detailed analysis of the excavated finds recovered from middens associated with three homesteads, located on the farm Welkomskraal, in the Venterstad district of the north-eastern Cape. Artefacts were identified using the reference collection of the National Museum in Bloemfontein and commercial adverts. The material culture covers the full spectrum of the daily lives of the farm’s occupants and is complemented by genealogical data, which indicate that the landowners were the descendants of the first trekboers who settled in the area. The occupation of Welkomskraal coincided with the second industrial revolution, which was characterised by mass production of goods and an increasingly global trade network. The assemblage attests that farmers in the deep interior had access to a wide range of imported goods although they were not necessarily prosperous. / Anthropology & Archaeology / M.A. (Argeologie)

This doctoral thesis deals with the regulation of non-standard employment in Southern Africa: the case of South Africa with reference to several other SADC countries. The growth and presence of non-standard employment since the 1970s has revealed an important concern in a number of countries, both at the global and national levels. The overall significance of non-standard employment has increased in recent decades in both developed and developing states, as its use has grown exponentially across economic sectors and employment. Non-standard employment is the opposite of the standard employment relationship, which is work that is full time and indefinite. Non-standard employment includes an unequal employment relationship between an employee and an employer. Some workers choose to work in non-standard employment, and the choice has positive results. Nonetheless, for the majority of workers, non-standard employment is associated with job insecurity, exploitation, and the absence of trade unions and collective bargaining. Non-standard employment can also create challenges for firms, the labour market and the economy, including society at large. Backing decent work for all entails a comprehensive understanding of non-standard employment and its ramifications. This study explores the regulation and protection of non-standard employment in Southern Africa with focus on South Africa. The study draws on international and regional labour standards, the South African Constitution of 1996, and the national experience to make policy recommendations that will ensure workers are protected, firms are sustainable and labour markets operate well. Social justice and the democratisation of the workplace cannot be achieved if workers in non-standard employment are excluded from the labour relations system. / Mercantile Law / LL. D.

There are many factors that have been proposed to contribute to plant invasiveness in nonnative ecosystems. Traits of invading species are one of them. It has been proposed that successful species at a certain invasion stage share particular traits, which could be used to predict the behaviour of potentially invasive plants at the respective stage. Three main stages of invasion are distinguished: introduction, naturalization, and invasion. I conducted a stageand trait-based analysis of available data for the invasion of New Zealand by the flora of southern Africa. Using 3076 southern African native vascular plant species introduced into New Zealand, generalised linear mixed model analysis was conducted to assess association of several species traits with the three invasion stages. The results showed that plant traits were significantly associated with introduction but fewer traits were associated with naturalization or invasion, suggesting that introduction can be predicted better using plant traits. It has been also hypothesized that species may become invasive in non-native ecosystems because they are removed from the regulatory effects of coevolved natural enemies (Enemy Release hypothesis). A detailed field study of the succulent plant Cotyledon orbiculata var. orbiculata L. (Crassulaceae) was conducted in the non-native New Zealand and native Namibian habitats to compare the extent of damage by herbivores and pathogens. C. orbiculata is a southern African species that is currently thriving in New Zealand in areas seemingly beyond the climatic conditions in its native range (occurring in higher rainfall areas in New Zealand than are represented in its native range). As hypothesised, C. orbiculata was less damaged by herbivores in New Zealand but, contrary to expectation, more infected by pathogens. Consequently, the plant was overall not any less damaged by natural enemies in the non-native habitat than in its native habitat, although the fitness impacts of the enemy damage in the native and invaded ranges were not assessed. The results suggest that climatic conditions may counteract enemy release, especially in situations where pathogens are more prevalent in areas of higher rainfall and humidity. To forecast plant invasions, it is concluded that species traits offer some potential, particularly at the early stage of invasion. Predicting which introduced plants will become weeds is more difficult. Enemy release may explain some invasions, but climatic factors may offset the predictability of release from natural enemies.

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This thesis focuses on the challenges posed by the refugees from the Great Lakes Region to the ministry of the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Nativity in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. It intends to inform the Christian world in general and specifically the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Nativity of the current refugee situation and its causes. Furthermore, this study shows that understanding the refugees' livelihood strategies is a prerequisite to improved interventions. Using the Sustainable Livelihood Framework, this study describes some of the positive and negative outcomes from the mechanisms and strategies developed by refugees in order to stabilize and enhance their situation. Looking at the livelihood challenges faced by the Great Lakes Region refugees, this study shows how UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) has been in a weak position to challenge the policies of its funders and host governments even when those policies fail to respond adequately to refugee problems. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.