This study engages in an ethical examination of contemporary socio-ecological and economic issues which takes seriously the plight of Africa, African communities, indigenous knowledge and biodiversity. It studies the impact of bioprospecting, biopiracy and intellectual property rights regimes on the protection, use, access to, and conservation of biodiversity and indigenous knowledge in Africa. The study also examines the ways in which northern multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and their agents prospect and convert African resources (biological commons and indigenous knowledge) into their intellectual property as well as private property. It argues that the transfer of African biological commons and indigenous knowledge is exacerbated by economic globalisation and the neo-colonial mentality of conquest concealed under the guise of commerce. The study demonstrates through concrete case studies the tactics used by northern multinational corporations to claim these resources as their intellectual property rights and private property. It observes that the privatisation of biological commons and indigenous knowledge only brings about nominal or no benefits to African communities who have nurtured and continue to nurture them. It also observes that this privatisation results in fewer benefits for biodiversity as they lead to the promotion of monoculture, i.e. commercialisation of all things. To address the injustice and exploitative implications of bioprospecting, biopiracy and intellectual property rights, the study recommends the adoption and implementation of the African model law, the establishment of defensive intellectual property rights mechanisms, and the strategy of resistance and advocacy. It suggests that these measures ought to be grounded on the African normative principle of botho and the Christian ethical principle of justice. / Systematic Theology and Theological Ethics / D.Th.(Theological Ethics)

This study engages in an ethical examination of contemporary socio-ecological and economic issues which takes seriously the plight of Africa, African communities, indigenous knowledge and biodiversity. It studies the impact of bioprospecting, biopiracy and intellectual property rights regimes on the protection, use, access to, and conservation of biodiversity and indigenous knowledge in Africa. The study also examines the ways in which northern multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and their agents prospect and convert African resources (biological commons and indigenous knowledge) into their intellectual property as well as private property. It argues that the transfer of African biological commons and indigenous knowledge is exacerbated by economic globalisation and the neo-colonial mentality of conquest concealed under the guise of commerce. The study demonstrates through concrete case studies the tactics used by northern multinational corporations to claim these resources as their intellectual property rights and private property. It observes that the privatisation of biological commons and indigenous knowledge only brings about nominal or no benefits to African communities who have nurtured and continue to nurture them. It also observes that this privatisation results in fewer benefits for biodiversity as they lead to the promotion of monoculture, i.e. commercialisation of all things. To address the injustice and exploitative implications of bioprospecting, biopiracy and intellectual property rights, the study recommends the adoption and implementation of the African model law, the establishment of defensive intellectual property rights mechanisms, and the strategy of resistance and advocacy. It suggests that these measures ought to be grounded on the African normative principle of botho and the Christian ethical principle of justice. / Systematic Theology and Theological Ethics / D.Th.(Theological Ethics)

Text in English with abstracts in English and Sesotho / The purpose of this study was to describe the role of Life Orientation (LO) in the development of altruistic behaviour among adolescents aged 14 t0 16 years in one rural school of Limpopo Province. The participants were purposively selected. Most communities struggle to involve adolescents in voluntary activities such as home-based care, cleaning campaigns, conducting study groups, and others, if there are no incentives such as money. The study collected data through semi-structured interviews and the altruism scale questionnaire. The latter is not a psychometric measure but a screening tool that gives a qualitative value that can be analysed. The findings of the study have shown that LO has not yet played a critical role in developing altruism in youth, especially adolescents. Participants having reported lack of perceived seriousness taken by their LO teachers on the topics during LO lessons resulted in their different perspectives and experiences regarding the subject. In addition, altruism has not been included in LO curriculum. Therefore, further investigation of the cause of belief in superstition amongst adolescents and downgrading of LO is important. / Morero wo mogolo wa dinyakišišo tše e be e le go hlalosa karolo ye bohlokwa yeo e bapalago ke Thuto ya Tshedimošo ya Bophelo (Life Orientantion) gore bana bao ba golago ba thoma go tšwa mahlalegading ba hlalefa, ba mengwaga ye lesome-nne leba lesome-tshela ba godišwe le go rutwa mekgwa ye mebotse mo sekolong se sengwe seleteng sa Limpopo, Afrika Borwa. Batšeikarolo dinyakišišong tše ba kgethilwe ka maikemišetšo gore ba ntšhe maikutlo a bona ka moka mabapi le tabakgolo yeo monyakišiši a bego a e nyakišiša. Batho ba bantšhi mo setšhabeng ba palelwa ke go huetša bana bao ba golago mo mešomong ya go ikgafa moo elego gore a go na moputso wa tšhelete. Mediro ye ya boikgafo e akaretša go nea balwetši ditirelo tša kalafo ya ka gae, masolo a go thlwekiša, dihlopha tša go ithuta mmogo, magareng ga tše dingwe. Dinyakišišo tše di šomišitše mokgwa wa seka-dipoledišano go tšea tshedimošo gammogo le sekala sa dipotšišo tša go šomišwa go dira diteko tša go utulla mediro ye mebotse ya Mosamaria wa kgaugelo mo setšhabeng. Maikemišetšo a sekala se sa dipotšišo ga se go dira diteko tša monagano, eupša ke sefetleki sa go dirišwa go tšea tshedimošo le go seka-seka maikutlo mabapi le gore batšeikarolo ba ikwa bjang ka tiragalo ye itšeng yeo e nyakišišwago (e sego go seka-seka dipalopalo). Dipoelo tša dinyakišišo tše di laetša gore Thuto ya Tshedimošo ya Bophelo ga e sešo ya fihlelela morero wa go aga mekgwa ya botho mo bathong ba baswa. Batšeikarolo ba nyamišitšwe ke ka mokgwa woo barutiši ba thuto ye ba se nago maikemišetšo ka gona mabapi le go ruta thuto ye ka mafolofolo. Se se ile sa ba le khuetšo ye mpe go barutwana moo bailego ba hlokomologa thuto ye ka go se e tšeele hlogong gomme ba e bona ka leihlo le šele. Godimo ga moo, thuto ya go kwela batho bohloko le go ba hlankela ga se ya akaretšwa mo thutong Tshedimošo ya Bophelo. Bjalo go nyakega dinyakišišo mo go tumelo ya dinonwane magareng ga baswa bao ba golago le go nyenyefašwa ga Thuto ye ya Tshedimošo ya Bophelo. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Specialisation in Guidance and Counselling)