"Although the United Nations (UN) has often been pivotal in forging the international response to serious human rights crimes in such settings, the justice gap in countries such as the Democratic Republic [of] Congo (DRC) (the focus of this study) underscores the need for more systematic UN efforts. The war in the DRC has resulted in one of the world's worst humanitarian crisis with over 3.4 million displaced persons scattered throughout the country. An estimated 3.5 million people have died as a result of the war. The armed conflict has been characterised by appalling widespread and systematic human rights violations, including mass killings, ethnic cleansing, rape and the destruction of property. The most pressing need to be addressed is the question of justice and accountability for these human rights atrocities in order to achieve a durable peace in the country and also in the Great Lakes region (Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Angola and the DRC, to name just a few). In this respect, this study will address the grave human rights violations committed in the DRC and the mechanisms for dealing with them. It is particularly true in post-conflict situations where justice systems have been either partially or completely destroyed, that national courts are not capapble of arriving at a uniform stance, or willing to provide justice for atrocities in the immediate future. As a result, international justice seems to be a crucial and last resort that must continue to be fortified against efforts to undermine it. ... Chapter one will set out the content of the research, identify the problem and outline the methodology. Chapter two will discuss the state obligations in international law to prosecute gross violations of human rights and gives a summary of the human rights violations situation during the Congolese war. Chapter three will discuss the available naitonal mechanisms for accountaiblity in the DRC. It will discuss if national courts and TRC are able to deal with these atrocities committed in the DRC. Chapter four will analyse the extent to which the ICC could deal with the Congolese case and challenges. Chapter five will discuss the trends towards accountability in the DRC and the way forward. Chapter six will draw a conclusion on how to break the cycle of impunity in the DRC." -- Introduction. / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2004. / Prepared under the supervision of Prof. Boukongou Jean Didier and Dr. Atangcho Akonumbo at the Catholic University of Central Africa, Yaounde, Cameroon / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/academic_pro/llm1/dissertations.html / Centre for Human Rights / LLM

"Whereas victims of ordinary crimes such as theft, robbery, assault or murder find it easier to obtain redress, victims of the most serious violatons such as war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity receive less attention insofar as their redress is concerned. Apart from some exceptional cases where victims of serious human rights abuses had their right to redress vindicated, there has not been an effective and comprehensive way of redressing victims of gross human rights violations. In Africa for instance, victims' redress in post-Apartheid South Africa and post-genocide Rwanda have been problematic. Thus, it is meaningful investigating how effectively the victims' right to reparation can be implemented in case of gross and systematic human rights violations. Preliminary to the above interrogation are questions such as: what are gross and systematic human rights violations? What are international standards regarding redress for the victims of such abuses? The case studies of Sierra Leone and the DRC will be closely analysed as an empirical foundation for these questions. ... This study consists of five chapters. Chapter one draws the context in which the study emerges. It provides the foundation and the structure of the dissertation. Chapter two outlines the legal framework that is relevant for answering the questions raised by this study. It explores international human rights standards regarding reparation of vicitms of gross and systematic violations. Chapter three analyses the implementation of victims' reparation in the context of Sierra Leone. It confronts Sierra Leonean responses to war victims with international standards on victims' reparation. Chapter four analyses victims' situation in the post-conflict Democratic Republic of Congo and draws lessons from the Sierra Leonean experience. Chapter five sums up findings of the study." -- Introduction. / Prepared under the supervision of Professor Alejandro Lorite Escorihuela at the Department of Law, American University in Cairo, Egypt / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2006. / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/academic_pro/llm1/dissertations.html / Centre for Human Rights / LLM

Since the 1990s the Great Lakes Region has continued to be mired in intractable conflict, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) being at the center of it. The aim of this study is therefore an attempt to understand how the InternationalConference of the Great Lakes Region has fared in the transformation of conflict in the region, through its attempts in the DRC. For the purpose of the study, conflict transformation as presented by John Paul Lederachwas used as a theory of analyzing the selected peace efforts by the ICGLR. Furthermore, the data used in the study were secondary data which consists of archival records and documentation. The study revealed two key issues in the ICGLR’s approach to peace attempts in DRC; it showed that there are gaps in the conflict transformation approach of the earlier attempts by the ICGL, which favored more political solutions. Secondly, a rethink of the approach revealed a much more robust approach, which seeks to address not only the political conflicts but also seeks to address the historical and structural conflicts in the region. However, with the positive change in the approach, there are still high levels of conflict in the DRC.

Women’s rights and female security is a growing concern in several conflicts around the world. In Congo, conflict-related violence has long been used as weapon and Congo has today become known as the “rape capital” beacuse of these war rapes. Further more, reports from South Sudan states that UN troops has ignored pleas for help by women being raped. United Nation Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 was implemented by the UN Security Council to combat conflict-related violence and add a gender perspective in UN Peacekeeping operations.  The aim of this thesis is to analyze the impact of UNSCR 1325 by comparing UN Peacekeeping operations’ mandates and actions before and after the resolution was implemented. The thesis will also analyse the UN’s action to eliminate conflict-based sexual violence and war rape. The peacekeeping operations that will be discussed are MINURSO (West Sahara) MONUSCO (Congo) and UNMISS (South Sudan). In order to do so, the theory of Female Security Studies [FSS] and Militarized Masculinity will be applied. In our thesis, the UN’s actions were found to be insufficient. The main factors resulting in this insufficiency was found to be the systematic failure to take the actions needed to implement UNSCR 1325, such as the increasing the number of female involvement in peacekeeping and peacebuilding processes. In large, the impact of UNSCR 1325 could have been bigger if the resolution had been implemented more efficiently. While the written changes were significant with the implementation of the resolution, these changes were not as visible among the actual actions taken in the peacekeeping operations in West Sahara, Congo and South Sudan.

Conflicts have been present in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for many decades. The demand for the country's natural resources in combination with unstable state power and the presence of armed groups are the reasons why sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) has continued to petrify the local communities. It is used as a systematic weapon to terrorize, humiliate, and intimidate civilians and to destroy communities and families. The aim of this study is thus to investigate the conditions for reproduction of SGBV in DRC as well as its individual and structural consequences. The results of this literature study are analyzed based on the following theoretical approaches: doing gender, toxic masculinity and “the established and the outsiders”. The study, with an integrative approach, shows that there are numerous consequences both for the women and the society, including for example fistulas, gunshot wounds, death, anxiety, depression, rejection, and stigmatization. The results also show that the efficiency depends, among other things, on how culturally integrated the sexual violence is and that it is allowed to reproduce due to gender norms. The violence has unifying effects on members of the armed groups where hypermasculine characteristics are rewarded. Overall, it can be stated that the situation is complex and SGBV is a destructive element in the conflict. The violence is a consequence of prevailing structures while contributing to their maintenance. The study therefore contributes with knowledge about the driving factors behind sexual violence in war and shows the importance of gender norms in its reproduction. / I östra Demokratiska republiken Kongo (DRK) har konflikter varit närvarande i många decennier. Konflikten om landets naturresurser, i kombination med en instabil statsmakt och närvaron av beväpnade grupper är anledningen till att användandet av sexuellt våld fortsatt lamslå lokalsamhällen. Det används som ett systematiskt vapen för att terrorisera, förödmjuka och skrämma civila och för att splittra samhällen och familjer. Syftet med studien är att förstå och förklara vilka faktorer som reproducerar brukandet av sexuellt våld som ett vapen i krig samt dess individuella och strukturella konsekvenser. Detta görs genom en litteraturstudie och resultaten analyseras utifrån följande teoretiska begrepp: att göra kön, toxisk maskulinitet samt etablerade och outsiders. Litteraturstudien, som har ett integrativt förhållningssätt, visar att det finns många konsekvenser både för kvinnor och samhället: fistlar, skottskador, död, ångest, depression, exkludering och stigmatisering är några exempel. Resultaten visar också att effektiviteten bland annat beror på att det sexuella våldet är djupt rotat i kulturen i DRK och reproduceras av rådande könsnormer. Våldet har förenande effekter på medlemmar av de beväpnade grupperna där hypermaskulina egenskaper premieras. Sammantaget kan det konstateras att situationen är komplex och det sexuella våldet är ett mycket destruktivt inslag i konflikten. Våldet är en konsekvens av rådande strukturer samtidigt som det bidrar till upprätthållandet av dem. Studien bidrar därför med kunskap om de drivande faktorerna bakom sexuellt våld i krig samt visar på könsnormers betydelse för reproduktionen av det.

An optimal dividend problem with investment opportunities, taking into consideration a source of strategic risk is being considered, as well as the effect of market frictions on the decision process of the financial entities. It concerns the problem of determining an optimal control of the dividend under debt constraints and investment opportunities in an economy with business cycles. It is assumed that the company is to be allowed to accept or reject investment opportunities arriving at random times with random sizes, by changing its outstanding indebtedness, which would impact its capital structure and risk profile. This work mainly focuses on the strategic risk faced by the companies; and, in particular, it focuses on the manager's problem of setting appropriate priorities to deploy the limited resources available. This component is taken into account by introducing frictions in the capital structure modification process. The problem is formulated as a bi-dimensional singular control problem under regime switching in presence of jumps. An explicit condition is obtained in order to ensure that the value function is finite. A viscosity solution approach is used to get qualitative descriptions of the solution. Moreover, a lending scheme for a system of interconnected banks with probabilistic constraints of failure is being considered. The problem arises from the fact that financial institutions cannot possibly carry enough capital to withstand counterparty failures or systemic risk. In such situations, the central bank or the government becomes effectively the risk manager of last resort or, in extreme cases, the lender of last resort. If, on the one hand, the health of the whole financial system depends on government intervention, on the other hand, guaranteeing a high probability of salvage may result in increasing the moral hazard of the banks in the financial network. A closed form solution for an optimal control problem related to interbank lending schemes has been derived, subject to terminal probability constraints on the failure of banks which are interconnected through a financial network. The derived solution applies to real bank networks by obtaining a general solution when the aforementioned probability constraints are assumed for all the banks. We also present a direct method to compute the systemic relevance parameter for each bank within the network. Finally, a possible computation technique for the Default Risk Charge under to regulatory risk measurement processes is being considered. We focus on the Default Risk Charge measure as an effective alternative to the Incremental Risk Charge one, proposing its implementation by a quasi exhaustive-heuristic algorithm to determine the minimum capital requested to a bank facing the market risk associated to portfolios based on assets emitted by several financial agents. While most of the banks use the Monte Carlo simulation approach and the empirical quantile to estimate this risk measure, we provide new computational approaches, exhaustive or heuristic, currently becoming feasible, because of both new regulation and the high speed - low cost technology available nowadays.

Text in Afrikaans with abstracts in Afrikaans, English and isiZulu / Hierdie studie van Afrikaanse tekste oor die Kongo (DRK) strek vanaf 1912 - toe DF Malan die eerste wit Afrikaner geword het wat ‘n reisbeskrywing oor sy besoek aan die Kongo gepubliseer het (Naar Congoland, 1913) - tot 2012 . Die navorsingsverslag ondersoek beeldvorming rondom die Kongo/(Midde-)Afrika in die korpus tekste wat opgespoor is, binne die breë teoretiese raamwerk van koloniale/postkoloniale studies, met toespitsing op “Africanism” en “Whiteness studies”. Daar is bevind dat beeldvorming in verband met die Kongo rondom twee hooftrope geskied: die Kongo as Conradiaanse “heart of darkness”, waar barbaarsheid in al sy geledinge hoogty vier; en die Kongo as “Eldorado” – die land wat as 15de-eeuse Afrika-koninkryk beskik het oor ‘n ontwikkelde beskawing en ongekende rykdom - lank voordat dit “ontdek” is deur Portugese seevaarders. Hierdie hooftrope en hul uitlopers funksioneer as ‘n kontinuum eerder as volstrekte teenoorgesteldes in die meeste Afrikaanse tekste oor die Kongo. Tekste van die koloniale era (tot die 1960’s in die Kongo) sluit aan by Eurosentriese diskoerse waarin die imperiale/koloniale tydgees weerspieël word, en tipies manifesteer in binêre opposisies (byvoorbeeld primitiwiteit versus beskawing) en trope soos “imperial eyes” (wit toeëiening van die koloniale ruimte). Malan se ideaal van ‘n Dietse invloedsfeer gebaseer op die taalverwantskap tussen Hollands/Afrikaans in Suid-Afrika, en Vlaams in die destydse Belgiese Kongo, herinner aan die ekspansionistiese ywer waarmee die Kaap-tot-Kaïro-droom van Britse imperialiste nagejaag is, maar blyk nouer verwant te wees aan die Afrikanernasionalistiese klem op die “taal as volk”. In postkoloniale tekste word die siening van die wit Afrikaner as ‘n nasaat van die geïdealiseerde Voortrekkers/Dorslandtrekkers toenemend gerelativeer deur tekste waarin die wit Afrikaner herverbeel word as “wit sangoma” of “Witboy in Afrika”; en wit vrese en vergrype word op skerp satiriese wyse aan die kaak gestel as die wrange erflating van die aartskolonialis, “Pappa in Afrika”. Die koloniale projek word in Equatoria as mislukking uitgebeeld, terwyl Horrelpoot ʼn distopiese verbastering van Afrikanerskap en Afrikaans in (Suid-)Afrika poneer. Witheid mag uiteindelik in Afrika uitgewis en vervang word met egte skakerings van aardsheid, of herdefinieer word in ʼn niehegemoniese verband (The Poisonwood Bible). Slegs die tyd sal leer. / This study of Afrikaans literary texts on the Congo (DRC) covers 100 years: 1912 – 2012. In 1912 DF Malan became the first white Afrikaner to travel to the Congo and publish a travelogue based on his travels (Naar Congoland, 1913). This thesis investigates the representation of the Congo/Central) Africa in the corpus of texts discovered, within the broad theoretical framework of colonial/postcolonial studies, and the paradigms of “Africanism” and “Whiteness Studies”. The Congo has been represented in terms of two main tropes: the Congo as the Conradian “heart of darkness”, the seat of utter savagery; and the Congo as “Eldorado” – the African kingdom that presided over a well-developed civilisation and untold wealth long before it was “discovered” by Portuguese explorers in the fifteenth century. These main tropes and their sub-tropes function in most Afrikaans texts on the Congo as a continuum and not in absolute contrast. Literary texts of the colonial era (up to the 1960’s) are characterised by Eurocentric discourses in which the imperial/colonial Zeitgeist typically manifests in binary oppositions (primitivism versus civilisation), and tropes like “imperial eyes” (white appropriation of colonial space). Malan’s dream of a Dutch sphere of influence - based on the affinity of Dutch/Flemish in the Congo with Dutch/Afrikaans in South Africa – and extending from Cape Town to the erstwhile Belgian Congo, is reminiscent of the expansionist fervour characterising the imperialist Cape-to-Cairo idea, but is based on the close link between language and nationhood in Afrikaner nationalism. In postcolonial texts the view of the white Afrikaner as ‘n descendant of the idealised Voortrekkers/Angolan trekkers is increasingly deconstructed by re-imagining the Afrikaner as a “white sangoma” or “whiteboy in Africa”, while white fright and guilt are revealed - in a sharply satirical fashion – as the bitter legacy of the white arch-colonialist “Pappa in Afrika”. The colonial project is portrayed as a disaster in Equatoria, while Horrelpoot poses a dystopic vision of the degeneration of Afrikanerdom and Afrikaans in (South) Africa. Whiteness may eventually be erased and replaced by authentic, earthy African colours, or be redefined within a non-hegemonic context (The Poisonwood Bible). Time alone will tell. / Lolu cwaningo olumayelana nemibhalo yesiBhunu ezincwadini zaseCongo (eDRC) lubheka isikhathi esingangeminyaka eyi-100: 1912 – 2012. Ngo-1912, uDF Malan waba yiBhunu lokuqala elimhlophe elaya eCongo laqopha umbiko omayelana nohambo lwakhe (Naar Congoland, 1913). Lo mbiko wocwaningo ucubungula indlela okwethulwa ngayo iCongo kanye nezinye izindawo eziMaphakathi Ne-Afrika eqoqweni lwemibhalo etholakale ohlakeni lwemibhalo eyimihlahlandlela emayelana nezifundo zangezikhathi zombuso wamakoloni/ nezikhathi zangemva kombuso wamakoloni, kanye nokuhleleka kwezifundo ngaBomdabu nangaBamhlophe. Izwe laseCongo lethulwa ngokufanekiswa ngezindlela ezimbili: ICongo njengesizinda sobumnyama (“heart of darkness”), nanjengesihlalo sobulwane bokungaphucuzeki (seat of utter savagery) njengoba kufanekisa umbhali uJoseph Conrad, kanti futhi ibuye ifanekiswe njengeCongo eyi-“Eldorado” – ubukhosi base-Afrika obabubusa endaweni ephucuzeke ngokuphelele nenothe ngendlela emangalisayo, ngaphambi kokuba itholwe ngabasingimazwe baMaputukezi ngekhuluminyaka leshumi-nanhlanu. Lokhu kufanekisa kanye nemifanekiso ehambisana nako evela emibhalweni eminingi engesiBhunu maqondana neCongo isetshenziswa ukuveza okubili okubonakala sengathi kuyefana yize kungafani kunoba ikuveze obala njengezinto ezingafani nhlobo. Imibhalo esezincwadini yangesikhathi sombuso wamakoloni (kuze kufinyelele esikhathini sangeminyaka ye-1960) iphawula kakhulu ngezindaba ezincike emasikweni nasemilandweni yamazwe aseYurophu nokuyilapho umoya wobukhosi obubusa ngaphezu kwamanye amakhosi/ nombuso wamakoloni uziveza njengokulindelekile ngezindlela ezimbili eziphikisanayo (ukubambelela endleleni yokwenza yasendulo kuqhathaniswa nempucuko), kanye nemifanekiso enjenge-“imperial eyes” (ukuzithathela kwabamhlophe umhlaba ezweni ababusa kulona okungelabanye abantu). Iphupho likaMalan lokuba kube nendawo eyenza ngokwemfundiso yamaDashi – okwakuncike ekuhlanganyeleni kwamaDashi/namaFlemishi eCongo kanye namaDashi/namaBhunu eNgingizimu Afrika – nokwakuzohamba kusuke eKapa kuze kufinyelele eCongo eyayaziwa ngokuthi yiBelgian Congo, kudala, ikhumbuzana uthando olukhulu lokwandisa indawo noma umnotho olwaluvela kumqondombono walabo abasekela umbuso wobukhosi bamazwe amaningi weCape-to-Cairo, kodwa-ke lokhu kwakuncike ekusondelaneni kolimi kanye nothando lobuzwe ebuzweni bamaBhunu. Emibhalweni yangemva kwesikhathi sombuso wamakoloni, ukuthathwa komuntu oyiBhunu elimhlophe njengoyisizukulwane saBafuduki (amaVoortrekker)/ saBafuduki base-Angola kuyaqhubeka nokuhlakazwa ngokudweba kabusha isithombe seBhunu emqondweni, liyi“sangoma esimhlophe” noma lingu“mfana omhlophe e-Afrika”, kodwa kube kugqama ukwesaba nokushawa ngunembeza – ngendlela ebhuqa kakhulu – njengegalelolifa elinganambitheki lomeseki wombuso wamakoloni oqavile u-“Papa in Afrika”. Umsebenzinhloso wezindaba eziphathelene nombuso wamakoloni uvezwa ngengowonakala wangaphumelela nhlobo ku-Equatoria, kanti uHorrelpoot yena uveza umbono wokuphela kobuBhunu kanye neSibhunu eNingizimu Afrika. Ubumhlophe bungagcina buphelile bese esikhundleni sako kungene imibala yoqobo ezothile esamvelo yomhlaba edabuka e-Afrika, kumbe buchazwe kabusha ngaphansi kwengqikithi engahambisani nokuphatha (The Poisonwood Bible). Sekobonakala phambili. / Afrikaans and Theory of Literature / D. Litt. et Phil. (Afrikaans)

The African continent has been beset with violent conflicts, civil wars and extended periods of instability. The continent’s future depends on the capacity to prevent, manage and resolve conflict. Reacting to conflict has proven highly expensive for the international community and has strengthened the case for a greater focus on conflict prevention. This study will examine the role, relevance and success of preventive diplomacy in responding to and preventing violent and protracted conflicts in Africa, in particular recent international efforts to seek a concrete, comprehensive and all-inclusive peace settlement to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had resulted in what many analysts considered to be ‘Africa’s First World War’. The aim and objective of this study will be to assess the role of preventive diplomacy, in particular efforts by the international community to resolve the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The study of the success of preventive diplomacy in responding to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo will cover three distinct phases. The first phase will assess the historical development of the crisis in the former Zaïre dating back from 1997 to 1998 and initial steps that were taken to address the conflict. The next phase will cover the period dating from 1999-2000 following the signing of the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement, while the final phase will assess developments and efforts to secure peace by the international community from 2001 until 2004, while providing for a brief discussion on possible future developments. The research will commence by examining various theoretical contributions and insights produced on conflict prevention and the concept of preventive diplomacy. The examination of conflict prevention and preventive diplomacy will be rooted in theoretical insights produced by Michael Lund (1996) and other influential contributions on preventive diplomacy. The theoretical framework for this study will be based on Michael Lund’s model of preventive diplomacy. Although Lund’s conceptual framework provides a valuable insight into the theory of preventive diplomacy an additional theoretical consideration may be included into his assessment. Lund’s theoretical framework fails to address the impact of psychological variables and the extent to which prevailing conflict attitudes may exert a negative influence on a conflict situation. This may render the effectiveness of preventive diplomacy at the level of unstable peace obsolete if it fails to take prevailing conflict attitudes into account. This dissertation will also propose the inclusion of social-psychological approaches to augment the strategy of preventive diplomacy as developed by Lund. Very little conclusive and in-depth research has been conducted on how psychological variables, particularly conflict attitudes such as negative images, attitudes, perceptions and conflict behaviour can fuel and exacerbate a conflict situation, especially conflicts in Africa and how this may derail the success of preventive diplomacy in resolving such severe conflicts. In the numerous efforts to secure peace in the embattled Democratic Republic of the Congo scant consideration, evaluation and analysis has been produced on the way in which conflict attitudes such as misperception, fear, distrust, hostility and suspicion, became not only a major stumbling block to the peace process, but also negatively affected the outcome of the various peace agreements that were negotiated. One of the core arguments this dissertation will posit is that preventive diplomacy has not been successfully applied in resolving conflicts in Africa, and will continue to fail, unless greater emphasis is placed on structural prevention, that includes an assessment and strategy for responding to conflict attitudes, such as misperception, hostility, suspicion, fear and distrust. It could be argued that preventive diplomacy initiatives when taken alone and independently of a broader strategy of conflict prevention are likely to fail unless they are linked to measures and actions that tackle the deeper or structural causes of conflict. Greater emphasis should be placed on timely and adequate preventive action, through the vigorous promotion of preventive diplomacy, particularly structural prevention. The conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is intermittently erupting and will continue to do so, unless the structural causes of the crisis and the various conflict attitudes are effectively dealt with. The study will commence with the theoretical and conceptual framework of the study, consisting of a discussion of conflict, preventive diplomacy, and conflict prevention. The conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will be discussed as well as the underlying factors that contributed towards the brutal and excessively violent nature the conflict came to assume. The study will also examine the international response to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well as the immediate diplomatic efforts initiated to resolve the crisis from 1998-1999, which culminated in the signing of the Lusaka Cease-Fire Agreement on 10 July 1999. An assessment of the intervention efforts initiated by the United Nations, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and other key African states, in particular South Africa will also be undertaken. The impact of psychological variables and the importance of assessing the crucial contribution of social-psychological approaches towards understanding and resolving conflict will be briefly considered with particular reference to the protracted tensions which persisted between Rwanda and the DRC, despite the conclusion of numerous peace agreements between both countries. The final chapter will form an evaluation of the prospects for peace in the DRC beyond 2004 and will conclude the study with particular reference to the extent to which the research questions have been adequately addressed with final recommendations on the role of preventive diplomacy in addressing conflict. / Dissertation (MA (International Relations))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Political Sciences / unrestricted

In hierdie navorsing word die toelating van vrouepredikante in die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk vanuit ’n kerkhistoriese en prakties-teologiese hoek bestudeer. Die navorsingswaardes wat in die sosiaal-konstruksionisme geld, naamlik dat sodanige navorsing ’n deelnemende en verhalende proses is, dat die invloed van diskoerse bestudeer word en dat die belangrikheid van taal in ag geneem word, is in die navorsing verreken. Vanuit ’n post-fundamentele teologiese posisionering is van ’n paar van die bewegings in ’n postfundamentele prakties-teologiese metodologie gebruik gemaak om na die belewing van agt vroueproponente en -predikante deur die loop van die proses van toelating, én daarna, te luister en saam met hulle te interpreteer. Daar is van die volgende bewegings gebruik gemaak: Die beskrywing van die verskillende kontekste waarteen die roepingsverhale en loopbane van vrouepredikante afgespeel het; die aanhoor en beskrywing van die kontekstuele ervarings van die betrokke vroue; die interpretasie van en betekenisgewing aan die verhale in samewerking met die vroue wat as medenavorsers geag word en die beskrywing van en refleksie oor die ervaring van God se teenwoordigheid in hulle roepingsverhale en bedieninge as proponente en predikante. Hierdie postfundamentele prakties-teologiese metodologie is inherent narratief van aard en sluit ook nou aan by die denklyne wat in die sosiaal-konstruksionisme geld. Deur hierdie metodologie is daar probeer om ’n bydrae te lewer tot die ontwikkeling en uitbou van mondelinge geskiedenis. Die beskrywing van vroue se verhale is terselfdertyd ook vrouegeskiedenis wat poog om vroue meer hoor- en sigbaar in algemene geskiedenis, maar spesifiek ook kerkgeskiedenis te maak. Die metodologie pas ook binne ’n meer postmoderne benadering tot geskiedenis in. Aan die hand hiervan is die breër landkaart en historiese konteks waarteen die roepingsverhale van vrouepredikante en kerklike vergaderings oor ’n tydperk van bykans 107 jaar afgespeel is, in breë trekke en deur middel van tydlyne beskryf. Die ontwikkeling en uitbouing van die volksmoederdiskoers oor die dieselfde tydperk is van nader beskou. Daar is verder gekyk na die invloed wat die breër konteks en die volksmoederdiskoers op vroue gedurende die twintigste eeu gehad het, hoe vroue oor die algemeen hulleself in bepaalde vroueruimtes soos vroue-organisasies uitgeleef het en of Afrikanervroue se stemme in die openbaar gehoor is al dan nie. Teen hierdie agtergrond is die verloop van die kerklike debat oor die toelating van vroue tot die besondere ampte, naamlik diakens, ouderlinge en vrouepredikante, beskryf. Hierdie debat kan in drie tydperke opgedeel word. Die eerste tydperk wat van 1966-1978 strek kan as ’n tyd van nadenke beskryf word. Vanaf 1982 tot 1990 is die debat deur ’n sterk verskil in Skrifbeskouing gekenmerk. Die laaste tydperk wat vanaf 1991 tot 2007 strek, beskryf hoe die praktyk stadig pos gevat het en hoe die gesprek uiteindelik na gendersake uitgebrei het. Die vroueproponente en -predikante se roepingsverhale, hulle belewenis van God in die pad wat hulle moes loop en eerste treë in die bediening is weer deurgaans teen die agtergrond van die breër landkaart, volksmoederdiskoers en die NG Kerk se verskillende sinodes aangehoor, beskryf en in samewerking met hulle geïnterpreteer. Bykomend tot die groep persoonlike verhale is twee verhale van vroue wat reeds voor 1950 teologie studeer het en nie meer vandag leef nie, opgeteken. In al die gesprekke het die belangrikheid van vrouepredikante se roepingsverhale, hulle positiewe en negatiewe belewenisse in die kerk, die impak van oorwegend manlike kerktaal op vroue, die gemis en impak van rolmodelle, die frustrasies rondom proponentskap en hulle belewing van God onder andere na vore gekom. Dit is ook opmerklik dat vrouepredikante oor die algemeen nie aktief aan die debat deelgeneem nie en dat die meeste van die medenavorsers in hierdie studie ’n bepaalde stuk ongemak met gendersake en feminisme beleef. Hulle laat net soos in die volksmoederdiskoers die praatwerk aan ander oor. / Thesis (DD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Church History and Church Policy / unrestricted

This thesis proposes that the ministry of Dr Beyers Naudé to the victims of oppression during the apartheid rule in South Africa had a missionary dimension. It argues that the credibility of the Christian faith was challenged by the victims of oppression, as a result of the way in which it was used as a supportive tool for oppression. Through his ministry, Beyers Naudé succeeded in communicating the Christian faith in a special way to the victims of oppression. This led to a change of mind for the victims of oppression with regard to their negative attitude to the Christian faith. This study further resulted in the development of a comprehensive mission (communication) strategy to the victims of oppression. The argument is that there is another form of post-1994 victims of oppression in South Africa made out of those who feel left out by government poverty alleviation, economic development and service delivery programmes. The inability of government to strike a balance between the rich and the poor as well as corruption will always yield the ‘disadvantaged’ section of society who may feel ‘oppressed’, neglected and left out in favour of the few who have ‘connections’ at higher levels of government. These victims’ response will be characterized by anger which results into protest actions similar to those seen during the time of the ministry of Beyers Naudé. The question posed in this study is ‘how to minister to angry people who feel left out by government?’ In order to respond to this challenge and to equip ministers of religion and other interested people, a comprehensive mission (communication) strategy to victims of oppression was therefore developed based on the example of Beyers Naudé. The main question posed in this study around the reason for the success of Beyers Naudé’s ministry is “what ‘muthi’ did he use to win the hearts, love and support of the victims of oppression?” In order to answer this question, there is a three step approach that has been followed. Firstly I looked at factors that made him or influenced his making i.e. his life from his birth to his ‘conversion’, South African political landscape divided into two periods (1940-1963 and 1963-1994) as well as Faith Based Organisations’ response to apartheid. Secondly, I looked at his actual ministry to the victims of oppression from 1963 to 1994. I divided his ministry between the categories of centripetal and centrifugal patterns of mission. Thirdly a comprehensive mission (communication) strategy to the victims of oppression was developed, based on his contribution to a positive Christian witness. In the concluding chapter, I made some proposals for a way-forward in terms of areas for further study which were triggered by this research. The best statement for concluding this study, indicating the commitment of Beyers Naudé for God’s mission and how this was misunderstood by his church (the DRC) was taken from Mokgoebo (2009) who states: Beyers Naudé was a prophet of his time. As the saying goes, ‘the prophet is never respected at his own home’. His witness will remain long after we have gone, as a White man who was grasped by the powerful message of the Kingdom of God, of justice and reconciliation. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Science of Religion and Missiology / unrestricted