Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Technology: Education, Durban University of Technology, 2013. / This thesis focuses on the alarming situation of the rate of HIV infection which is escalating every day in South Africa, and what can be done to address the rate of HIV infection. Much has been tried to curb this escalation, but all efforts have had little effect. This concerns me deeply. So I have looked at the problem from the perspective of education. I have personally experienced how Zulu indigenous knowledge, in the form of traditional modes of Zulu sexuality education, was used in the past to address the problems of sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancy before it was sanctioned. I have seen that the rituals performed as part of traditional Zulu sexuality education have been effective. I believe that indigenous knowledge systems in the South African context refer to a body of knowledge embedded in African philosophical thinking and social practices that have evolved over thousands years. Indigenous knowledge systems acknowledge the rich history and heritage of the people as important contributors to nurturing the values and norms in society, and so form the basis of education for the people. I believe that our indigenous knowledge systems according to the dictates of rites and rituals observed by our forefathers can play a major role in the (sexuality) education of our youth, and can optimise our efforts to fight against the HIV and AIDS pandemic. This study focuses on the adolescent stage. Adolescence is a phase of discovery and experimentation in which young people develop new feelings, which (coupled with physical maturing) lead to exploring new behaviors and relationships, including sexual behaviours and sexual relationships. Therefore, I believe that adolescents should be targeted because they are just beginning to face social situations in which their decisions and actions about their sexual behaviours and sexual relationships will determine their future. In addition, adolescents are – or should be – school going, so they can be influenced by what is in their school curriculum. I have made suggestions about how the Life Orientation Grades 10—12 curriculum can be used to include traditional sexuality education for this purpose. In doing so, I do not suggest that all South African school going teenagers should perform the traditional Zulu rituals, but I am suggesting that the revival and adaption of traditional modes of sexuality education in all cultures could be helpful in the fight against the HIV and AIDS pandemic. I use the Zulu traditions because they are the traditions with which I am familiar. I have carried out this study to promote the use of Zulu traditional sexuality education to curb the rate of HIV infection among young Zulu people. I believe that this traditional method, if it is used optimally, can reduce the rate of infection and the speed of mortality, as well as the problem of early pregnancy among our Zulu youth, in South Africa. / National Research Foundation

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Information and Communications Technology, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / Existing literature indicates that the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and the inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKSs) in the school curriculum have the potential to increase academic performance. However, formal education is still unable to integrate ICTs into the teaching and learning of school subjects, especially, those that are related to IKSs. This research therefore aims to construct a model of the factors shaping learners’ perceptions on the usefulness of ICTs for the teaching and learning of IKSs. This aim is sub-divided into four research objectives: (a) to identify appropriate technology diffusion theories for the investigation of the factors shaping learners’ perceptions on the usefulness of ICTs for the teaching and learning of IKSs, (b) to construct a theoretical model of the factors shaping learners’ perceptions on the usefulness of ICTs for the teaching and learning of IKSs, (c) to perform an empirical confirmation of the above announced theoretical model of the factors shaping the perceptions of learners on the usefulness of ICTs for the teaching and learning of IKSs, and (d) to suggest new ideas for future research on learners’ perceptions on the usefulness of ICTs for the teaching and learning of IKSs. A review of existing literature on eLearning adoption by students and learners was conducted in order to achieve objectives a, b, and d. As for objective c, it was achieved through the survey of 115 Hospitality studies learners from the ILembe and UMgungundlovu municipality districts in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province of South Africa. The study’s findings can be summarized as follows: (a) The Technology Adoption Model (TAM) is the backbone of the model designed by this study on the factors affecting learners’ perceptions of the usefulness of ICTs for the teaching and learning of IKSs; (b) Learners’ perceived usefulness of ICTs is hypothetically affected by the following factors: demographics, computer self-efficacy, trust in ICTs, and level of conscientiousness, (c) All these factors were empirically confirmed through a survey conducted by the current study, except that the only validated demographics were : school location, cell phone access, class grade and preferred subject; (d) This research recommends further investigation on the factors affecting learners’ perceived usefulness of ICTs for the teaching and learning of IKSs, mainly because of the insufficient literature on this subject. / M

This thesis seeks to explore and examine the application and use of indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) in the management of drought through a case study of Msinga village communities in the northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal Province, paying specific attention to droughts that have been recorded and that prevail in the area. Government's policy aimed at mitigating and the effect of drought on communities and its effectiveness is examined as well. The question is whether government policy measures supplement rural communities' drought management strategies. The findings demonstrated that droughts are endemic in the study area and that drought-management strategies are as intrinsic to local livelihood systems as are seasonal-adjustment strategies. The findings also indicated that communities in Msinga have knowledge of drought management. However, this knowledge contributes very little to the management of drought. The findings also demonstrated that there is poor capacity in government to deal with disasters and this has serious repercussions for poor rural communities in Msinga. Disaster management requires disaster reduction, planning, and capacity to reduce the losses borne by impoverished households. This process will be more effective if there is efficient mobilization of resources, rapid responses, and a long-term strategy to prevent drought and reduce the risks of vulnerable groups, rather than transferring risks. The new legislation, the Disaster Management Act of 2002, should ensure that any form of financial and bureaucratic bottlenecks are eliminated so that assistance reaches people more quickly and is based on developing a long-term programme targeting the reduction of risks from the drought prevailing in Msinga. It is also important that NGOs in the area are empowered and involved in disaster management and are able to play their full role. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

This study examines learning interactions around indigenous ways of knowing associated with fermented grain foods (the making of umqombothi) and the concept of alcoholic fermentation in the Grade 11 Life Sciences curriculum. As an environmental education study it also investigates the cultural significances of the fermented grain food and how learners might make better lifestyle choices. The inclusion of indigenous ways of knowing in the Life Sciences curriculum (FET band) created spaces and opportunities for the use of both knowledge's in sociocultural context and the structured propositions of the learning area in order to construct knowledge. This stimulated learners' understanding of fermentation and also led to a valuing of social context as well as the cultural capital embedded in the indigenous ways of knowing. The study suggests that parental involvement contributed to this valuing of intergenerational ways of knowing. Learners also deliberated how colonial interpretations of Nguni culture and the religious beliefs of Christians had served to marginalise and foster a widening urban rejection of isiXhosa cultural practices related to fermented foods. In their learning and discussion, learners developed new insights and respect for isiXhosa fermentation practices (ukudidiyela) that bring out the food value and nutrition in the grain. The data illustrates that lesson activity that drew on relevant Learning Outcomes and Assessment Standards to integrate Indigenous Knowledge practices in a Life Sciences learning programme, served to enhance learner understanding of alcoholic fermentation. They also document a revaluing of cultural heritage and learners bringing up the problem of alcohol abuse in the community. Curriculum work with Indigenous Knowledge thus not only assisted learners to grasp the science but to use this alongside a valued cultural knowledge capital to deliberate and act on a local concern.

The objectives of this study were to establish various practices of indigenous knowledge (IK) commonly used in the Dlangubo village, and methods and tools used in managing IK; to determine ownership protocols and what they know about the South African (SA) intellectual property (IP) laws; to explore the role of libraries and information and communication technologies (ICTs) in managing IK and, lastly, what model can be developed for the management of IK in the Dlangubo village, in KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa. In order to gain more insight about the problem studied, the socialisation, externalisation, combination and internalisation (SECI) model of knowledge management and the diffusion of innovation (DoI) model were adopted. The SECI model helped in understanding the modes of knowledge creation and transfer that were used in managing IK in the area of study. The DoI model was important in understanding the perceptions of the community about the South African intellectual property (IP) laws, the libraries and the ICTs in managing IK. This study used the constructivist theoretical underpinning and adopted the qualitative approach in order to inquire in depth and explore the studied phenomenon in the natural setting of the Dlangubo village. This approach allowed the researcher to engage in an in-depth interviewing process with the participants in order to explore IK management challenges and then get empirical evidence about the area studied. Flowing from the qualitative approach, the grounded theory (GT) was adopted because it uses the systematic inductive approach to inquiry followed by a constant comparison of categories in order to generate theory, which is grounded in data of the sampled participants of the Dlangubo village The findings of the study indicated that the practices that were predominantly used in the area of study included agricultural crop farming and livestock keeping, the initiation of girls into adulthood and beadwork. The in-situ preservation strategies were more common than the ex-situ preservation strategies. Most of the respondents indicated that they acquired IK through apprenticeship of family line. The majority did not have knowledge or had insufficient knowledge about the South African IP laws. In addition, they were not using the libraries and the ICTs in managing their IK. The model that was recommended was to have the cultural information centre where they can sit together and share their IK and skills, and market their finished products. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)

Lower reaches of rivers as well as estuaries are regarded as South Africa’s most productive ecosystems due to the important functions such as providing nursery areas and feeding sites for juvenile macro-invertebrate and fish species they perform. Furthermore, ecologically healthy estuaries are not only of critical importance since they facilitate the provision and recirculation of nutrients, they also provide conduits for fish migrations into the fresh water system and act as buffers during floods. In South Africa, these functions are continuously being threatened by residential and/or industrial developments. It is thus essential to determine the ecological integrity (structure and function) of these systems. An Ecological integrity study was carried out on the selected rivers in Kwazulu Natal between 2015 and 2017. This study was assessed in terms of selected abiotic drivers on specific biological responses. The study was carried out according to the guidelines of the ecological determination methodologies and the resource directed measures for aquatic resources as set out by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, South Africa. Surveys were carried out during summer and winter seasons. Abiotic and biotic monitoring was carried out at four sites along each estuary. The abiotic component such as sediment composition and physio-chemical properties of the water was analyzed using standard methods. The biotic and abiotic components were analyzed using various indices, where applicable. The ecological integrity of the system can be accessed on the basis of its ability to carry out its natural functions. Results showed the various anthropogenic activities in the upper reaches of each river contributed to the high modified state of some of these rivers’ unacceptable water quality, loss and/or modification of habitat and an altered hydrological pattern due to impacts by agricultural, industrial and domestic uses. The ecosystem services of the lower areas of the rivers under investigation are used extensively through sugarcane agricultural activities and heavy industries works inclusive of sand mining and rural sewage-treatment. These activities affect the ecological integrity of the rivers and ultimately the estuaries. This study aimed at determining the current state of ecological integrity of five selected rivers in KwaZulu Natal and to establish trends between current and historical periods for the evaluation of changing trends in ecological integrity. Abiotic and biotic indicator components were used to ascertain changes in the surrounding environment as well as to determine the ecological integrity of these rivers. Monitoring of water quality, sediment grain size, moisture and organic content as well as habitat state, macro-invertebrates and fish assemblages was undertaken. The following variables water temperature, chemical oxygen demand (COD), electrical conductivity (EC), pH and total alkalinity (TAL) as well as salts, nutrients and toxics were investigated to provide indications as to the state of the water-quality of these rivers. The Target Water Quality Requirements (TWQR) as developed by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry for domestic use (Volume 1) and Aquatic Ecosystems (Volume 7) were used to evaluate the quality of the water sampled in this study. Historical data obtained from previous studies of similar study areas have also been evaluated. Sediment analyses were performed according to the protocol set out by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. As a result of the abiotic drivers, results showed that the invertebrate reside in modified state. Physio-chemical, geomorphological and hydrological changes in this system resulted in the rivers’ suffering a loss in both biological and ecological function as well as aesthetic value. It is apparent from the above that there is not a need for rehabilitation but also a need for effective and continuous management strategies. These strategies can only be successful if the bio-monitoring of the system includes the effects at both economical and social levels. The water quality of the rivers under this investigation was found to be in a slightly modified state with the majority of water quality parameters falling within the target values. Water quality parameters of the lower Thukela River, not within the required target, was highly elevated and could possibly cause negative impacts on the river functionality. The water quality parameters of Umvoti river, Umdloti river and uMngeni river were seriously modified. The sediment clearly indicated that the organic content of the all the rivers was low and directly relating to the possibility of erosion and transportation taking place in the Rivers. The removal of riparian vegetation by agricultural activities, sand mining and water abstraction contributed to the destruction of the habitats along all these rivers. The South African Scoring System, version 5 (SASS 5), the Macro-invertebrate Response Assessment Index (MIRAI) and multivariate statistical analyses were implemented in order to determine the ecological integrity of the rivers. Results revealed that the SASS 5 integrity classes were generally one class higher than the integrity classes of MIRAI. The Fish assemblage methods used to determine fish samples included electro-narcosis and a 5m wide 12mm meshed seine net. Impacts on the ecological integrity of the Rivers under investigation have been assessed by various sources. To protect the current ecological integrity and further destruction of the rivers under investigation, direct involvement by the relevant authorities is of paramount importance. / Agriculture and Environmental Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Environmental Science)

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)

In post-colonial Africa, conceptions of the nature and purposes of development as well as the theories and strategies for achieving them have remained a territory traversed predominantly by non-African social scientists. In this context, social scientists studying Africa's development proclaimed, at the dawn of the 1990s, a "paradigmatic crisis" and embarked on a quest for new paradigms . In advancing this quest, a number of "homegrown" development strategies have emerged. This work argues that these are mere adaptations and reconstructions of dominant Eurocentic paradigms that exaggerate the value of economic goods and wealth creation founded on a competitive marketplace by making them immutable features of development. Yet the ethic of competition theoretically condones a trajectory of killing in the quest for wealth accumulation. In this way, internalist epistemologies perpetuate epistemicide and valuecide in Africa's strides towards development. The stranglehold of internalist epistemologies has resulted in the impasse of rationality. By this we mean that Reason, apotheosized since the Enlightenment, has advanced humanity out of barbarism to "civilization" but has now placed humanity on the brink of unredeemable barbarism. Reason, through its manifestations in the philosophy of Mutual Assured Destruction and global warming, has condemned humanity to willful but avoidable suicide. Since the subjects and objects of development must be one and the same, development is necessarily culture-derived and culture-driven, with the preservation and improvement of human dignity and welfare as its ultimate aims. Accordingly, we defend the thesis that it is necessary for a framework meant for Africa's development to be founded on indigenous knowledge and values, if it is to succeed. And at this moment of impasse reached by Reason, an African ethics-based development paradigm, predicated on humaneness and "life is mutual aid", can restore Reason to sober rationality and liberate Africa's development efforts from the intoxicating prison of profit making. Hence the institutions and frameworks devoted to Africa's development, such as the Constitution and Strategic Plan of the African Union as well as NEPAD, must incorporate salient features of the philosophic ethic emanating from the knowledge and ontological systems of indigenous Africa into visions of the African future. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D. Phil. (Philosophy)

Text in English / In this study an attempt has been made to reflect upon T.G. Mashaba's transcultural themes. For the purpose of this study, the researcher had to differentiate between traditional and professional cultural themes. All of these were mirrored in some of Mashaba's works through the employment of descriptive devices in a manner that enables one to picture her philosophy of transcultural nursing care, her ideas and ideals, conceptions, opinions and beliefs. The chief aim of this study was to survey the significance and contribution of Mashaba transcultural themes to nursing. In identifying the two systems, Mashaba was attempting not only to help nurses to become aware of these systems, but to consider ways to make reciprocal interfaces with the two systems. Marked caring differences among health care systems exist as well as similar features. Efforts were made - by Mashaba - to explicate these caring aspects in order to provide a sound rationale and therapeutic nursing care. The design used in this study was purely descriptive, investigative, interpretive and analytic with the specific aim of elucidating Mashaba's ideas, ideals and thoughts. This approach helped in bringing to light the value of the themes while at the same time focusing attention on their transcultural nature. Leininger's Cultural Theoretical Model was applied - as a conceptual Model - for the analysis of transcultural themes. This research study gives us a picture of a gifted and hardworking woman. She was ambitious and had set definite goals for herself. Her sense of cultural observation and imaginativeness elevate her as- a spokesperson for the underprivileged, not only of her race, but of any nationality. In her efforts, she was a moderate who believed that engagement in a dialogue would bring better and more lasting solutions than war. This gives her work the universal relevance and appeal. / Health Studies / D.Litt. et Phil. (Advanced Nursing Sciences)

This dissertation on negating, resisting or affirming cosmological principle towards an African humanism leadership theory and model has evolved through an embryonic process that arose from the research ‘itch’ as regards the way in which post-colonial African leadership has been critiqued. This research ‘itch’ also focused on how the postcolonial leadership in Africa, were trail blazers in formulating liberation philosophies and ideologies that did not, unfortunately, translate into sustainable peace and development. Thus, this dissertation has been a journey of immersion into the public and macro-level discourse contained in pre-colonial, colonial and postcolonial African leadership case studies. This enriching journey revealed a postcolonial African leadership which had focused on ideologies and philosophies and had deviated from the spirituality embedded in indigenous cosmologies and knowledge systems. Hence, this dissertation examines relevant cosmological principles embedded in indigenous cosmologies and knowledge systems for analysing African leadership; for the embryonic process that begins with the universal humanism perspective of African leadership, cognitive justice and transformation by enlargement, and basic African humanism perspectives. Thus, this study examines cognitive justice as the enabler of indigenous cosmologies and transformation by enlargement as the enabler of indigenous knowledge systems, both of which provide relevant cosmological principles for analysing African leadership. In addition, the dissertation analyses indigenous cosmologies and knowledge systems from the African continent in an effort to distinguish between the various forms of leadership found in Africa and to generate an African humanism leadership theory and model. The indigenous cosmologies and knowledge systems in this dissertation are from four regions in Africa, namely, North Africa (Egypt); West Africa (Ghana-Akan); the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia) and Southern Africa (Bantu). The methodologies used in the study include Afrikology and critical discourse analysis and enabled the research study to ascertain whether cosmological principles embedded in indigenous cosmologies and knowledge systems are relevant for analysing African leadership. Critical discourse analysis enabled the geographic triangulation of African leadership and the indigenous cosmologies and knowledge systems, thus resulting in the development of the African humanism leadership theory and model of individual dualism leadership. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Philosophy of Education)