<p>Poverty and inequality are deeply entrenched in Kenya, with the country being one of the most unequal countries in the world. To eradicate poverty and inequality, enhance the achievement of social justice, fast-track human development, as well as to entrench participatory democracy<br /> and a culture of justification in governance, Kenya has, for the first time, entrenched justiciable socio-economic rights (SERs) in its 2010 Constitution. In this thesis, I undertake a critical analysis of the prospects for the implementation and enforcement of the entrenched SERs as well as the probable challenges that Kenya may face in their realisation. In this endeavour, the thesis develops a theoretical and interpretive approach for the realisation of these entrenched SERs. It entails an expansive analysis of the nature, scope, content and extent of the SERs entrenched in the 2010 Kenyan Constitution, and especially the place of international human rights obligations contained in customs and ratified international human rights treaties due to the provisions of the 2010 Constitution which espouse the direct application of international law in Kenya&rsquo / s domestic legal system. It is submitted in this thesis that in order to improve the socio-economic conditions of the poor, vulnerable and marginalised groups in Kenya, there is a need for their socio-economic as well as political empowerment to enable them to effectively take part in societal decision-making in both the public and private spheres with regard to resource (re)distribution. The theory of dialogical constitutionalism, based on the constitutionally entrenched principle of popular participation in governance and public decision-making, is aimed at the realisation of both political and socio-economic empowerment of these groups. Even though the theory of dialogical constitutionalism underscores the importance of litigation in the achievement of the transformative aspirations of the 2010 Kenyan Constitution contained in the entrenched SERs, it acknowledges that litigation is not the panacea of SER enforcement, and that other political and advocacy strategies play an important role in the emancipation of the socio-economically deprived groups in society. The thesis thus advocates a multi-pronged strategy which espouses the equal participation of all sectors of society in a collaborative and cooperative deliberative effort aimed at the full realisation of the entrenched SERs. To accompany the above theoretical framework for the interpretation and implementation of the entrenched SERs, the thesis further proposes a transformative and integrated approach which combines the progressive aspects of the minimum core approachand the reasonableness approach. This is an approach of purposive interpretion which, in the first instance, envisages the courts undertaking a strict and searching scrutiny of the SER implementation framework developed by the political institutions of the State to ensure that sufficient provision has been made for the basic necessities of the most poor and vulnerable groups in society, basically the espousal of a minimum core content approach. The approach entails the requirement that should the SER implementation framework fail to provide this basic minimum to vulnerable groups, and the political institutions do not provide a substantive justification as to the failure, then the courts should find the relevant SER implementation<br /> framework per se unreasonable and thus invalid. However, should the implementation framework provide sufficiently for the basic essentials for vulnerable groups, the courts should then proceed to review it using the reasonableness standards that have been developed by the<br /> South African Constitutional Court. The rationale for this searching analysis is the acknowledgement that if the needs and interests of the most indigent and marginalised in society are not catered for, the entire corpus of rights in the Bill of Rights becomes redundant. The thesis then undertakes a case study of two rights, the right to food and the right to housing, using the theoretical and interpretive approaches developed in the previous chapters of the thesis. On food security, the thesis finds that Kenya is a food insecure country with a declining food production capacity. This is basically due to a lack of subsidy to farmers, global warming leading to intermittent rainfall, lack of investment in sustainable agriculture as well as a fragmented and contradictory legislative and policy agenda. In response to this situation, the thesis proposes the adoption of a livelihoods approach to food security in Kenya, based on the constitutionally entrenched right to food and other supporting rights. This approach advocates the enhancement of the food entitlements of the different sectors of the Kenyan society to ensure their access to adequate and nutritious food, be it through self-production or through the market. On the right to housing, the thesis finds that housing plays a crucial role in ensuring that people are able to have a holistic, dignified and valuable existence. However, Kenya faces a dire housing situation, with the majority of Kenyans, both in rural and urban areas lacking adequate shelter and sanitary conditions, evidenced by the large informal settlements in urban areas and the squatter phenomenon in rural areas. With the entrenchment of a justiciable right to adequate housing in the 2010 Constitution, the study finds that several legislative and policy reforms are underway to improve the housing situation, with efforts being made to draft theLandlord and Tenant Bill 2007, the Housing Bill 2011, the Evictions and Resettlement Guidelines and the Evictions and Resettlement Procedures Bill, 2012, among others. The thesis proposes that these legal reforms must be undertaken within an environment of cooperative and<br /> collaborative strategic partnership involving all sectors of society so as to ensure that the housing concerns as well as interests of all are catered for.</p>

<p>Poverty and inequality are deeply entrenched in Kenya, with the country being one of the most unequal countries in the world. To eradicate poverty and inequality, enhance the achievement of social justice, fast-track human development, as well as to entrench participatory democracy<br /> and a culture of justification in governance, Kenya has, for the first time, entrenched justiciable socio-economic rights (SERs) in its 2010 Constitution. In this thesis, I undertake a critical analysis of the prospects for the implementation and enforcement of the entrenched SERs as well as the probable challenges that Kenya may face in their realisation. In this endeavour, the thesis develops a theoretical and interpretive approach for the realisation of these entrenched SERs. It entails an expansive analysis of the nature, scope, content and extent of the SERs entrenched in the 2010 Kenyan Constitution, and especially the place of international human rights obligations contained in customs and ratified international human rights treaties due to the provisions of the 2010 Constitution which espouse the direct application of international law in Kenya&rsquo / s domestic legal system. It is submitted in this thesis that in order to improve the socio-economic conditions of the poor, vulnerable and marginalised groups in Kenya, there is a need for their socio-economic as well as political empowerment to enable them to effectively take part in societal decision-making in both the public and private spheres with regard to resource (re)distribution. The theory of dialogical constitutionalism, based on the constitutionally entrenched principle of popular participation in governance and public decision-making, is aimed at the realisation of both political and socio-economic empowerment of these groups. Even though the theory of dialogical constitutionalism underscores the importance of litigation in the achievement of the transformative aspirations of the 2010 Kenyan Constitution contained in the entrenched SERs, it acknowledges that litigation is not the panacea of SER enforcement, and that other political and advocacy strategies play an important role in the emancipation of the socio-economically deprived groups in society. The thesis thus advocates a multi-pronged strategy which espouses the equal participation of all sectors of society in a collaborative and cooperative deliberative effort aimed at the full realisation of the entrenched SERs. To accompany the above theoretical framework for the interpretation and implementation of the entrenched SERs, the thesis further proposes a transformative and integrated approach which combines the progressive aspects of the minimum core approachand the reasonableness approach. This is an approach of purposive interpretion which, in the first instance, envisages the courts undertaking a strict and searching scrutiny of the SER implementation framework developed by the political institutions of the State to ensure that sufficient provision has been made for the basic necessities of the most poor and vulnerable groups in society, basically the espousal of a minimum core content approach. The approach entails the requirement that should the SER implementation framework fail to provide this basic minimum to vulnerable groups, and the political institutions do not provide a substantive justification as to the failure, then the courts should find the relevant SER implementation<br /> framework per se unreasonable and thus invalid. However, should the implementation framework provide sufficiently for the basic essentials for vulnerable groups, the courts should then proceed to review it using the reasonableness standards that have been developed by the<br /> South African Constitutional Court. The rationale for this searching analysis is the acknowledgement that if the needs and interests of the most indigent and marginalised in society are not catered for, the entire corpus of rights in the Bill of Rights becomes redundant. The thesis then undertakes a case study of two rights, the right to food and the right to housing, using the theoretical and interpretive approaches developed in the previous chapters of the thesis. On food security, the thesis finds that Kenya is a food insecure country with a declining food production capacity. This is basically due to a lack of subsidy to farmers, global warming leading to intermittent rainfall, lack of investment in sustainable agriculture as well as a fragmented and contradictory legislative and policy agenda. In response to this situation, the thesis proposes the adoption of a livelihoods approach to food security in Kenya, based on the constitutionally entrenched right to food and other supporting rights. This approach advocates the enhancement of the food entitlements of the different sectors of the Kenyan society to ensure their access to adequate and nutritious food, be it through self-production or through the market. On the right to housing, the thesis finds that housing plays a crucial role in ensuring that people are able to have a holistic, dignified and valuable existence. However, Kenya faces a dire housing situation, with the majority of Kenyans, both in rural and urban areas lacking adequate shelter and sanitary conditions, evidenced by the large informal settlements in urban areas and the squatter phenomenon in rural areas. With the entrenchment of a justiciable right to adequate housing in the 2010 Constitution, the study finds that several legislative and policy reforms are underway to improve the housing situation, with efforts being made to draft theLandlord and Tenant Bill 2007, the Housing Bill 2011, the Evictions and Resettlement Guidelines and the Evictions and Resettlement Procedures Bill, 2012, among others. The thesis proposes that these legal reforms must be undertaken within an environment of cooperative and<br /> collaborative strategic partnership involving all sectors of society so as to ensure that the housing concerns as well as interests of all are catered for.</p>

Doctor Legum - LLD / Poverty and inequality are deeply entrenched in Kenya, with the country being one of the mostunequal countries in the world. To eradicate poverty and inequality, enhance the achievement ofsocial justice, fast-track human development, as well as to entrench participatory democracy and a culture of justification in governance, Kenya has, for the first time, entrenched justiciable socio-economic rights (SERs) in its 2010 Constitution. In this thesis, I undertake a criticalanalysis of the prospects for the implementation and enforcement of the entrenched SERs as well as the probable challenges that Kenya may face in their realisation. In this endeavour, the thesis develops a theoretical and interpretive approach for the realisation of these entrenched SERs. It entails an expansive analysis of the nature, scope, content and extent of the SERs entrenched in the 2010 Kenyan Constitution, and especially the place of international human rights obligations contained in customs and ratified international human rights treaties due to the provisions of the 2010 Constitution which espouse the direct application of international law in Kenya’s domestic legal system. It is submitted in this thesis that in order to improve the socio-economic conditions of the poor, vulnerable and marginalised groups in Kenya, there is a need for their socio-economic as well as political empowerment to enable them to effectively take part in societal decision-making in both the public and private spheres with regard to resource (re)distribution. The theory of dialogical constitutionalism, based on the constitutionally entrenched principle of popular participation in governance and public decision-making, is aimed at the realisation of both political and socio-economic empowerment of these groups. Even though the theory of dialogical constitutionalism underscores the importance of litigation in the achievement of the transformative aspirations of the 2010 Kenyan Constitution contained in the entrenched SERs, it acknowledges that litigation is not the panacea of SER enforcement, and that other political and advocacy strategies play an important role in the emancipation of the socio-economically deprived groups in society. The thesis thus advocates a multi-pronged strategy which espouses the equal participation of all sectors of society in a collaborative and cooperative deliberative effort aimed at the full realisation of the entrenched SERs. To accompany the above theoretical framework for the interpretation and implementation of the entrenched SERs, the thesis further proposes a transformative and integrated approach which combines the progressive aspects of the minimum core approach and the reasonableness approach. This is an approach of purposive interpretion which, in the first instance, envisages the courts undertaking a strict and searching scrutiny of the SER implementation framework developed by the political institutions of the State to ensure that sufficient provision has been made for the basic necessities of the most poor and vulnerable groups in society, basically the espousal of a minimum core content approach. The approach entails the requirement that should the SER implementation framework fail to provide this basic minimum to vulnerable groups, and the political institutions do not provide a substantive justification as to the failure, then the courts should find the relevant SER implementation framework per se unreasonable and thus invalid. However, should the implementation framework provide sufficiently for the basic essentials for vulnerable groups, the courts should then proceed to review it using the reasonableness standards that have been developed by the South African Constitutional Court. The rationale for this searching analysis is the acknowledgement that if the needs and interests of the most indigent and marginalised in society are not catered for, the entire corpus of rights in the Bill of Rights becomes redundant. The thesis then undertakes a case study of two rights, the right to food and the right to housing, using the theoretical and interpretive approaches developed in the previous chapters of the thesis. On food security, the thesis finds that Kenya is a food insecure country with a declining food production capacity. This is basically due to a lack of subsidy to farmers, global warming leading to intermittent rainfall, lack of investment in sustainable agriculture as well as a fragmented and contradictory legislative and policy agenda. In response to this situation, the thesis proposes the adoption of a livelihoods approach to food security in Kenya, based on the constitutionally entrenched right to food and other supporting rights. This approach advocates the enhancement of the food entitlements of the different sectors of the Kenyan society to ensure their access to adequate and nutritious food, be it through self-production or through the market. On the right to housing, the thesis finds that housing plays a crucial role in ensuring that people are able to have a holistic, dignified and valuable existence. However, Kenya faces a dire housing situation, with the majority of Kenyans, both in rural and urban areas lacking adequate shelter and sanitary conditions, evidenced by the large informal settlements in urban areas and the squatter phenomenon in rural areas. With the entrenchment of a justiciable right to adequate housing in the 2010 Constitution, the study finds that several legislative and policy reforms are underway to improve the housing situation, with efforts being made to draft the Landlord and Tenant Bill 2007, the Housing Bill 2011, the Evictions and resettlement Guidelines and the Evictions and Resettlement Procedures Bill, 2012, among others. The thesis proposes that these legal reforms must be undertaken within an environment of cooperative and collaborative strategic partnership involving all sectors of society so as to ensure that the housing concerns as well as interests of all are catered for.

Purpose – This research aims to explore the effectiveness of utilising Benefits Realisation Management (BRM) as part of comprehensive success measures, emphasising the stage in-between appraisal and evaluation of projects in the UK public sector. Design/methodology/approach – The study is constructed as a qualitative case study. Semi-structured interviews are used as part of the inductive, exploratory approach to achieve the study's objectives. It employs an approach based on grounded theory for its analysis. Findings – This paper suggests that Benefits Realisation Management is not used effectively in the UK public sector during projects lifetime to control and monitor projects and ensure their success. The current reviews of projects and programmes, through their execution, may not be sufficient. Research limitations/implications – This study offers contributions to the project success literature and benefits management literature by adding empirically supported insights about BM utilisation during project reviews. The research may be limited primarily by the research method – predominantly the snow-balling data collection. The assumptions made about the UK public sector may limit the broader generalisation of the findings. Practical implications – This research may be used to advise the practising managers of the need to maintain benefits orientation after appraisal throughout a project's lifetime and after delivery. Project governance structures are advised to update and improve their current project review practices. The study additionally identifies possible obstacles to the process and biases. Originality/value – This paper attempts to fill a literature gap by providing empirical results that explore the success definition and measures and the effectiveness of BRM during project execution and gate reviews. Keywords: Benefits Management; Project Success; Project Performance; Performance Measurement; Public Sector. Paper type: Research Thesis

Parents of children diagnosed with autism, a disease characterised with difficulty in speech, behaviour and language, experience chronic stress more than in any other developmental disorder. Outcomes of chronic stress in this regard are often associated with uncertain expectations of the future where current stressors are exuberated and future expectations are negated. Thinking about the future has been noted to contribute positive psychological functioning. Authors have, however, noted that some parents of autistic children are able to conceptualise positive future expectations in the mists of stressful current realities whilst using proactive coping strategies. Proactive coping literature has predominantly focused on situational characteristics and, to a lesser extent, on dispositional characteristics The relationship between dispositional characteristics - belief in just world, sense of coherence in relation to proactive coping is investigated in parents raising a child diagnosed with autism. Constructs were operationalised through the Orientation to Life Questionnaire (Antonovsky, 1987), Global Belief in Just World Scale (Lipkus, 1991), Reactions to Daily Life Questionnaire (Greenglass, 2002) and a demographic questionnaire. A cross-sectional correlational design consisting of a sample of 30 (n = 30) parents with children with autism was conducted. SPSS ver12 was used for analysis, which included both descriptive and inferential analysis. Inferential statistics included the Independent T-Test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) to analyse independence of the sample, and Spearman Rho correlations were used to test possible correlations between constructs. The small sample size precluded more advanced statistical manipulation of data. Open ended questions were analysed through a process of content analysis. The interpretation of results showed no significant differences between independent variables (e.g. age, gender, adjustment level of child) and constructs measured. Results of the correlational analysis indicated positive correlations between (i) belief in just world andproactive coping, (ii) sense of coherence and proactive coping as well as (iii) the sense of coherence (meaningfulness) subscale and proactive coping. No relationship was found between belief in just world and proactive coping. These results indicate that these dispositional characteristics can be associated with proactive coping and that belief in just world and sense of coherence who share similar theoretical underpinnings may have different predictor values. Qualitative results suggest that parents who engage in future oriented thinking and proactive coping strategies such as planning activities and social engagements often display higher levels of just world beliefs. The present study contributes to theoretical knowledge by providing insight into the relationships between constructs with regards to proactive coping in parents who experince chronic stress, by illustrating convergence and distinctiveness between constructs. Furthermore, knowledge was gained on the influence of dispositional characteristics on proactive coping strategies, seeing as how previous research primarily focused on situational characteristics. Practical applications of the results offer insight into coping processes of parents of children diagnosed with autism with specific reference to proactive coping which ultimately implicates the applicability value of future oriented therapeutic interventions for these families. Insight into the goals of parents and the daily challenges they face will furthermore assist the helping profession and support groups to provide effective support strategies. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

This study explored Visual Art creation by Grade 11 learners in the art classroom and the relationship with attaining creativity acumen. Creativity acumen in this instance is looked upon as the ability to visually conceptualize imaginative ideas and then translate that into an individual rendition of a concept presented. The learners first perceive an idea and then conceive a concept. Visual perception is a function of how the eyes and brain see whole images, but these images are broken down into their visual elements, such as lines and shading during Visual Art creation. The visual elements are then created in forming an art-work, which in turn lends itself to understanding complex concepts and themes. Creativity acumen involves two processes: having ideas (creativity-relevant processes) and then producing a visual exposé of such ideas. A literature review was conducted which provided useful insight into the components of the creative process and the contextual factors influencing creativity acumen within the school environment. An empirical study was conducted with six art learners in Grade 11, selected through purposive sampling. Creativity questionnaires were completed pre- and post-art creation as a self-assessment tool of how effectively individual implementation of the creative process occurred during idea development and artistic expression in attaining creativity acumen during Visual Art production, if at all. The art creations were observed from task presentation through to completion deadline. Photographic records of the art creations were captured as they were produced and completed. Interviews were conducted at the end of the art creative process. The data was descriptively tabulated into photo-sheets and tabulated for qualitative interpretation and description of findings and results. From the empirical study it can be concluded that there is a dialectic relationship between the creativity-relevant processes and art-relevant skills, as set out theoretically by Amabile (1996) when creating Visual Art. The relationship is intertwined and compounded by overlapping factors in acumen to be creative and creating an art-work. Both require openness to new ideas and perspectives and both need perseverance and effort to learn new skills and craftsmanship. The conclusion of this study is that creativity acumen and art creation have variation of outcome and expansion of ideas in common. Creativity acumen is a means of extending one’s outlook and ability to question, look for new information, develop ideas independently while art creation is a means of visual expression in learning to elaborate on a concept through externalised representation which guides further possibilities and understanding of new concepts and perspectives. There is a dialectic relationship between art creation and creativity acumen or ability as one possibly informs and develops the other. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

La génération automatique de texte (GAT) produit du texte en langue naturelle destiné aux humains à partir de données non langagières. L’objectif de la GAT est de concevoir des générateurs réutilisables d’une langue à l’autre et d’une application à l’autre. Pour ce faire, l’architecture des générateurs automatiques de texte est modulaire : on distingue entre la génération profonde qui détermine le contenu du message à exprimer et la réalisation linguistique qui génère les unités et structures linguistiques exprimant le message. La réalisation linguistique multilingue nécessite de modéliser les principaux phénomènes linguistiques de la manière la plus générique possible. Or, les collocations représentent un de ces principaux phénomènes linguistiques et demeurent problématiques en GAT, mais aussi pour le Traitement Automatique des Langues en général. La Théorie Sens-Texte analyse les collocations comme des contraintes de sélection lexicale. Autrement dit, une collocation est composée de trois éléments : (i) la base, (ii) le collocatif, choisi en fonction de la base et (iii) d’une relation sémantico-lexicale. Il existe des relations sémantico-lexicales récurrentes et systématiques. Les fonctions lexicales modélisent ces relations. En effet, des collocations telles que peur bleue ou pluie torrentielle instancient une même relation, l’intensification, que l’on peut décrire au moyen de la fonction lexicale Magn : Magn(PEUR) = BLEUE, Magn(PLUIE) = TORRENTIELLE, etc. Il existe des centaines de fonctions lexicales. Ce mémoire présente la méthodologie d’implémentation des collocations dans un réalisateur de texte multilingue, GÉCO, à l’aide des fonctions lexicales standard syntagmatiques simples et complexes. Le cœur de la méthodologie repose sur le regroupement des fonctions lexicales ayant un fonctionnement similaire dans des patrons génériques. Au total, plus de 26 000 fonctions lexicales ont été implémentées, représentant de ce fait une avancée considérable pour le traitement des collocations en réalisation de texte multilingue. / Natural Language Generation (NLG) produces text in natural language from non-linguistic content. NLG aims at developing generators that are reusable across languages and applications. In order to do so, these systems’ architecture is modular: while the deep generation module determines the content of the message to be expressed, the text realization module maps the message into its most appropriate linguistic form. Multilingual text realization requires to model the core linguistic phenomena that one finds in language. Collocations represent one of the core linguistic phenomena that remain problematic not only in NLG, but also in Natural Language Processing in general. The Meaning-Text theory analyses collocations as constraints on lexical selection. In other words, a collocation is made up of three constituents: (i) the base, (ii) the collocate, chosen according to (iii) a semantico-lexical relation. Some of these semantico-lexical relations are systematic and shared by many collocations. Lexical functions are a system for modeling these relations. In fact, collocations such as heavy rain or strong preference instantiate the same relation, intensity, can be described with the lexical function Magn: Magn(RAIN) = HEAVY, Magn(PREFERENCE) = STRONG, etc. There are hundreds of lexical functions. Our work presents a methodology for the implementation of collocations in a multilingual text realization engine, GÉCO, that relies on simple and complex syntagmatic standard lexical functions. The principal aspect of the methodology consists of regrouping lexical functions that show a similar behavior into generic patterns. As a result, 26 000 lexical functions have been implemented, which is a considerable progress in the treatment of collocations in multilingual text realization.

The thesis examines the enforcement of consumer rights in South Africa, and is set against the backdrop of the underlying principles and theories on the enforcement of consumer protection law. It then analyses the various forms of consumer protection law enforcement mechanisms that were in place prior to the implementation of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008, and sets out why there was a need for the enactment of the Consumer Protection Act. The thesis then critically discusses the consumer protection law enforcement mechanisms introduced and/or catered for by the Consumer Protection Act. The in-depth comparative analysis against the consumer protection law enforcement dispensations in both India and the United Kingdom culminates in a critical analysis of the successes and shortcomings of consumer protection law enforcement regime in present-day South Africa; as well as recommendations (in the form of legislative amendments and practical solutions) on how the South African consumer protection enforcement framework can be improved in order to facilitate the realisation of consumer rights. / Mercantile Law / LL. D.

The observation is made that the spiritual well being of the church youth - i.e., the covenantal youth -is not healthy. The aim of this thesis is to study this observation. It seems that when children come to the point that they confess their faith they do not grasp the full implications of this undertaking as they do not bear the fruits of faith in their daily lives. There exists empiric evidence that the church youth are well equipped in the knowledge of faith, but when it comes to subjective acts of faith, there is a great lack. The assumption is made that the catechist is not always sufficiently equipped to apply the balance between knowledge of faith and subjective acts of faith in catechises. The focus point of the study is: Catechises as a means through which salvation is secured and appropriated within the context of the covenant and the Kingdom of God. The fundamental question at stake is: How does the believer share in the salvation that Christ has earned on the cross, and in which way can the catechises serves as a vehicle to achieve this goal. Essentially catechises is the official service of the church through which children of the covenant are assured of their salvation. They must also come to the point where they claim this redemption. The church obtains this objective by proclaiming the truths and instructing the doctrines of the Word of God to these children in such a way that each individual should come to confess his/her faith publicly and personally. Catechists must shepherd and guide these children not only to obtain certainty of faith (certitudo fidei) and to be obedient as believers, but also to be convinced of their salvation (certitudo salutis) and to make this redemption their own. The unity between God and man is not a polar one, but an apolar covenantal relation. Within this polar relation the covenant is like a solid foundation in which this oneness is rooted. The monopleuric (one-sided, unilateral) and dipleuric (two-sided, bilateral) character of the covenant proves that God treats man as a responsible associate in this treaty. God's sovereignty or objective salvation, on the one hand, and human responsibility or subjective faith, on the other hand, coexists without any strain or uneasiness whatsoever within this apolar covenantal connection between God and man. There is no contradiction between God's redemptive word and man's responsibility. It is therefore compulsory for man to believe; that man has faith is not something that rakes place without his decision. However, it is through the power of the gospel that faith is created in man - the gospel that Christ was crucified. The grace of God does not cause the believer to be a passive being; it has the effect that he is in active service of the Lord. The requirement to believe and to repent is not set aside; in fact, it remains a condition of the covenant. This means that, in the relation between God and His people, the promises and the demands of the covenant must be operative and active in the personal lives of the people of the covenant. The purpose of this exercise is that the believers will be able to experience the grace of the promises of the covenant as a reality. There is also a call at the address of these people to appropriate the salvation promised in the covenant. The children of the covenant must share in the promises of the pact on a personal basis. The reality of these promises, as well as the urgency of the demands - according to the gospel of God - must be proclaimed to the catechumens. There is a close relationship between certainty of faith and the objective truths of religion. This certainty is built on the truths that form the content of the Word of God. Certainty of salvation links up with the subjective acts of faith. A believer takes part on a personal level in the redemptive work of Christ. The fact that he is saved, through this redemption, forms the foundation of the Christian's life. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Catechetics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

The observation is made that the spiritual well being of the church youth - i.e., the covenantal youth -is not healthy. The aim of this thesis is to study this observation. It seems that when children come to the point that they confess their faith they do not grasp the full implications of this undertaking as they do not bear the fruits of faith in their daily lives. There exists empiric evidence that the church youth are well equipped in the knowledge of faith, but when it comes to subjective acts of faith, there is a great lack. The assumption is made that the catechist is not always sufficiently equipped to apply the balance between knowledge of faith and subjective acts of faith in catechises. The focus point of the study is: Catechises as a means through which salvation is secured and appropriated within the context of the covenant and the Kingdom of God. The fundamental question at stake is: How does the believer share in the salvation that Christ has earned on the cross, and in which way can the catechises serves as a vehicle to achieve this goal. Essentially catechises is the official service of the church through which children of the covenant are assured of their salvation. They must also come to the point where they claim this redemption. The church obtains this objective by proclaiming the truths and instructing the doctrines of the Word of God to these children in such a way that each individual should come to confess his/her faith publicly and personally. Catechists must shepherd and guide these children not only to obtain certainty of faith (certitudo fidei) and to be obedient as believers, but also to be convinced of their salvation (certitudo salutis) and to make this redemption their own. The unity between God and man is not a polar one, but an apolar covenantal relation. Within this polar relation the covenant is like a solid foundation in which this oneness is rooted. The monopleuric (one-sided, unilateral) and dipleuric (two-sided, bilateral) character of the covenant proves that God treats man as a responsible associate in this treaty. God's sovereignty or objective salvation, on the one hand, and human responsibility or subjective faith, on the other hand, coexists without any strain or uneasiness whatsoever within this apolar covenantal connection between God and man. There is no contradiction between God's redemptive word and man's responsibility. It is therefore compulsory for man to believe; that man has faith is not something that rakes place without his decision. However, it is through the power of the gospel that faith is created in man - the gospel that Christ was crucified. The grace of God does not cause the believer to be a passive being; it has the effect that he is in active service of the Lord. The requirement to believe and to repent is not set aside; in fact, it remains a condition of the covenant. This means that, in the relation between God and His people, the promises and the demands of the covenant must be operative and active in the personal lives of the people of the covenant. The purpose of this exercise is that the believers will be able to experience the grace of the promises of the covenant as a reality. There is also a call at the address of these people to appropriate the salvation promised in the covenant. The children of the covenant must share in the promises of the pact on a personal basis. The reality of these promises, as well as the urgency of the demands - according to the gospel of God - must be proclaimed to the catechumens. There is a close relationship between certainty of faith and the objective truths of religion. This certainty is built on the truths that form the content of the Word of God. Certainty of salvation links up with the subjective acts of faith. A believer takes part on a personal level in the redemptive work of Christ. The fact that he is saved, through this redemption, forms the foundation of the Christian's life. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Catechetics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.