Recent attacks on media freedom in South Africa, that includes the ruling ANC party’s proposal for statutory regulation of the press, have seen press self-regulation fiercely contested and the ombudsman of the Press Council of South Africa (PCSA) defending the press’ constitutional right to freedom of expression. Extensive arguments have been made by government, the public and the press for other forms of press regulation, such as statutory and independent co-regulation. In addition no accurate, detailed trends arising from complaints the ombudsman has dealt with in recent years, have been freely available on which arguments in such a debate could be based. This research analyses the complaints dealt with by the press ombudsman in recent years in order to evaluate the present self-regulatory system, which is based primarily on the theories of freedom of expression and social responsibility of the press. The analyses involves determining what trends exist in complaints cases that the ombudsman, Joe Thloloe, has dealt with since he took office in August 2007, until August 2011 when a Review of his office was published by the PCSA. The study takes a qualitative approach, with some degree of quantification, and utilises document analysis and qualitative content analysis as data collection methods to analyse 593 cases, with specific focus on government complaints which form 15% of all cases analysed. The findings reflect that the ombudsman’s approach in dealing with complaints was fair, that he displayed intolerance for transgressions and that his rulings were free of any obvious bias. This is evident in, amongst other findings, the very few appeals lodged against his rulings and even less successful appeals. In addition the press often voluntarily corrected their mistakes before prompted by the ombudsman. The findings also dispel some of the ANC’s criticisms that have led to its calls for statutory press regulation, such as the public and government’s acceptance of the self-regulation system, complaints from government largely having involved accuracy and not privacy as the ANC claimed, and that government’s failure to sign the legal waiver often resulted in cases being dismissed. The findings also point to a significant increase in complaints, specifically from government, in the year 2010, which is the year in which the ANC renewed its calls for statutory regulation. This does not necessarily reflect a sudden decline in the quality of journalism but rather indicates that the ruling party differed fundamentally in its philosophical thinking regarding the press, which was perhaps informed by a developmental model of the press rather than the social responsibility model on which the present system is based. In this sense the government sees it fit to interfere or censor the press if it feels the system is not performing. The findings show the ombudsman’s office lacked proper record-keeping from which accurate statistics could be derived, leaving a gap for criticism against the ombudsman. In addition, most often complaints against newspapers involved accuracy and fairness (such as not asking for comment). As is evident in several complaints falling outside the ombudsman’s mandate and the high number of dismissed cases, the findings also point to a lack of awareness or information of the system and of the ombudsman’s roles. In light of the theoretical frameworks that set out how the self-regulation system, which is entrenched in the notion of press freedom, can enhance the cause of press freedom by its ombudsman enforcing a socially responsible Press Code, the findings ultimately lead to the conclusion that the ombudsman’s work has advanced the cause of press freedom in South Africa during the research period. / Thesis (MA (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

The aim of this study was to assess the effective functioning of the Middle Management Learning Programme (MMLP) within the South African Police Service (SAPS), as well as evaluate the performance and effectiveness of employees who were sent for training to enhance their skills and develop their capacity in order to improve service delivery within the broader South African society. The research focused specifically on middle managers who had completed the MMLP. The MMLP was presented at the SAPS Academy in Thabong from 2007 to 2011. According to Meyer et al. (2004:225), a learning programme is a coordinated combination of learning activities, methodologies, processes and other elements of learning, crafted to assist learners to acquire the required knowledge, skills and attitudes. The primary objective of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the effective functioning of the MMLP within the SAPS and to provide sound recommendations based on the empirical findings. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires were used to determine the effectiveness of the MMLP and obtain information from the respondents who completed the programme during the 2007/8 and 2009/10 financial years. The literature review, interviews and completion of the questionnaires by respondents confirmed the objectives of this study. The overall results indicated that the MMLP had a positive impact on middle managers in the SAPS. The middle managers appear to be driven by a need for recognition, and authorities could exploit this to its advantage by providing a reward system for good performance. The study concludes by, inter alia, recommending that the SAPS review its military culture or style, because the managers who attended the MMLP are unable to advise their seniors, respondents feel overwhelmed, powerless, and helpless and this leads to ineffectiveness in their performance. The requirements to attend the MMLP should be placed on record and should not be compromised to suit particular individuals. The MMLP should also be made a prerequisite for promotion as invaluable skills are transferred to course attendees. / Thesis (Master of Development and Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Career success has become one of the most central issues in the 21st century as the nature of careers has undergone major changes over the past two decades. The change in perception that has taken place in terms of the nature of work has led to increased uncertainty about career development as a construct and as a practice. Career success has therefore become not only of interest and concern for individuals, but also a priority to organisations as the realisation of employees’ personal goals and success can eventually contribute to the realisation of the organisation’s goals and successes. Therefore the general objective of this study was to explore the experience and conceptualisation of career success among South African executives. This study utilised a qualitative research design with an exploratory approach to investigate executives’ conceptualisation and experience of career success. A non-probability purposive, voluntary sample of 24 participants was drawn from two seperate international financial organisations with offices located in Johannesburg. The data collection process was performed through semi-structured individual interviews and the verbatim transcriptions that were captured from these interviews, were analysed using content analysis. The twelve main themes that were extracted from the interviews are set out as follow: general conceptualisation of career success; executives’ personal meaning associated with career success; transformation of perceptions; future goals of executives; factor’s influencing executives’ career success; personality attributes related to career success; contributing factors to the career success of executives; hindering factors in career success; potential for experiencing turnover intention; consequences of career success; role of the organisation; and prerequisites for career success. It is crucial that organisations be made more aware of the significance of executives’ conceptualisation and experience of career success (as highlighted within this research).This is especially the case when considering future career and succession planning and mapping. Organisations should be familiar with the potential influencing and hindering factors (e.g. lack of opportunities, lack of support, organisational culture, etc.). They should be prepared to address the adverse impact that these factors could have as obstacles to employees and particularly for executives to attain career success. If these hindrances are not addressed it could lead to increased job dissatisfaction and consequently increased turnover intention. They should also be alert to the contributing factors and other factors conducive to career development (e.g. support and buy-in from organisation, or being given challenges and opportunities) that facilitate career success. By providing an environment that helps career development along, the experiece of career success is increased. This can lead to various positive outcomes, such as increased job performance, organisational commitment, employee engagement, career satisfaction and talent retention. Talent retention is particularly important as one can gather from the data collected among the executives. Thus, in order to retain them as valuable employees, it is crucial to address and fulfil their career needs accordingly. / Thesis (MCom (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

In South Africa issues regarding the dissatisfactory delivery of low-cost housing developments are well known. Low-cost housing has generally been delivered in a manner which attempts to address housing backlogs, instead of focussing on establishing quality environments and sustainable communities. In order to address the current deficient approaches to low-cost residential development, a literature and empirical investigation was conducted with the purpose of exploring the South African status quo. Issues for improvement were researched within the existing knowledge base. The literature reviewed for this study encompassed government literature, policies and legislation as well as work from both national and international authors from a variety of fields, given the diverse nature and multiple impacts related to housing development. These literary works provided evidence to the conclusions drawn and informed the recommendations made accordingly. The empirical research conducted included several structured interviews, the distribution of questionnaires and the evaluation of various South African case studies. Empirical results added a quantitative measure to the evidence provided by the literature study and thus offered further conclusions and recommendations. The recommendations made were categorised according to their contribution to planning, management and design. It is believed that the adoption of these preliminary recommendations may greatly improve the housing delivery process and quality of life experienced by low-income beneficiaries. The issues covered in this study include research, conclusions and recommendations on: * Investigating the South African status quo with regard to housing policies and legislature. * Identifying the merits of historical theoretical models and their value in modern day housing development. * Discussing the importance of a locally focussed development approach with regard to the role of local municipalities versus provincial authorities in low-cost residential development. * Identifying the value of low-cost housing in local economic development and sustainable socio-economic growth. * Discussing the role of community participation in delivering sustainable neighbourhoods and communities. * Investigating the need for higher density development with specific reference to the integration of various housing typologies. * Exploring the relevance and benefits of alternative construction materials in low-cost residential development. * Exploring the informal backyard rental sector. * Exploring the approaches followed in South African case studies of varying successes in various provinces. It should be noted that the research conducted for this study, the conclusions drawn and the recommendations made provide substantial value, but are all mainly provided as preliminary concepts to be elaborated in a future PhD study. / Thesis (MArt et Scien (Urban and Regional Planning))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Since 1994 fundamental transformation has taken place in South Africa in terms of disaster risk management. The transformation process gave rise to the promulgation of the Disaster Management Act (57/2002) that heralded a new era for disaster risk management in South Africa. Consequently the National Disaster Management Framework, published in 2005, set clear guidelines for the implementing of the mentioned act. The National Disaster Management Framework emphasises the importance of the integration and coordination of disaster risk management activities in all spheres of government. Die Disaster Management Act (57/2002) calls for the establishment or certain disaster risk management structures like interdepartmental commitees, disaster management centers, disaster management frameworks, and disaster management advisory forums. Furthermore the National Disaster Management Framework sets certain guidelines in compliance with the Disaster Management Act (57/2002). Municipalities in South Africa have had time since the promulgation of the act in 2003 to get all the mentioned structures in place. This study tried to deretmine the degree in which municipalities complied with the requirements of the Disaster Management Act (57/2002). The municipalities were handles per procvince and the research is based on a 20% representative sample of all the municipalities in South Africa. A mixed method of research was followed. That means that qualitative (telephonic and semi-structured interviews) and quantitative (questionnaires with Likert scale questions) research was used. The result of this research is that there are big failings in terms of the implementing of the Disaster Management Act (57/2002) across the country. In certain provinces the situation is better than in others, but of none of the provinces it can be said that they comply with all the recuirements of the act. / M. Development and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Work–life balance is one of the most central issues and concerns for 21st century societies, and according to the American Psychological Association balancing work and family is one of the major challenges for the current generation of employees. Helping employees balance their work and family life is viewed as a social and business imperative since work–life imbalance experienced by employees negatively impacts on employers and society as a whole. Evidence from a study of international employers indicates significant increases in the implementation and use of workplace flexibility, more commonly known as flexitime, as a work–life balance policy. Research into the use and implementation of flexitime within South Africa is limited, especially with regard to the aspects that influence the use of flexitime as well as the associated benefits, challenges and consequences for both South African employees and organisations. Consequently, organisations are left to design, implement and manage their own flexitime policies, with very little information or guidance available to ensure employee and organisational benefit. In this study, a qualitative research design with an exploratory approach was used to explore and describe employees? perceptions regarding the implementation of flexitime. A non–probability purposive, voluntary sample of 15 participants was taken from the offices of an international auditing and consulting organisation located in Johannesburg. Data was collected by means of semi–structured individual interviews and the verbatim transcripts were analysed by means of content analysis. Seven themes were extracted from the interviews, namely: variations in the use of flexitime; factors influencing the use of flexitime; challenges relating to the use of flexitime; perceptions regarding the use of flexitime; required aspects for the effective use of flexitime; consequences relating to the use of flexitime; and the benefits resulting from the use of flexitime. Organisations should be made more aware of the individual as well as organisational benefits, challenges and consequences of flexitime as highlighted in this research. When implementing such policies, specific required aspects for the effective use of flexitime should be taken in consideration. Organisations interested in successfully implementing flexitime for the benefit of both the employee and organisation are advised to consider the findings of this study and take heed of the critical findings presented. Efforts should be made to accommodate employee preferences regarding their use of flexitime. Organisations should be alert to the potential challenges, consequences and negative perceptions surrounding flexitime and, consequently, the importance of ensuring that prerequisites or those aspects required for the implementation of flexitime are in place and perceptions relating to the policy are managed. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Work–life balance is one of the most central issues and concerns for 21st century societies, and according to the American Psychological Association balancing work and family is one of the major challenges for the current generation of employees. Helping employees balance their work and family life is viewed as a social and business imperative since work–life imbalance experienced by employees negatively impacts on employers and society as a whole. Evidence from a study of international employers indicates significant increases in the implementation and use of workplace flexibility, more commonly known as flexitime, as a work–life balance policy. Research into the use and implementation of flexitime within South Africa is limited, especially with regard to the aspects that influence the use of flexitime as well as the associated benefits, challenges and consequences for both South African employees and organisations. Consequently, organisations are left to design, implement and manage their own flexitime policies, with very little information or guidance available to ensure employee and organisational benefit. In this study, a qualitative research design with an exploratory approach was used to explore and describe employees? perceptions regarding the implementation of flexitime. A non–probability purposive, voluntary sample of 15 participants was taken from the offices of an international auditing and consulting organisation located in Johannesburg. Data was collected by means of semi–structured individual interviews and the verbatim transcripts were analysed by means of content analysis. Seven themes were extracted from the interviews, namely: variations in the use of flexitime; factors influencing the use of flexitime; challenges relating to the use of flexitime; perceptions regarding the use of flexitime; required aspects for the effective use of flexitime; consequences relating to the use of flexitime; and the benefits resulting from the use of flexitime. Organisations should be made more aware of the individual as well as organisational benefits, challenges and consequences of flexitime as highlighted in this research. When implementing such policies, specific required aspects for the effective use of flexitime should be taken in consideration. Organisations interested in successfully implementing flexitime for the benefit of both the employee and organisation are advised to consider the findings of this study and take heed of the critical findings presented. Efforts should be made to accommodate employee preferences regarding their use of flexitime. Organisations should be alert to the potential challenges, consequences and negative perceptions surrounding flexitime and, consequently, the importance of ensuring that prerequisites or those aspects required for the implementation of flexitime are in place and perceptions relating to the policy are managed. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Women in the Theological Anthropology of the Afrikaans Reformed Tradition This dissertation examines women in the theological anthropology of the Afrikaans Reformed Churches. The study is set out as follows: In Chapter 1, a survey of methodology is presented. The exposition of the question about the theological anthropology is done against a poststructural background. Both structuralism and poststructuralism largely put aside existentialism as an inadequate methodology. Chapter 2 aims to give an overview of the contribution of Michel Foucault. The chapter begins with a discussion of structuralism. This brief overview is then followed by a classification and investigation of the basic aspects of Foucault's approach. The chapter highlights Foucault's rootedness in poststructuralism. Chapter 3 attempts to explain silence of women in the theological anthropology of Dutch Reformed Church. The central aim of Chapter 3 is to demonstrate, against the development of the women ministries and the discourse about the ordination of women, that the Dutch Reformed Church theological anthropology is deeply influenced by the discursive practices developed during 1928-1932. Chapter 4 gives an overview of the developments in the theological anthropology of the Dutch Reformed Mission Church, Dutch Reformed Church of Africa and the Uniting Reformed Church of Southern Africa that took place from 1924 until 2002. Different approaches to the women question developed in the course of time. At the heart of the discourse is the shift in the reading process. The developments in the feminist standpoint theory as such led to this displacement. In Chapter 5 the deconstruction of the theological anthropology are being discussed. Preference is given in this chapter to the concept partnership or transformative relations. In the concluding chapter [Chapter 6], a poststructural feminist discourse is presented. Selected guidelines that the church may wish to take into account in the deconstructing of the theological anthropology are suggested. In the future, the frame of reference to the women question would likely be poststructural. / Systematic Theology and Theological Ethics / D. Th. (Systematic Theology)

AFRIKAANS: In die bronne van bewysmateriaal vir Afrikaanse geskiedenis en kultuurgeskiedenis is daar sporadiese verwysings na die bestaan van ‘n vrouetydskrif, getiteld Die Boerevrou. Dit was die eerste, en tot en met die staking daarvan, die enigste Afrikaanse vrouetydskrif. Die tydskrif is in Pretoria van Maart 1919 tot Desember 1931 maandeliks onder die redakteurskap van die eienaar, Mabel Malherbe, uitgegee. Hoewel dit al as ‘n ryk skat van inligting oor die Afrikanervrou en haar leefwyse beskryf is, is daar min inligting oor die tydskrif beskikbaar. Dit is ook in vergelyking met ander tydgenootlike Afrikaanse publikasies soos Die Huisgenoot, baie min vir primêre navorsing gebruik, hoewel oorspronklike versamelings daarvan vandag nog redelik maklik bekombaar is. Gevolglik is Die Boerevrou aan kultuurhistorici betreklik onbekend. Met hierdie studie is daar gepoog om te bepaal of Die Boerevrou as ‘n gesaghebbende primêre bron vir kultuurgeskiedenis beskou kan word en waarom dit nie as sodanig benut word nie. Aangesien daar min sekondêre bronne oor tydskrifstudies bestaan, kan die ontwikkeling van ‘n wetenskaplike werkswyse vir die onderneming van dergelike studies as een van die bydraes van hierdie proefskrif beskou word. Die kultuurhistoriese konteks en ekonomiese omstandighede waarbinne die tydskrif verskyn het, is bestudeer en inligting oor die redaksie, medewerkers, beleid en sirkulasie van Die Boerevrou is ingewin. Dit alles het as agtergrond gedien om afleidings te maak om die navorsingsvraag te beantwoord. Daar is bevind dat die tydskrif van hoë joernalistieke gehalte getuig vir die tydperk waarin dit verskyn het. As vrouetydskrif het dit ‘n wye verskeidenheid onderwerpe van kultuurhistoriese belang gedek. Die studie het ook lig gewerp op die leesgebruike en -voorkeure van die Afrikanervrou in die vroeë twintigste eeu. Dit is duidelik dat kultuur en die media in ‘n baie komplekse verhouding staan en mekaar wedersyds sterk beïnvloed. Die lesers van Die Boerevrou is nie net deur die tydskrif gelei en beïnvloed nie, soos talle ander studies bevind het die geval met die pers in die ontwikkelingsjare van Afrikanernasionalisme was nie. Boerevrou-lesers het ook aktief meegedoen aan die skryf van die teks van die tydskrif omdat hulle ‘n sosiale netwerk gevorm het wat ontvanklik en gereed was vir die assimilasie en verspreiding van ‘n nasionalistiese identiteit. Die Boerevrou is ‘n gesaghebbende primêre bron vir kultuurgeskiedenis en sal in die toekoms met groot vrug in studies oor die Afrikanervrou van 1919 tot 1931 benut kan word. Die feit dat die tydskrif as bron onderbenut word, kan hoofsaaklik toegeskryf word aan twee aspekte: Die meeste studies oor vrouetydskrifte tot op datum is ideologiese analises met ‘n feministiese inslag wat die persepsie by navorsers skep dat vrouetydskrifte problematiese en onbetroubare studiemateriaal is en gevolglik vermy behoort te word; verder is die wetenskaplike bestudering van vrouetydskrifte nog ‘n relatiewe jong studieveld. ENGLISH: Die Boerevrou was the first, and until the termination thereof, the only Afrikaans women's magazine. This monthly periodical was published in Pretoria from March 1919 to December 1931 under the editorship of the owner, Mabel Malherbe. Although it is a rich treasure of information about Afrikaans women and their way of life, there is little known about the magazine. Compared to other contemporary Afrikaans publications, such as Die Huisgenoot, it is also very little used for primary research. This study attempts to determine whether Die Boerevrou can be viewed as an authoritative primary source for cultural history and why it is not utilised as such. Since there are few secondary sources on magazine studies, the development of a scientific methodology for undertaking such studies is considered to be one of the contributions of this thesis. The historical context and economic conditions within which the magazine has been published was determined and information was obtained about the editors, staff, policies and circulation of Die Boerevrou. All have served as a background to make conclusions relevant to the research question. It was found that the magazine is of high journalistic quality for the period in which it was published and reviews a wide variety of topics of interest to women. The study also shed light on the reading practices and preferences of Afrikaans women in the early twentieth century. The relationship that exists between culture and the media is clearly very complex. The readers of Die Boerevrou were not only led and influenced by the magazine, as many other studies have found to be the case with the media during the formative years of Afrikaner nationalism. Boerevrou readers also actively participated in writing the text of the magazine. They formed a social network which was receptive and ready for the assimilation and dissemination of a nationalist identity. Die Boerevrou is an authoritative primary source for cultural history and can be utilised with great success for studies on Afrikaans women from 1919 to 1931. The fact that the magazine is underutilised as a resource is mainly due to two aspects: Most studies of women's magazines are ideological analyses with a feminist slant that create the perception that this genre offers problematic and unreliable study material and should therefore be avoided; The scientific research of women's magazines is furthermore still a relatively young field of study. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Historical and Heritage Studies / unrestricted

This study endeavours to research the field of literary historiography in general and specifically biographic historiography. In South Africa this genre has a limited tradition. Apart from a few diffused contributions by specialists in technical and other publications, and the essays by Hennie Aucamp in Beeltenis verbode and J.C. Kannemeyer in Getuigskrifte and Ontsyferde stene, very little research has been done in South Africa in this field. Chapter one expounds the research methodology. It briefly states the definition of the problem, as well as the goal orientation and the delimitation of the field of study, actuality, hypotheses and structural development. Chapter two affords the theoretical foundation of literary and more specifically biographic historiography. The concept "biography" is defined. The modern biography and its characteristics and structure are scrutinized in terms of different theoretical criteria. Finally this chapter contem-plates some problems experienced by contemporary biographers. Chapter three is an overview which sets out the history of biographic historiography from the most ancient times, during the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the 16th to the 20th century. Biographic historiography in the USA is closely researched. Major achievements and the most important texts which influenced the genre are emphasized. The contributions of notable bio-graphers such as James Boswell and Lytton Strachey are highlighted. Chapter four is the core of this dissertation. Initially it contemplates biographic historiography in South Africa in general. Thereafter it researches literary biographies in depth. The earliest comprehensive literary biography in Afrikaans, Ds. S.J. du Toit in weg en werk by Totius, is discussed. Attention is drawn to Leon Rousseau's biography of Eugène N. Marais, which, in 1974, ushered in the true beginning of this tradition in Afrikaans. Subsequently the biographies of V.E. d'Assonville on Totius and S.J. du Toit are discussed. The major part of this chapter is devoted to the oeuvre of J.C. Kannemeyer, who probably made the most important contribution in this field with his comprehensive biographies on D.J. Opperman, C.J. Langenhoven, and C. Louis Leipoldt. Finally J.C. Steyn's monumental description of the life of N.P. van Wyk Louw, in two volumes, is discussed. The discussion and evaluation of these texts are set out narratively and comparatively. The said biographies are evaluated according to different biographic theories. Chapter five, a concise chapter, evaluates the hypotheses set out at the beginning of this research. Furthermore it is indicated that the field of biographic historiography in South Africa is still not properly exploited. Suggestions for further research are given. South Africa is a multi-ethnic country and contradictory political, cultural, socio-economic and language interests are not uncommon. Biographies could contribute to mutual understanding of these diversities, as manifested in J.C. Steyn's Van Wyk Louw: 'n Lewensverhaal. Perhaps at present research in this field is crucial. / Thesis (MA (Afrikaans))--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Afrikaans / unrestricted