Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The goal of this study was to investigate the driving force behind family conflicts, its relation to change in gender roles, male power abuse, and their impact on Ovawambo family life. Firstly, this research indicates that Ovawambo males are trained to be breadwinners, heads of families, owners of family properties, supervisors for their wives and children, and protectors of their families and the entire community. Secondly, the research indicates that both have also influenced the masculine identity of these males. The missionaries, as well as colonialism, promoted Western patriarchy, justified male dominance and reinforced the power of the male as the head of the family and exclusive holder of authority in the family, community and the state. The direct and indirect participation of men in the struggle for Namibian independence also possibly influenced them to apply power and threats. However, this study also indicates that Ovawambo males are under the influence of the modern mass media, which reflect and reinforce gender stereotypes and portray males as controlling or leading characters who tend to dominate women in relationships. Thirdly, this study indicates that the rapid socio-economic and political change, which took place in Namibia after independence, also directly affected Ovawambo male and female relationships. Through law reforms, gender roles were redefined and laws for gender equality were introduced. These laws (the Married Persons' Equality Act, Family Law on Rape and Domestic Violence and Maintenance Act) challenged the male-dominant norms; thus, the men feel that law reforms favoured only the women. The second purpose of this study was to examine whether a pastoral-anthropological and theological understanding of God's vulnerability could help pastoral care to address the problem of the Ovawambo male identity within the cultural setting of Namibian males and the notion of power abuse. In order to reframe male identity through a theological understanding of God‟s power, the researcher selected the theopaschitic interpretation of the theology of the cross. The theopaschitic approach renders God's power, in terms of the Pauline notion of astheneia, as weakness and compassionate vulnerability. The value of theopaschitic thinking, in terms of God's praxis, is based on a shift from the substantial approach in theological reflection to the relational and encounter paradigm. Through appropriate understanding of the fatherhood of God, Ovawambo men can appreciate their power and ability to enrich relationships, rather than destroy. It is argued that, the power of God interpreted as “weakness” and “vulnerability”, can contribute to a paradigm change in the interpretation of male identity within the cultural setting of the Ovawambo. The paradigm shift emanating from this theological understanding of power, is from “threat power” (the need to control, to abuse, to dominate) to “intimate power” (the need to comfort, to be compassionate and understanding and to bestow intimacy and love within the dynamics of family and social relationships). The study concluded that the church has a major role to play in helping families to survive the intrusiveness of modern family crises through a holistic systematic pastoral care model. The pastoral ministry of the church should help men to shift from selfishness, enmeshment, domination, dissociation and rejection, towards a healing family environment wherein intimacy, caring, trust, openness, understanding, supportive guidance and respect prevail. The church should fulfil this through models for relational, educational and therapeutic family enrichment programs. Pastoral care is one of the basic ways to promote, not only physical, but also spiritual well-being. It has been argued that an understanding of God‟s power in terms of a theopaschitic interpretation of a theologia crucis can play a fundamental role as regards a theological reframing of the existing patriarchal and hierarchical paradigms. Instead of male dominance, a disposition and attitude of compassionate intimacy is proposed. Such a disposition should reflect a kind of diakonia position within the dynamics of family life. In terms of a Christian spiritual understanding of fatherhood, males should represent the sacrificial ethics of diakonic outreach as well as a stance of unconditional love. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die hoofdoel van die studie is om daardie faktore wat aanleiding gee tot gesinskonflik binne die kultuurkonteks van die Ovavambo te bepaal. Wat is die verband tussen gesinskonflik en gender-rolfunksies, die tradisionele siening van manlikheid en die geweldsfaktor (magsmisbruik) en die invloed hiervan op gesinsinteraksie? Die navorsing dui aan dat Ovavambo mans binne die kultuurtradisie opgevoed word wat daartoe lei dat gevestigde idees oor manlike rolfunksies vasgelê word. (a) Die rolfunksie van die man is om broodwinner te wees; die man is die hoof van die gesin; die eienaar van familie-eiendom; die een wat toesig hou oor vrou en kinders; optree as beskermheer van die gesin asook van die hele gemeenskap. (b) Die konsep van patriargaat bepaal deurslaggewend manlikheid en identiteit. Hierdie perspektief is verder aangewakker en versterk deur sendelinge wat binne die raamwerk van Westerse kolonialisme geopereer het. 'n Westerse verstaan van die patriargaat het daartoe bygedra dat manlike dominansie gepropageer is sodat die man steeds die oorheersende faktor in gesinsaangeleenthede gebly het. Gesag is eksklusief gesetel in manlike funksies in beide die gesin, en gemeenskapstrukture. Die feit dat mans die oorheersende rol in die stryd vir onafhanklikheid in Namibië gespeel het, het verder die persepsie versterk dat mans die leiersfigure in die samelewing is en aldus, direk en indirek, met gesag beklee is. Die studie dui verder aan dat Ovavambomans sterk deur die hedendaagse massa-media beïnvloed is. Die media projekteer manlike stereotipes wat daartoe bydra dat vroue steeds in 'n ondersgekikte rol gesien word. Die man word voorgestel as die dominante figuur in verhoudingsaangeleenthede. Dit blyk voorts dat ingrypende verskuiwings op sosio-ekonomiese gebied en radikale veranderinge binne politieke stelsels na die onafhanklikheidswording van Namibië, 'n direkte invloed op die man-vrouverhoudings in die Ovavambokultuur gehad het. Wetlike hervormings het gender-rolfunksies sterk bepaal. Op juridiese gebied is gender-gelykheid wetlik verskans. Nuwe wette rakende gelykwaardigheid en gelykheid, gesinswette oor verkragting en gesinsgeweld, het bestaande geykte norme oor manlike oorheersing gedekonstrueer. Dit het daartoe gelei dat mans al meer bedreig begin voel het en van mening was dat die nuwe wette eintlik net vrouens bevoordeel. 'n Verdere doel van die studie was om te bepaal wat die moontlike impak van 'n pastorale antropologie kan wees op die proses om stereotipe persepsies oor manlikheid te verander. Die teologiese vraagstuk duik dan op of 'n bepaalde Godskonsep daartoe kan bydra om kultuur-paradigmas oor manlikheid te wysig. Daar word gekies vir 'n teopasgitiese benadering tot die Godssvestaan met 'n besondere voorkeur vir die weerloosheid van God as teologies-paradigmatiese raamwerk vir die verstaan van gesag en mag. Die hipotese word ondersoek dat 'n dergelike Godsverstaan manlike indentiteit kan verskuif vanaf patriargale oorheersing na 'n liefdesintimiteit wat manlikheid transponeer na deernisvolle sensitiwiteit. Manlike identiteit word dan bepaal deur 'n kruishermeneutiek; mag word geherdefinieer deur medelye en deernisvolle omgee vir die weerloosheid van die ander. Binne hierdie hermeneutiek speel die Pauliniese konsep van die swakheid (astheneia) van God 'n deurslaggewende rol. Die waarde van die teopasgitiese paradigma in die gender-debat is dat dit die fokus vir 'n Godsverstaan verskuif vanaf 'n substansiële interpretasieraamwerk na 'n relasionele en ontmoetingsparadigma. Die praxis van God en die Vaderskap van God moet dan nie in terme van kultuurkonvensies oor manlikheid en vroulikheid bepaal word nie, maar in terme van 'n teopasgitiese verstaan van mag as medelye. Hierdie teologiese konstruk kan aangewend word om die patriargaat te deurbreek en manlikheid binne die kultuurkonvensies van die Ovavambo te help herdefinieer. Ovavambomans kan dan manlikheid gebruik om verhoudinge te verryk en die vrou te bemagtig in plaas daarvan om die vrou te verkneg en op geweldadige wyse te oorheers. Die waarde van 'n kruisteologie is dat dit die paradigmatiese raamwerk aangaande mag verskuif vanaf 'n bedreigende magspel na 'n verrykende intimiteitspel. Dominering maak plek vir medelye; magsmisbruik maak plek vir deernis, intimiteit en omgee (sorg). Die teopasgitiese skema van interpretasie kan van toepasing gemaak word op alle vorme van menseverhoudinge, ook in die sosiale lewensbestel. Die studie konkludeer dat binne die voorgestelde, teologiese verstaan van mag, die kerklike bediening 'n belangrike rol kan speel om deur middel van gesinspastoraat, en veral gesinsverrykingsprogramme, die vraagstuk van manlike oorheersing aan te spreek. Vir dié doel moet gesinpastoraat gebruik maak van 'n sistemiese gesinsmodel ten einde die hedendaagse sogenaamde gesinskrisis aan te spreek. Gesinsbediening en gesinspastoraat het ten doel om die man te laat skuif vanaf selfsugtigheid, 'n dominerende houding wat andere versmoor, ontrekking en uitbuiting en verwerping, na intimiteit, sorg, vertroue, openhartigheid, begrip, ondersteunende begeleiding en respek. Op hierdie wyse kan mans daartoe bydra om die gesin weer heel en gesond te maak. Dit is dan ook die rede waarom die navorsing die aanbied van gesinsverrykingsprogramme sterk wil propageer. Dergelike programme moet dan naas die fisieke en sosiale behoeftes binne gesinsverband veral ook die spirituele dimensie van gesinsinteraksie bevorder. Met verwysing na die rol van 'n theologia crucis, is dit die tese van die navorsing dat mans 'n diakonia-posisie en omgee-houding sal internaliseer ten einde uit te reik na al die fasette van gesinsbehoeftes. Vaderskap moet die offerkarakter van die kruisliefde demonstreer en aldus 'n etos van opoffering in plaas van manipulering en hiërargiese oorheering reflekteer. 'n Diakonia-posisie inkarneer die werklikheid van 'n kruis-intimiteit, naamlik onvoorwaardelike liefde.

Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study is a historical investigation of the role of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN) regarding social development with special attention to education as an agency of social change. ELCIN is the largest Lutheran church in Namibia, which was born out of the Finnish missionary activities after their arrival in the former Ovamboland in 1870. The Finnish missionaries became the first missionaries to do mission work in Ovamboland. This qualifies them to be regarded as pioneers of social development and of the transformation of society through education among the Ovambo people. ELCIN’s humble beginnings started as a mission field and developed into mission congregations; thereafter as a mission church and finally as independent church in 1954. The study shows that since its inception ELCIN has been committed to serve her members holistically (spiritually and socially). The focus of this study is to contribute to the understanding of the role ELCIN played to bring about development through education. The study therefore attempts to answer questions regarding the role the Finnish missionaries played in education and should be understood within the broader context of the history of ELCIN, for example, what arrangements were made and what developments took place during the indigenization process. Further, the study points out the educational challenges ELCIN encountered during the time of social development through education. In answering these questions, the study demonstrates how ELCIN played a decisive role in social development in Ovamboland, especially by way of education and training. The study refers to both informal (Christian) and formal (general or inclusive secular) education and the role each of these forms of education played in social change. The study also reflects on the engagement between ELCIN and the context resulting from the South African mandate in Namibia (then South West Africa). Finally, it is recommended that, in light of the positive contribution made by ELCIN to the social development of its members and communities by way of education in the past, it should continue this role in an independent Namibia. This could be done by way of intensifying Christian education among its members in order to educate and inspire people to remain faithful to their Christian values. In this way, ELCIN will continue to play a meaningful role in the life of communities and their members. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsingstudie is ‘n historiese ondersoek na die rol van die Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN) ten opsigte van sosiale ontwikkeling met spesiale verwysing na opvoeding as ‘n agent vir sosiale verandering. ELCIN is een van die grootste Lutherse kerke in Namibië, wat ontstaan het uit die aktiwiteite van die Finse sendelinge na hulle aankoms in die eertydse Ovamboland in 1870. Die Finse sendelinge was die eerste sendelinge wat sendingwerk in Ovamboland onderneem het. As gevolg hiervan word hulle beskou as pioniers van sosiale ontwikkeling en transformasie in die gemeenskap deur die opvoeding van die mense van Ovamboland. ELCIN het sy nederige ontstaan gehad as ‘n sendingveld en het ontwikkel tot sendinggemeentes; daarna tot ‘n sendingkerk en uiteindelik in 1954 tot ‘n onafhanklike kerk. Die studie dui aan dat ELCIN sedert sy ontstaan toegewyd was aan die taak om sy lede op ‘n holistiese vlak (geestelik en sosiaal) te ontwikkel. Die fokus van hierdie studie is om ‘n bydrae te lewer tot ‘n dieper begrip van die rol wat ELCIN gespeel het ten opsigte van hierdie ontwikkeling. Die studie het dus gepoog om vrae te beantwoord oor die rol wat die Finse sendelinge in opvoeding gespeel het en behoort verstaan te word binne die breër konteks van die geskiendenis van ELCIN. Watter reëlings is getref en watter ontwikkelings het plaasgevind gedurende die inheemswordingsproses? Die studie dui verder op die opvoedkundige uitdagings wat ELCIN gedurende die tyd van sosiale ontwikkeling deur opvoeding ondervind het. Ter beantwoording van hierdie vrae word deur die studie aangedui hoe ELCIN ‘n deurslaggewende rol in die sosiale ontwikkeling van Ovamboland gespeel het, veral deur middel van opvoeding en opleiding. Die studie verwys na beide informele (Christelike) en formele (algemene of inklusiewe) opvoeding en na die rol wat elk van hierdie vorms van opvoeding gespeel het ten opsigte van sosiale verandering. Die studie kyk ook eers na die verhouding tussen ELCIN en die Suid‐Afrikaanse regering gedurende Namibië (die destydse Suidwes‐Afrika) se jare as mandaatgebied en daarna word aanbevelings gemaak. In die lig van die positiewe bydrae wat ELCIN in die verlede gemaak het tot sosiale ontwikkeling, word aanbeveel dat hierdie bydrae in ‘n onafhanklike Namibië voortgesit word. Dit behoort te geskied deur ‘n intensifisering van Christelike onderwys onder lede ten einde die mense op te voed en te inspireer om getrou te bly aan hulle Christelike waardes. Op hierdie wyse sal ELCIN voortgaan om ‘n betekensivolle rol in die lewe van die gemeenskappe en hul lede te speel.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / New technologies have the ability to enable radical new business strategies, new value propositions and at least transform the manner in which we conduct our day-to-day business. This not only transforms our business but also the speed at which it occurs is nothing short of phenomenal. In the 1990's the advent of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tools brought about a previously unknown capability of integration and business processes as opposed to functional management. This brought about the capability to reengineer business processes and subsequent work practices. This opportunity presented itself at Rossing Uranium Limited and based on a sound business case this organisation went ahead to implement an ERP along with reengineered work processes. This study project has examined the role of information technology in a modern organisation and its ability to transform business processes. The theory of information technology as a key enabler is explored and documented. The human factor and change management is a critical success factor in any of these major technology or business improvement initiatives. This study has therefore examined the need for change management in organisations and the change management process in some detail. Further to this the topic of improvisational change was introduced, as a recognition that change management within a bounded project initiative is not always sufficient to support ongoing sustainable business improvements. The theoretical aspects of systems implementation, reengineering and change management are extrapolated into a real life case study, Rossing Uranium. Within this case study the external market environment is described along with the internal organisational dynamics. The case study goes on to describe the implementation of the ERP, the reengineering effort and the change management program. The final chapters deal with the evaluation of the Rossing business case within the context of the change management process and focusing particularly on business outcomes and the strengths and weaknesses of the change management program. This is followed up by some key recommendations to address shortcomings.