Die rol van die Kerk ten aansien van herstellende geregtigheid in die Suid-Afrikaanse strafregstelsel : 'n teologies-etiese perspektief (Afrikaans)

The title of this mini dissertation is: “The role of the church in respect of restorative justice in the South African criminal justice system: a theological ethical perspective”. The purpose of this study is to investigate the concept of restorative justice from a theological ethical perspective and to see how it is applied in the South African criminal justice system so that it can be determined what role the church can play in this regard. In the South African criminal justice system, the focus has been on the perpetrator and how she/he has come into conflict with the state. The fact that in most crimes, victims are affected by the crime, has traditionally not been taken seriously. In this regard the concept of restorative justice can play a vital role. In the second chapter the concept of restorative justice is explained and it is shown what its relationship to retribution is. Various definitions of restorative justice is then given and it is then shown how restorative justice and the concept of ubuntu are interlinked. In Chapter 3, the role of restorative justice in the South African criminal justice system, is discussed. It is shown that restorative justice is already being implemented at various stages of the criminal justice system and also how the Child Justice Act, Act 75 of 2008, has made restorative justice an essential aspect of the child justice system. It then sets out in Chapter 4 the Biblical basis for restorative justice in both the Old and New Testaments and argues that Biblical justice is essentially restorative in nature. It is pointed out that the foundations of Biblical justice are Shalom, Covenant and Torah. On this basis it is then indicated that Biblical justice is an attribute of God, an object of hope and a primary obligation. It leads to a commitment to action and is a relational reality. Because of this relational aspect, it is then indicated how justice is a restorative activity. The Lex Talionis is then discussed and it is shown how retribution and restoration can walk hand in hand as two sides of the same coin. Jesus and Paul’s understanding of Justice is then discussed. In Jesus’s attitude towards forgiveness and the Lex Talionis, it is shown how the restoration of relationships are of primary concern to him. Paul’s view of Justice is then discussed and it is shown that for him Christ’s death is an act of justice which is driven by his love and therefore also restorative in nature. In the last chapter, the role of the Church in Restorative Justice, is discussed. It is shown how churches can support the Restorative Justice movement and mobilize the community to assist in making restorative justice an integral part of the criminal justice system. Finally, suggestions are made as to how churches (and their members) can get involved with victims and perpetrators of crime. Copyright 2011, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Van Rooyen, GHG 2011, Die rol van die Kerk ten aansien van herstellende geregtigheid in die Suid-Afrikaanse strafregstelsel : 'n Teologies-etiese perspektief (Afrikaans), MA(Theol) dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd C12/4/811/gmDissertation (MA(Theol))--University of Pretoria, 2013.Dogmatics and Christian Ethicsunrestricte

Contribution of PEPFAR-Supported HIV and TB Molecular Diagnostic Networks to COVID-19 Testing Preparedness in 16 Countries.

The US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) supports molecular HIV and tuberculosis diagnostic networks and information management systems in low- and middle-income countries. We describe how national programs leveraged these PEPFAR-supported laboratory resources for SARS-CoV-2 testing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We sent a spreadsheet template consisting of 46 indicators for assessing the use of PEPFAR-supported diagnostic networks for COVID-19 pandemic response activities during April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021, to 27 PEPFAR-supported countries or regions. A total of 109 PEPFAR-supported centralized HIV viral load and early infant diagnosis laboratories and 138 decentralized HIV and TB sites reported performing SARS-CoV-2 testing in 16 countries. Together, these sites contributed to >3.4 million SARS-CoV-2 tests during the 1-year period. Our findings illustrate that PEPFAR-supported diagnostic networks provided a wide range of resources to respond to emergency COVID-19 diagnostic testing in 16 low- and middle-income countries

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Thorncrown Chapel, Arkansas, USA

Using the traditional church design, Fay Jones, architect of the Thorncrown Chapel, Ozark, Arkansas, USA, 1979, designed a light repetitive frame, using glass panels for transparancy. Model [1:50] built by Izak Coetzee and Gerhard van Rooyen, 3rd year B.Sc.(Arch) students, University of Pretoria, 2005

VIEWPOINT: PROPOSALS ON LAND REFORM, PRIVATISATION AND FARMING MODELS - SOME LESSONS FROM EXPERIENCE IN SOUTH AFRICAN AGRICULTURE

Privatisation of farming and land use should be viewed as potentially an important strategy in the process of agricultural restructuring and land reform in view of its "empower" attributes as well as providing incentives to productively invest in farming. Privatisation, however, is but one instrument towards rural restructuring and land reform. Farming is essentially a private sector action. Ownership of assets and the right to decision-making are vital elements for successful farming. The choice of farming model will therefore be important. Present land tenure arrangements must be expected to be an additional major factor in the selection of appropriate farming models

Introducing a mobile-connected umbilical doppler device (UmbiFlow™) into a primary care maternity setting : does this reduce unnecessary referrals to specialised care? results of a pilot study in Kraaifontein, South Africa

CITATION: Mufenda, J., et al. 2015. Introducing a mobile-connected umbilical doppler device (UmbiFlow™) into a primary care maternity setting : does this reduce unnecessary referrals to specialised care? results of a pilot study in Kraaifontein, South Africa. PLoS ONE, 10(11):1-13, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0142743.The original publication is available at http://journals.plos.org/plosoneObjectives: UmbiFlow™ is a mobile-connected Doppler device that utilises a continuous waveform to measure resistance in the umbilical artery. The main aim of this pilot study was to determine whether the use of UmbiFlow™ for umbilical artery Doppler in patients with a suspected decreased symphysis fundal (SF) growth could safely lead to a decreased number of patients requiring referral to a more specialised level of care. A secondary aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of UmbiFlow™ Doppler as a screening tool for concealed placental insufficiency in late bookers by using a single screening cut-off value that will be abnormal for any gestation >28 weeks. Methods: The cohort comprised two groups of patients: The first group included all follow-up patients with suspected intra-uterine growth restriction (a decreased symphysis-fundus measurement based on serial assessment) who underwent on-site UmbiFlow™Doppler testing performed by the midwife directly after the clinical examination. The second group included late bookers, where gestation was uncertain; but estimated >28 weeks based on clinical grounds. This group was comprised of unselected patients who report to antenatal care late for the first time and received an UmbiFlow™Doppler test for concealed placental insufficiency. Results: UmbiFlow™Doppler could reduce the number of false referrals to hospital by 55%. A single UmbiFlow™Doppler test in late bookers appeared to identify a group of women at moderate risk of lower birth weight babies.http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0142743Publisher's versio

Demographic characteristics of the study population.

<p>Demographic characteristics of the study population.</p

Algorithm of participating women in the late bookers group.

<p>Algorithm of participating women in the late bookers group.</p