Gawe van die lewende God: Die Nagmaal in trinitariese perspektief

Holy Communion in trinitarian perspective. Christ is truly present in the sacrament of Holy Communion and this presence is a gift of the triune God. Christ’s words of institution clearly point to his self-sacrifice, but his sacrifice must not be isolated from the fact that God the Father also sacrificed his Son for all of us. This sacrifice does not only reveal something about the Son, but also about the Father. In Holy Communion, the gift of the Holy Spirit is our communion with Christ. Scripture however also points to the Spirit's involvement in the sacrifice of Christ. Furthermore the Spirit works in our hearts, activating our surrender as an answer to Christ's self-surrender

Employment and Inequality Challenges Facing South African Agriculture in a Minimum Wage Dispensation

Published ArticleSouth Africa is regarded as the most unequal society in the world. This together with a high unemployment rate places increased pressure on entrepreneurs and government. Government has opted to introduce a national minimum wage (NMW) in order to address these problems. However, a minimum wage holds many challenges, especially for the agriculture sector. The purpose of this study is to identify the challenges facing the South African agriculture sector in terms of the NMW. A literature review is conducted, which allows for analysis of the minimum wage dispensation with specific reference to the South African agriculture sector. This analysis, and the relevance thereof in terms of employment and inequality, is depicted by means of a conceptual model. From the literature review conducted it is clear that the impact of the external environment cannot be ignored in the agriculture sector. It also becomes evident that although the NMW was introduced to reduce poverty, it may potentially hold negative consequences for sustainable employment, which may increase inequality and unemployment

Measurement of Implementation of Integrated Development Planning: A Conceptual Framework for South African Municipalities

Published ArticleThe success of municipal development projects is critical in developing countries, in order to promote socio-economic development. South Africa has a relatively new democratic order, which promotes upliftment of communities, through projects which should be aligned with the municipalities’ Integrated Development Plans. However, municipalities are continuing to perform poorly, and communities are becoming increasingly unhappy with the poor quality of services that are provided to them. As such, this article proposes a business approach, in order to realise the goals of integrated development planning, which facilitates socio-economic development. The conceptual framework is based on the theoretical underpinning of the balanced scorecard perspective. The framework integrates the various tiers of government, namely national, provincial and local government, in order to align national initiatives and directives with local government implementation. Moreover, various forms of performance measurement are indicated in the framework, in order to create a genuine commitment from leaders in local government. The relationship between various performance dimensions is also presented in the framework. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the conceptual framework for local government and theory

Inter-religious dialogue in schools: A pedagogical and civic unavoidability

Social and civic conflict inspired by the fundamental convictions of different religious groups seems to be rife all over the world, also in schools. One way of addressing this problem is to promote interreligious dialogue. To establish the viability of this solution, the authors take several steps. They analyze the phenomenon “religion” and discover that it is constituted of several layers or levels that have to be accounted for in the proposed inter-religious dialogue in schools. After discussing the term “dialogue” they consider several approaches to religious diversity or plurality to find a suitable basis for the proposed inter-religious dialogue in schools. Based on these analyses, the authors argue that schools (teacher-educators and learners) should be allowed to engage in inter-religious dialogue as part of their pedagogical and civic duty. This will ensure a better understanding of others and their religions, also at the deepest spiritual level. Such comprehension can contribute to the more peaceful co-existence of people in religiously pluralist societies

Inter-religious dialogue in schools: A pedagogical and civic unavoidability

Social and civic conflict inspired by the fundamental convictions of different religious groups seems to be rife all over the world, also in schools. One way of addressing this problem is to promote interreligious dialogue. To establish the viability of this solution, the authors take several steps. They analyze the phenomenon “religion” and discover that it is constituted of several layers or levels that have to be accounted for in the proposed inter-religious dialogue in schools. After discussing the term “dialogue” they consider several approaches to religious diversity or plurality to find a suitable basis for the proposed inter-religious dialogue in schools. Based on these analyses, the authors argue that schools (teacher-educators and learners) should be allowed to engage in inter-religious dialogue as part of their pedagogical and civic duty. This will ensure a better understanding of others and their religions, also at the deepest spiritual level. Such comprehension can contribute to the more peaceful co-existence of people in religiously pluralist societies. HTS Theological Studies Vol. 63 (2) 2007: pp. 543-56

The role of the school in inculcating citizenship values in South Africa: theoretical and international comparative perspectives

In view of the serious moral decay in South African society, this article reports on our research regarding the role of the school in the inculcation of citizenship values (as part of the brief of South African education). We regard a set of citizenship values consonant with a democratic dispensation to be a core component of a moral order essential for South Africa. Using a combination of interpretive-constructivist and comparative approaches, we examine and evaluate the experiences of other post-conflict societies in using education to inculcate citizenship values. We conclude that schools can be successful with respect to the inculcation of citizenship values, provided that the curriculum itself does not discriminate against any group or category of people. Desegregation can only be beneficial in the absence of negative depiction (including criminalisation) or the unequal treatment of any particular societal grouping. Our research suggests that active citizenship education is needed in schools. For this reason, we contend that teacher education has to form an integral part of a moral revival project. Lastly, we highlight the importance of finding democratically agreed-upon ways to continually engage with parents, legal caregivers and other stakeholders and role-players before and during the execution of any such project

Establishing and maintaining international collaborative research teams: an autobiographical insight

Despite the growing impetus for international collaborative research teams (ICRT), there are relatively few resources available to guide and support researchers through the processes of establishing and maintaining ICRTs. In particular, no articles were found that provided researchers’ firsthand accounts of being a member of such a team. Having access to such personal accounts can help both experienced and novice researchers learn more directly about what to expect, as well as the benefits, challenges, pitfalls, and success strategies for establishing and maintaining ICRTs. The authors used phenomenological autobiographical reflective journaling to capture their experiences as members of ICRTs. In this article we provide an overview of key themes that emerged from the analysis of our reflections as members of ICRTs. These themes include: benefits, challenges, and strategies for success. Our aim is to share our first-hand experiences of what it is like to establish and participate in ICRT. It is not our intention to provide readers with prescriptive guidelines on how to set up and maintain ICRTs. Every ICRT is unique and some of these ideas may or may not apply in every case. Instead, we are describing what worked for us, hoping that others may benefit from our experience. Consequently, we suggest that the focus of ICRT should be on the benefits thereof which promote and encourage interaction between disciplines, transfer of knowledge and techniques and personal and professional development.Web of Scienc

Analytical condition monitoring system for liquid-immersed transformers

Abstract: Transformers form an integral part of the electrical power grid are widely employed in a variety of power-system applications inter alia power generation and distribution systems, and arc- and induction-furnace applications. Transformers are among the most expensive components in power systems but the protection and health requirements thereof are still catered for by traditional auxiliary protective devices and cooling control systems. This paper reports the development of an IoT-based condition monitoring system that offers advanced protection and control features. The condition monitoring system is intended to directly contribute to enhancing the lifespan of the transformer by detecting fault conditions at an early stage before catastrophic failure can occur and by ensuring that the quality of the transformer’s insulation is preserved for a greater period through improved cooling techniques

What inspires South African student teachers for their future profession?

The need for an inspired professional teacher corps to haul South African school education out of its current low level of quality was the driving force behind this project. Its aim was to determine what counted as sources of inspiration for student teachers and hence for future teachers. Based on a conceptual-theoretical study, a questionnaire that could probe student teachers’ sources of inspiration was completed by a sample of student teachers (n = 1,683). A factor analysis of their responses revealed the following as their sources of inspiration, from most to least important: extended) family, religion, the teacher education institution, teaching practice, friends, and personal life. A comparison with similar research elsewhere revealed that, in this sample of respondents, considerations, such as education being the only accessible profession or being forced to enter the teaching profession because of economic circumstances, did not figure at all