Theological Reflections on Sex as a Cleansing Ritual for African Widows

Violence against women is deeply rooted in human history. The patriarchal gender inequalities, culture, religion and tradition have been vehicles by means of which these structured stereotypes were entrenched. In trying to keep the widow in the family as well as forcing her to prove her innocence, certain rituals were introduced, one of them being the sex cleansing ritual. Besides being both oppressive and abusive, the sex cleansing ritual can also be an instrument of sex-related sicknesses such as HIV and AIDS. Although some widows are willing to undergo this ritual, others succumb because they fear dispossession or expulsion from home, thereby forfeiting the right to inherit their late husbands’ possessions. It is the aim of this study to unveil by way of research how African widows are subjected to this extremely abusive ritual and exposed to HIV and AIDS. Their vulnerability will be examined from a theological point of view and guidelines will be given. The article will highlight how humiliating and unchristian such a ritual is for defenceless widows and their children

Tribalism: Thorny issue towards reconciliation in South Africa – A practical theological appraisal

The apartheid regime used various strategies to ensure that South Africans formed a divided nation. It was through the differences between ethnic groups and tribes, among other things, that the government of the time managed to manipulate and entrench hatred and a lack of trust among most black South Africans. Tribalism, which existed even before apartheid, became instrumental in inflicting those divisions as perpetuated by the formation of homelands. The various ethnic groups had been turned against one other, and it had become a norm. Nepotism, which is part and parcel of the South African government, is just an extension of tribalism. It is the objective of this article to uncover how tribalism is still rearing its ugly head. From a practical theological perspective, it is important to deal with tribalism as a tool that plays a part in delaying tribal reconciliation, which was orchestrated by apartheid policies in South Africa

Tribalism: Thorny issue towards reconciliation in South Africa – A practical theological appraisal

The apartheid regime used various strategies to ensure that South Africans formed a divided nation. It was through the differences between ethnic groups and tribes, among other things, that the government of the time managed to manipulate and entrench hatred and a lack of trust among most black South Africans. Tribalism, which existed even before apartheid, became instrumental in inflicting those divisions as perpetuated by the formation of homelands. The various ethnic groups had been turned against one other, and it had become a norm. Nepotism, which is part and parcel of the South African government, is just an extension of tribalism. It is the objective of this article to uncover how tribalism is still rearing its ugly head. From a practical theological perspective, it is important to deal with tribalism as a tool that plays a part in delaying tribal reconciliation, which was orchestrated by apartheid policies in South Africa

A continued racial character of some of the Gereformeerde Kerke in South Africa: Strategic moves evading reconciliation and unity of churches in post-apartheid South Africa

The quest for liberation of all South Africans from past racial divides since the inception of democratic government has been prioritised for more than 24 years now. Although this is an ongoing process and some achievements have been made to this end, it is yet evident that the impact of racism and apartheid still influence many lives both in and outside the churches. The Gereformeerde Kerke in South Africa (GKSA) is amongst the churches that officially removed the barriers of apartheid to have one united church. The relevant question would be to ask if relatively good progress had been made towards uniting these churches. This article intends to unveil evidence in the form of case studies that reconciliation and unity are still a journey which the members of the mentioned church should embark on. There are members of some congregations under this church who are still held within the culture of separation and hence they make it difficult to unify the church. The foundation for reconciliation had been laid down, but the challenge is now to build unity upon it. Despite some racial signs still visible in some churches, this article concerns itself in looking a place where unity, peace and reconciliation are expected to be at the top of the agenda. The article attempts to propose some strategies towards unity within the GKSA. Practical case studies will be consulted to indicate the existence of the challenge of racism in the GKSA, despite efforts to eradicate it from government and other stakeholders concerned

A re-reading of John 8:1–11 from a pastoral liberative perspective on South African women

The inception of democracy in South Africa faced the oppression of women as one of the challenges. The duty to improve women’s position in society is not the responsibility of a few people alone, but of everyone. According to the researcher, the church has not done enough pastorally in this regard. In denouncing the oppression of women, the Christian community should also support the victims of abuse. This article intends to unmask collusion with patriarchal societies including the Jewish society in Jesus’ time by mapping out the forms of harassment and embarrassment inflicted upon women. The study shows how pastoral care can help victims of oppression. A re-reading of John 8:1–11 will inform the, how can the verses above be used in counselling the victims of gender oppression. This study will formulate pastoral guidelines from Jesus’ response to the Pharisees, the Scribes and the woman.http://www.hts.org.zahb201

Metabolic Syndrome in Reproductive Health: Urgent Call for Screening

Metabolic syndrome (MetSy) is a compilation of interrelated pathologic conditions characterized by central obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance and atherogenic dyslipidaemia. The prevalence of MetSy is rising globally. There is growing evidence which linked the individual components of MetSy to the increasing prevalence of poor reproductive health in both the male and female community. This text reviews the recent evidence associating MetSy to poor reproductive health as well as the underlying pathophysiology. The aims to study the relationship between MetSy and reproductive health. The effects of MetSy on fertility were examined and supporting evidence explaining the pathophysiology of dysfunction with each MetSy component extracted from the following medical databases, including CINAHL, MED- LINE, EMBASE, PubMed, and ERIC were described. Noncommunicable disease is rising at an alarming rate globally. Metabolic disorders like hyperlipidaemia, obesity, and insulin resistance can directly or indirectly affect the reproductive health and fertility in both men and women through the interruption of hypothalamic – pituitary – gonadal axis functions. Metabolic syndrome’s adverse effects are likely transgenerational (Barker hypothesis), where children born to obese mothers are at increased risk for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life. Therefore MetSy deserves attention and screening should be upscaled at all contacts for all age group of patients to save the future generations

Propagating the fear of witchcraft: Pentecostal prophecies in the new prophetic churches in South Africa

Pentecostal prophecy is one of the major themes of the theology and practice of religion among the prophets of New Prophetic Churches in South Africa and a major factor to the growth and expansion of Pentecostalism in Southern Africa. This paper offers a reflection on the role of prophecy in relation to the fear of witchcraft in the region. The contribution is that Pentecostal prophecy is not always in confrontation but sometime propels the fear of witchcraft. Through media analysis, the paper illustrates with some examples of Pentecostal prophecies on witchcraft how Pentecostal prophecy can aid rather than dispel fear of witchcraft. These prophecies raise several challenges to the discernment of Pentecostal prophetic ministry.Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiolog

Improving nurses knowledge of managing endotracheal tube cuff pressure in intensive care units : a quasi-experimental study

CITATION: Mpasa, F. et al. 2020. Improving nurses’ knowledge of managing endotracheal tube cuff pressure in intensive care units: A quasi-experimental study. Health SA Gesondheid 25. doi:10.4102/hsag.v25i0.1479The original publication is available at https://hsag.co.za/index.php/hsag/pages/view/journal-informationBackground: Previous studies conducted on nurses’ knowledge regarding endotracheal tube cuff pressure revealed that there were differences in intensive care nurses’ knowledge, leading to varying practices. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate how an educational intervention based on the existing evidence-based guidelines, using both passive and active implementation strategies, could improve the knowledge of nurses regarding managing endotracheal tube cuff pressures in Malawian intensive care units. Setting: Six functional ICUs (four public and two private) in Malawi. Methods: The study followed a quasi-experimental, pre- and post-test design using an educational intervention. Intensive care nurses of six functional intensive care units in Malawi were randomly assigned to two intervention groups. Both groups received a half-day educational session, a printed version of the evidence-based guidelines, a printed and laminated summary of the guidelines and a related algorithm. Additionally, Intervention 2 group received four monitoring visits. Pre- and post-test questionnaires were conducted between February and August 2016. Descriptive and inferential data analyses (a chi-square test and t-test) were utilised. Results: An improvement in knowledge was observed on the nursing care practices for the management of endotracheal tube cuff pressure for both groups following the educational intervention, although only the results comparing Intervention 2 group participants indicate that the level of knowledge was significant (t[df = 48] = 2.08, p = 0.043, d = 0.59). Conclusion: Implementation of a formal training and mentorship programme for Malawian intensive care nurses would be of great benefit to enhance the knowledge and skills managing endotracheal tube cuff pressure. Follow-up studies would also assist in understanding how guidelines could be implemented most effectively to achieve better knowledge outcomes.Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licensePublishers versio

Malawian critical care nurses’ views on the implementation of an educational intervention to enhance sustained use of an evidence-based endotracheal tube cuff pressure management guideline: A survey study

Background. Evidence-based guidelines can assist critical care nurses in promoting best practices, including those related to endotracheal tube cuff pressure management. However, these guidelines require tailored strategies to enhance their implementation, uptake, and sustained use in practice. Objectives. To evaluate Malawian critical care nurses’ views on the implementation of an endotracheal tube cuff pressure management guideline to enhance sustained guideline use. Methods. An explorative-descriptive survey design was employed, using a questionnaire with closed- and open-ended questions that was distributed after implementation of an educational intervention based on an endotracheal tube cuff pressure management guideline. The questionnaire had a Cronbach’s alpha score of 0.85. Results. A total of 47 nurses working in four public and two private hospital intensive care units in Malawi participated. Quantitative findings showed that the majority of the participants (92%) indicated that the strategies used for the group that received the full intervention including both active (monitoring visits) and passive (a half-day educational session using a PowerPoint presentation, and a printed guideline and algorithm) strategies (intervention 1 group) were useful, clear and applicable and enhanced implementation of the guideline. These results were statistically significant (mean (standard deviation) 1.86 (0.84); t=6.07; p<0.0005). Qualitative data revealed three major themes related to recommendations for uptake and sustained use of the guideline in nursing practice: the guideline needs to be translated, updated, and made available to ICU staff; implementation strategies (continuous supervision and follow-up); and facilitating factors for successful implementation (education and training on guideline content, resources, and commitment to best practices). Conclusion. The study highlighted that although the implementation strategies used were positively received by participants, they need to be further tailored to their context to enhance guideline uptake and sustained use in practice. Further study is required to ensure that tailored implementation strategies facilitate guideline uptake and sustained use, specifically in resource-constrained contexts