AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE PERCEPTION OF CRICKETING PLAYERS AND OFFICIALS INTO THE QUOTA POLICY ON CRICKET

South Africa’s racially divided past has led to the institution of various remedial measures across all segments of life, whereby the imbalances of the past are being addressed. Of all the remedial measures employed, the quota policy in sport which is an extension of affirmative action, has been a source of debate and contention. The cricket authorities have struggled to achieve transformation targets but should not shoulder the burden of this under-achievement alone. Government has not provided the necessary infrastructure and facilities at schools to facilitate the development and transformation of cricket. This brings into question the effectiveness of the management and administration of the quota policy in cricket. The results of the quantitative study have shown that the respondents to the survey are discontented with the effectiveness of the management and administration of the quota policy. Furthermore, the respondents believed that the quota policy was unnecessary and responsible for players leaving the country. The authors recommend that the provision of facilities and infrastructure at schools become a high priority in order to stimulate participation in cricket and facilitate the development of cricketers at grassroots level. Furthermore, a synergistic relationship between cricket federations and schools must be fostered

Reflecting Upon Ethical Imperatives for Scholarly Research and The Case of a South African University

A university’s reputation is built on the quality of its research and teaching output. Often a university with an established track record on research and teaching output can more easily access external funding and further improve on its ranking and standing amongst peers.  This enables it to attract and retain better quality students, academics and researchers.  Ideally, these staff and students in turn increase the quality of its research and thus a virtuous circle is created.  Therefore, it is understandable that universities in South Africa, as in most parts of the world, are constantly scrambling to increase their research output and enhance their research quality.  However, whenever issues of compromised academic integrity and unethical research practices arise, university management has often been unable to deal adequately with these issues.  This article concurs with the emerging argument among research scholars that it is insufficient to focus on ethical policies and guidelines without considering the culture of the institution. It argues that the ethical researcher needs to be supported by a dominant culture of academic integrity. The article then uses the case of South African university to illustrate this argument.

Promoting patient autonomy: Perspectives of occupational therapists and nurses

Background. There has been a turn in the last decade towards autonomy in patient care. Promoting patient autonomy is required as a collaborative endeavour between the patient, healthcare professionals and the families and caregivers of patients. Our current discourse demonstrates patient autonomy as essential.Objective. To explore the concept of autonomy in nurses’ and occupational therapists (OTs)’ individual and collective practice as healthcare professionals.Methods. The study followed a qualitative explorative approach. Fourteen nurses and 12 OTs from 6 facilities in KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa were recruited into the study. Following ethical approval, and dependent on the availability of participants, data were collected via focus groups, triad and individual semi-structured interviews and qualitative questionnaires. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis per profession initially, and then later merged to develop themes.Results. Two major themes emerged that spoke to the deconstruction of autonomy and deterrents to the promotion of autonomy in clinical practice. An individualistic view of autonomy was embedded within the participants’ understanding of the concept. It included the patient’s right and ability to selfdetermine or direct treatment and various interventions, having appropriate guidance and the relevant information to make  decisions, and opportunities to self-determine their course of treatment. Patient-related and organisational factors served as barriers to the promotion of autonomy.Conclusion. By analysing the experiences of autonomy in practice of these two professions, we may be able to establish new ways of understanding how professional practice can truly become patient-centred and transition from an individualistic understanding of autonomy towards viewing autonomy as relational

Treatment of common respiratory infections: The antibiotic dilemma

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Entrenching heterosexuality through language in South African Life Orientation (LO) textbooks

Studies of the representation of sexualities in textbooks have tended to focus on inclusion and coverage of diverse content through thematic analysis. This analysis of a sample of LO textbooks is framed by the systematic linguistic framework of critical discourse analysis (CDA), specifically Fairclough’s (2001) theory of discourse as ideological meanings encoded in text. The sections on sex education in three popularly used LO textbooks have been analysed to make explicit the heteronormative meanings conveyed through language used. This article provides insight into how the language in the LO texts function to legitimate the dominant discourse of a particular type of heterosexuality: monogamy for the primary purpose of reproduction. The implications of this bias are raised and recommendations for fair representation of LGBT sexual orientations are made

Future-proofing imperatives for remote online teaching, learning and student support in the context of pandemic change and beyond: A case for South African higher education transformation

South Africa’s Plan for Higher Education identified equity and redress as key objectives guiding institutional transformation. This encompasses granting individuals fair opportunities to enter higher education and succeed therein. The COVID-19 pandemic which abruptly disrupted the 2020 academic year highlighted several challenges which have implications for student success. Academic continuity in the form of online learning was pursued by most higher education institutions. However, the remoteness of rural communities, which typifies the home environments for many South African students, threatened to exclude such students from online learning activities. The lack of access to digital devices as well as reliable internet connectivity in many of these communities impacted students’ ability to engage in online learning as well as access campus-based support services. The imposed lockdown therefore caused heightened anxiety and feelings of isolation from academic activities amongst the South African student population. Since access to on-campus support systems was no longer possible, student wellness and ongoing academic engagement was potentially compromised. Increasingly, the mental health cost of remote learning was becoming apparent, with higher education institutions compelled to rethink how student support services are delivered. In the absence of face-to-face support services during the hard lock-down period, the emergent need was to identify new ways of reaching out to displaced students who may be experiencing both academic and personal distress under conditions of daunting technological changes and virtual forms of engagement, social isolation, socio-economic disadvantage and psycho-social stressors. While blended learning and hybrid forms of holistic student support were accelerated by the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, the blended approach has become an indelible reality of Higher Education that is here to stay. As such, reflections on how student support services at universities in South Africa have adapted and need to continuously evolve in the face of an uncertain world, is both timely and necessary if the goal of promoting equal access and success in Higher Education – for all - is to be fully realized

Indications for late preterm birth, and factors associated with short term maternal and neonatal outcomes at a tertiary care institution

Background: The preterm birth rate is rising mainly because of the marked increase in late preterm deliveries.Objectives: To evaluate the indications for LPTB and the factors associated with the short term maternal and neonatal outcomes.Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary health care institution. The study sample included 191 women who delivered between October 2019 to November 2020.Results: The majority (81%) were medically indicated LPTB, and mainly for maternal indications (77%). The most common maternal indication for LPTB was for hypertensive disease of pregnancy (HDP) (82.5%). There was a significant increase in the high care/ ICU admission for maternal indication of LPTB, maternal age < 20 years, and patients with HDP. There was 1 maternal death and 1 neonatal death. 48% of the neonates were admitted to NICU and 53% had neonatal complications. Neonates born by caesarean delivery were more likely to have respiratory complications and be admitted to NICU.Conclusion: These maternal/ neonatal factors should be used to identify patients at risk of adverse maternal and neonataloutcomes.Keywords: Late preterm birth; indications; hypertensive disorder of pregnancy; short term maternal outcomes; short term neonatal outcomes; factors

Case Report: Maternal deaths following nevirapinebased antiretroviral therapy

We report 2 cases illustrating that it is too simplistic to link nevirapine (NVP) toxicity exclusively to individuals with immune preservation. Not enough is known about the mechanism of hepatotoxicity or cutaneous eruption to predict these events. This type of hypersensitivity reaction occurs rarely among HIV-exposed infants taking NVP prophylaxis or antiretroviral therapy(ART)-experienced adults with complete plasma viral load suppression. Conversely, HIV-uninfected adults and ART-naive pregnant women appear to be disproportionately affected by the adverse effects of NVP

Maternal deaths following nevirapine-based antiretroviral therapy

We report 2 cases illustrating that it is too simplistic to link nevirapine (NVP) toxicity exclusively to individuals with immune preservation. Not enough is known about the mechanism of hepatotoxicity or cutaneous eruption to predict these events. This type of hypersensitivity reaction occurs rarely among HIV-exposed infants taking NVP prophylaxis or antiretroviral therapy (ART)-experienced adults with complete plasma viral load suppression. Conversely, HIV-uninfected adults and ART-naive pregnant women appear to be disproportionately affected by the adverse effects of NVP