Understanding the relationship between human rights abuse, state dysfunction and postcolonial sovereignty in Africa

This article explores the interrelationship between the phenomena of state dysfunction, human rights abuse and postcolonial states in the African context.  The incidence and extent of state dysfunction and human rights abuse are evaluated empirically, which reveals that dysfunctional states in Africa are generally guilty of neglecting human rights.  I attempting to understand this apparent correlation, the politico-juridical construct of negative sovereignty, as formulated by Robert Jackson, is analysed with specific reference to postcolonial African states.  The analysis suggests, paradoxically, dysfunctional states may utilise the same normative precepts that served as justifications for decolonisation (such as self-determination and non-intervention) to obfuscate or obstruct the scrutiny of human rights domestically. From these insights it is posited that functional states, both in institutional and political terms, may serve as the most effective bulwark of human rights in Africa, and that the phenomenon of state dysfunction as it relates to domestic human rights violations warrants more consideration.https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.82.1.230

Die universiteitswese in Suid-Afrika: ’n Bestekopname van huidige tendense en die vooruitsig vir Afrikaans

Die doel van hierdie artikel is die identifisering en analitiese omskrywing van die mees prominente politieke tendense wat tans die Suid-Afrikaanse universiteitswese beïnvloed, met spesifieke verwysing na Afrikaanse universiteite en hoër onderwys. Die bydrae neem as vertrekpunt die teoretiese beginsel van transformasie, en die spesifieke en eiesoortige ideologiese toepassing van dié konstruk in Suid-Afrika sedert 1994.  Die ingrypende invloed van hierdie ideologiese transformasiebeskouing op openbare instellings in Suid-Afrika bespreek, insluitend die institusionele en sosio-politiese impak op universiteite.  Teen hierdie teoretiese agtergrond word sleutelkwessies bespreek wat betrekking het op die Suid-Afrikaanse universiteitswese en die plek en rol van Afrikaans in besonder, insluitend in ?n bestekopname van die posisie van Afrikaans in die hoër onderwyssektor; ?n evaluasie van die transformasie van die hoër onderwyssektor; die rasionele argumente en gronde vir die behoud en bevordering van Afrikaans in die sektor; en die reaksie vanuit die Afrikaanssprekende gemeenskap teenoor die marginalisering van die taal by universiteite ?n Evaluerende toekomsperspektief word gebied waarin die behoud van Afrikaans oorweeg word, met inbegrip van aktivisme, geregtelike strategieë en die uitbouing van Afrikaans deur middel van ?n privaat hoër onderwysinstelling. https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.81.3.225

Section 139 interventions in South African local government, 1994-2015

Recent trends point to the fact that national and provincial government interventions in the local sphere of government in South Africa have become more commonplace. These trends can be seen, within the broader context of state dysfunction, to constitute a novel and discernible phenomenon, namely “interventionism”. Furthermore, the theoretical body of knowledge related to the phenomenon of state dysfunction suggests that issues of poor service delivery and “bad” governance are not exclusively at play in interventionism. Political factors that are indicative of state dysfunction may also serve as more covert reasons to intervene in municipalities in order to influence the balance of political power in a given province, municipality, or within a party itself. The purpose of this article is to analyse past interventions, premised upon Section 139 of the Constitution in local government, during the period 1994 to 2015. The intention is to explore both the trends (i.e. frequency analysis) and nature of such interventions (i.e. qualitative analysis through case studies and contemporary sources) and to make certain deductions regarding interventionism within the context of state dysfunction in South African local government. Factors are identified that suggest that electoral, factionalist and political motives may rival and surpass constitutional and governance reasons for implementing such interventions

The demise of post-apartheid and the emergence of post-colonial South Africa

The notion of post-apartheid initially signalled a unique South African social and political trajectory that differed from the conventional African colonial and post-colonial experience. However, this article demonstrates that post-apartheid was in fact a short-lived quasi-nationalist project that was soon surpassed by more conventional post-colonialism, both conceptually and empirically. The hegemonic role of the ANC is explored in this regard, as well as the party’s management of an increasingly disgruntled and radical society. Having reconstructed these aspects, it is concluded that South Africa is likely to develop along a more orthodox post-colonial socio-political trajectory in the future

Understanding the relationship between human rights abuse, state dysfunction and postcolonial sovereignty in Africa

This article explores the interrelationship between the phenomena of state dysfunction, human rights abuse and postcolonial states in the African context. The incidence and extent of state dysfunction and human rights abuse are evaluated empirically, which reveals that dysfunctional states in Africa are generally guilty of neglecting human rights. I attempting to understand this apparent correlation, the politico-juridical construct of negative sovereignty, as formulated by Robert Jackson, is analysed with specific reference to postcolonial African states. The analysis suggests, paradoxically, dysfunctional states may utilise the same normative precepts that served as justifications for decolonisation (such as self-determination and non-intervention) to obfuscate or obstruct the scrutiny of human rights domestically. From these insights it is posited that functional states, both in institutional and political terms, may serve as the most effective bulwark of human rights in Africa, and that the phenomenon of state dysfunction as it relates to domestic human rights violations warrants more consideration.</jats:p

Future prospects for provincial and local government in South Africa

This article is concerned with the configuration of provincial and local government in South Africa and the possibility of future changes thereto. Firstly, an historical overview is provided analysing the evolution of South African sub-national government since 1910, with particular emphasis on the differences between the pre- and post-apartheid local and provincial government dispensations. Secondly, the ideological departure points of the African National Congress are explored, as the government of the day and the likely initiators of change to local and provincial government in South Africa. Thirdly, the current local and provincial government dispensation is analysed in terms of statutory characteristics, functionality, and political governance. Finally, perspectives from the 2010 ANC Summit on Provincial and Local Government are discussed, with the aim of evaluating various possibilities for change to the local and provincial spheres of government.https://www.questia.com/library/p3957/strategic-review-for-southern-afric

A conceptualisation of the dysfunctional state

Thesis (MA (Political Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.In recent decades, the phenomenon of post-colonial state dysfunction has received increased attention, from both popular and academic perspectives. In a political world order where the existence of states are assumed as fundamentally normal, and in fact necessary for the maintenance of the international status quo, the increasing tendency for certain states of the developing world to succumb to dysfunction is viewed with some alarm. Such instances of state dysfunction have been variously and inconsistently described as failed states, weak states, collapsed states, et cetera. The aforementioned terms are currently in widespread use with the media, as well as academia. This study demonstrates that hitherto, there has been scant scholarly attention devoted to the theoretical conceptualisation and definition of this phenomenon, which it terms the dysfunctional state – thereby dispensing with the manifold confusing terms noted in the literature, for example, failed states. Building upon a thorough and clear exposition of the meta-scientific assumptions regarding the nature and functions of science, particularly in the application of this study, the concept of state is reconstructed. This serves as the orienting feature in the theoretical landscape of state dysfunction, from which the deviant characteristics of dysfunctional states may be juxtaposed with the attributes of the ideal-typical state. The aberrant characteristics of dysfunctional states are analysed from the works of three influential scholars, namely Joel S. Migdal, Robert H. Jackson, and Samuel P. Huntington. The insights of each author, in the guise of the scientific constructs they employ, are subsequently reconstructed, interpreted, and evaluated, whilst consistently invoking the tenets of the ideal-typical statehood in a methodologically uniform manner. What results from this process is a conceptualisation (i.e. the application of scientific constructs in the investigation of a phenomenon) of the dysfunctional state, which is subsequently presented in the form of a theoretical definitional statement.Master

State dysfunction : the concept and its application to South Africa

PhD (Political Studies), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015The phenomenon of state dysfunction has, over the last two decades, become a prominent empirical and scholarly concern internationally and, more recently, domestically. This study endeavours to extend and improve the understanding of dysfunctional states in the scientific domain – in the developing world in general, as well as the South African context in particular. Given the dearth of conceptual literature in the field of dysfunctional states, the first part of this study concerns the pursuit of a novel conceptualisation of state dysfunction, premised upon the Weberian state as a comprehensive point of departure. Subsequently, meta-theoretical, theoretical, applicational and operational frameworks are developed through which this concept may be integrated by using a scientific method and ultimately studied empirically in pursuit of valid and reliable knowledge pertaining to the phenomenon. The outcome of the above-mentioned process is a multi-criteria operational framework that enables evaluation and analysis with the purpose of determining the approximation to – and extent of – state dysfunction in a given empirical context. Accordingly, the second part of this study concerns the evaluation and analysis of the South African state. The outcome of this process is an account of South African state dysfunction that is at once comprehensive and thorough.Doctora