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The parable of the Prodigal Son is traditionally viewed from an androcentric perspective, focusing on the male characters, such as the father and brothers. However, this article suggests that the original listeners may have perceived female characters as present and significant. It briefly explores the roles of the Prodigal’s mother and the father’s mother, proposing an alternative interpretation. Evidence indicates that a 1st-century audience might have envisioned a parallel narrative, termed ‘the Parable of the Two Mothers’, within the story. This imagined parallel parable could reflect the high-context understanding of the original hearers. The article aims to reconstruct this proposed parallel parable not only as a potentially imagined narrative within the Prodigal Son but also as a counter-narrative tool. This tool seeks to aid faith communities in addressing gender-based violence (GBV) by offering a narrative device that brings women’s voices to the forefront in congregational and social contexts. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The interdisciplinary nature of this article contributes to the debate on the roles and importance of women in the church by investigating the value that women had in the parables of Jesus. Furthermore, this article promotes an inclusive reading of biblical texts aiming to combat the pandemic of GBV in South African communities. By reading women as present in the text, emphasis is given to the voices of women in the Bible and the importance of their representation today. This research is also in line with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Gender equality and women empowerment.

Evaluation of different congregation-development models with a view of introducing a model for the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika. Since 1982 congregation development has been offered as a subject in most of the recognized practical theology departments. Certain factors have given rise to the fact that this subject and its practical application have not yet established themselves in the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika. Scientific, systematic, goal-orientated planning and leading of a congregation in the light of the current situation in many congregations of the church have become absolutely essential. This article is an attempt to look into the evaluation of the Dreyer, Nel, Hendriks and Callahan congregation-development models with a view to develop a model for the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika.

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

Early in the Constitutional era, in Qozeleni v Minister of Law and Order 1994 3 SA 625 (E) Justice Johan Froneman called for the "rubicon … to be crossed out not only intellectually, but also emotionally before the interpretation and application of the … Constitution is fully to come into its own right". He further argued for the Constitution "to become … a living document". In his many judgements in a judicial career spanning 25 years, Justice Froneman suggested some of what such a crossing of the Rubicon could entail. He also gave meaning to the idea of the Constitution as a living document. The contributions in this special edition unpack, reflect on, evaluate and further the work of and themes tackled by Justice Froneman. Justice Johan Froneman retired from the Constitutional Court in 2020. He was appointed to the Constitutional Court in 2009 after serving as Judge of the Eastern Cape High Court, Grahamstown (1994-2009); Deputy Judge President of the Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court (1996-1999) and two terms in 2002 acting on the Supreme Court of Appeal. In 1999 he was a visitor at Harvard University by invitation of Professor Frank Michelman. He was also Extraordinary Professor in Public Law at Stellenbosch University (2003-2008) and a Visitor at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, University of Oxford, in 2008. He is currently an extraordinary professor in the Department of Public Law, University of the Free State. He has delivered judgements in a wide range of cases. Of particular interest is his careful deliberation on issues pertaining to transformation, legal interpretation, property and language. Justice Froneman in his many carefully argued judgements displayed not only the intellectual rigour that he was calling for, but also the emotional and very much personal crossing that he referred to in 1994.

he memories and testimonies of black people who were on the receiving end of racial discrimination provide important evidence of their lived experiences during the apartheid era (1948–1994). They ‘revisit’ apartheid South Africa because of recurring memories of traumatic experiences. Sadly, they relive the painful incidents emotionally when such memories are triggered. The National Museum in Bloemfontein has interviewed more than 150 Batho residents about their experiences of Batho’s apartheid past, specifically their experiences of racist municipal laws and regulations. Although discriminatory municipal policies are rooted in the racial sentiments of Bloemfontein’s colonial (1846–1910) and segregationist (1910–1948) periods, they are also based on national legislation, notably the Natives (Urban Areas) Act of 1923. Direct quotes from interviews allow interviewees to speak for themselves. The interviewees’ testimonies of their experiences have generated information about, among others, the carrying of passbooks; visits to the pass office; maltreatment by municipal police (platkeps); being arrested for not having a passbook; spending time in police cells for committing loaferskap (idleness) or for housing an overnight guest without a lodger’s permit; being victims of violent house raids; and being harassed by the night curfew siren. Because most interviewees’ parents and grandparents were subjected to similar discriminatory laws and regulations, traumatic experiences are a multi-generational phenomenon. Contribution: The oral history methodology was used to reconstruct aspects of Batho’s apartheid history. By tapping into people’s memories and testimonies, this article aims to present a history from ‘below’ of Mangaung’s oldest existing township and, thereby, contribute to local historiography.

In social identity theory, the in-Christ identity is understood as primarily a socially directed process in which people categorise themselves relative to other groups. Intergroup behaviour would cause them to discriminate against the so-called ‘outgroup’, favouring the so-called ‘ingroup’. Although social identity complexity theory has moved beyond single ingroup-outgroup categorisation, it is a question if social identity theories can fully account for the in-Christ identity, especially within an African context. In African religious identity, identity is linked to both the community and the ruling deities, which are perceived to be real entities that intervene in human affairs and identity, presupposing a supernaturalistic epistemology. Contribution: In this contribution, the naturalistic epistemological underpinnings of social identity theories are reconsidered in light of a supernatural aspect that is argued to be constitutive of the 1st century in-Christ identity as well as the African Christian identity. Amid current approaches to the in-Christ identity, which is mainly a Pauline concept, some of the main Pauline texts that have bearing on the in-Christ identity are revisited in light of current theories and epistemologies on identity.

On 13 October 2017, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) published Government Gazette No 41178 pertaining to the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill (hereinafter BELA). The draft bill proposes to amend certain sections of the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996. The DBE gave education stakeholders a window period to make inputs on the proposed Bill. Over 5000 submissions were received. On 27 and 28 January 2020, Ms Angie Motshekga (Minister of Basic Education) invited the educator unions and governing body federations to further consultations on the Bill. The Bill was again circulated to the public in 2021 in Government Gazette number 45601 after further amendments. In this article, the authors discuss school principals’ (as education stakeholders) opinions on the proposed amendments with a specific focus on school admission and language policies. The research on which this article is based was located within the framework of government and management terms like the decentralisation and recentralisation of the powers of principals and school governing bodies (SGBs) and the recent phenomenon of political realism. The research took the form of a qualitative case study using triangulation (semi-structured interviews, literature review and document analysis) to gather data. The data produced mixed results. Some education stakeholders were very critical of the proposed amendments to the South African Schools Act while other groups welcomed the proposed changes. Some principals felt that the government was employing political realism in rescinding (recentralising) some of the powers that had been devolved to them in 1996 after the dawn of democracy in South Africa. They believed that the recentralisation would impede their autonomy when they carry out their professional and governance duties (the duties the school governing body delegated to the principal) in partnership with their SGBs. They believed it represented a regression to apartheid education. Other principals welcomed a more centralised governance approach where school leadership was dysfunctional and where SGBs provided no meaningful assistance to school principals.

The parables of Jesus are often susceptible to patriarchal, androcentric interpretations. By using a realistic reading and social-scientific criticism, this article will investigate the voices, roles, and presence of women in the parable of the Good Samaritan, and how the 1st-century audience of the parable would most likely have understood women to be present, even if not mentioned in the parable. Women played critical roles in terms of hospitality, travel, innkeeping, and healing. These roles and voices of women are often ignored by modern interpreters and exegetes. This article not only emphasises the valuable roles that women fulfilled in the time of Jesus but also critiques the lack, or absence, of women as a point of discussion, acknowledgement, and study in most biblical commentaries and books concerning the parable of the Good Samaritan. The aim of this research is to contribute to the unhiding of women voices in patriarchal, androcentric texts thereby reconstructing and deconstructing gender paradigms within biblical scholarship. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The interdisciplinary nature of this article contributes to the debate on the roles and importance of women in the church by investigating the value that women had in the parables of Jesus. By reading women as present in the text, emphasis is given to the voices of women in the Bible and the importance of their representation today. This research is also in line with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Gender equality and women empowerment.

The idea of ‘I’ in Romans 7:14–25, used rhetorically, is written to have an impact on its reader and to reach into something readers have experienced: a spiritual reality. When Paul wrote the pericope, it was written in a specific context to and a specific group of people. They would have recognised what Paul’s fundamental idea was concerning ‘I’ and the law. That is, the struggling image of ‘I’ under the law, wanting to do what is right, but is unable to. However, the way the original audience would have received and understood the law and the tension would differ exponentially to the way the pericope is read today. But does that make Paul’s fundamental argument invalid for readers today? An initial reading of the text does evoke some kind of inner experience, relating or convicted by Paul’s ‘I’. This falls in the realm of spirituality as a lived experience. What makes it spiritual is the fact that the pericope is part of the Christian sacred text, and there is a certain initial stance or attitude taken when the text is read. The author is painting a mental picture using ‘I’ as a rhetoric device to lead the reader in participating in Paul’s argument. Thus, the text is experienced. There is no spirituality without experience. This participation leaves a lasting impact on the reader, and pointing the reader by the Spirit in a direction that moves from hopelessness to hopefulness found in Jesus Christ. Contribution: Firstly, the article adds to the body of work done on Romans 7:14–25, particularly the discussion referring to ‘I’. Secondly, there has been a large volume of work done on this specific pericope, especially on the interpretation of the text. However, a contribution can be made in respect of spirituality and the lived experience of the reader in relation to the text, because not much on the topic was found. The focus on the fundamental idea as a lived experience constitutes a specific angle to the text that may contribute to scholarly body of knowledge.

Among other things, postcolonialism claims to react against western epistemology. Although postcolonial approaches react to the traditional tendency in colonialism to silence the Other by political, social and economic structures and ideologies, non-western identity is often categorised in a way in which identity formation is argued to be based on a naturalistic process of social construction and myth-making. The way in which identity is perceived in western epistemology, including the in-Christ identity, is largely influenced by a naturalistic stance, which is a prominent tendency in western epistemology. In contrast, non-western epistemologies often perceive spiritual beings and powers to be real, which are considered to intervene in human affairs. The irony within most postcolonial approaches is thus that they critique western power structures but continue to utilise western, naturalistic epistemologies to deconstruct religious experience. In this contribution, this discrepancy is explored and evaluated against the often-misunderstood flesh-Spirit dichotomy in the Pauline corpus. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: In respect of epistemology, this research overlaps with the field of philosophy, and in respect of identity theory it overlaps with the field of social sciences. The discussion of postcolonial biblical criticism itself is interdisciplinary in that it involves New Testament exegesis, its underlying epistemology as well as its interpretative methodologies.

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A personal dedication to Prof Willemien du Plessis.

This article investigates the legal framework governing the role of traditional leaders in land use planning, through a historical gaze at the nature and authority of traditional leadership in South Africa. It is through this brief historical discussion that the influence of colonial and apartheid concepts of traditional leadership, as concretised in legislation, comes to the fore. This then creates a basis from which the Traditional and Khoisan Leadership Act 3 of 2019 and the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act 16 of 2013 are explored.

Universities’ teaching and learning strategies aim to prepare students for life and the workplace by creating a culture of innovation to solve real-life problems, so that they can participate constructively in society and lead fulfilling professional and personal lives. In order to reach this goal, teaching and learning must have at least three paradigms, namely pedagogical, cognitive and pragmatic or instrumentalist. A pragmatic paradigm presupposes practical, experiential teaching and learning. This paper explores interactive means within the pragmatic paradigm that can be included in the pastoral modules of theology education. The epistemology is from a practical theological perspective. Contribution: The contribution of this article is that experiential role-play activities can have a positive impact in the pedagogy of pastoral care and counselling. The insight of this article links with the developmental goals for effective theological education in South Africa.

Background: Clinical associates were introduced in South Africa to address physician shortages in healthcare. Professional relationships between physicians and professional nurses (PNs) have been widely researched, but none specifically between the new cadre of clinical associates and PNs. Aim: This study aimed to understand the professional working relationship between PNs and clinical associates. Setting: Selected district hospitals within Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. Method: A qualitative descriptive design was used. Professional nurses were purposely sampled, and an all-inclusive sampling method was used for clinical associates in selected district hospitals within Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. Twelve (N = 12) semi-structured, individual interviews (PNs n = 6; clinical associates n = 6) guided by an interview guide were conducted in English. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim by an independent transcriptionist. Tesch’s eight steps of data analysis were employed to analyse the data. An independent co-coder assisted with data analysis. Results: This study yielded four themes: (1) professional relationship defined, (2) professional relationship characteristics, (3) professional challenges applicable to both PNs and clinical associates and (4) personal professional challenges applicable to clinical associates only. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the professional relationships between PNs and clinical associates are affected by various challenges, which could be resolved within the department through in-service training and good communication. Contribution: This is one of the first studies that highlight the professional relationship challenges between PNs and clinical associates.

African Divine Church (ADC) is an African Instituted Church affiliated to the Organisation of the African Instituted Churches, which shapes African Instituted Churches’ (AICs’) theology through theological education. ADC has both lived, and sung-narrated theology and it originated from the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, hence Pentecostal with experiential undertones. Selected leaders of ADC in Vihiga County contributed to the study. The de-emphasised place of Christ was investigated to establish his place in ADC’s Trinitarian and missional Theology. The study articulated theological principles regarding Trinitarian ecclesiology, to assist the ADC in reworking its Christology. The historical approach of the early church, medieval, reformation, and modern periods regarding the place of Christ as the second person of the Triune God were investigated, to formulate guidelines for a paradigm shift in understanding the place of Christ in Trinitarian ecclesiology and the missional community that ADC may use in reworking its Trinitarian Mission. The study employed a mixed-method that followed three steps, namely interviews, questionnaires and observation. The study population was determined through purposive sampling. A coding method safeguarded the identity and confidentiality of participants. The results were classified as historical, practical and theological. ADC derived its name from John 15:1–17 through meditation, vision and revelation. The colours red, white and green symbolise its mission and growth, while its experiential and charismatic liturgy was derived from 1 Samuel 6:1–4, with evidence of hermeneutical deficiency. Theological findings included the undeveloped relationship between God and ecclesial mission, emphasis on the Holy Spirit, healing, and prophecy with a lessened place of Christ in the Trinitarian mission, as well as the blend of ancestorology with Christology that threatens the hypostatic Christology and Trinitarian economy. The study implied a call for reworking hermeneutics, Trinitarian theology, and reconstructing the relationship between God’s mission and that of the Church and a reworked Christology, distinctive from ancestorology. Contribution: African Divine Church’s narrative theology is exposed especially the Trinitarian mission to a constructive critique and further study. It has advanced mixed-method in progressing narrative inquiry as an alternative methodology.

The need to decolonise the academy and academic writing requires that methodology for research be chosen carefully. The methodology of a study reflects the researcher’s point of departure or worldview, as well as their belief system. The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has drastically influenced the functioning of higher education institutes, as well as how scholars plan and execute their research. This includes investigation into the global environmental crisis that is widely researched from various disciplines. These disciplines tend to develop and favour different methodologies. The purpose of this presentation was to report on the inquiry into a suitable methodology to study social discourses about the environmental crisis. The methodologies investigated were an eco-linguistic approach to Critical Discourse Analysis, combined with eco-criticism, which was linked to the concept of an eco-sophy, using the framework of Dark Green Religion. The umbrella-concept of Dark Green Religion as a theoretical framework allows the comparison and incorporation of disparate methodologies as well as discourses. This framework also gives prominence to the role of religion in societal response to the environmental crisis. Due to the study being situated in an African context and striving to implement a decolonising discourse, some suggestions were made on decolonising research methodology in higher education. Contribution: This article’s contribution to new knowledge centred around situating current and new research in Africa in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and deliberating on the impact for future studies. The conclusion was drawn that the COVID-19 pandemic can be a catalyst for re-interpreting research methodology from a decolonised perspective.

Background: Teenage pregnancy is a complex issue globally, which is also a challenge in South Africa. Pregnant learners are allowed by the law to attend school for the whole duration of pregnancy. Although not medically trained or equipped to handle any emergencies, the school management teams are tasked to manage these learners by the Measures of the Prevention and Management of Learner Pregnancy Policy. Aim: This study aimed to determine the school management teams’ perceptions of managing pregnant learners in urban secondary schools. Setting: This study was conducted in four secondary schools in Gauteng province, Soweto-Pimville District 10. Methods: This study employed a qualitative, descriptive design. Purposive sampling was carried out (n = 13), semi-structured WhatsApp video call interviews were conducted and Tesch’s data analysis steps were utilised to analyse the data. Results: Five themes emerged: Theme 1: the role of school management teams in managing pregnant learners; Theme 2: challenges of unplanned deliveries at school; Theme 3: personal thoughts of educators on managing pregnant learners; Theme 4: skills training requirements for educators to manage pregnant learners; and Theme 5: coping mechanisms for school management teams. Conclusion: Collaboration between the department of health, department of education and the department of social development is essential in the management of pregnant learners at school. Contribution: Similar studies have been conducted in various rural areas of South Africa. Limited literature was found for urban areas; therefore, the researcher is of the opinion that the findings of this study could contribute to the body of knowledge.

Systematic theology determined church polity, and that had an influence on church history. Thus, the Church Order of Dordt (1618/19) was for centuries the standard of church polity within the Reformed Church in the Netherlands until it was replaced by the General Regulation (1816). Because this church played a major role in the development of the reformed churches in South Africa, the assumption was that the mainline churches in South Africa closely followed the example of the Netherlands. This article aimed to evaluate the development within the mainline churches in South Africa regarding three aspects: the delegation by a church council to broader (major) assemblies; the naming of the presbytery as a circle; and finally, the composition regarding a synodical commission. A comparison was made between the densely populated Netherlands and the scantily populated South Africa. For a comprehensive view, both demographical and geographical differences, as well as political and historical developments were considered. The outcome clearly showed that church polity cannot be applied in the same manner in different locations. The majority Reformed Churches in South Africa (the Dutch Reformed Church – the whole family of churches); the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa (Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika) followed the same route. The only exception was the Reformed Churches in South Africa (Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid-Afrika). Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This paper contributes to a new appreciation for these three aspects as still being regarded as true church polity, but in a ‘decolonised’ way from the Dutch situation during the first half of the 19th century.

The voices of women have historically been muted in biblical texts from their ancient to more modern interpretations. This article will attempt to ‘unhide’ the voices of women in the Parable of the Friend at Midnight by using a combination of social-scientific criticism and a ‘realistic’ reading as a methodology to inform an understanding of how 1st-century Mediterranean audiences would have understood women to be present in the parable where modern audiences might not. In the 1st-century Mediterranean world, women were key figures in facilitating group hospitality values, the baking and supply of bread, and caring for children. These women, however, are not directly mentioned in the parable and often excluded in modern commentaries. This contribution aims to pave a way forward for modern New Testament commentaries to not only include but also focus on the roles and importance of women in the parable of the Friend at Midnight. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The interdisciplinary nature of this article contributes to the debate on the roles and importance of women in the church by investigating the value that women had in the parables of Jesus. By reading women as present in the text, emphasis is given to the voices of women in the Bible and the importance of their representation today.

South Africa is experiencing harsh economic circumstances, which negatively affects the economic environment of its citizens. Literature shows that historical tax resistance or tax revolts were mostly sparked by citizens burdened by their economic living conditions. South Africans’ disgruntlement has been voiced in many ways, from resistance to E-tolls to increasing numbers of violent service protests. This article explores the economic factors present in three historical tax revolts to assess the possibility of tax resistance and/or a tax revolt in South Africa. The three historical tax revolts were identified through a purposive selection process. A systematic review was then followed to identify the economic factors present in each historical tax revolt. Finally, the economic factors deduced from the historical tax revolts were applied to the current economic situation in South Africa. The findings are that all the economic factors identified from history are currently present in South Africa, indicating the imminent possibility of a tax revolt. Whilst previous research has focused mainly on explaining past events, this article attempts to anticipate and prevent a future event. The contribution of this article is thus to underline possible economic factors that may lead to tax resistance and/or a tax revolt in South Africa. The aftermath of COVID-19 may further worsen the current economic situation, especially with the exacerbation of the already high unemployment rate that may just be a tipping point for a possible tax revolt.

Training in legal professionalism and ethics is a vital part of any legal education. Teaching these aspects according to the Socratic method generally proves to be ineffective in producing the desired result. A lawyer’s actual life experience, which include happiness and career satisfaction, is rarely included. This article will explore on what it means to be an ethical human being and consider the teaching of professionalism and ethics by way of the clinical legal education methodology. Clinics have particular riches to offer and discussing professionalism, values and ethics in a clinical setting can assist students to begin to identify their own professional sense. University law clinics serve as a role model in legal practice about how a legal practitioner should behave and what ethical decision-making means. The link between culture and ethics, which informs a person’s sense of morality and ethics, is explored, with application to diversity and multiculturalism. In clinical context, students assume a high degree of responsibility by taking instructions from clients and they will benefit from cooperative learning where they will begin to develop a deep understanding of professionalism and ethical practice. Through tutorials and debriefing sessions and later in their reflection assignments, students discuss and reflect on aspects of the law, the legal system, their own interviewing skills and the experience of the client. In their reflection assignments, students readily identify areas for improvement but also refer to what they are able to achieve in their interview, building their motivation and sense of autonomy. Ongoing reflection and constructive feedback thereon will support a commitment to ethical and professionally competent, self-directed and autonomous lawyering. Clinical training affords students the opportunity to explore their legal professional and ethical behaviours and values, allowing them to develop in capable, self-directed and independent practitioners who will not only assume responsibility for their individual clients, but also contribute to their communities.

The parables of Jesus have historically been attributed with a plethora of interpretations. The first hearers of the parables of Jesus had native (emic) knowledge of the social realities embedded in the parables told by Jesus, that is, cultural scripts present in the parables that might not be apparent to modern readers. Because of this, the modern reader of a parable might not be aware of all the different cultural scripts in a given parable, especially if these scripts are not specifically mentioned or explained by the gospel narrators. Using the parable of the Prodigal Son as an example, this study argues that there are voices in the parable most probably heard by its first hearers that modern hearers might not be aware of. These ‘muted’ voices not heard by modern readers of the parables often include the voices of women and other minority figures. In this study, a case is made for the possible value that a ‘realistic reading’ of familial parables could bring to the interpretation of the parables. Contribution: It is suggested that this reading can contribute to feminist biblical scholarship’s deconstruction and reconstruction of gender paradigms of Christian theology if the voices of women are ‘exhumed’ from or ‘unhidden’ within, patriarchal and androcentric texts.

The distinction between foreground and background in narrative discourse is a pervasive phenomenon in the literatures of the world, and languages have a variety of devices to indicate this distinction. The use of the tense-forms of the verb for this purpose has been studied in a variety of languages, including the Greek of the New Testament. The aim of this study is to explore, describe, and classify the functions of the imperfect and pluperfect indicative in the Gospel of Luke’s narrative discourse. The study is restricted to narrative proper (which includes embedded narratives, such as the parables of Jesus), but excludes direct and indirect discourse, and comments by the author of the Gospel. The findings are that the main function of the imperfect in the Gospel of Luke’s narrative discourse is to provide background information. This is related to the imperfect’s “imperfective” aspect and its characteristic linking to another verbal utterance, which also promotes cohesion in the text. The imperfect’s main specific use is to provide background information in the form of setting the scene for events that follow in the main storyline. It is also used in the introduction of participants in a scene, to provide supplementary details, in epilogues, and in explanatory clauses. In a few instances, the imperfect expresses foreground information. The pluperfect is always used for background information. This is related to its characteristic of describing a continuing state in the past which is the result of an event in the past. The pluperfect’s specific uses are to set the scene for mainline events that follow, together with the imperfect; to provide supplementary details about persons, events, etc. in the main storyline; and to explain the reason for events in the main storyline.

How do we know that we can trust our viewpoints, our dogmatic principles and our religious convictions to constitute veracity, if not truth? Where can an arbiter be found for our deliberations to establish the trustworthiness of our viewpoints or belief systems, when we differ one from the other on religious matters, and in the context of religious conviction also differ in political and social endeavours? Van Huyssteen deserves commendation for his contribution to this discourse in developing the concept of a postfoundationalist epistemology in an attempt to justify theology’s integrity, and endorse theology’s public voice within our highly complex and challenging world. He suggests that the concept of human uniqueness might be the common denominator in the contributions of theology (in its specific understanding of the unique status of humans in God’s creation) and science (in its understanding of the unique stature of Homo sapiens in terms of biological evolution). However, the author, in this article, argues that given the radically diverse disciplines of science in our highly developed technological – and indeed within our current Covid-dominated context (on the one hand) and the pre-scientific context of religion (on the other hand), it becomes increasingly difficult to imagine how it can remain possible to find something like a common issue, a shared problem, a kind of mutual concern or even a shared overlapping research trajectory that might benefit precisely from this envisaged interdisciplinary dialogue. Is it possible that ‘alone in this world’ could mean something different than what Van Huyssteen suggests? Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: How do we know that we can trust our viewpoints, and our religious convictions to constitute truth? Van Huyssteen develops the concept of a postfoundationalist epistemology in an attempt to justify theology’s integrity within the discourse with science. However, the author in this article argues that it has become increasingly difficult for systematic theology to find a shared overlapping research trajectory that might benefit this interdisciplinary dialogue.

Background: Screening for chorioamnionitis, or the risk thereof, by midwives is largely lacking during antenatal care and no best practice guidelines for chorioamnionitis in South Africa was noted. Aim: To explore and describe midwives’ knowledge and practices related to the screening and management of women who are at risk of or diagnosed with chorioamnionitis. Setting: Public healthcare institutions in a health district in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Methods: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was used. Ten midwives were purposively included in this study, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with them. The data were analysed using an adapted version of Tesch’s eight steps for data analysis. Results: The main theme revealed that midwives lack knowledge regarding chorioamnionitis, resulting in incorrect practices including a lack of screening, misdiagnosis and mismanagement of the infectious condition. Conclusions: Findings of this research showed that midwives lacked knowledge regarding the screening and management of women with chorioamnionitis resulting in incorrect practices in this regard. There is thus a need for midwives to update their knowledge regarding the screening and management of chorioamnionitis and training (e.g. through a short learning programme). Contribution: Findings of this study could be used by midwives to update their knowledge regarding screening and managing women with chorioamnionitis, which is expected to translate to better practices. Moreover, study findings were synthesised with the results of a literature review study to form the basis for the development of a best practice guideline for screening and managing women with chorioamnionitis.

This case study aims to provide key considerations that traditional residential universities should consider when deciding to offer a distance tuition programme alongside an existing contact tuition programme. The University of the Free State is the only residential university to offer the Bachelor of Laws through both contact and distance modes of tuition. Therefore, an evaluation of this programme serves as an ideal case study to extract specific and essential considerations that other institutions, faculties or departments may use when deciding to offer a distance tuition programme in addition to its contact programme. The case study suggests that it is not feasible to merely duplicate an existing contact tuition programme and present it as a distance programme. A distinct pedagogical approach must be followed. It entails training, redesign of material, and rethinking assessment policies. Faculties should weigh the potential benefits of presenting a distance LLB against the labour-intensive nature of distance tuition and its probable limited success in realising broader access and student success. The funding model for distance tuition remains problematic and is financially unfeasible and unsustainable for many higher education institutions. Rethinking the funding model will be one step closer to achieving the objectives set out in the distance tuition policy framework.

Background: Nursing students learn the science and art of nursing, including presence, from classroom content, using skills in practice, or by watching an experienced nurse interact with a patient. Nursing education must be designed so that nursing students can construct the art and science of nursing practice. Nursing students must be educated to be sound practitioners in the ‘being’ of nursing practice. Nurse educators modelling presence to nursing students will improve the quality of patient care during clinical training and throughout their professional role. Aim: To explore and describe nurse educators’ role modelling of presence to nursing students. Setting: This study was conducted at a public nursing college in the North West province. Methods: A qualitative, ethnographic study was conducted. Purposive sampling was used. Four nurse educators participated in the study and data saturation was reached. Data were collected through shadowing and informal reflective conversations over a period of 8 days. Results: The following relationships emerged: nurse educators model ‘being professional’, ‘being facilitating, nurturing, caring and compassionate, encouraging, and motivating’, and ‘being purposeful in their nursing education approach’. Conclusion: Participants role modelled presence to nursing students despite daily challenges in their work. Contribution: Creating awareness of how nurse educators can model presence despite daily challenges in their work will influence and motivate nursing students to develop presence skills. This will have a positive impact on managing patients in practice. Recommendations can guide nursing education, policy development and future research to strengthen nurse educators modelling presence.

Background: This research addressed the need to have a deeper understanding of nursing students’ experiences of clinical placement and support in primary healthcare (PHC) settings. Aim: To explore and describe the experiences of nursing students’ clinical placement in PHC settings. Setting: The study was conducted at PHC clinics in a specific province in South Africa. Method: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was used. The population comprised fourth-year nursing students selected using purposive sampling. Five semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted. Data saturation determined the sample size which comprised 25 nursing students. Thematic data analysis produced four main themes. Results: The main themes were (1) the meaning of placement, (2) experiences of clinical placement, (3) needs for support, and (4) resilience of nursing students. Conclusions: Nursing students encountered negative and positive experiences. Both experiences confirmed that PHC settings can be valuable learning opportunities for nursing students. Nursing students appreciated the supervision of professional nurses who created an atmosphere conducive for teaching and learning by welcoming and encouraging nursing students’ independence. Recommendations include: appointing a professional nurse specifically for supervision of nursing students, tutor support before summative examinations, improvement of services, including the availability of resources. Contribution: This article contributes to awareness of how nursing students manage to stay resilient irrespective of negative experiences during clinical placement and how tutors and professional nurses can support them. The study’s recommendations can guide professional nurses, nurse educators, nurse managers and other healthcare PHC workers to support nursing students.

Background: Women in a sub-district of one of the most rural provinces in South Africa are at a high risk of experiencing gender-based violence. Professional nurses are at the frontline of providing healthcare to these women. Caring presence is a valuable resource to professional nurses in these settings. Aim: To explore and describe the experiences of professional nurses in providing nursing care to women experiencing gender-based violence. Setting: A primary health clinic, community health centre, out-patient department and emergency department in the rural sub-district. Methods: An interpretive phenomenological design was applied. Purposive sampling was used and semi-structured one-on-one interviews were held with professional nurses. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was done and data saturation was achieved (n = 15). Results: Participants were willing to provide nursing care but worked in difficult environments, and their level of competence influenced how they engaged with these women. They realised that the lifeworld of the women made it difficult for them to disclose that they are experiencing gender-based violence. Participants emphasised the importance of multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral collaboration. A final theme, caring presence, also emerged. Conclusion: Participants felt compassion and were willing to provide nursing care. However, they experienced reluctance due to hindrances that limited them in connecting with and attuning to the women. This left them feeling frustrated, and with a deepened sense of empathy, as they realised how deeply the women are suffering. Recommendations were formulated. Contribution: This study revealed nurses’ need to be guided in providing relational care to women who are experiencing gender-based violence. Based on the findings, it is recommended that infrastructure should be updated to ensure private and safe spaces for women, debriefing and training should be provided and multidisciplinary collaboration should be strengthened. Policy for improved referral systems, the assessment and management of women experiencing gender-based violence and the wellness of professional nurses should be developed.

Various approaches to Paul’s relationship with the Roman Empire have come to the fore, including those who see Paul’s discourse as anti-imperial, pro-imperial, ambiguous towards empire and those who argue that Paul’s discourse transcends that of empire. The nature and influence of the Roman Empire are examined, and the various scholarly approaches to Paul’s relationship to empire are considered. Romans 13:1–7 is used as a test case to better understand Paul’s stance towards the Roman Empire or government authorities in general. Although it has been argued that Paul’s stance towards empire was influenced by ‘Jewish apocalyptic’, in this contribution, it is argued that Paul’s eschatology as laid out in his letters rather than ‘Jewish apocalyptic’ as such is key to understanding the seemingly ambiguous statements about the Roman Empire in his letters. Contribution: This article’s contribution mainly lies in its approach to understand Paul’s relationship to the Roman Empire from the perspective of his own eschatology. Here, traditional understandings of Paul’s relationship to empire is put in a larger perspective, which contributes in solving Paul’s seemingly ambiguous stance towards Roman authority.

Background: Medication adherence remains a challenge in the management of mental healthcare users (MHCUs), despite it being regarded as crucial for better health outcomes. Nurses at primary healthcare (PHC) facilities can play an important role through nursing presence in enhancing MHCUs’ medication adherence. Aim: This article aimed to investigate the relationship between MHCUs’ self-reported medication adherence and their perception of the nursing presence by registered nurses in PHC. Setting: An urban health district in Gauteng province, South Africa. Methods: A quantitative, descriptive correlational, cross-sectional design was used. The sample included 180 MHCUs. Data were collected using the Medication Adherence Rating Scale and the Presence of Nursing Scale. Results: The overall adherence level of respondents was partially adherent, with an average score of 6.45 out of a total score of 10. Respondents also reported a low level of perceived nursing presence demonstrated by registered nurses, with an average score of 72.2 out of 125. The results indicated a positive correlation between respondents’ self-reported medication adherence and their perceived nursing presence of registered nurses as evidenced by the positive value of the correlation coefficient of 0.69 with a corresponding significance probability value of 0.000 (r = 0.69; p = 0.00). Conclusion: The level of perceived nursing presence demonstrated by registered nurses played a significant role in influencing MHCUs’ level of medication adherence. The registered nurses can improve MHCUs’ medication adherence by demonstrating nursing presence skills such as good listening skills and taking care of MHCUs as individuals and not as a disease. Contribution: The results of this study confirm that there is a correlation between nursing presence and medication adherence. This holds significant value for future research in nursing presence. These findings also provide registered nurses in PHC with a valuable tool to improve medication adherence, namely nursing presence.

Historically, Bibles for children are dynamic and remarkably diverse interpretive vehicles. The Bibles give preference to the context of the immediate reading communities above that of the canonical source text and they are therefore highly responsive to change. They tend to delimit the Bible to a selection of the narrative sections considered child appropriate, thus excluding poetry, including psalms and wisdom literature. This article compares popular examples of children’s Bibles from two distinct traditions (Jewish American children’s Bibles and Afrikaans children’s Bibles). It remarks upon the manner in which a return of psalms in some present-day children’s Bibles takes place, arguing that a tradition of Davidic attribution is significant for thinking of children’s Bibles as embedded firmly in existing traditions of Bible interpretation. Their relevance to modern readerships, the deceptive simplicity of textual engagement and its close alliance to the everyday warrant our attention and the focus of our study beyond the scope of religious pedagogy.

The South African Special Forces is a grouping of highly trained, motivated and dedicated soldiers who execute specialised tasks that ordinary infantry soldiers are not trained or required to conduct. The milieu in which Special Forces operators function is notoriously challenging as these forces could deploy for a few days or several months or longer in any type of environment. It is therefore essential that the correct candidates be selected to function in these environments. The aim of the officer’s potential assessment (OPA) is thus to select candidates with the physical, cognitive, emotional and psychological fitness to be trained as South African Special Forces operators and officers. The study on which this article is based, explored the development of the behavioural assessments during the South African Special Forces officers’ selection process as a method and model for the review and design of assessment centres from a holistic, detailed perspective.

There have been many changes in pastoral care and counselling and pastoral theology since the middle 20th century. At first, the changes were viewed as an evolutionary process as the discipline evolved into an authoritative science. Although it seems as if pastoral care and counselling followed the footsteps of psychology, there were important paradigm shifts towards contextual pastoral counselling based on the Word of God. The major question of this article is, what important paradigm shifts in the development of practical theology since the middle 20th century can be distinguished that are in line with the requirements for contextual pastoral counselling? In an attempt to answer this question, a thorough subject-specific literature study was conducted by looking at prominent scholars’ view on the development of pastoral theology. The article is divided into five main parts. The first part focused on the development of practical (and the subdivision, pastoral) theology, with emphases on important paradigm shifts and the work of prominent scholars. The second part focused on the current challenges facing pastoral theology. The third part focused on paradigmatic positions, scientific research markers and approaches, and different layers of meaning unique to pastoral theology. The fourth part focused on diakonia with a religious consciousness of transformative moral or ethical orientation. The article concluded with a reflection on how the paradigm shifts are in line with the requirements of contextual pastoral counselling. The conclusion of the article is that together with the normative deductive aspects of pastoral theology, the inclusion of context-specific empirical experiences is an aspect that must be taken into consideration. Contribution: The primary contribution of this article is that a systematic description of the important paradigm shifts in the development of practical theology since the middle 20th century was given and brought in evaluation against the requirements for contextual pastoral counselling. The objective was to enhance appropriate theory formation with the aim to focus on the distinctive character of pastoral counselling, and its connectedness to the broader field of practical theological science. These insights link to the focus and scope of the journal, because it contributes to the epistemological dialogue of practical theology.

In this contribution, the notion that the concept of ‘law’ in the Letter to the Hebrews only pertains to the cultic domain is challenged against the discourse on law in the whole letter. Apart from instances in which the law includes moral aspects of the law, the broader theological context in which the concept of ‘law’ is set in Hebrews suggests that the whole Mosaic system is in view throughout the letter. Such a conclusion is drawn on the basis of pertinent contrasts in the letter between the old and new covenants, between the different sources of revelation, between Moses and Jesus, between the ways in which priesthood and sacrifices function in relation to sin, between the outward or physical and the inward or spiritual, and between die earthly and heavenly domains of the respective covenantal systems. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article primarily makes a contribution in respect of biblical exegesis and New Testament theology. In addition, the article reconsiders the discourse on law in the Letter to the Hebrews, which impacts the way in which Christians understand their relationship to the Mosaic Law. It thus impacts the field of systematic theology. The relationship of the believer with the Mosaic Law in Hebrews also impacts church history: It provides us with information on the position of the early church towards the Mosaic Law, as well as how we understand the so-called ‘parting of the ways’ between Christianity and Judaism.

The concept of personal growth and development has been an ever-growing discipline in the last couple of decades, especially encapsulated by self-help constructs. The market for self-improvement literature, also known as self-help literature, is one of the fastest-growing fields over the last two decades. Spirituality has also become a prominent element in these popular self-help literatures. Interest in spirituality as a scholarly discipline, guided by academic disciplines, has grown in the last few decades, but so too has the interest in spirituality as a prominent component in popular texts such as self-help literature. Bible citations and concepts are frequently included in the theories on spirituality in these popular literature, but are not always interpreted within Christian constructs. The tendency to use Bible citations and concepts created the impression that spirituality in these self-help theories is a Christian precept. Spirituality, as a key factor in self-help literature, was examined in view of Christian Spirituality and biblical concepts. Transformation, experience, the body and the mind are central aspects of the spirituality advocated by these self-help literature. These central aspects were evaluated from a Pauline perspective and in view of Christian Spirituality with specific reference to Romans 8:1–30 and Romans 12:1–2. The specific reference to the Pauline corpus was motivated by the hypothesis that Christianity can historically claim intellectual property to the word spirituality, as the origins of the word can be attributed to Paul. Spirituality, in the quest for personal growth and development, implies the work of the Spirit in the life of the believer as a result of the Christ event. Christian Spirituality underlines the personal experience of the Spirit as evinced in the Pauline corpus. While spirituality is a scholarly discipline guided by academic disciplines, spirituality is also a key construct in popular self-help literature. The spirituality suggested in these self-help literature does not necessarily accord with biblical constructs. In Christian Spirituality, transformation is the consequence of the presence of the Spirit and not only by the mere implementation of so-called self-help methodologies or undefined spirituality. Contribution: This article will assist the Christian believer who, in the quest for personal growth and development, engages spirituality with a biblical construct from a Pauline perspective and understanding of the role and work of the Spirit. While being aware of the fact that spirituality cannot be defined in restrictive terms, this article will nevertheless present some understanding of Christian Spirituality and the necessity of the Spirit as it relates to personal growth and development.

Background: Research indicated the prevalence of perinatal deaths of infants immediately or up to a week after birth and includes fresh and macerated stillbirths and neonatal deaths. Worldwide, there is a decline in perinatal deaths. However, in South Africa, it is not the case. Often the quality of maternity care is considered as the most important contributing factor for these deaths. However, maternal and neonatal factors can also contribute. Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the maternal and neonatal factors associated with perinatal deaths in a single selected district hospital within the Free State Province of South Africa. Setting: The maternity unit of the largest district hospital in the specific district in the Free State Province of South Africa. Method: A clinical audit design was used. Units of analysis comprised the Perinatal Problem Identification Programme (PPIP) database of neonates born during 2015, and their mothers. A random sample of 384 alive neonates and an all-inclusive sample of 43 deceased neonates were taken from a total of 2319. Descriptive statistics were reported and Cohen’s effect sizes, d, were calculated to identify practically significant differences between the neonates in the alive and the deceased group, respectively. Results: Cohen’s effect sizes and logistical regression analyses indicate that the Apgar score recorded 10 min after birth, gestational age, birth weight of neonate and the parity of the mother were the most practically significant factors influencing a neonate’s chances of survival. Conclusion: Quality maternity care is not the only cause of perinatal mortality rates; maternal and neonatal factors are also contributors.

Background: Pregnant women who experience preterm labour rush to public hospitals closest to the informal settlement in which they reside. Preterm infants are discharged when they reach a certain weight. Mothers take their preterm infants to their homes inside the informal settlements. Yet, preterm infants have special needs and require specific management. Research confirmed that nurses working in community clinics near informal settlements are unaware of the challenges faced by such mothers. Community nurses are at the heart of nursing, they work closest to the community and have a distinct opportunity to provide contextual, community-based care and support to these mothers, to promote good health and prevent diseases. Aim: This article aims to enhance community nurses’ insight about the mothers’ experiences in caring for their preterm infants post-hospitalisation. Setting: The study was conducted in an informal settlement in Midvaal, Gauteng. Methods: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was used. In-depth, phenomenological interviews were conducted with 10 purposefully sampled mothers to explore their experiences in caring for their preterm infants in an informal settlement. Data were analysed using Giorgi’s coding method. Ethical approval was received from the University of Johannesburg. Measures were applied to ensure trustworthiness. Results: Three themes emerged: mothers experienced intrapersonal responses, interpersonal responses and numerous physical challenges in taking care of their preterm infants. Conclusion: Study findings revealed that mothers experienced several responses in caring for their preterm infants. Sharing their experiences can enhance community clinic nurses’ insight to provide contextual health education.

In the Australian case of Bywater Investments Ltd v Commissioner of Taxation; Hua Wang Bank Berhad v Commissioner of Taxation (the Bywater case) the Australian High Court dealt with the question of whether certain companies were resident in Australia for income tax purposes. The majority answered this question by applying Australian domestic law. In a separate but concurring judgement, Gordon J also discussed the interpretation and application of the relevant double taxation treaty. This contribution analyses Gordon J's judgment to extract guidance from it for the South African courts on their interpretation of double taxation treaties. It is submitted that South African courts should also follow the "first step" proposed by Gordon J when interpreting double taxation treaties. South African courts may find Gordon J's judgment "instructive" when dealing with the interpretation of the "place of effective management" concept in both domestic law and double taxation treaties. In his judgment Gordon J favours the goal of common interpretation and it is argued that South African courts should follow this example and explicitly support this notion in applicable cases. From Gordon J's judgment and the judgement in Krok v Commissioner, South African Revenue Service, it is deduced that the positions in South Africa and Australia are similar in that the courts in both countries will be bound by the principles of Articles 31 and 32 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties when interpreting double taxation treaties. Moreover, Gordon J's judgment indicates that the domestic principles of interpretation should not be used in the interpretation of double taxation treaties. Recent South African cases have suggested that there are no differences between the South African domestic principles of interpretation and those contained in Articles 31 and 32 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. This contribution submits that there are many similarities between the two, but that the rules are not exactly the same. South African courts should be aware of these differences and rather apply the rules of public international law, including those contained in the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, when they interpret double taxation treaties. Gordon J specifically identifies the category of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties in which he places the Commentary on the OECD Model Tax Convention, to rely on it for his interpretation of the relevant double taxation treaty. South African courts may well learn from this approach, to create more certainty in the process of interpreting a double taxation treaty.

Although individuals who experience a vocational calling tend to be less receptive to psychological distress causing burnout, depression and turnover the prevalence of these cases are on the rise among religious ministers. This hitherto unexplained phenomenon is investigated in this study by exploring psychological contract violation experience with religious ministers in South Africa. A total of 11 participants were interviewed using a narrative approach, forming a qualitative study exploring the content of calling, expectations created by calling in reaction to it and the perceived violation of these expectations in the vocational setting. The result indicates that religious ministers do indeed experience psychological contract violation that leads to a host of negative effects. Opsomming: ‘n Ondersoek na psigologiese kontrak skending- en roeping ervaring by geestelike leiers. Alhoewel individue wat ‘n roeping ervaar die geneigdheid het om minder vatbaar te wees vir psigologiese stress wat uitbranding, depressie en omkeer-intensie voorafgaan, is daar ‘n toenemend hoër voorkoms hiervan by geestelike leiers. Hierdie onverklaarde fenomeen word in hierdie studie ondersoek deur psigologiese kontrak verbreking ervarings onder geestelike leiers in Suid Afrika te ondersoek. ‘n Totaal van 11 deelnemers is by wyse van narratiewe onderhoude ondervra om ‘n kwalitatiewe studie te doen wat die inhoud van roeping, verwagtinge vanuit die roeping en beleefde skending van hierdie verwagtinge in die loopbaankonteks te ondersoek. Die resultaat dui daarop dat geestelike leiers wel psigologiese kontrak skending ervaar wat negatiewe gevolge inhou. https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.85.1.2480

This article views section 4 of the Patents Act 57 of 1978 against section 25 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 and Article 31 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights of 1994 (hereafter TRIPS). The purpose is to find a suitable framework for the state/government use/utilisation of patented products or processes for public purposes. A comparison is done with the Crown use provisions in United Kingdom, Australian and Canadian law to find a suitable approach to questions relating to remuneration for state use, the prior negotiations requirement set by Article 31 of TRIPS, and the public purposes and exclusive patent rights that would be included under state use. The COVID-19 international pandemic has caused a state of national disaster in South Africa, which is exactly the kind of situation of extreme urgency envisioned by the exception in Article 31 of TRIPS, which permits the state use of patents without requiring prior negotiations with the patent owner. In the battle against COVID-19 and its concomitant fallout, the South African government (and authorised private parties) would be permitted to utilise patent rights without explicit authorisation from the patent owner and without prior negotiations, but subject to the payment of reasonable remuneration by the government and other terms and conditions as agreed upon or as determined by a court. This may include making (manufacturing), using, exercising, and importing patented products (for example, personal protective equipment, pharmaceuticals, ventilators and diagnostic tests) deemed necessary in the fight against COVID-19. Foreign jurisdictions considered in this article indicate that section 4 of the Patents Act 57 of 1978 may certainly benefit from an update to provide detailed guidance on the state use of patented products or processes for public purposes. In the interest of a timeous offensive against the COVID-19 virus, the patent provisions need a speedy update to allow state use compliant with TRIPS and the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.

In 1918, the Municipality of Bloemfontein saw the establishment of Batho as the new location for the town’s black and coloured people as an opportunity to not only establish a so called model location but also a garden location. Batho’s founding must be viewed within the historical context of British-style town and urban planning, as well as the racist and segregationist policies implemented by the Union Government. The model location ideology not only encompassed proper layout and improved amenities but also meant striving towards aesthetic ideals. Such ideals implied the beautification of Batho by means of laying out domestic and public gardens, as well as the mass planting of trees. In order to turn Batho into a garden location, the Town Council implemented certain initiatives which included efforts to secure a reliable water supply and to introduce special water tariffs; the allocation of allotment gardens; the provision of a fresh-produce market for location residents; the distribution of trees free of charge, and other tree-planting initiatives; and, finally, the provision of a public “park” for Batho. While some of the motivations behind these initiatives were, indeed, driven by aesthetic ideals, others were deeply rooted in segregationist thinking and ideology. The municipality’s efforts and initiatives, as well as the Batho residents’ reactions to these, were key factors in the quest to turn Batho into a garden location. These efforts, initiatives, and reactions are investigated and critically assessed in order to determine whether the municipality’s attempts to create a garden location were “successful”. This article focuses on the period considered to be Batho’s “golden age”, that is, 1918-1939.

From the early 1970s, and especially since South Africa became a democratic state under the governance of the African National Congress in 1994, many voices have called for decolonising the programs presented at universities. With this article, we as the authors of this article have concluded that, although the science of pastoral caregiving in the South African context has developed into a recognised authentic science, the development has followed Western cultural fashion with its emphasis on individualism. This is directly opposed to the more communal focus of African culture. This approach is also only one example of the differences between these two cultural groups. We investigated the possibility that expressive therapy can contribute to assemble a pedagogical design for a South African contextualised pastoral care and counselling model. The results of the investigation into three forms of expressive therapy are described in this article: First, Practical Theology as an academic discipline in South Africa is described; second, we look into contextualisation in pastoral care; and, in the third place, contextual pastoral care and counselling. The article concluded by the description of the three forms of expressive therapy and their possible place in contextual pastoral care. The research was done from a reformed perspective.

In this article, the question is asked whether replacement theology is anti-Semitic – a critique that is often advanced in discourse on replacement theology. In answering this question, the definitions of antisemitism and replacement theology are revisited and the question whether replacement forms part of the hermeneutic of the New Testament writers is addressed. Subsequently, the core of what is actually replaced is determined, as well as the hermeneutic principles that distinguish replacement and anti-replacement approaches. It is found that the notion of replacement is inevitable, in the way in which writers of the New Testament convey concepts such as fulfilment, messianism, eschatology and newness. It is argued that at heart, the criteria of identity and covenant membership are replaced in the new eschatological epoch in Christ, which exclude race, biological descent or ethnicity and thus cannot be anti-Semitic.

Within the ethnic-reasoning position, which has gained momentum in recent years, it is argued that in the in-Christ identity there exists no dichotomy between natural, physical relationships and constructed, made-up relationships. Ethnicity is viewed as fluid and changeable and as including the category of religion, which is understood as involving a nation’s culture and their cultic and ritualistic practices. Yet, it is a question whether these notions are compatible with the way in which the in-Christ identity is portrayed, especially by Paul. In terms of the theological way in which ethnicity and even religious practices are portrayed, they rather belong to the domain of humanness or human conduct, and thus to the anthropological domain. In contrast, believers’ relation to Abraham and their new mode of identity in the S/spirit is portrayed as being in contrast with the anthropological domain or the domain of ‘flesh’, which includes things such as ethnicity, human conduct and even religious practices. This tension between divine identity and human or natural identity in the New Testament is accounted for and applied to the ethnic-reasoning position, which also influences the way in which the in-Christ identity finds cultural expression in the lives of present-day readers.

This contribution provides a review of the book edited by Donna Hornby, Rosalie Kingwill, Lauren Royston and Ben Cousins, Untitled: Securing Land Tenure in Urban and Rural South Africa. It deals with the topic of land tenure in urban and rural South Africa and challenges the requirement of title deeds to secure land tenure.