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It is human nature to see the world as imperfect, because people strive towards improving existing and designing new systems. The education system is one such system which is regarded as being a challenge in South Africa, since it affects the quality of education received by every young South African. The serious nature of dysfunctionality could be attributed to the lack of competent leadership in schools. Learners’ education and examination results are being impaired by inadequate teaching, dysfunctional school management, inefficient procedures and poor resources, which foster low educational standards. Leadership practices make a significant contribution to the desired outcomes of a school. Department heads are responsible for educational leadership; however, as they rarely receive leadership training, it is impossible for them to acquire the knowledge and skills to prepare them for their task as educational leaders. There is a dire need for educational leaders who could run a school professionally. The principal and staff should be professional leaders and managers capable of establishing a culture of learning and effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to establish if department heads have the required knowledge and skills to prepare them for their leadership and management role in a secondary school, how they see their competence in this regard, to identify the gaps regarding their preparation as effective educational leaders, and to submit proposals for improving the preparation of department heads for their leadership role. The research methodology was based on quantitative research strategies whereby the research question could accordingly be answered by means of a once-off cross-sectional survey obtained from a random cluster sampling of secondary schools in a district with approximately 70 schools in the Free State province. Self-designed questionnaires, which had to be completed by all the department heads at the schools, were used. A total of 186 department heads participated in the investigation. Ethical approval to conduct the research was obtained from the North-West University. Descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis were used to identify latent variables. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to determine the reliability of the variables involved. Hierarchical linear models were used to determine relationships among variables. The results showed that the heads of department view training and development as important, but they also indicated that they did not receive management training before their appointment in their position. Finally, suggestions are provided for improving the preparation of department heads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In hierdie artikel word gefokus op ’n maatskaplike groepwerk-bemagtigingsprogram, ooreenkomstig’n sterkteperspektief, wat ontwikkel en aangebied is vir alkoholafhanklike bejaardesverbonde aan ’n geregistreerde behandelingsentrum. Die voorgenoemde program is deur dienavorsers ontwikkel, gemik op die eiesoortige behoeftes, sterktes en uitdagings van diékliëntegroep.

In its 1994 election manifesto (the Reconstruction and Development Programme - RDP) the African National Congress (ANC), undertook, if elected, to ensure that pro-active land reform takes place in post-apartheid South Africa. The RDP elaborated on the legacy of apartheid as a key cause of the current skewed pattern of land ownership in South Africa as well as the importance of ownership of land for the African people. For this reason the manifesto emphasised that land reform must be one of the key transformation priorities for the new Government in order to rectify the wrongs of the past. In terms of post-apartheid land reform arrangements there would be a specific focus on the following aspects: • Returning land to those that lost theirproperty as a result of apartheid legislation since 1913; • Redistributing land to those that were denied the opportunity to become land owners or right of residence. Against the background of these objectives the post-apartheid land reform aim of the RDP was to ensure the enJbrcement of justice, poverty relief to the poorest of the poor and the creation of a situation of sustainable development. In 2012 the reality is, however, that land reform has only partially been effective. Eighty seven per cent of all arable land is still owned by white commercial farmers, redistribution is slow and sustainable development is not taking place. The majority of the South African population, in specifically the rural areas, are still exposed to extreme poverty and continued underdevelopment. A t the ANC's June 2012 policy conference thispartial effectiveness of land reform since 1994 was recognised. To overcome this situation a so-called new approach to land reform was called jbr. There was consensus that the functional processes ofland reform must be changed drastically. This must be done in order to speed up the pace of redistribution, simultaneously ensuring that sustainable development and poverty reduction continue after land has been transferred to beneficiaries. The urgency of implementing the new approach was expressed as follows in the land reform policy discussion document of June 2012 (South Africa 2012:2) : "Land reform must represent a radical and rapid break from the past without significantly disrupting production and food security. " At this stage the exact format, content and implications of this "radical and rapid break" is, however, uncertain. In the advent of the ANC's December 2012 leadership elections it can be expected with certainty that many key aspects of the current land reform arrangements will be reviewed, changed or even scrapped in order to speed up the process. This assumption also serves as rationale behind this research. It is firstly the purpose of this article to analyse descriptively the unfolding, scope and progress of land reJbrm in South Africa since 1994. In order to achieve this objective the article focuses on the following key aspects: • The rationale behind the current format of land reform; • The land reform policy and legislative objectives; • The land reform implementation procedures; • A holisticperspective on theprogress made thus far; and • The identification of the weaknesses and strongpoints of land reform since 1994. Through this analysis the article will secondly identify the shortcomings in the current process. Against the above-mentioned background an attempt will lastly be made to provide a scenario perspective with regard to the unfolding of this so-called new approach. An emphasis will be placed on the identification of possible key functional policy and implementation arrangements that might change after 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is as yet little understanding of the impact of the arrival of French Huguenots during 1688/1689 on the Cape wine industry in the Dutch Cape Colony. Van Riebeeck already produced the first wine at the Cape in 1659. Under Company officials, notably Simon and Willem Adriaan van der Stel, production expanded rapidly until, at the turn of the 17th century, the Lords XVII in Amsterdam limited private farm ownership by Company officials and paved the way for free farmers to take up viticulture. These included the 159 French Huguenots that had arrived a decade earlier to augment the free European population at the Cape by at least a third. Not all farmers were instantly successful, however, and, after rapid early adoption, wine production increased piecemeal over the course of the eighteenth century. Most of this activity was restricted to the areas west of the first mountain ranges. We posit that the skills, knowledge and secrets of wine-making the French Huguenots possessed at their arrival allowed them to produce better quality wines more productively than the non-French settlers. By using quantitative production data - the opgaafrolle were collected for the purposes of taxation - over more than seven decades of European settlement, we show that the Huguenots produced significantly more wine and did so more productively than the other settlers. The dataset allows for a number of control variables, including inputs (vines and wheat reaped, which also acts as a proxy for land), other capital (slaves, horses and cattle) and labour (knechts, or European labourers). But the standard factors of production (land, capital and labour) do not explain the difference: the "additional advantage" of the Huguenots remain despite these controls. The only plausible alternative hypothesis is that the knowledge, skills and secrets of viticulture allowed these Huguenots to produce quality wine, an invaluable asset in the fight against scurvy on the long ship voyages between Europe and the East. We test this hypothesis by splitting the sample into two groups: those that originate from wine-producing provinces in France and those that originate from non-wine producing provinces. Using only this subsample (and thus eliminating the possibility of institutional differences between the French Huguenots and the other settlers), we show that the Huguenots from wine-producing regions are more adept at making quality wine than their Huguenot compatriots who originate from non-wine producing regions. The skills, knowledge or "secrets" of producing quality wine brought with them from France gave these Huguenots a competitive advantage, which allowed them to consistently secure a market for their produce and thus expand production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emotional value attached to poor public services in South Africa is evident from the recent violent protests by citizens in the South African Mpumalanga Province against the perceived lack of proper service delivery by the government. Bearing in mind the expectations for service delivery after the election of new public representatives in the national and provincial spheres during 2009, it is appropriate to critically reflect on the how and the means (sometimes referred to as "technology") applied by public institutions to transform political policy into practical programmes. This critical reflection is usually expected to be the result of the influence of the academic subject Public Administration. This article is thus concerned with whether Public Administration discourse has included a critical reflection on technical apparatus and technical activities in the domain of the technical insofar as it concerns public administration. Various scholars have in the last few decades written extensively about the application of technology by government in rendering public services. However , the question can be asked whether technology is only of recent relevance to Public Administration or whether the early scholars such as White (1926) and Gullick (1937) perhaps have paved the way during the 1920s and 1930s for a Public Administration reflection on the use of technology today. This article reflects on the historical and current place of technology in Public Administration, specifically with regard to improving public service delivery. This reflection is based on a comprehensive review of relevant books and journal articles. It starts with an analysis of the concepts technique and technology, followed by an assessment of the role of technology in Public Administration and proceeds with a discussion of not only the place of technology in the subject of Public Administration, but also the relevance of public administration technology for improving service delivery. For the purpose of this article the concept technology refers to the critical reflection on the technical, while the concept technique refers to the domain of the technical where technical objects (tools) are used in technical activities. Consequently, technique and technology in Public Administration are studied in terms of three broad traditions of the discipline, namely the European tradition, the British tradition and the American tradition. The article argues that Public Administration, the academic subject reflecting critically on the practice of public administration, has developed since the sixteenth century Cameralist Germany and Austria as a result of a growing need for administrative techniques necessary to carry out public functions, into the technology of public administration. The content of Public Administration has been strongly influenced by changes in the social order in the broadest sense of the word. Subsequently the technical tools and activities used by general society have not only been applied in public administration, but became part of the domain of Public Administration. Public Administration thus has to study the techniques relevant to public service delivery. These techniques may include those related to the use of the computer (the so-called information technology) in an ever changing public administration. The development of Public Administration as a subject field can be summarised as a gradual movement from a public administration dominated by politics and generalists to public administration rendering services to societies with diverse and specialised needs by means of ever changing techniques. Public Administration seems to develop as a result of a growing need for a body of techniques for executing public functions. The result of the application of these techniques in public administration is inevitably reflected in the quality of the government services rendered to the public. Public Administration, the technology of public administration, has to take cognisance of communities' dissatisfaction with public service delivery, and critically investigate the techniques responsible for the inappropriate public services in order to improve the applied techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses four central themes essential for the designing of a model with the aim of improving crime prevention on farms in the area of "Transvaal Sugar Limited". The first theme refers to the improvement of attitudes between farmer and farm worker. In this respect the creation of good and positive work relations enhances mutual trust between employer and employee and minimizes the possibility of crime on farms because farm workers remain loyal to their employer by in a sense accepting "co-ownership" of the farm. In this sense one needs to be aware of the fact that various people have different needs which need to be fulfilled and the attitude of the employer is crucially important in this regard. Moreover the recruiting and selection of quality personnel should not be neglected by the employer as it is also an important step for the establishment of future attitudes and relations. Employers should carefully consider prospective candidates by conducting interviews and learning also from previous mistakes select the best candidate. As conflict and relative differences between groups of people are unavoidable, an attempt should initially be made to solve any arising dispute by mutual discussion between farmer and farm worker and by doing so potential conflict may be avoided. In addition better work conditions should be put in place to provide job satisfaction as employees expect to be treated fairly and also be part of a democratic decision making process which in turn will assist them to fulfil their full potential. The second theme revolves around the development of the farm worker by creating sound mutual work relations. The point of departure highlights the fact that the development and training of farm workers regarding their work obligations on the farm enhance the existence of good mutual work relations. Thus it becomes easier for the employer to explain to farm workers the importance of a budget or the impact of non-productivity on the budget results. The management of a worker's development includes performance measurement, performance discussion and development activities. An additional way to develop employees is through the process of job enrichment programmes. The third theme refers to the support which must be given by the South African Police Services and other instances to the farmer. It is absolutely essential that the government of the day supports and assists farmers by means of the optimal use of various resources at its disposal. The South African Police Services and organised agriculture are really in partnership with the farmer/employer with regard to crime prevention. Farmers do not only desire assistance during a farm attack but also effective service delivery in times of less serious crime incidents. It is the responsibility of the South African Police Services to show more interest by visiting farming communities more often and not only in times of need. They should also ensure that their logistic arrangements are always in order. Employers/farmers should also express greater interest in police activities by for example attending police meetings on a more continuous basis, not employing illegal immigrants and also by themselves taking basic steps in protecting their property and by reporting suspicious persons to the police. The fourth theme refers to the importance of crime prevention through target hardening. These are the steps that can be taken by farmers/employers themselves in order to prevent crime and are supported by modern technological aids. Consequently the farmer confirms ownership of his possessions and to a certain extent crime is transferred to more vulnerable areas. Physical barriers which are integrated with an alarm system serve as basic crime prevention measures implemented on a cost-effective manner by the farmer and thus protecting his property.… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalisation is characterised by the economic control of national economies by two entities: multinational enterprises (MNEs), with their foreign direct investment (FDI) policies, and the international financial institutions, which place neo-liberal economic conditions on loans and economic aid to developing countries. We analyse these influences on the socio-economic structure of the South African community, with special reference to the existence of two disparate developed groups in the country. These two groups, depicted by convention as white and black, respond in different ways to the socio-economic effects of globalisation. The white group is part of the cultural heritage of globalisation, as driven predominantly by European industrialised countries, and is not adversely affected to the same extent as the black group, which has been catapulted into the global era. To analyse the consequences of the impact, we look at five main periods of socio-economic transformations in European, or Western, history. These correspond approximately to: • The period from the Magna Carta of 1215 to the establishment of a parliamentary democracy in England after the execution of Charles I in 1649; • The Industrial Revolution from about 1760 to 1830; • The period from the American and French revolutions to the end of World War II (~1780-1946); • The Atomic Age from World War II to about 1990; • The present Global Age. If we combine the second and third transformations we have successive periods of 434, 200, 40 and 15 years. The acceleration of the transformation periods had disruptive effects on the sociological structure of Western society. This structure changed along the periods successively as rural farming, industrial workers, general commerce, technological society and the global village. European society adapted to these transitions over centuries, but the countries of Africa did not have that leisure. Black society now has to cope with aggressive marketing campaigns and peer pressure to transform previously predominant rural societies into consumer ones. One result is reminiscent of European transformation during the second to third periods, which is described as "A society in which all members had relations of obligation and reciprocity to all others gave way to one in which individuals in their different roles were cut off from each other, and related to each other only within the marketplace." This reflects the present change in South Africa from the mutual concern of ubuntu to the competitive style of commerce and consumerism. This acculturation is showing deleterious effects on black society. Previously unknown Westerntype diseases such as heart disease and diabetes are emerging as major killers. Obesity is becoming rampant due to changes in eating habits, encouraged by advertising campaigns of fast-food MNEs. Another consequence of modern marketing campaigns is the encouragement of debt. This is a worldwide phenomenon, but in Africa it can lead to serious political instability and social unrest. Uncontrolled debt leads to unreasonable demands for higher salaries, which will discourage further FDI. This will lead to a downward economic spiral and an increase in unemployment. The present collapse of financial institutions in the US holds dire consequences for the economies of emerging markets. It is expected that the flow of funds to the developing world could be cut by 25%, making it imperative that South Africa, the industrial dynamo of Africa, uses all of its human and industrial resources to soften the blow to this continent. In this regard the continual loss of white expertise to the developed world should be reversed as a matter of urgency. The upper middle class white sector in South Africa has adapted relatively effortlessly to global changes, which has resulted in a widening gap in affluence between white and black.… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the recent appearance (2007) of the author's (literary) translation into Afrikaans of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus' Meditations (Meditasies van Marcus Aurelius Antoninus 2007]), this article reviews some philological dimensions of the work, especially for readers approaching that translation from various disciplinary angles and who may be unversed in Greek. The provenance and transmission of the text is traced, from its speculated possible origins as Marcus' personal diaries, first entered on wax-tablets during the Roman campaigns in Germania and kept in private circulation after the emperor's death, through the scant references to it, first by Themistios (200 years later), and then by bishop Arethas and the Suidas-lexicon in the 10th century AD. While the work was apparently read widely in the Byzantine Empire, the editio princeps was only published in the Renaissance by Andreas Gesner in Switzerland in 1559. The textual tradition of the work runs back onto two variant manuscripts, the Codex Vaticanus Graecus 1950 (in the Apostolic Library of the Vatican) and the Toxites-manuscript, now lost through fire, on which the Gesner-edition was based. The work presented its first interpreters with many problems because of the stylistic dissonances displayed by the introductory first book with the remaining eleven books of the work, the very Jew geographic references encountered in it and the apparent incoherence of the thoughts presented in the work. Few commentators understood what Marcus actually was saying, although it was superficially clear that the work contained a number of personal notes which were clearly meditative in nature. Various good editions of the work appeared in the twentieth century (Haynes, Trannoy and especially Farquharson), but it was only with the publication of Pierre Hadot's interpretation (La Citadelle interieure) in the eighties that a single, coherent principle of translation was suggested which explained the background and workings of Marcus' meditations. He identified and typified the Meditations as Stoic spiritual exercises derived from Epictetus, designed to transform the practitioner's inner discourse in a structured way. The Meditations in fact suggests three essential or disciplinary rules, embodied in three disciplinary activities, viz. that of rational decision-taking, of human desire and of impulse; the rules pertain to the three domains of individual capacity for decision-taking, Universal Nature and human nature. The exercises were calculated to influence the demeanour of the practitioner, always striving to renew him in the face of great personal challenges, especially that of death. The Meditations clearly formed an askesis - a self-discipline by the virtuous and good person. It posed universally valid values and norms to regulate practical conduct. Through the daily, and routinely, repeated dogmata (values, norms) one's inner intentions to do the good are affirmed and entrenched. By turning inwards, the practitioner regularly renews himself spiritually and is able to face life's challenges. Robert Newman has pointed out (ANRW) that the meditatio was characteristic of the Stoa, and that it became the most important ethical tool to heal the individual human spirit in the early Empire. The meditation was highly structured and practised on a routine basis by the use of standard phrases and images in a standard method. Thus Marcus' meditations summon the practitioner to exercise by way of the imperatives introducing so many of his aphoristic sententiae. The call is ever to impress the right norms on one's hegemonikon, the inner guiding rational spirit, to integrate with it in the ablility to guide one's conduct. Meditation was considered essential for the preservation of ethical integrity and for ignoring the non-essential, the externalia. Marcus' meditations have been characterised as 'free meditations' rather than repetititive and rigid 'question-and-answer'-sessions.… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on interviewing rapists incarcerated at the Klerksdorp Correctional Services. In order to develop an intervention programme for rapists, it was necessary to obtain knowledge and insight into their psycho-social needs. Fifty long-term prisoners sentenced for rape were included in this study, of whom a number have sentences with aggravating circumstances, meaning that extreme violence was executed and the victim was stabbed or died as a result of the incident. A combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches to research was followed in this study. A self-developed structured measuring instrument with both a quantitative and qualitative component was used, taking about an hour to complete. In this manner triangulation of data could be gained. The questionnaire was completed individually in more or less an hour per participant in the privacy of an office. All ethical issues had been adhered to in this study, with a special focus on the avoidance of misleading of participants, informed consent, privacy, confidentiality and anonymity. This article thus had its focus on issues such as age and ethnicity of participants, highest qualification, family circumstances, sexual history, involvement in relationships, knowledge of victim, feelings towards victim and consequences of rape for victims. Motives for rape, the role of alcohol and drugs in committing rape, the degree of aggressiveness involved in the incident and the involvement of gang activities in incidents of rape were also investigated. False accusations of rape and the degree to which women evoke rape were also studied. The attitude towards therapy and the possible involvement of participants in a prospective programme was investigated in order to determine who might be interested to participate in this programme. From the findings of this study it is evident that some participants do not have a proper idea of what they can expect from such a programme. Although some participants in this study only wished to participate in the programme in order to gain parole, some could make excellent suggestions regarding intervention. It was very important to explain to all possible participants in the programme that only motivated people will gain from the programme and that the others will only waste their own time and that of the therapist. In spite of the refusal of some participants to admit that they had committed the crime, interesting topics came to the fore that can be included in such a prospective intervention programme. The definition, the causes and consequences of rape on everyone involved, attaining of healthy life skills, avoiding to become involved in crime in future and a positive future perspective, were some of the suggested issues. A discussion on the role of alcohol, drugs and the peer group regarding rape was also high on the agenda for many participants and should be continued themes in this programme. The establishment and preservation of various relationships, such as the relationship with God, the self, the peer group, the opposite sex, the family, the extended family and the community were also mentioned by many participants as important topics to be included in the programme. Seeing that this prospective programme is a social work endeavour, the authors are of opinion that discussions on the various relationships should form the core of any such programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]