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Background: An Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme (ASP) is one of the strategic objectives of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global action plan to combat antimicrobial resistance. There have been numerous publications on the implementation of ASPs in both private and public sectors globally. However, there are no reviews and interpretive scholarly research publications on successful implementation of ASPs in private healthcare settings in Africa. Aim: The aim of this study was to systematically gather relevant information from published findings and to interpret those findings into a coherent body of lessons learnt from successful ASP implemented in private healthcare settings in Africa. Method: Google Scholar and PubMed, which are online databases, were extensively searched, and studies, which met the inclusion criteria for this review, were retrieved. A data-charting list was developed to extract relevant data. Results: Only six South African studies reported on successful implementation of ASPs in private healthcare settings in Africa. The main focus areas include locally driven prescription audits as well as pharmacist-led interventions. Conclusion: Although private healthcare settings in Africa utilise antibiotic therapy for various infectious diseases, reports on implementation of ASPs in these settings are limited. To win the battle against antimicrobial resistance, private healthcare settings in Africa need to implement evidence-based guidelines and report on the rational use of antibiotics. Contribution: The private healthcare sector in Africa needs to play a more meaningful role in the implementation of ASPs.

The question of how human beings are to understand their role in creation is of particular interest in our current time of extreme exploitation of the earth and severe environmental degradation. Historically, critiques have been raised against the Judeo-Christian interpretation of the biblical command to subdue the earth and rule over the animals. In all sincerity, the question then needs to be asked what Christian theology has to offer in response to these critiques. Having considered the various interpretations of the meaning of the biblical command to subdue and rule, and with the understanding that the spiritual gifts of wisdom, understanding, knowledge and an ability to perform work have been bestowed by God on human beings, the proposition that this article offers is an alternative understanding of the role of human beings tendered in terms of ‘the justice of the peace’. The Hebrew understanding of peace (shalom) is used as a basis; shalom does not refer to an absence of war but points to life and maintaining the balance and harmony in creation for life in all its varied forms to prosper. In the context of the imago mundi, it is proposed that human beings have been divinely appointed to uphold justice in creation and rule by keeping the peace (shalom). Contribution: The metaphor of ‘the justice of the peace’, used concomitantly with the verbs ‘subdue’ and ‘rule’ within ecotheology, offers a viable alternative to the idea of ‘stewardship’ of creation. This article focuses attention on possible alternative interpretations of the two verbs, contributing to an understanding of our relationship with creation.

The Zimbabwean economic crisis has exposed the unsustainability of traditional sources of Church finances. Churches that depend on tithes, freewill offerings and donations have been facing incapacitation, a disturbing predicament that has been further worsened by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the context of abject poverty and perennial price hikes of basic commodities. While attention has been given to the exploitative commercialisation of the gospel by charismatic churches, scholarship on the economics of classical Pentecostal churches is scanty. Observing fluctuating, unsustainable and unreliable incomes, this study explored the vulnerability of operating without diversified revenue and fundamentality of economising ecclesiology. Applying a theonomic reciprocity concept and using a literature-based approach, this article overviewed the nexus between ecclesiology and economics, reviewed and problematised traditional sources of ecclesial finances. Resultantly, it proposed diversification of revenue through business, interrogated problems and panaceas of doing business as churches. Conclusively, the study argued that when churches establish investments, they will not only sustain themselves, but also missionise their businesses and advance the gospel in the marketplace, hence the rationality of revolutionising their economics. Contribution: This article debunks the interplay of ecclesiology and economics by reviewing contextual realities and financial sources of classical Pentecostal churches in Zimbabwe. It calls for scholarly and clerical attention to a theology of stewardship and investment towards economic sustainability, effective operationalisation and realisation of missio Ecclesiae in volatile contexts.

Few texts from the Hebrew Prophets present such a disconcerting ecological perspective as Zeph 1:2-6. While the text itself has received only scant attention in resources dealing with ecological interpretations of the Bible, it nevertheless becomes clear that Nature plays a multifaceted role that the interpreter should not overlook. Consequently, this article aims to present an eco-critical rereading of the text based on the ecojustice principles of the Earth Bible, and Norman Habel’s tools for analysis – suspicion, identification, and retrieval. Such a rereading further uncovers certain questions, problems, and challenges concerning the kinship between humans and Nature. Because it continuously works to avoid anthropocentrism and engages in dialogue with science, the theocentric approach of Gustafson presents itself as a viable way to elucidate this complicated and often misrepresented relationship. Finally, the author suggests, by way of comparison, that such a theocentric reading surpasses the traditional stewardship approach when it comes to an understanding and/or appropriation of the Zeph 1:2-6 in the contemporary context.

Community transformation has cultural, political and religious dimensions. In the case of Burundi, it is ranked 188/188 on the scale of the world’s poorest countries. The poor in Burundi have a fatalistic attitude towards poverty as a result of the unstable political climate, corruption and a climate of suspicion. The poor are cynical and have no hopeful future expectations. The resourcefulness of the poor having been muted. The Christian church of Burundi has developed a culture of dependency. The role of the church in the West has been limited to lifting the poor out of abject poverty. A creative use of available resources and the participation of the poor through the recognition of their own resourcefulness and stewardship is a sustainable approach to the alleviation of poverty. Newfrontiers churches have developed the approach of equipping the poor as a mission’s strategy to participate in the missio Dei. The majority of churches and non-governmental organisations who endeavour to alleviate poverty in Burundi have, what can be termed, a ‘dependency virus’ or ‘dependency crisis’ and are victims caught in the ‘dependency trap’, that is, they create a culture of dependency through their provision. The loss of dignity that follows, transform the community into a slave of the beneficiary system in which poverty is conceived as a lack of things rather than a mind-set born from help given by the beneficiary without the consent of the poor.

In this article, I examined what might be called the evolutionary argument against human uniqueness and human dignity. After having rehearsed briefly the roots of the classical Judeo- Christian view on human uniqueness and human dignity in the first chapters of Genesis, I went on to explore and delineate the nature of the evolutionary argument against this view. Next, I examined whether Christian theology might widen the concept of imago Dei so as to include other beings as well as humans, thus giving up the idea of human uniqueness. I concluded, however, that this move is deeply problematic. Therefore, I turned to a discussion of some recent attempts to define both human uniqueness and the image of God in theological rather than empirical terms. One of these, which is based on the concept of incarnation, is found wanting, but another one is construed in such a way that it enables us to reconcile the idea of human uniqueness as encapsulated in the doctrine of the imago Dei with contemporary evolutionary theory. Thus, this article can be seen as an exercise in bringing classical Christian theology to terms with evolution, further highlighting this theology’s ongoing vitality. Evolusieteorie, menslike uniekheid and die beeld van God. In hierdie artikel ondersoek ek die sogenaamde evolusionêre argument teen menslike uniekheid en menswaardigheid. Na ‘n kort oorsig oor die oorsprong van die klassieke Joods-Christelike siening van menslike uniekheid en menswaardigheid soos uit die eerste vyf hoofstukke van Genesis blyk, ondersoek en beeld ek die aard van die evolusionêre argument hierteenoor uit. Vervolgens word die vraag ondersoek of die Christelike teologie die konsep van imago Dei sodanig kan verbreed dat dit ook ander wesens behalwe mense kan insluit, waardeur die idee van menslike uniekheid dus prysgegee word. Ek kom egter tot die slotsom dat hierdie skuif hoogs problematies is. Daarom wend ek my tot ’n bespreking van onlangse pogings om menslike uniekheid en die beeld van God eerder in teologiese as empiriese terme te definieer. Een hiervan, gebaseer op die konsep van inkarnasie, is te lig bevind. ‘n Ander poging is egter sodanig vertolk dat dit ons in staat stel om die idee van menslike uniekheid, soos ingesluit in die leerstelling van die imago Dei, met die hedendaagse evolusieteorie te versoen. Hierdie artikel kan dus gesien word as ‘n poging om die klassieke Christelike teologie in ooreenstemming te bring met evolusie en om hierdie teologie se voortgaande lewenskragtigheid te beklemtoon.

The recent meltdown in global finances and the reasons for it may make people doubtful about the stewardship function of accounting. In the global financial markets, there is a great fascination with the reality that accounting values intend to reflect. However, what many people considered valuable is now suddenly of no value. The question can therefore be asked what is meant by the value concept as a foundation to modern-day accountancy. “Value” is a concept that is open to different interpretations, based on the needs, perspectives and personal values of the interpreter. This article aims to reflect on the value concept from an accounting perspective in analysing the fundamental quali-tative perspectives and how these perspectives might affect the quantitative value measurements, as reported in the financial statements. From a quantitative perspective, accounttancy aims to measure and report the monetary values of items. However, there is a move towards a mixed valuation model with many financial statements, including both historical cost and value-based accounting information. The article concludes that this questionable development opens up many additional and subjective interpretations of accounting value measurement and reporting. Both valuation measurement methods have merit when considered in the overall purpose of accounting information. However, subjective value-based mea-surements may cast a shadow of doubt on the reliability and comparability requirements of accounting value information.

The current debate in South Africa and elsewhere in the world points to the fact that schools and educators are having to contend with a pervasive discipline problem. This observation is supported by the fact that the South African Minister of Education announced in 2006 that she was contemplating the introduction of special legislation for combating the problem, inter alia by removing delinquent learners from schools. This problem is not unique to South Africa; according to the literature, educators in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands and elsewhere also have to cope with the problem of deviant learner conduct. In South Africa, the emergence of disciplinary problems can be blamed on the rapid transformation of society since 1994, the ravages of HIV and AIDS and the resultant absent parent syndrome, and rapid urbanisation, to mention only a few of the most important causes. In more developed countries, the problem can be blamed on the anomie caused by the "cultural winter" that has replaced the progress belief. Anomie is a loosening of moral and social norms when the loss of authority tends to release moral bonds. The "cultural winter" is characterised by a post-modern approach to rules (seen as socially constructed), by anxiety and feelings of hopelessness. Another cause of the problem in the more developed parts of the world is secularism, which manifests itself in two forms: the withdrawal of church influence from general life, and the withdrawal of religious norms from public life. Neither churches nor religion can exert influence on the public conduct of people. In this article, the central theoretical thesis is defended that in order to eradicate the so-called discipline problem in schools, educators have to resort to a stewardship approach to education and schooling rather than adopt a reactive, retributive and punitive approach to delinquency. The problem should rather be pre-empted than redressed. In the Norms and Standards for Educators (Department of Education, 2000) for teacher education in South Africa, only one of the prescribed roles of educators approximates a stewardship approach. The discussion in this article shows that a stewardship approach entails more than has been suggested in this policy document. According to a stewardship approach, all participants in a school have been endowed with gifts for the stewardship of which they have to take responsibility. All those involved in the school feel themselves committed to communal educational norms, convinced that adherence to such norms will pre-empt most forms of delinquency. This conviction is based on the following tenets of the stewardship approach: the unique gifts and abilities of each participant in the school have to be fully recognised and used to the advantage of all involved; the school is a learning community and a learning community in which all involved serve and nurture one another in a spirit of loving care; assessment is not done for purposes of ranking learners or their achievements or for competitive purposes but rather as a way of helping learners come to grips with their own abilities and help them develop their talents. A hierarchical or democratic view of authority is replaced by the view that each participant has a unique office. Based on his or her office, each contributes to the wellbeing and the goals of the school. The order and discipline prevailing in a school, the code of conduct and all the rules are aimed at helping the school as a living community reach its goals.… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education/training and economic demand Education systems and their output appear to be out of step with the demands of the economy in many countries, including South Africa. Massive education investment and expansion seem to have resulted, especially in developing countries, in schooled unemployment rather than economic development, modernisation and full employment. A historicalcomparative overview reveals how economically successful countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Germany, and (until recently) the new economic giants of South-East Asia and the Far East, succeeded in aligning education and training with the economy. In conclusion the implications of their strategies for South Africa are explored. A combination of the British and Singaporean models is recommended for South Africa. A warning is, however, sounded throughout that economic systems that do not adhere to the principles of human stewardship and responsible management should not be supported by education and training in their present forms. Those involved in education and training should rather call for reform of the systems that they are expected to support.