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This article describes the role of public educational institutions in South Africa's economy based on opinions of 17 participants drawn from nine (9) TVET colleges and universities in Limpopo Province. The triple problem of unemployment, inequality and poverty still exists in South Africa and in Limpopo Province, from where participants are drawn. The South African government attempted to address the aforementioned challenges through Affirmative Action, Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBEEE), Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (ASGISA), socioeconomic transformation and land redress through a constitutional amendment. But load shedding, rising global inflation brought on by COVID-19, the lootings, the Ukraine-Russia war and the current rising cost of living have made it difficult. In the face of a rise in the cost of fuel and commodities contributes to inflationary pressures and infrastructure damage caused by the recent severe floods, the South African government appears powerless. The role of educational institutions to eradicate poverty and other social ills in a community seems admirable. The article uses qualitative methods to locate an interpretive paradigm used to explore the perceptions of purposively selected participants from TVET colleges and universities in Limpopo Province to source data about public educational institutions' role in South Africa's economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The term Community Rehabilitation Worker (CRW) encompasses a group of mid-level health workers introduced within healthcare systems to increase accessibility to health- care services for individuals within the community sphere. This study aimed to summarise the current knowledge on the role of community rehabilitation workers in community-based mental health services in low- and middle- income countries. Method: Between the 10th and 17th of July, 2020, searches were conducted on the following databases: Cochrane, EbscoHost, Primo, and Pubmed. The search strategy identified 521 individual records, 4 of which were included in this review: 2 qualitative descriptive studies, 1 quantitative descriptive study and 1 conceptual study. Results: Across the 4 studies, eight roles of community rehabilitation workers were identified in relation to mental health services: home visits, client illness management, referral, documentation and administration, client and family education, community education, intersectoral collaboration and mediation. There was no data found on the role of community rehabilitation workers in mental health services in low- and middle- income countries specifically, indicating a gap in research. Conclusion: There is a need to improve knowledge and understanding of the roles and responsibilities of community rehabilitation workers where mental health service provision is concerned. The data summarised in this review could be utilised to educate health professionals regarding the role of community rehabilitation workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Effective palliative care is an urgent humanitarian need, particularly in less developed countries, including South Africa (SA). People can be palliated within their communities, motivating the integration of palliative care into primary healthcare systems. While community health workers (CHWs) play a vital role in health coverage at the primary care level, literature on their roles in palliation is limited. Aim: To explore the roles of CHWs in palliative care delivery in a rural subdistrict in SA. Setting: This study was conducted in the George subdistrict of the Western Cape province, SA. Methods: A descriptive qualitative study explored the perceptions of a wide range of stakeholders (n = 39) of CHWs' roles in palliative care. Data were collected via semistructured interviews and focus group discussions and analysed thematically. Results: Patients experienced severe biopsychosocial symptoms and needed home-based palliation. While CHWs identified and referred patients, their main responsibilities were health promotion and disease prevention. Palliation was primarily a registered nurse's function. Community health workers were conflicted by their limited ability to deliver basic palliative care to patients. Conclusion: While there is a definite need for community-based palliative care, the optimal structure of such a service and the roles of CHWs therein are uncertain. Future research should explore the home-based palliation needs of patients in similar contexts and the service design best suited to address these needs within the primary healthcare domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Financial institutions in South Africa are implementing business process re-engineering (BPR) on a regular basis because of the fast-changing industry. However, the success of these projects is low because of the lack of clearly defined roles, an unclear definition of what BPR is, the inability to link BPR projects to organisation strategies and the lack of documentation to guide BPR activities. Accordingly, there is a need to define a framework to guide the implementation of BPR projects. Objectives: The researchers embarked on this study in order to define a framework to ensure improvement of BPR in financial institutions. The framework should assist in providing guidelines when conducting BPR activities and will enable plans for BPR projects in terms of knowing which skills and roles to source for these projects. Method: A conceptual BPR framework was developed and BPR experts from financial institutions were then engaged to determine whether the framework would work. The engagements included understanding the challenges faced and how they could be combated, understanding the roles involved and determining if organisations had BPR frameworks in place. This subsequently led to a final framework being consolidated. Results: This study presents the recommended BPR framework that can be used by financial institutions to achieve success in their projects. The framework incorporates project management and change management processes and ensures alignment of BPR activities with the project phases. It also ensures that the activities are clearly stipulated and the roles performing the activities are clearly defined. It considers time management, planning aspects and effective communication within BPR projects. Conclusion: The proposed framework can be used by financial institutions to manage their re-engineering projects. This framework overcomes most of the known challenges and combines two disciplines, that is, project management and business process re-engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orientation: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the world of work. An understanding is needed of this impact and the positioning of roles of professional psychologists in response to adjusting to the new normal. Research purpose: This study investigated the challenges faced by Industrial Organisational (IO) Psychologists in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the study aimed at ascertaining the professional roles that emanate from such challenges. Motivation of the study: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, calls exist within the literature for nuanced disciplinary studies that explore the impact of the pandemic. One such discipline is that of Industrial Psychology (IP), a discipline deemed important not only for the development of individuals but also for organisations. Research approach, design and method: A qualitative research approach utilising semistructured interviews was conducted with 25 IO Psychologists. Thematic analysis was utilised to analyse the collected data using the suggestions by Braun and Clarke. Main findings: Two main findings emerged from the study informed by the thematic analysis conducted. Firstly, the IO Psychologists expressed challenges of a direct nature affecting their practice and individual well-being. Secondly, the participating IO Psychologists suggested resultant professional roles that emerged from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. These included (1) prioritisation of personal physical and mental health, (2) more technological skills and acumen needed to adjust to the challenges posed by the pandemic, (3) promotion of continued professional learning and (4) the necessity for support networks amongst practitioners. Practical/managerial implications: Implications are drawn for the practitioners and individuals working within the IO Psychology context. These extend at assisting the practitioners within the presented challenges. Contribution/value-add: Through the findings, suggestions to inform IO Psychology as a practice are made. Furthermore, roles in assisting IO Psychologists to adjust to the new normal are suggested. The study becomes one of the first within these disciplines to charter suggestions for this important practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The roles of doctors and nurses in clinical supervision and clinical education are well defined. The role of the physiotherapist in clinical education has not been clearly defined. Objectives: The aim of this study was to define and clarify the views and experiences of physiotherapy clinical supervisors regarding clinical education and their role in contributing to student learning. Methods: This qualitative exploratory study targeted 17 physiotherapy clinical supervisors, employed in a physiotherapy department, at a local university in the Western Cape. Twelve of the 17 participants agreed to participate in the study. Data were collected by means of in-depth audio-taped interviews, at a time convenient for the participants. Each transcript was read individually by the first author and notes made in the margins to highlight interesting concepts that emerged. The different types of concepts were listed and categorised, while common categories were grouped into themes. Results: Based on the results, the clinicians' role is viewed as a valuable asset in clinical education, embodying the role of an educator, mentor, role model and communicator. Clinical supervisors discussed their roles in terms of understanding the importance of clinical supervision, providing guidance within a clinical setting, role modelling and professionalism. Although clinical supervisors play a significant role, they experienced a few challenges including role clarification and students' lack of knowledge. Conclusion: This study highlights that clinical supervisors and clinicians fulfil significant roles in assisting students to integrate theoretical and clinical knowledge. Clinical implications: Understanding the expectations of clinical supervisors in supporting clinical education is important for higher education institutions and the clinical sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual practices among gay and other men who have sex with men are evolving in South Africa and heteronormative stereotypes are being contested. This paper draws from a larger qualitative study on how men construct a gay identity and negotiate their relationships within contemporary South African contexts, following constitutional and legal changes, in this respect. A feminist, social constructionist approach was used to collect and analyse data from in-depth interviews with 15 self-identified gay men, aged 20 to 46 years, drawn from a university in the larger Cape Metropole, South Africa. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic and narrative analysis. 'Bottoms' revealed being powerful in receptive sex. Other men deconstructed the binaries of masculine/feminine and resisted heteronormativity by engaging in fluid constructions in their relationships, whereby participants 'switched' or 'flipped' or did not recognise stereotypical roles when practising sex. There may be value in making these flexible and reciprocal sexual practices better known about and promoted as non-normative African models of sexual practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fathers of young infants have a crucial role to play in the promotion, support and protection of breastfeeding as women often face many challenges during the post-partum period. The World Health Organization recommends paying particular attention to participation by the male partners in child and maternal health as they also have responsibilities and roles to play in nurturing their young ones and supporting their families. The focus of this research was to explore and to describe the perceived roles of fathers in the support, protection and promotion of breastfeeding. This study adopted a qualitative method using an explorative and descriptive design, and the sample included twelve fathers of infants aged less than six months at Schoonoord Village, Sekhukhune District, Limpopo province, South Africa. Using in-depth individual unstructured interviews, data were collected until data saturation was attained and analysed using Tesch's open-coding method. The findings show that fathers perceive breastfeeding to be the optimum feeding choice for the baby and beneficial to the mother. Provision of emotional and financial support to the women, protection of the mother and the baby, motivation and assistance in seeking healthcare emerged as the key roles of fathers during the breastfeeding period. This study recommends that fathers be involved in breastfeeding counselling and that healthcare providers create an environment that is conducive to the participation of fathers in the topic of infant feeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origin and development of counselling psychology in South Africa has been profoundly influenced by the country's sociopolitical history and the impact of apartheid. As a result of this, counselling psychologists in the country face a number of challenges and opportunities for the future. In this paper we provide a portrait of counselling psychology in South Africa by describing the current character of the specialty and the context in which South African psychologists work. We critically discuss the challenges that the specialty faces to meet the country's mental health care needs, contest the current Scope of Practice; affirm multiculturalism without essentialising or reifying race and ethnicity, and build an evidence base for community interventions in the country. We also consider how, in the future, counselling psychologists in South Africa may make a more meaningful contribution within public health and the country's health care and education systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: District and sub-district pharmacist positions were created during health sector reform in South Africa. High prevalence of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and increasing chronic non-communicable diseases have drawn attention to their pivotal roles in improving accessibility and appropriate use of medicines at the primary level. This research describes new roles and related competencies of district and sub-district pharmacists in Cape Town.Methods: Between 2008 and 2011, the author (HB) conducted participatory action research in Cape Town Metro District, an urban district in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, partnering with pharmacists and managers of the two government primary health care (PHC) providers. The two providers function independently delivering complementary PHC services across the entire geographic area, with one provider employing district pharmacists and the other sub-district pharmacists. After an initiation phase, the research evolved into a series of iterative cycles of action and reflection, each providing increasing understanding of district and sub-district pharmacists' roles and competencies. Data was generated through workshops, semi-structured interviews and focus groups with pharmacists and managers which were recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was carried out iteratively during the 4-year engagement and triangulated with document reviews and published literature.Results: Five main roles for district and sub-district pharmacists were identified: district/sub-district management; planning, co-ordination and monitoring of pharmaceuticals; information and advice; quality assurance and clinical governance; and research (district pharmacists)/dispensing at clinics (sub-district pharmacists). Although the roles looked similar, there were important differences, reflecting the differing governance and leadership models and services of each provider. Five competency clusters were identified: professional pharmacy practice; health system and public health; management; leadership; and personal, interpersonal and cognitive competencies. Whilst professional pharmacy competencies were important, generic management and leadership competencies were considered critical for pharmacists working in these positions.Conclusions: Similar roles and competencies for district and sub-district pharmacists were identified in the two PHC providers in Cape Town, although contextual factors influenced precise specifications. These insights are important for pharmacists and managers from other districts and sub-districts in South Africa and inform health workforce planning and capacity development initiatives in countries with similar health systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional health practitioners (THPs) are considered as the entry level of care in African societies and play an important role in the delivery of health services to the population. A phenomenological qualitative study was carried out among purposefully selected THPs in Mthatha to understand their roles and the challenges they face in providing maternal health services. The study included a focus group discussion with seven participants which yielded three themes and seven subthemes. The content analysis of descriptive data from the focus group discussion revealed threats posed by unregistered and counterfeit THPs to the lives of pregnant women in rural settings. The THPs' wide range of services allowed pregnant women to receive prenatal, antenatal, and postnatal care in proximity. However, this community level of care was marked by high levels of secrecy and counterfeit practitioners who used human body parts, which compromised the practice and rendered it unpopular. The South African government recommended the establishment of a register for THPs in order to protect the public, including the clarification of functional referral pathways between THPs and conventional health services.

The learning process is a challenging and complex one with many different role players and a variety of different factors that need to be taken into account. Successful learning for students at higher education institutions requires that all the role players must bring their part. The objective in this paper is to discuss the role of one such role player, that of the lecturer in the learning process, and to arrive at a possible learning-centred approach that views the learning process as a partnership between the student as the learner, and the lecturer as mediator and facilitator of the learning process. The theoretical framework of the paper is based on the learning theories of Dewey, Bandura and Vygotsky (among others) that view the learning process as a socially constructed one. An analysis is presented on how some lecturers at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa view their role in the learning process, and on how they facilitate learning in the classroom. It is hoped that this paper will contribute to a better and for some (renewed) understanding of the important role that academics fulfill in the learning process, and the responsibility that higher education institutions have towards all students that they admit into their respective degree programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ten family physicians and family medicine registrars in a South African semi-rural training complex reflected on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis during their quarterly training complex meeting. The crisis has become the disruptor that is placing pressure on the traditional roles of the family physician. The importance of preventative and promotive care in a community-oriented approach, being a capacity builder and leading the health team as a consultant have assumed new meanings.