Femicide, the intentional killing of women based on their gender, is a pervasive and disturbing issue globally, with South Africa experiencing alarmingly high rates. This systematic literature review examines the socio-cultural determinants of femicide in South Africa. Through a comprehensive analysis of scholarly articles, reports, and studies, the review aims to enhance our understanding of the multifaceted nature of femicide in the country. Taking a socio-cultural lens, the review investigates factors contributing to femicide, such as gender norms, patriarchy, cultural beliefs, and practices. The review explores the intersections of gender, violence, and culture, analyzing the consequences of femicide on victims, families, communities, and society. Identifying gaps in knowledge, the review emphasizes the need for further research and policy development. It concludes by providing recommendations for interventions, policies, and strategies to prevent and address femicide in South Africa. This review serves as a crucial tool to promote dialogue, and guide evidence-based interventions against femicide.
The nation has witnessed an increasing migration in post-apartheid South Africa, significantly diversifying its societal fabric. This evolving multicultural landscape has noticeable instances of violence and necessitates a deeper awareness, understanding, and acceptance of the various cultures now present within communities. The rise in immigrant populations has underscored multicultural education's importance in fostering a peaceful, inclusive society. This study offers a unique and innovative exploration of whether multicultural education can contribute to peacebuilding and promote a worldview that embraces diversity within schools. The research delves into the critical need for multicultural education in South Africa's schools by utilizing focus groups and interviews conducted at an independent school in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal. Pinetown has notable instances of school violence. The study further adopted action research to model the peacebuilding lessons that address the challenges posed by the country’s diverse demographic landscape and the associated issues of violence, xenophobia, and tribalism. The findings of this study underscore the potential of multicultural education to drive a paradigm shift, empower learners, and positively influence social dynamics. By fostering cultural competence, encouraging parental and community involvement, and creating safe, inclusive spaces, this research provides valuable insights for educational authorities and schools. Ultimately, the study lays a foundation for the following researchers to explore various transformative roles of multicultural education in shaping a harmonious and diverse society.
The dawn of democracy in South Africa ignited hope among the non-white population for effective service delivery and the end of separate development, a legacy of colonial administration. However, thirty years later, South Africa faces significant challenges, including service delivery backlogs, corruption, inadequate capacity, and poor monetary management, which hinder effective service delivery planning. The decentralization of governance aimed to address these issues by shifting responsibilities to local governments, yet this process has been largely ineffective due to the lack of genuine citizen participation, superficial integrated development planning, and insufficient local government capacity. Despite South Africa’s elevated level of decentralization, governance remains fragmented, with overlapping districts, unclear mandates, incomplete coordination, and contradictory implementation. This has perpetuated service delivery challenges, particularly affecting impoverished and unemployed populations. The paper argues that the superficial nature of decentralized governance has contributed to slow service delivery and planning in rural areas. It concludes that the ineffective decentralization has led to deteriorating service infrastructure, inadequate service provision, and worsening poverty. Consequently, after thirty years into democracy, the situation for many, especially in rural regions,remains precarious.
The South African government introduced the Disability Policy in 2015 to support the inclusion and rights of differently abled students in higher education. Despite these efforts, differently abled students continue to encounter significant barriers in higher education, calling into question the effectiveness of current policy implementation. This study examines the implementation of the Disability Policy at selected institutions in the Raymond Mhlaba Municipality, Eastern Cape, to evaluate if the mandate is being fulfilled. Using a qualitative approach, fifteen differently abled students and five staff members from Disability and Student Counselling Units were selected through purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews provided in-depth insights into the challenges and successes of policy implementation. Data was thematically analyzed, revealing persistent barriers such as inadequate staff training, insufficient resources, and a lack of clear guidelines within the policy. Additionally, some students hesitated to access support due to low awareness or stigma associated with disclosure. The findings underscore the need for comprehensive improvements, including policy reviews, increased budget allocations, and enhanced training for institutional staff on disability policy and inclusivity practices. The study advocates for a proactive, collaborative approach to ensure effective policy implementation, ultimately guiding policymakers on bridging the gap between policy and practice in South African higher education.
The paper endeavors to demonstrate why the multiples structural inequalities of South Africa’s economy continue unabated; and, why the socio-economic context of South Africa fails to demonstrate characterizations of having shifted from the age of colonial administration during apartheid to development management thinking and practice in a democratic state. The paper employs a heavy reliance on the conceptual approach to scientific research writing through utilizing secondary literature sources solicited through desktop analysis and survey. Published scientific journal articles, conference proceedings, doctoral thesis and government reports are the cornerstone for the literature review presented in this paper. It finds that the transition from development administration to development management is frustrated by a grim structural and planning heritage of South Africa, chiefly characterized by economic and financial exclusion which cuts across various socio-economic dimension of most rural and urban inhabitants of South Africa. The paper concludes that the realization of development management ideals in South Africa is contingent on appropriate policy design which will direct national, provincial and local government planning and service delivery efforts.
