https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/6421 2026-08-06T10:31:05Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32832 Church breakaways as a prototype of commercialisation and commodification of religion in the Pentecostal Church Movement in South Africa: considering curricula offerings for pastors Masenya, Madipoane; Masenya, Malesela The common occurrence of church breakaways witnessed in the Pentecostal Church Movement in South Africa today highlights trends that appear bent towards the commercialisation and commodification of religion. Material and financial gain are seen as motivators of such a trend. On the other hand, research shows that signs of underperformance and a poor show in church leadership among religious leaders may be attributed to among others, deficiencies in the initial training of pastors. This article will, through the employment of literature review and careful observation made among communities, discuss breakaway trends and their impact on churches and society. Thereafter, we will suggest pointers to be followed in curriculum development for religious leaders. The article will also briefly refer to the current debate on the decolonisation of curricula offerings in training programmes for pastors. Such an approach could add value to good practice to those who aspire to become religious leaders in serving communities. 2018-12-31T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32831 A community needs responsive management training model: Re-envisioning management training for pastors of the International Assemblies of God Church Masenya, Malesela J; Booyse, Johannes J; Booyse, Johannes Non-profit organisations (NGO’s) play an important role in helping satisfy society’s many needs. Churches, for example, are called upon to address critical challenges facing the South African society such as discrepancies in life chances, unemployment and corruption. It largely depends on the management skills of leaders of such organisations to succeed in their endeavour to meet community needs. In order to improve these skills, this study sought to redefine the initial training of student pastors, including their management training, at the colleges of the International Assemblies of God Church (IAG). A qualitative research approach was followed. Two focus group interviews and seven individual interviews were conducted. Interviews included members of the national and provincial executive committees of the IAG, serving pastors, directors of training colleges, pastor trainees in their final year of study, and a newly graduated student. The findings of the study support the importance of formal management training for pastors before being employed in the service of the IAG. This Church has moved away from accepting ministers for service based on their faith and profession of a call to ministry only. The investigation revealed shortcomings in the initial training programmes of pastors; for example, the emphasis on theological courses at the expense of courses that are responsive to community needs and management training issues. Leaders with the competency to respond to community needs are required. The implementation of a transformational management framework, which includes community responsive courses, is recommended as a way to effectively train church leaders. 2016-03-31T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32751 The role of the School Governing Body in supporting teacher resilience in the face of learner indiscipline in Western Cape high schools Goldstone, Cyril Gary This study critically investigated the underexplored nexus between school governance and teacher resilience, specifically examining the capacity of school governing bodies (SGBs) to mitigate the effects of persistent learner indiscipline in Western Cape high schools. Positioned within South Africa’s decentralised democratic governance model, a salient contradiction was identified: despite their statutory authority, SGBs are largely constrained by administrative compliance, with their potential role in sustaining teachers amid behavioural crises remaining both conceptually and operationally underdeveloped. The research inquiry was theoretically anchored within an integrated framework that synthesised social capital theory (Bourdieu, Coleman, Putnam, Landman) and socioecological resilience theory (Bronfenbrenner, Ungar). This synthesis facilitated a systemic analysis that transcended individualised coping narratives, reconceptualising resilience as a relationally embedded phenomenon. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods research approach ensured methodological rigour. A quantitative survey of 355 SGB members established statistically significant consensus on the need for expanded SGB involvement in teacher support while revealing substantive deficits in training, role clarity, and structural guidance. Subsequent qualitative analysis of 30 semi structured interviews yielded four coherent thematic findings: the imperative to reconceptualise SGB roles beyond compliance; actionable governance strategies for resilience support; socio-community determinants of learner indiscipline; and contextual constraints in Western Cape schools. The study’s principal theoretical contribution is the empirically grounded School Governing Body Resilience Support Framework (SRSF). This cyclical framework – comprising four interdependent pillars, namely, Empowerment, Engagement, Intervention, and Evaluation – repositions SGBs as a pivotal coordinating node within schools’ socioecological system. The SRSF provides a theoretically coherent, contextually attuned model for leveraging social capital and aligning governance praxis with proactive teacher support. The study concludes by advancing evidence-based recommendations for SGBs, school management teams, and provincial education authorities, emphasising policy recalibration, structured capacitation, and institutional uptake of the proposed framework. By theorising teacher resilience as a governance-enabled collective endeavour, this research makes a substantive contribution to scholarship in educational leadership and offers a pragmatic instrument for policy reform, professional practice, and sustainable school advancement. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32686 Departmental head’s experiences in mentoring and supporting novice secondary teachers in rural Malelane circuit, Mpumalanga Province Khoza, Bhekinkosi Postoli The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of Department Heads (DHs) in supporting and mentoring novice secondary school teachers in rural Malelane circuit, Mpumalanga Province. The main research drawn from the aim of the study was -what are the experiences of the Departmental Heads (DHs) in mentoring and supporting novice secondary teachers in rural Malelane circuit Mpumalanga province? The study took place in one circuit in a rural area of Mpumalanga Province. The study took a qualitative approach and used a case study design. The study was conducted in four schools in the selected circuit. The study used the theoretical framework of the Situational Mentoring Framework by Kajs to guide it. The study participants were eight DHs from the four schools, with two DHs per school. A semi-structured interview was used to gather the data from the participants. The findings of the study show that DHs assume the role of being mentors to novice teachers by virtue of being head of the department and head of the subject under the department. In preparation for mentoring novice teachers, DHs organise all the teaching and learning resources that the novice teacher requires. DHs mentor and support novice teachers by discussing policy documents with novice teachers and assisting novice teachers to plan and present lessons. During the mentorship process, the DHs experience challenges from novice teachers, such as inappropriate dress code, absenteeism, arrogant behaviour of the novice teachers, poor classroom management and inability to talk about frustrations. The DHs address their experience in the mentoring process by meeting with novice teachers and discussing the problems encountered, as well as encouraging novice teachers to adopt positive behaviour. DHs also report to the senior management by providing a report on the progress of the mentorship process and the competency of the novice teachers in classroom management. 2025-11-01T00:00:00Z