https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/14070 Sun, 03 May 2026 09:33:07 GMT 2026-05-03T09:33:07Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/14115 The ethical demise of the politcal policy of affirmative action as a motive for enhancing women and education in South Africa : a double setback of a reverse strategy Slater, Jennifer In this article, the author questions whether the South African government is deceiving itself by parading an ultraliberal Con-stitution while failing to implement gender equality in educa-tion, society and the church. She explores the political policy of affirmative action as it pertains to rectifying the educational and gender inequalities of the past. Regrettably, since 1994, new discriminatory practices have emerged in the form of in-creasing gender violence, xenophobia, homophobia, corrup-tion, fraudulent leadership, abuse of freedom and new expres-sions of exclusivity. This leads the author to question whether the provisions for affirmative action and gender equality in education and employment are nothing more than a political smoke screen, since instead of levelling the playing field, these provisions appear to have had the opposite effect. Conse-quently, the author examines whether the provision for gender equality in education actually poses a threat to the long-established cultural and social traditions that regard men as the dominant force in both public and private domains. Peer reviewed Fri, 01 Aug 2014 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/14115 2014-08-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/14114 The liberation potential of Shona culture and the gospel : a post-feminist perspective Chimhanda, Francisca Hildegardis The basic presupposition is that the original God-human-cos-mos mutual interconnectedness or interrelationship is tarnished and distorted by evil in all its manifestations; that culture and the Gospel have seeds for restoring this intricate plexus of relationships impinging on humanity’s creation and baptismal dignity of the imago Dei/Christi, the integrity of creation, and the baptismal vocation of sharing in the mission of Christ ad gentes (to the nations, cf. Mk 15:16). Challenges and contribu-tions of liberation theology, in general, and feminist, eco-femi-nist and post-feminist perspectives, in particular, are critically examined in the backdrop of the Shona culture-Gospel creative dialogue. The spotlight is on the quest for a liberating, holistic, inclusive and responsible theanthropocosmic (theos/thea [God/ess – anthropos [humankind] – cosmos/world) theology sensitive to the signs of the times. Theological methodology highlights the mutual influencing of enculturation, evangelisa¬tion and incarnation. Peer reviewed Fri, 01 Aug 2014 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/14114 2014-08-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/14113 The culturally-gendered pastoral care model of women caring for refugee girls in a context of HIV/AIDS Buffel, Olehile The objective of this article is to investigate how women care-givers who look after Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) girls in a context of HIV/AIDS, understand their pastoral care practice. Though women are traditionally understood as the caregivers in society, their views with regard to how they understand and give meaning to care-giving are not heard. When their views are sought, their views can oppose generally accepted ideas of what counts as “oppressive”. For the purposes of this article, empirical research was undertaken at the Methodist Community Centre in Soweto with caregivers there who provide care for URM girls from Zim¬babwe. This is a qualitative study, with a grounded theory approach. The purpose is to investigate the understanding members of these women caregivers have of the pastoral care they provide to the URM girls. The results of the empirical study are evaluated through the lenses of African women's theology and Margret Mead’s Cultural Adolescent Develop-ment Theory. The study finds that the members of this group of women assume that the proper implementation of cultural-gendered practices can be effective in guiding and conducive to the well-being of the girls in their care. For these women, the extension of care is culturally gendered and feminised. Their notions of effective pastoral care can seem to perpetuate attitudes that feminist thought generally regards as oppressive to women. Peer reviewed Fri, 01 Aug 2014 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/14113 2014-08-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/14112 The "vhusadzi" theology of ministry Landman, C.(Christina) Culture and religion have both a healthy and an unhealthy effect on the leadership development of women in Africa, in particular, the Vhavenda women. The position of women in the church today is influenced by perceptions which people hold, either from a religious or cultural perspective. Male dominated leadership in the church continues to remain unchallenged because the Bible is used to support and entrench the system of patriarchy. The reasons that are given to subordinate women in the church are not very different from those given in societies and structures outside the church – and these reasons are invariably based on culture and/or religion. The article de¬scribes the tenets of the vhusadzi theology as the basis of women’s leadership roles in ministry. The article focuses on the deconstruction of cultural and religious discourses that hold the church and women captive in subordinate and non-leader¬ship roles and the shifting of these discourses to healthy church practices and policies under the guidance of the vhusadzi theology. Peer reviewed Fri, 01 Aug 2014 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/14112 2014-08-01T00:00:00Z