An assessment of the perception of the role of the Christian religious leader in the political process: the case of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
- Authors: Terblanche, Thomas Frank
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: South Africa -- Politics and government Church and state -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality , Christianity and politics -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Holland Reformed Church -- Political aspects -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/20746 , vital:29385
- Description: The Church and clergy, during Apartheid played a significant role in the South African political process. It was possible to divide the church into three distinct groups, pro-government, anti-government and neutral churches and clergy. The Dutch Reformed Church because of its close association to the National Party was often dubbed the “National Party of Prayer.” They played an important role in providing moral legitimacy for the regime. On the other hand, church leaders including Allan Boesak and Desmond Tutu were synonymous in their fight against apartheid. The Church still plays a significant role in a democratic South Africa. By virtue of Stats SA 2011 which states that just under eighty percent of South Africans have Christian affliations. However, democratic South Africa has secular constitution which clearly indicates the separation between church and government. Clergy find themselves in an ambiguous situation in a ‘secular state.’ What exactly is the broader role of the Church and in particular clergy in democratic ‘secular’ South Africa? The ambiguity is also fuelled by politicians who often request clergy’s participation in the political process and on other occasions state that clergy should keep to “church business” Part of this enquiry is be answered by asking clergy what they believe their role is. In 2014 a selection of Christian leaders in the Nelson Mandela Bay area decried the governance in the NMBM and South Africa in general. It is to be seen as awakening of clergy in the political process. The objectives of the study are as follows: to look at how Christian religious leaders construct their role in a post-apartheid context with a specific focus on the NMBM, to capture the views of government and political parties1 on what role the Church should play in post-apartheid South Africa, A comparative thematic analysis to determine if there are any similarities or differences in how the Church perceives their political role vis-à-vis the perception of government.
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- Date Issued: 2017
National Diploma (Engineering : Electrical) extended programme students' perceptions of the benefits of academic development initiatives at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
- Authors: Greef, Samantha
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Universities and colleges -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth -- Admission , Curriculum change -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Education, Higher -- Curricula -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/3305 , vital:20422
- Description: During the last two decades, political change in South Africa has resulted in significant changes to higher education (HE) admission policies. Increased admission into South African universities has meant an increase in student diversity and different levels of preparedness of the students negotiating their way through their academic studies. Academic success of students remains a focus and one way of addressing this has been the introduction of various extended programmes at South African universities. Extended programmes have various academic development initiatives embedded in the coursework. These are designed to assist the academic progress of students. However, student success remains elusive as so many factors may impact. The purpose of this study therefore, was to investigate the perceptions of the National Diploma (Engineering: Electrical) Extended Programme students with regard to the benefits of the academic development initiatives offered by the NMMU, in order to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences as Extended Programme students. An exploratory sequential research design was employed, consisting of two phases of data collection, following each other successively (Creswell, 2012). The first phase of the data collection involved both quantitative and qualitative data. This was followed by a consecutive collection of qualitative data with the aim to enhance the themes that emerged from the first phase of this study. This mixed-methods research design facilitated the gathering of rich data to answer the research questions. The results indicated that these students perceived the academic development initiatives they received as positive and beneficial to their development. In addition, they felt adequately prepared for the mainstream curriculum; acquired and applied many skills relative to their field; and considered themselves to be at an advantage when comparing themselves to their mainstream counterparts.
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- Date Issued: 2014