http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1560 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:25:48 GMT 2026-04-13T12:25:48Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1563 Death and Mourning Rituals in the South African Church: Towards a Biblical Model for Counselling Bereaved Families of Emmanuel Assemblies in Bolobedu South, Limpopo Province Modiba, CFE Death is an inevitable occurrence that affect most human beings one way or another such that some people engage in several activities in response to its affects and to obtain spiritual healing or closure (Baloyi 2016, 201-216, Itsweni and Tshifhumulo 2018, 11705-11727). Among the Balobedu people of Bolobedu south in Limpopo prov ince, South Africa, there were speculations about death and mourning rituals that be reaving members observed which left some who fellowshipped in Emmanuel Assem blies Church not sure as how to respond to the call of rituals. They used the Bible as their guide to evaluate the situation so that their faith would not be compromised. This gave birth to researching these rituals by purposefully sampling 39 participants from Ga-Motupa, Kgwekge, Relela, Morutjie and Motlhomeng, to establish the reality of the matter. The objective of the study was to investigate the death and mourning rituals that Balobedu people of Bolobedu south in Limpopo province, South Africa; performed with a view of formulating a biblical counselling model that can assist Emmanuel As semblies church members residing in the same vicinity to deal with death-related ritu als that directly need their engagements. With an approved consent form signed by the participants, various one-on-one inter views, pre-arranged by the participants recruiter, using semi-structured questions translated into Khelobedu (a dialect of Balobedu People) were conducted to collect data after the permission from both the royal house in Khetlhakong and their respec tive headmen were obtained. The research findings indicate that death and mourning rituals are performed by some nations around the globe, Balobedu included, to honour the deceased, to appease the dead and to obtain healing from the loss. The study also found that, Emmanuel mem bers lack a biblical counselling model to assist them on matters related to death and mourning rituals. The researcher also proposed a biblical counselling model to Em manuel leadership for adoption and use among their churches for them to obtain guid ance in the event of loss. The model combines Magezi’s seven approaches of pastoral care and Steward’s three steps of counselling. Thesis Tue, 04 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1563 2024-06-04T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1562 An Exploratory Study on the Challenges Faced by Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in the Schools of Maleboho East Circuit of the Capricorn District of Limpopo Province to Develop a Multi-Disciplinary Model Ntjana, NE Society faces the serious challenges of having to find solutions to look after orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC), who often survive against all odds, and are exposed to more threatening or challenging environments than other children. Although this is a widespread and global problem, in sub-Saharan Africa it is exacerbated by other precarious social conditions such as poverty, unemployment, inequality and domestic violence, among other factors. South Africa is no exception to these challenges. Being a developing country, it is still faced with an escalating problem of vulnerable children. This scenario is complicated by the fact that the scope of vulnerable children is vast and complex, but OVCs form the most vulnerable group, as they experience multiple dimensions of vulnerabilities. The South African Government took a positive step and responded with a series of legislations, policies and programmes to mitigate the vulnerability of children. However, despite these responses, the issue of vulnerability continues to grow. In schools, vulnerability makes it extremely difficult for OVC to cope with the demands of academic work and causes them to repeat their grades several times. The present study explored the challenges facing OVC in schools of the Maleboho East Circuit. The communities around the Maleboho East Circuit are termed multi-risks communities, where social issues such as poverty, unemployment, inequality and substance abuse are prevalent. The study anchored itself on ecosystem theory, emphasising the importance of a person in context, strength-based, which was a shift from deficiencies to strengths and resilience theory. This approach provided a lens and mind map that guided the study. This was paramount for a study of this nature, as the problems experienced by the child at home will eventually cascade into the school environment, where academic performance is needed. The three theories were complementary to each other, as they were used to compensate each other’s deficiencies. The study followed an interpretive paradigm, which placed emphasis on the participants’ 2 lived experiences. In a study such as this one, where in-depth data was required; this paradigm allowed the researcher to enter the participants’ lived world through a focus group discussion and personal interviews. From the interviews, themes and sub-themes were generated that were informed by the participants’ responses. Findings indicated that the OVC face many challenges both in school and in their homes as well as their communities. In their homes, they are heavily burdened with household chores that consume most of their time, making it difficult for OVC to juggle both household duties and academic work, causing serious barriers that hinder their academic progress, and results in them often failing and repeating their grades multiple times. They are also challenged by other psychosocial issues such as anger and frustration, and emotional difficulties caused by their lack of basic and school necessities. Though faced with these challenges, they developed their own coping strategies to manage their situation. However, the researcher concluded that the OVC’s challenges made them feel and become educationally excluded. As most OVC are coming from impoverished homes, they will fail to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty they are subjected to. Therefore, the researcher recommended that the government as a custodian of children’s welfare should create an environment that is more conducive for the policy for inclusive education to be implemented. Schools should adopt a responsibility, where the focus is not only on education, but on creating an environment where all learners will be catered for holistically, irrespective of their background, thereby enabling them to become better citizens of tomorrow. This is in line with the spirit of the Constitution of South Africa, 1996. Thesis Tue, 04 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1562 2024-06-04T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1561 A Research and Development Model for Planning and Development in South Africa’s Provincial Administration: A Case of Selected Provinces Mokgokong, MJ Scholars hold a well-established view that Research and Development (R&D) is a strategic tool to accelerate and catalyze government planning and development globally. Hence, countries such as Germany, Japan, China, Belgium, Singapore and the United Kingdom continue to rely on R&D for evidence-based planning and socio-economic development. However, even with the abundance of this evidence, most provincial administrations in South Africa still find it difficult to utilize empirical evidence for planning and development. It is against this background that the study looked comparatively at the Limpopo, Gauteng and Northwest provincial administrations. The interconnectedness between R&D, planning and development within a South African provincial administration space was investigated by probing the selected provincial planning and development approaches used by these provinces. The study also tackled the discourse of R&D investment and funding in these provincial administrations in South Africa. The theoretical frameworks underpinning the study are the New Public Management Theory and the Public Management Reform Theory. The study employed a qualitative research method underpinned by a case study research design in order to allow the researcher to comparatively analyse the studied phenomenon in the three selected provinces of Limpopo, Gauteng and Northwest. Additionally, the provinces were purposively selected based on their provincial performances in planning and development. A pilot study was conducted to pre-test the validity and relevancy of the data collection instrument; whereas a full-scale study was later conducted and targeted 22 key informants in the offices of the premier precisely because these offices are the coordinators of planning and development in provinces. The universities of Limpopo, Venda, Northwest and South Africa were included in the study and the representatives of provincial research forums in Limpopo and Northwest Provinces were also probed. The primary data was collected using interviews; secondary data was obtained from reviewed literature and government documents. Data was analysed using a thematic analysis through ATLAS.ti. The empirical evidence revealed a dearth of reliance on research and development in Limpopo and Northwest Provinces and an underutilization of R&D in Gauteng Province. A key finding of the study revealed that the deeply rooted challenge associated with utilizing R&D for planning and development purposes is that it is viewed not as a priority but as an afterthought, especially 8 in Limpopo and North West. In Gauteng strides have been made in the investment and funding of R&D, although improvements are needed. There is also a gap between theory, as in what is contemplated theoretically, and policy and practice, as in what is needed on the ground as far R&D funding and investment are concerned. The study proposes an R&D model for planning and development in South Africa’s provincial administration. The model identifies and suggests critical factors needed to influence the role of research and development in government’s planning and development. These factors are twofold—internal and external. The internal factors are those that are specifically directed to government as the key role player and the coordinator of planning and development, particularly the offices of the premier due to their strategic roles in provincial administrations. The external factors refer to those that lie outside public administration or government and relate to external institutions, which in this context are the academia/universities, civil society and the private sector. These factors will enable the government to function better and together with these key role players it can successfully execute its mandate of improving the lives of the citizenry and transforming society. Additionally, this model will contribute to the policy landscape in South Africa since its findings and recommendations can be extrapolated to other provinces. The study will also contribute to the body of knowledge on R&D by closing the knowledge gap between the studied phenomenon and its relevance at provincial and local levels. Tue, 04 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1561 2024-06-04T00:00:00Z