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The crisis of trade union representation in post-1973 unions and the role of the full-time shop steward (FTSS): A case study of NUMSA at BMW Rosslyn Plant Tshwane South Africa.

Full-time shop stewards (FTSSs) are elected trade union shop stewards paid by the employer to do full-time union work. This is a peculiar arrangement in the South African industrial landscape which draws from the German model of workers’ councils. These FTSSs were first negotiated in the early 1980s at Ford and Volkswagen (VW) in South Africa. The main reason for these FTSSs was, as noted by Gomomo (1985), to deal with production pressures and disruptions caused by ordinary shop stewards, who, from time to time, would be pulled from the production line to attend to trade union business.

Robots and Dignity from an Afro-Communitarian Perspective

One of the criticisms raised against using technologies powered with artificial intelligence (AI) is that some of their uses would undermine human dignity. This argument is prevalent in healthcare and military robotics, where it is argued that the use of these AI technologies in various domains undermines or violates the dignity of those human beings who are in contact with them. In this thesis, I look to investigate Under which conditions various AI technologies would undermine human dignity.

Data interoperability of health information systems in public hospitals in Gauteng province of South Africa

There is a great demand for data interoperability in the healthcare industry as a result of broader and longer-standing changes, but long-standing obstacles have also been hindering this trend. It is undeniable that healthcare providers are struggling to embracing interoperability because they are trapped in silos within a plethora of disparate systems of health information.

An annotated catalogue and pedagogical approach to clarinet music by Southern African composers: 1995–2022

Documenting and cataloguing Southern African clarinet music for performing, teaching, and learning is one of the best ways to preserve the region’s heritage and rich musical identity. Globally, several publications contain annotated bibliographies for the clarinet repertoire, but only a limited number include works by Southern African composers. Continued research and cataloguing of clarinet-related literature is crucial for future developments of the clarinet within a Southern African context and ensuring that the music is not “lost” or that the composers remain unknown.

The social contexts of childhood malnutrition in South Africa

Background: Childhood malnutrition is a major public health challenge of global importance. It may result from either excessive or deficient nutrients. Despite investments and several efforts made by the South African government and civil society organizations to improve child health, the prevalence of childhood malnutrition remains high in South Africa. South Africa is still lagging in in achieving the sustainable development goals 1-3 (i.e., 1- no poverty, 2 – zero hunger and 3 –good health and wellbeing).

Challenges and opportunities for coal communities in a just transition: towards a transition underpinned by environmental justice

To respond to the global crisis caused by climate change, South Africa is embarking on a Just Transition towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy. The transition is premised on a decarbonisation process undertaken through a Just Energy Transition (JET). At the core of this study lies the following question: what are the opportunities and challenges for coal communities in a Just Transition?

Decolonizing and Decentering: Developing 21st Century Competencies in the South African Middle School Music Classroom

Educators world-wide find themselves in the challenging position of educating young adolescents for a future in which exponential knowledge doubling will become a reality. Together with the medical prognosis of a much longer life span for this age group and a radical restructuring of the global economy, the implication is that today’s youth will need the skills to negotiate a much longer career of self-employment through a succession of jobs, often collaborative in nature and mostly Internet-driven.

Exploring the views and perceptions of cybersecurity among South African military officers

Cyberspace is expanding at a rapid pace and extends its reach into the functioning of society. The pervasive nature of cyberthreats poses a significant security challenge to governments, businesses, organisations, and individual users. The contribution this study makes to the field of cybersecurity lies in its methodological approach to focusing on South African military officers, which is a hitherto under-researched subject in the South African domain.

Morphosyntactic patterns in Xitsonga: Focus on Verbal extensions

This study aims to contribute to the grammatical description of Xitsonga, an often-neglected language in Bantu linguistics. Drawing theoretical insights from comparative Bantu linguistics, such as Hyman’s (2003) Causative-Applicative-Reciprocal-Passive template hereafter abbreviated as CARP and Cocchi’s (2009) grouping criteria of verbal extensions into syntactic and lexical categories, the study’s main focus is on the descriptive analysis of the verbal extensions and their impact on the form and morpho-syntactic structure of Xitsonga.