Volume 5 (2016)

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Altruism or economic expediency? A descriptive account of Namibia’s 1998 involvement in the DRC conflict
(University of Namibia, 2016) Amupanda, Job S.
In 1998, Namibia joined the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a conflict referred to by some as the most devastating war to have occurred since the Second World War, resulting in the death and displacement of millions of people. Involving about eight African countries, this war desta-bilised the region, resulting in it being referred to by many as ‘Africa’s First World War.’ During this war, extensive resources of nation states were allocated to warfare, instead of being channelled to-wards more productive and life-saving welfare and poverty alleviation programmes. For example, the United Nations (UN) estimates that the war in the DRC cost Namibia about N$700 Million. While the involvement of Namibia attracted much criticism, it failed to attract academic research of equal measure. Of the research projects conducted, few are by Namibian researchers. There has not been a coherent descriptive account of Namibia’s involvement in this conflict. This article provides a descrip-tive account of Namibia’s involvement in this conflict while exploring and examining Namibia’s mo-tive for being involved in this devastating conflict.
Analysis of factors influencing first year University Undergraduate performance in selected pure Mathematics courses at the National University of Science and Technology – Zimbabwe
(University of Namibia, 2016) Hove, Kudakwashe; Masache, Amon; Showa, Surudzai
In 2012, the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Zimbabwe reviewed the University qualification entry cut-off points downwards in the Applied Mathematics Department. Following the review, there has been a worrisome and distinct change in student performance in first year mathematics courses. To explore the possible causes of the poor performance amongst students, a two-stage probability sampling technique was used to collect secondary data covering mainly admission entry level qualification for each student. A one-way Sir Ronald Fisher’s Analysis of Variance model (ANOVA) was used to explore the contribution of various hypothesised factors to performance in first year undergraduate courses. Mathematics grade at advance level and overall performance in all subjects done at Advanced level by a student have a significant influence on his or her first year pure Mathematics courses performance at NUST. We recommend that the Department should em-ploy remedial strategies to first year pure Mathematics courses if students with low scores in advance level mathematics are to be admitted. Instead of focusing on service courses with large classes only, the Department should prioritise allocating extra tutorial hours to pure Mathematics courses. Furthermore the effects of brain drain can- not be ignored, hence the University should find ways to curb or deal with the gap that the highly experienced staff who left, created.
Aspects of negation in Otjiherero
(University of Namibia, 2016) Kavari, Jekura U.
The purpose of this article is to provide a detailed description of Otjiherero negative grammatical features; to show how negation behaves in Otjiherero expressions; the effect of negation on meanin; the concomitant phonological processes involved; and to determine whether negation reveals Otjiherero sentence structures in general. As Möhlig and Kavari (2008, p.166) put it; “…in independent tenses, negation is expressed by the prefi x hi- for 1st person singular and by ka- for all other persons and classes”, while ha negates all subordinate clauses. Double negation in Otjiherero is a matter of emphasis, although in the Kaoko dialect it is used in a normal way in certain contexts, and though it is not used at all in the central dialect of Otjiherero. As Dembetembe (1986, p. 1) states: “…linguistically affi rmation or negation is a feature of the predicate, the nucleus of which is the verb, whether this is expressed overtly or latently in surface structure”, investigating how negation of predicates works seems to be an appropriate descriptive approach.
Being and Nothingness: Trauma, loss and alienation in Tsitsi Dangarembga’s The Book of Not
(University of Namibia, 2016) Chigwedere, Yuleth
In this article, I reveal how Dangarembga’s narrative echoes Fanon’s “black skin, white masks” psy-chology. The protagonist’s internalisation of a Eurocentric view of her race and culture culminates in a profound belief in her own inferiority and that of her people. I use Laing and Fanon’s psychoanalytic theories to portray the protagonist’s struggle with her sense of identity and ontological security. I argue that the subsequent fractured sense of self she experiences affects her to such an extent that shame, guilt and self-negation dominate her mental make-up. What emerges is that the destabilising effect of the trauma of blackness results in a nullification of subjectivity - a total sense of not-being - that causes the protagonist to plummet into the depths of depression.
Comparative best practices to manage corruption
(University of Namibia, 2016) Coetzee, Johan
During the last two decades debates about corruption and ways to contain it have acquired a new intensity and concentrated focus. There are increasing attempts to construct a global framework of best practices to manage corruption. Because corruption is a systemic challenge that needs a long-term approach to manage, it is worthwhile focusing on best practises that have proved to be the most durable (most sustainable). Such practices that demonstrate elements of systemic reform in-clude reforms in two newly industrialised and two developed countries. In all four cases there was no masterplan and reform evolved over time. Ongoing successes reinforced the momentum of change, and these successes became institutionalised in government processes and the culture of participative governance.
A comprehensive alcohol and drug testing policy in the workplace as an intervention in the mining sector
(University of Namibia, 2016) Maree, Maretha; Lightfoot, Elizabeth; Ananias, Janetta A.
The abuse of alcohol and drugs can negatively affect the workplace. The testing of workers for substances is a sensitive, yet effective intervention to minimise the percentage of workers who test positively for substance abuse. Little research has been conducted to assess the impact of alcohol and drug testing on the workplace. Thus, this qualitative study, carried out in the mining industry in Namibia, investigates how a comprehensive workplace policy on alcohol and drug abuse can reduce substance abuse among workers during working hours. Data was gathered by means of six focus group discussions and 16 in-depth interviews, incorporating workers from all job grades, as well as community members in a closed mining town. The findings show that the comprehensive alcohol and drug testing policy had a positive impact on reducing the occurrence of substance abuse in the workplace. Since the introduction of both random drug and alcohol tests and fit-for-work testing, fewer workers were testing positively for the presence of substances, and participants noted how workers restricted their substance use specifically because of the testing. A central feature of this particular alcohol and drug testing policy is its provision of substance abuse treatment to workers who tested positively for the presence of substances and the involvement of a social worker hired by the mine, rather than simply a punitive approach. However, findings also show that treatment programs need to be followed up with standard aftercare procedures, such as support groups and training on policies and procedures around alcohol and drug testing, in order to improve worker perceptions and acceptance of policies. Furthermore, prevention efforts were regarded as more cost-effective and proactive than the treatment of substance abuse, and holistic substance abuse training was seen as improving awareness among workers.
A condition assessment of the prehistoric art from the Bushman Paradise Cave, Groβe Spitzkoppe, Namibia
(University of Namibia, 2016) Gwasira, Goodman; Katjiuongua, Geogine
The main objective of this study was to assess the overall physical state of the prehistoric rock paintings of the Spitzkoppe. This article presents an evaluation of the condition of the rock art at the Bushman Paradise site. Ideally, a condition survey should be carried out periodically and be used as a monitoring and evaluation tool. This article is a contribution to ideas and methods that can be used to develop integrated and informed conservation strategies for rock art sites in Namibia. It identifies and classifies the causes of deterioration or damage of the rock art at the Bushman Paradise. We argue that systematic documentation is crucial for site management purposes because it is from detailed documentation that a statement of significance of sites can be generated. We conclude from the analysis that anthropogenic causes of deterioration at the Bushman Paradise outweigh natural causes. We conclude by proposing site specific conservation interventions that can be replicated at other sites of similar nature in the Spitzkoppe and Namibia in general.
Confronting the global: The ‘mediatization’ of local culture and Namibian youth receptions of media power
(University of Namibia, 2016) Fox, Tom
This paper investigates the idea of the ‘mediatization’ of Namibian cultures, media power, and degrees of reflexive actor ‘negotiations’ of media institutionalism. It seeks to understand awareness of and reaction to local and global power narratives in relation to actors’ symbolic relationships with media. Research reveals that Namibian youth are often positive regarding the novelty and opportunities that global media off er for identity and lifestyle negotiations. However, it also revealed ontological anxieties about erosion of ‘traditional’ culture on the one hand, and concerns on the other about the absence of representation or recognition of the ‘local’ in global media productions. The Windhoek research on which this paper is based conceptually establishes three reflexive youth orientations and identities toward local/global media power: cultural appropriationist, cultural traditionalist and cultural representationalist. Theories of power and media are contrasted and analysed in relation to these reflexive categories, giving special reference to Lukes (2005). The paper concludes that while media culture today appears to be instrumental in Namibian identity formation and cultural change, social tensions and conflict over matters of culture and power are evident.
An evaluation into why some people in Windhoek want to stay (job embeddedness) and others want to leave their jobs (turnover intention)
(University of Namibia, 2016) Pieters, Wesley R.
Employees’ loyalty is shifting from loyalty towards the organisation to loyalty to the dollar (pay/benefits). There is no sense of pride in their membership of a certain organisation, joy is focused on the benefits an organisation offers and what’s in it for me attitude (employee). Job embeddedness is defined as a construct that deals with a broad array of influences that represents why an employee wants to stay with a specific organisation. Turnover intention can be defined as an employee’s intention to leave his/her job within a certain period of time. When employees experience a good fit, positive links and low sacrifices in their jobs, they are less likely to leave the organisation. Participants were made of 90 (48.1%) teachers from primary schools and 97 (51.9%) legal firm employees. Female employees from legal firms experienced higher levels of turnover intention than any other group. Divorced and single employees from the legal firms experienced significantly higher levels of turnover intention with married employees experiencing the lowest levels of turnover intention. Total turnover intention recorded a negative co-relation with overall job embeddedness (r=-.29*, p < 0.05), a positive co-relation with community job embeddedness (r=.02, p < 0.05) and health care and retirement job embeddedness (r=.14*, p < 0.05). Investing in team building activities, social events for staff members, paying the best competitive salaries and benefits, retaining the more competent employees within the profession will allow the organisation to prosper. Having the best and happiest employees within the market will allow organisations to meet the top two objectives of the organisation, maintain high levels of productivity and retain the best talent.
An exploration of the portrayal of the girl-child in Erna Muller’s novels It all goes wrong and when you dance with the crocodile
(University of Namibia, 2016) Chunga, Timothy M.; Kangira, Jairos
This paper provides a critical analysis of the portrayal of the girl-child by Erna Muller in It all goes wrong (2014) and When you dance with the crocodile (2014). The two novels were selected using purposive sampling as they primarily characterise girl-children as protagonists. The researchers employed the African feminist literary theory as argued by Chukwuma (2006) in this study. The African feminist literary theory was used to study how the girl-child is portrayed in a patriarchal world. Content analysis was used to examine the depiction of the girl-child in the two novels. The study revealed that in both novels the girl-characters make independent decisions and act on them, while other characters such as adults and boys play secondary roles. The study found that Erna Muller portrays the girl-child as innocent, open minded, caring, adventurous, assertive, compasssionate and brave. All in all, it can be concluded that Muller uses the two novels to empower the girl-child.
Factors that cause poor performance in mathematics at National School Secondary Certificate level compared to Junior Secondary Certificate level in four selected schools in the two Kavango educational regions
(University of Namibia, 2016) Mateya, Muhongo; Utete, Christina N.; Ilukena, Alex M.
This paper reports on factors that cause poor performance in Mathematics at the National School Secondary Certificate (NSSC) level compared to Junior Secondary Certificate (JSC) level. A total of 200 learners in Grade 10 (2011) and 170 Grade 12 (2013) were involved in the study. These learners did Mathematics at the same school for a period of three years (2011-2013). This study employed document analysis, a technique used to gather information by reviewing and analysed documents. In this study the following documents were reviewed and analysed: The 2011 Grade 10 November examination results, and the 2013 Grade 12 November examination results, respectively. The findings of this study revealed that 2011 Grade 10 learners who obtained E-U symbols did not perform well in the Grade 12 Mathematics examinations. These findings were of utmost importance to the curriculum developers, the National Institute for Educational Development (NIED), senior education officers, the Ministry of Education, institutions of higher learning, and other stakeholders in Mathematics education.
Gender representation in children’s literature: Limits and potential in Stephen Alumenda’s Marita goes to school and Marita’s great idea, and Jairos Kangira’s The bundle of firewood
(University of Namibia, 2016) Chitando, Anna
Different societies across the globe usually contrast masculinity with femininity. Men are often por-trayed in more positive terms that include being strong, achievers and providers, while women are depicted as the opposite. Such masculinities have emerged to be frameworks within which literary texts can be critiqued. In this article, I employ hegemonic and subordinate masculinities to argue that children’s stories can be utilised to transform unequal gender relations. I explore how Stephen Alu-menda and Jairos Kangira respond to gender issues in Zimbabwean children’s literature. The first sec-tion is a brief introduction that unpacks the concept of children’s literature and places the discussion of gender representation in children’s literature within the context of African literature. In the second segment, I outline how Alumenda endeavours to promote the education of the girl child. The third part highlights how this theme is advanced by Jairos Kangira, another author of children’s books.
Gender-based violence and masculinity in Namibia: A structuralist framing of the debate
(University of Namibia, 2016) Edwards-Jauch, Lucy
Gender-based violence in Namibia is pervasive and solutions to it remain elusive. How we address the problem depends on how we frame it. Gender-based is directly linked to unequal relationships of power and do not stand in isolation of structural and cultural violence in our society. There is a long history of gender inequality and gender-based violence that is deeply imbedded in Namibia’s history. Colonialism was violent and its effects still structures representations of masculinity. It has shaped violent hegemonic and subaltern masculinities. There is also a history of gender-based violence embedded in traditional African patriarchy that is often denied. Gender-based violence should not be sought in the biological or psychological essences of individual perpetrators but, instead, in the nature of our society, our histories and ethnographies of violence. This article locates gender-based violence in a social-historical context and seeks to illuminate some of the intersections between violent masculinities, gender, race and class.
Individual agency and responsibility in African proverbial discourse
(University of Namibia, 2016) Pongweni, Alex
Akarumwa nechekuchera (He was bitten by what he dug up). (Shona idiom reminding that trouble may be lying deep in the earth, minding its own business, as it were. Someone takes a pick and shovel and unearths it. The person bears the responsibility for the consequences of their own action.) While proverbial lore has been the focus of much research and publication over the years, not many of those have thoroughly examined what I intend to interrogate here, namely how this lore seeks to alert us to the connection between our actions and our responsibility for them. Proverbs are as old as human existence, as can be seen in Jewish thinkers devoting a whole book of The Old Testament to them. In their introduction to that book, the editors outline the domains of life in which a knowledge and acceptance of the wisdom contained in proverbs would enable the Children of Israel to live life as God intended at the Creation. These encompass “reverence for the Lord, religious morality, good manners, self-control, humility, patience, etiquette in social relationships, loyalty to friends, respect for the poor, good manners, family relationships, business dealings, common sense”. In this paper, after analysing Shona proverbs whose messages fall into some of these categories, I conclude that, far from being conservative and authoritarian injunctions out of synch with modernity because of their alleged downplaying of, even frowning on individualism for being inimical to African communal-ism, as some Western thinkers have concluded, African proverbs carry wisdom which reminds us of the connection between individual and communal action, on the one hand, and individual and communal responsibility for creating the societies that we live in through such action, on the other; in fact, proverbial lore recognises both individualism and communalism.
Language use and the depiction of violence in pre-colonial Shona folk narratives
(University of Namibia, 2016) Matambirofa, Francis
Drawing illustrations chiefly from oral narratives, this article seeks to interrogate and dissect the imagining of violence in pre-colonial Shona society while paying special attention to the use of language of hatred, pain and injury therein. Language faithfully mirrors and gives away a society’s behavioural, spiritual, political, etc. construction. In view of the violence that has dogged Zimbabwe for several decades now, our point of departure is a polemical refutation of the traditionally held view that has one-sidedly idolised pre-colonial Shona society as peaceful and impliedly violence-free. While surely pre-colonial Shona society could never have been one marathon of violence, nevertheless, holding an analytical mirror to the past will reflect that the peaceful thesis does not constitute the whole truth either. The exaggerated image of a peaceful and innocent Shona society, we argue, was precipitated by a resurgent search for an African identity whose design was to reconnect with the past while countering the racist framing of blacks as a bloodthirsty lot to whose rescue the white man came. However folktales and romances, let alone pre-colonial history itself, betray, quite embarrassingly so for the one-sided view, as well as demonstrate that the Shona were not uniquely endowed with an incapacity for violence.
Literary perspectives of healing practices and approaches to medicine in Chinodya’s Strife
(University of Namibia, 2016) Kandemiri, Coletta M.; Smit, Talita C.
This paper focuses on the dilemma in which some African societies are finding themselves, as the western approach to healing is applied as if all cultural groups are homogenous throughout. This western approach is usually applied with the intention of replacing the existing indigenous healing systems that are already in place and are functional. African cultural groups, like any other cultural groups around the world, have their own approaches to diagnosis and curing of diseases. However, it appears that western approaches are overriding the African approaches, and thereby engendering problems among some of the African cultural groups whose indigenous healing systems are rooted in the spiritual world. In Africa, there are spiritual problems that require spiritual remedies hence; a western approach applied to a spiritual problem could culminate in fatality. At times, the mixing of both African and western approaches may not yield positive and visible results. Strife exposes the dilemma resulting from applying western approaches in an African cultural group and the likely out-come of such a predicament. This paper adopted the African World View Theory as the sub-theory, since the primary text, Strife, is from Africa and written from an Afrocentric perspective, by an African author. Furthermore, the article looks at differing belief systems, herbalism and the role of spiritual mediums. It was found that often a duality in the approaches to healing exists, as illustrated by the characteristics of Dunge and Hilda Dolly.
The Namibian portfolio for languages: a tool for formative assessment in Namibian secondary schools
(University of Namibia, 2016) Zannier, Aurelie; Lumbu, Simon D.
The notion of learner-centred education has received praise since its inception in the Namibian education system in the early 1990s. This development provided a need for restructuring the process of teaching-learning, the nature of the curriculum, materials and assessment. The Education for All document similarly advocates for the regulation of formative assessment since the early years of the new Namibia. Little evidence suggests that the practical integration of formative assessment has not been concretely defined. In a learner-centred approach, formative assessment is crucial. Whereas it can be generally accepted that formative assessment is at the core of assessment in most language classrooms, it remains unclear whether assessment is more summative than formative. While learners’ marks are indicative of summative assessment, there is no tool to form the basis for the implementation of formative assessment and teacher feedback on their learners’ formative assessment. A team of teachers of French as a foreign language in Namibia viewed the introduction of a portfolio for languages as a practical tool for teachers and learners in order to implement formative assessment. This paper presents the use of the Namibian Portfolio for Languages as a pedagogical tool for self-assessment.
"One that has given you little has your soul consoled” – unemployed youth on surviving without unemployment benefi ts in Namibia
(University of Namibia, 2016) Namupala, Ndeshi
Alarmingly, youth unemployment rates in Namibia are among the highest in Southern Africa. This fact haunts Namibia terribly. The unemployment of those that should be the main bread winners does not only affect them as individuals, but also bears a negative impact on their families and friends. With poor access to productive assets such as capital, land and skills, the majority of the unemployed youth face a daily struggle to meet their basic needs and are often the ones on the periphery of the Namibian society. The difficulties in finding employment also mean difficulties in securing an income and a decent livelihood for these young people. In absence of a social protection system for unemployed people in Namibia, the situation of the youth is exacerbated. This study seeks to understand the social support system and survival strategies of the unemployed youth in Namibia. It draws data from the author’s on-going PhD research for which she conducted interviews with unemployed youth from Ohangwena and Khomas regions, with the aim to capture the lived experiences as well as the views of young people on the problem of youth unemployment in Namibia. The results point to the practical difficulties of unemployment the youth experience in their everyday lives. Findings indicate that the majority of youth are the most likely to fill low-quality jobs in the menial and informal economy rather than jobs with decent wages and benefits. In as much as the youth are engaging in the informal employment and economy, they do not regard it as employment. Consequently, many rely on family and friends for support in order to survive unemployment. As an onset to assist the unemployed, the author therefore propose the Basic Income Grand (BIG) as one way of socio-economic safety of the poor and unemployed as they persevere with their unemployment. Such an initiative can ameliorate the negative effects of unemployment specifically among the youth. This however, should not be regarded as a replacement for the possibility of unemployment benefit.
Opportunity Granted or Denied: An analysis of teachers’ implementation of English Language syllabus’ learning objectives and the fate of Grade 10 ESL learners at Public Schools in Windhoek
(University of Namibia, 2016) Lyamine, Yolana; Mlambo, Nelson
There is growing evidence that a lack of mastery of the English language causes negative academic consequences for learners. Poor performance of learners in national examinations in some countries, including Namibia, where English is the medium of instruction, has been attributed to low proficiency in English. Studies have also shown that there is often misalignment between what is intended to be taught in the classroom, and what is actually taught. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore whether teachers implemented intended Grade 10 ESL learning objectives, specifically in terms of content coverage in their classrooms. The study used a mixed method sequential explanatory design. Quantitative data was collected by questionnaire from thirty teachers of English as Second Language (ESL) at public schools in Windhoek. For the qualitative phase of the study, four teachers were interviewed. The study revealed that teachers do not implement all the intended Grade 10 ESL learning objectives in their classrooms. This ultimately compromises learners’ opportunity to learn and attain academic success.
Personal judgments and psychologically abusive behaviour: An analysis of ethnic differences in Namibia
(University of Namibia, 2016) Mberira, Mara
Using a self-report measure that was adapted by the author, this study asked Namibian men and women from 5 ethnic groups (Afrikaners, Damaras, Coloureds, Hereros, and Ovambos) about their perceptions of psychologically abusive behaviour on a global measure and four subscales: Restrictive/Denigration, Equity/Mind Game, Denigration, and Passive Aggression. These individuals were recruited from various organisations in Windhoek the capital of Namibia. Due to violations of the normality assumption and the failure of transformations, standard ANOVA and T tests were not performed. Instead, results from the appropriate non-parametric analyses (Kruskal Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests) showed that significant gender and ethnic differences exist in the way psychologically abusive behaviour is perceived.Women, in particular, rated individual behaviour on a global measure of psychological abuse, and on the restrictive denigration abuse subscale, more psychologically abusive than men. Significant differences also existed in the way psychologically abusive behaviour is perceived between the Afrikaner and the Ovambo groups and between the Afrikaner and Damara groups. The largest effect size was noted between the Afrikaner and Damara groups. These findings ran contrary to study hypotheses; instead of the mean ranks for the Afrikaner group being higher than the other ethnic groups, the Afrikaner mean ranks were the lowest on all dependent variables. Implications for further research, policy, and practice are discussed.

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