School of Social Sciences

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An examination of information ethics standards in the management of open access electronic information resources (OAEIR) by Zimbabwean university libraries.
(2024) Hogo, Howard.; Hoskins, Ruth Geraldine Melonie.
The information society has given university libraries new technological tools and platforms to connect with their clients, eliminating the need to constrain what the library publishes and provision of access to its clients. However, it also unlocked many unanswered ethical questions and dimensions. The proliferation of open access electronic information resources (OAEIR) has created more significant ethical challenges for Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals, from the privacy, accuracy, property, and access to ethical standards, more so from the African cultural perspective. LIS professionals' adoption of information ethics standards, ethical dimensions and associated dilemmas are increasingly becoming topical issues in the information society due to the proliferation of OAEIR. The study was conducted to determine the adoption of information ethics standards in managing OAEIR by LIS professionals. Additionally, the study sought to determine information ethics dilemmas encountered by LIS professionals in executing open access electronic information management processes. Finally, the study sought to establish contextual information ethics standards that LIS professionals could implement in the open access electronic information management processes. The study adopted the deontological ethics theoretical framework and PAPA information ethics framework to thoroughly interrogate the library information processes, which are creation, organisation, and dissemination. The study used a pragmatism worldview as a research paradigm, a mixed methods research approach, and a sequential explanatory research design. The study population was drawn from LIS professionals serving in nine Zimbabwean university libraries. The study used the census survey sampling techniqu e and purposive sampling for operational level LIS professionals and managerial level LIS professionals, respectively. Additionally, the study used document analysis, which looked at OAEIR related policies and standard operating procedures. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis procedures were employed through descriptive statistics analysis and the SPSS, and thematic content analysis, respectively. The findings revealed that there was generally a lack of information and awareness on information ethics available to LIS professionals. University libraries' affiliation to the LIS code of ethics was viewed in terms of being members of either AfLIA or IFLA, but with no clear policy guidelines on how they would draw from these institutions’ codes. Local professional associations such as ZimLA and ZULC were not doing enough to conscientise LIS professionals on the profession's ethics. Resultantly, university libraries lacked clear policy direction regarding LIS professionals' ethical obligations in electronic content, affecting how ethical issues were being implemented in everyday electronic library workflow operations. Information management in this contemporary library environment and the information-seeking behaviour of library clients have created many ethical dilemmas for LIS professionals. The electronic information revolution has created many problematic ethical grey areas for LIS professionals, and generally in all PAPA, in the management processes of OAEIR. LIS professionals' application of ethical standards in the day-to-day management of OAEIR was influenced by duty-based principles at the library level, aided by experience. LIS professionals' culture greatly impacted the adoption and application of ethical principles and decisions in the management of OAEIR, ushering in an African culture ethical dimension. The available global codes of ethics standards for LIS professionals applied to LIS professionals in Zimbabwe in a broader sense, hence the need for a contextualised code of ethics framework. The study's findings contribute towards awareness, perception, and adoption of information ethics standards by Zimbabwean university libraries and other local affiliated associations, including managing ethical dilemmas emanating from the management of OAEIR. The study findings contribute a cultural dimension to the deontology ethics theoretical framework, thereby enhancing appreciation of the theory. The findings also contribute to more research on information ethics in relation to the LIS profession, especially from the African perspective, in addition to the offering of the discipline in LIS studies across the country and beyond, especially as viewed through the eyes of the contemporary library field.
The authoritarian character: revisited.
(2022) Govender, Nathisvaran Kumarasen.; Swer, Gregory Huw Morgan.; Sivil, Richard Charlton.
In this thesis, I revisit the authoritarian character concept, as developed by members of the first-generation Frankfurt School. The authoritarian character concept (ACC) was a concept developed to understand the predisposition of individuals and societies towards seeking the domination of authoritarian demagogic as opposed to realising their own liberation. The need to revisit the ACC came about due to a noticeable rise of authoritarian demagogic leaders within liberal democracies. However, in researching the ACC, I observed that the dominant narrative was incorrect in its interpretation of the conceptual development of the ACC, and subsequently, is overly restrictive with regards to its conceptual parentage as it did not consider conceptual developments outside of 1936-1939. Therefore, in this project, I revisit the ACC with the aim of detailing a conceptually clear understanding of the ACC so that it could be used to help analyse the problem of contemporary authoritarianism. In revisiting the ACC, I hope to achieve four objectives. Firstly, to set out the foundations of the ACC by looking at the Frankfurt School and the conceptual makeup of the ACC. Secondly, was establishing a dominant narrative surrounding the ACC, which I termed the received view of the ACC. This received view holds the conceptual lifespan of the ACC as starting in 1936 and ending in 1939. Thirdly, to show that the received view of the ACC is incorrect with regard to the genesis of the ACC as work had been ongoing on the development of key concepts prior to 1936 and provide a revised account of the ACC to include this early conceptual development. Fourthly, to show that the received view of the ACC is incorrect with regards to the demise of the ACC, in 1939, as work was ongoing on evolving the ACC to meet more modern challenges well into the 1970s. Furthermore, these later developments of the ACC would ultimately complete the teleological arc of the ACC as a concept of Critical Theory as it is within these later developments that the ACC finally fulfils its goal of detailing a possible praxis that works towards an emancipated society.
Paradiplomacy as a capacity building strategy for good governance at the local level in South Africa=Ukubambisana kwamazwe njengeSu lokwakha ukuphatha okuhle ezingeni lezaseKhaya eNingizimu Afrika.
(2023) Wilson, Osemoboh Regis.; Magam, Nolubabalo Lulu.
Abstract Governance in South Africa is plagued with a lot of challenges. This study names inept capacity as a primary challenge of governance as it is linked to a panoply of malaise from corruption to underdevelopment. The aim of the study is to explore how building good governance capacity can become part of the multipronged long-term solution to local governments’ distress. The argument is that capacity development for good governance at the local level should underpin reformation policies and efforts. Extensive evidence show that international organisations and donors provide support to developing countries in a manner that seeks to build institutional capacity and improve the quality of governance. As a manner of optimising such supports, this study makes a case that donors can collaborate with subnational entities to coproduce capacity and governance solutions tailored to the concerns of local communities through paradiplomacy. Paradiplomacy is global cooperation at a local level, with correlating positive impacts at a local level. Because of globalisation, supranational (e.g., The African Union, SADC, The European Union) authorities have emerged as crucial players in international relations; more so, territorial sovereignty gives way for more informal types of horizontal cooperation and structured interdependence between nation-states. Global problems have local impacts as such, but policies promulgated at supranational levels are often ineffective at the local level. This study adopts a qualitative approach as it interviewed key respondents from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (KZN-CoGTA) to explore workable solutions by making case for how best to address the issue of reduced or deficit capacity among government actors. Such a problem has given rise to a plethora of challenges when it come to the implementation and efficient execution of policies in South Africa. The study found that as the state ceases to be the only actor in public action, paradiplomacy presents itself as a tool for enhancing local institutional capacity and concomitantly improve the quality of governance in South Africa. IQOQO Ukubusa eNingizimu Afrika kuhaqwe wuxhaxha lwezinselelo. Lolu cwaningo lubalula ubungako bokungakwazi njengenselelo ngqangi yokubusa njengoba kuxhunyaniswa nokubhidlanga kokonakala kusuka enkohlakalweni kuya ekulethweni kancane kwentuthuko. Inhloso yalolu cwaningo ukuhlola ukuthi angakhuliswa kanjani amandla okuphatha kahle okungaba yingxenye yesixazululo sakade esimbaxa sokuthwala kanzima kohulumeni basekhaya. Impikiswano ithi ukuveza amakhono okuphatha kahle emazingeni aphansi kufanele kwesekele ukucandulwa nemizamo yokuguqulwa kwemigomo. Ubufakazi obubanzi bukhombisa ukuthi izinhlangano zamazwe ngamazwe nabanikela ngesihle bahlinzeka ngosizo ukwesekela amazwe asathuthuka ngendlela efuna ukwakha amandla esikhungo nokuthuthukisa ubunjalozinga bokuphatha. Njengendlela yokuthuthukisa izisekelo ezinje, lolu cwaningo lubeka udaba lokuthi abanikela ngesihle bangabambisana nezinhlangano ezingaphansi kwamanye amazwe ukuba kufukuliswane ngamandla nezixazululo zokuphatha ezihambisana nokukhathazeka komphakathi wendawo ngokuzibandakanya kwabanye ohulumeni. Ukubambisana kohulumeni kungukusebenzisana komhlaba wonke emazingeni endawo, nokunemithelela emihle ehambisanayo ezingeni lendawo. Ngenxa yomhlabuhlangene, ukuhlangana kwamazwe (isib., African Union, SADC, European Union) iziphathimandla ziqubuke njengabadlali ababalulekile ebudlelwaneni bamazwe ngamazwe; ngaphezu kwalokho, ubukhosi bendawo buphendla indlela yezinhlobo eziningi ezingenamgomo zokubambisana sakuncintisana nokuzimela sakuncika okuhlelekile phakathi kobuzwe bamazwe. Izinkinga zomhlaba wonke zinemithelela endaweni kanjalo, kodwa imigomo emenyezelwa emazingeni aphezulu amazwe ayivamile ukusebenza ezingeni lendawo. Lolu cwaningo lukhethe indlela yekhwalithethivu njengoba lwenze inhlolovo kwabaphendulile abaqavile eMnyangweni wezokuBusa ngokuBambisana neZindaba zoMdabu KwaZulu-Natali KZN-CoGTA) ukuhlola izixazulululo ezisebenzayo ngokubeka udaba lokuthi kungabhekwana kanjani nokunciphisa noma ukweswelakala kwamandla phakathi kwabasebenzi bakahulumeni. Inkinga enje yenze kwadlanga izinselelo eziningi uma kukhulunywa ngokuqaliswa nokusetshenziswa ngempumelelo kwemigomo eNingizimu Afrika. Ucwaningo luthole ukuthi njengoba umbuso uyeka ukuba kube yiwona kuphela umdlali ekwenzeni komphakathi, ukubambisana kwamazwe kuziveza khona luqobo njengensizakusebenza ukukhulisa amandla okwazi kwendawo kanye nokuthuthukisa izingabunjalo lokuphatha eNingizimu Afrika.
South Africa's deadly politics: investigating the causes and consequences of political assassinations in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Province (1978-2019)
(2023) Mathenjwa, Gcinakahle Mpendulo.; Phungula, Noluthando Prudence.
The Kwa-Zulu Natal province is at the centre of attention regarding the prevalence of political assassinations. The province is termed as a killing field, where political assassinations are used as a method of political contestation. The assassination of politically active individuals in KZN is not a new phenomenon. Anti-Apartheid activists, local civilians, political party members, followers, and public office occupants have been victims of this violent event in remote times. Political assassinations have been an issue of concern in KZN for over four decades. Political assassinations in KZN are intertwined with other forms of provincial concerns, such as the assassination of local chiefs and violence in the taxi industry. This research project investigated the extent in which an assassination can be considered to be political and may be a form of political violence. The study also investigated the causes and consequences of political assassinations in the KZN province. The study searched for the reasons behind political assassinations in KZN in order to understand why such killings are mostly prevalent in this province. The research views political assassinations as a type of political violence. Given the fact that the KZN province is prone to such violence, the study then investigated how such assassinations affect government functioning and the social wellbeing in KZN. The study gathered qualitative data in an effort to address the research question on the reasons for and effects of such assassinations. The research was carried out as a desktop study, using existing publications to collect and analyse data. The study was informed by realism and the conflict theory, to understand the foundation on the regular occurrence of political assassinations in the province. The two theories explain the society and how it becomes violent, and how such violence shapes and affects society.

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