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This paper presents findings from a study on blindness discourses found in South African non-profit organisations that provide rehabilitation services to visually impaired adults. The paper investigates what the public relations materials of these organisations communicate about blindness. It also considers the ideological assumptions that blindness discourses reinforce and embed in rehabilitation practice. The primary focus is a discourse analytic review conducted on a sample of organisation public facing material. The findings comprise three clusters of assumptions, with concomitant enactments in practice. These are i) third-person alliances around the blind subject and a resulting objectification of service users ii) 'journey discourse' which prohibits the expression of complex disability experiences and iii) polarised blindness fantasies which promote othering and prescribe acceptable ways of being for blind subjects. This paper questions what might be imparted to blind persons at a symbolic level through rehabilitative practices. This article explores the ways that blindness and blind persons are represented on the websites of organisations that provide visual impairment rehabilitation services in South Africa. These representations affect the way that society views visually impaired people, and the way that visually impaired people feel about themselves. Organisation websites describe visually impaired people in ways that make it seem as though they play little active role in the rehabilitation process. The idea that rehabilitation is a journey from dependence and depression to independence and self-acceptance might make it difficult for rehabilitation service users to express ongoing feelings of grief and loss. There is a need for more focus on interdependence in rehabilitation services. Rehabilitation organisations must think carefully about what their public relations materials communicate to society about blindness and blind persons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Implementation frameworks and theories acknowledge the role of power as a factor in the adoption (or not) of interventions in health services. Despite this recognition, there is a paucity of evidence on how interventions at the front line of health systems confront or shape existing power relations. This paper reports on a study of actor power in the implementation of an intervention to improve maternal, neonatal and child health care quality and outcomes in a rural district of South Africa.Methods: A retrospective qualitative case study based on interviews with 34 actors in three 'implementation units' - a district hospital and surrounding primary health care services - of the district, selected as purposefully representing full, moderate and low implementation of the intervention, some three years after it was first introduced. Data are analysed using Veneklasen and Miller's typology of the forms of power - namely 'power over', 'power to', 'power within' and 'power with'.Results: Multiple expressions of actor power were evident during implementation and played a plausible role in shaping variable implementation, while the intervention itself acted to change power relations. As expected, a degree of buy-in of managers (with power over) in implementation units was necessary for the intervention to proceed. Beyond this, the ability to mobilise collective action (power with), combined with support from champions with agency (power within) were key to successful implementation. However, local empowerment may pose a threat to hierarchical power (power over) at higher levels (district and provincial) of the system, potentially affecting sustainability.Conclusions: A systematic approach to the analysis of power in implementation research may provide insights into the fate of interventions. Intervention designs need to consider how they shape power relations, especially where interventions seek to widen participation and responsiveness in local health systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is becoming increasingly important for researchers to critically reflect on approaches that can have a positive impact on the health outcomes of indigenous people. Such issues are of great importance and perhaps of special relevance to researchers in the Global South, and to the African context in which we work. Objective:To share some lessons learned from our fieldwork to contribute to current knowledge and conversations on decolonising research process. Methods: We used an African lens to critically reflect upon some issues raised from individual interviews and focus group discussions with our participants which we deem to be important for consideration in a decolonising research process. Results: The major issues that we raise are about important structures such as power, trust, cultural competence, respectful and legitimate research practice and recognition of individual and communities' health assets in a decolonising research process. Conclusions: Our paper argues for alternative approaches which are culturally appropriate for health research and for improved health outcomes of marginalised groups. In addition, we argue that participatory and transformative research methods which recognises individual and communities' assets are needed. We hope that the lessons that we share in this paper can contribute towards a respectful and good research practice among the marginalised population groups in our context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The powers of the executive arm of the state are limited in so many respects. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996 limits the powers of each arm of the state including the executive, which comprises the president, ministers, premiers, members of the executive councils and the entire administration. The executive's constitutional responsibility is that of implementing policies of the state, that is, spending the approved budget, and putting life into all the legislations, state of the nation address or any other intentions of government. The executive is allocated and is responsible for spending most part of the budget of the state. However, the executive should account regularly to requisite state institutions including the legislature to avoid abuse of state power and resources. To this end, this conceptual paper uses existing literature to examine and analyse possible weaknesses that are encountered in holding the executive arm of the state to account. Possible solutions are recommended to enhance the accountability of the executive arm including amending the legislative framework, which allows the head of the executive (The President) to appoint heads of the institutions mandated to hold the executive to account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects on the methodologies of the studying of power within anthropology, and how these methodologies influence the action of power. It draws on Abu-Lughod's exploration of boundaries between the self and other, in which 'culture' operates in anthropological discourse to impose separations that inevitably carry a sense of hierarchy. This paper therefore explores and reflects on the symbolisms of power and the connections between individual agency and freedom, resistance, music and performance, masculinity, feminism, and how they are interlinked in different socio-cultural contexts and the way in which power is used in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how critical discourse analysis (CDA), an under-utilised methodological approach, can be used to critically question the dominant, hegemonic discourses surrounding sustainable development and sustainable tourism development. The Waterberg Biosphere Reserve in South Africa provides the study context. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide the framework for review, sustainable development is an integral part of this framework. This research study examines three SDGs in particular: discourses surrounding SDG 4 (quality education), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and SDG 15 (life on land). Interviews (n = 35) were conducted, in South Africa, with multiple stakeholder groups. CDA techniques were applied to data analysis to examine the sustainable development/sustainable tourism discourses attached to the SDGs under review. Neoliberal discourses linked to the economy, the environment, and a sustaining of the tourism industry through top-down planning and unequal power distributions emerged. Conclusions reflect both upon the opportunities utilising a tool such as CDA presents, along with the limitations to take account of when applying it. CDA applications which explore SDGs by listening to the voices of the poor are suggested as one avenue for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empowerment is a standard but ambiguous element of development rhetoric and so, through the socially complex and contested terrain of South Africa, this paper explores its potential to contribute to inclusive development. Investigating microlevel engagements with the national strategy of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) in the South African wine industry highlights the limitations, but also potential, of this single-domain approach. However, latent paternalism, entrenched interests, and a 'dislocated blackness' maintain a complex racial politics that shapes both power relations and the opportunities for transformation within the industry. Nonetheless, while B-BBEE may not, in reality, be broad-based its manifestations are contributing to challenging racist structures and normalising changing attitudes. This paper concludes that, to be transformative, empowerment needs to be reembedded within South Africa as a multiscalar, multidimensional dialogue and, while recognising the continuation of structural constraints, positions the local as the critical scale at which to initiate broader social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at official discourse on imprisonment under the apartheid and post-apartheid governments, comparing the ways that both regimes have justified the existence of the prison in South Africa. The period covered is from 1976 to 2004. The author shows how the ANC government has attempted to reinvent the prison as a means of establishing order in post-apartheid South Africa and that the demise of apartheid and advent of democracy have been accompanied by an exponential increase in long-term imprisonment. The paper tracks how the process of reform embarked on by the Nationalist Party Government from the late 1970s impacted upon prison practices. In the ‘new’ South Africa, a neo-liberal penality coexists with older disciplinary and sovereign strategies of penal governance in an unstable, contingent and erratic way. The old is very much part of the new. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores two aspects of the management of the commons in the Transkei area of Dwesa-Cwebe and traces them from the 1870s to today. The first is the intersection of power, politics and knowledge. National interests are privileged over local interests in the management of forests and grasslands that were controlled by local people before the onset of colonialism. This leads to the marginalisation of certain groups. The second is the economics of common resources. The paper contrasts communities' multiple livelihood strategies with the state's single strategy system. It looks at how state policies have changed people's status and their dependence on resources, and reflects on Dwesa-Cwebe's prospects of managing its commons now that local institutions have been undermined and livelihood patterns changed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Power imbalances within sexual relationships have significant implications for HIV prevention in sub-Saharan Africa. Little is known about how power influences the quality of a relationship, which could be an important pathway leading to healthy behavior around HIV/AIDS. Methods This paper uses data from 448 heterosexual couples (896 individuals) in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa who completed baseline surveys from 2012 to 2014 as part of a couples-based HIV intervention trial. Using an actor-partner interdependence perspective, we assessed: (1) how both partners' perceptions of power influences their own (i.e., actor effect) and their partner's reports of relationship quality (i.e., partner effect); and (2) whether these associations differed by gender. We examined three constructs related to power (female power, male equitable gender norms, and shared power) and four domains of relationship quality (intimacy, trust, mutually constructive communication, and conflict). Results For actor effects, shared power was strongly and consistently associated with higher relationship quality across all four domains. The effect of shared power on trust, mutually constructive communication, and conflict were stronger for men than women. The findings for female power and male equitable gender norms were more mixed. Female power was positively associated with women's reports of trust and mutually constructive communication, but negatively associated with intimacy. Male equitable gender norms were positively associated with men's reports of mutually constructive communication. For partner effects, male equitable gender norms were positively associated with women's reports of intimacy and negatively associated with women's reports of conflict. Conclusions Research and health interventions aiming to improving HIV-related behaviors should consider sources of shared power within couples and potential leverage points for empowerment at the couple level. Efforts solely focused on empowering women should also take the dyadic environment and men's perspectives into account to ensure positive relationship outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 1990s, a small group of women constructed 148 houses near the townships of Gugulethu and Nyanga in Cape Town. The small neighbourhood became the flagship project of the South African Homeless People's Federation (SAHPF), and the government used the insights of these women to develop their People's Housing Process (PHP) housing framework. In this contribution, their story is told, and in explaining why these women were so successful, we use the theoretical concepts of Pierre Bourdieu and pay specific attention to the changed meaning of power. The paper argues that the coinciding of a 'vacuum' in the planning field, the transition in South Africa to a democratic state and the personal motivation of the women of Victoria Mxenge created a momentum that enabled them to influence governmental policies on a national scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition studies attempts to explain sociotechnical change over time and to develop policy prescriptions to help guide transitions towards more sustainable outcomes. While this literature has made significant contributions to our understanding of transitions and achieving greater sustainability, most transition theory and practice overlooks the central role of power in shaping the direction and outcomes of transitions. In this paper I apply the transitions framework to electronic waste (e-waste) management in South Africa, and assess the attempts to instigate and guide a transition through the establishment of an industry-led e-waste association. I use a relational-political-ecological approach in which I show how power is built relationally through particular engagements between members of the e-waste association and with others outside the association. I describe the attempts by the association to extend power and the strategies employed by members to resist or reconstruct this relationship. While stakeholders' concerns with the e-waste association are various, I focus on articulating their responses, specifically actions which revise their particular way of relating to the association. I group these into three main responses: (i) establishing a new connection or disengaging from the network; (ii) frustrated participation and/or reformed expectations; and (iii) establishing an alternative network. My analysis of relational power in the process of attempting to guide a transition is intended to show a new way of incorporating conceptualizations of power into transition studies to increase its theoretical rigour and enhance its potential to make positive contributions towards achieving a just sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The staff of Sport FUNdamentals Southern Africa (SFSA), a sport for development organisation, have labelled a range of deceitful behaviours `paraffining'. These behaviours range from improvising life skills lessons to lying in reports. It references paraffin, a common, yet potentially dangerous fuel used in South African townships. In this paper the striking similarities between `paraffin', the innovative verb, and paraffin, the familiar noun, are examined, highlighting their uses, reasons for usage, impacts and methods of control. As individuals encounter role conflicts between their job expectations and personal capabilities or available resources, between personal and professional roles or conflicting expectations from different managers, they often respond by `paraffining'. In these situations, `paraffining' can be seen as a creative coping mechanism used to maintain the appearance of professional proficiency. `Paraffining' also demonstrates individual power and agency within organisational structures since it provides a platform for individuals to confront deceitful situations with people at all levels of authority and pressures the organisation to implement measures to reduce their prevalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the rural Western Cape local municipality of Kannaland, the word 'bossiesmedisyne' (lit, bushes medicine), refers to plant and sometimes animal material used to treat and alleviate a wide range of health problems, ranging from colds to cancer. Based on three months of ethnographic fieldwork, the paper advances the argument that the different kinds of healing these medicines provide are inseparable from the sociocultural and environmental contexts in which they are enveloped. It goes on to argue for a balanced interpretation of the meanings ascribed to bossies, based on a dialectical relation between claims to power, and phenomenological experiences of medicines and the landscapes in which they grow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers an outline of the challenges particular to intersubjective approaches to psychoanalytic psychotherapy in South Africa. Past experiences of deeply entrenched and racialized divisions between communities continue to shape the negotiation of power in therapeutic spaces, and affect participants' capacity to engage freely with the exploration of unconscious communication. Examples are given of the ways in which race, class and gender difference may complicate, hinder or enrich intersubjective psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Some suggestions are made about the kinds of reflective work that need to be undertaken by psychotherapists in order to assume fully the burdens of history and to appreciate fully the opportunities offered by a society in transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuing crisis over Zimbabwe raises a variety of issues of considerable interest to both the theorist and the practitioner of foreign policy: the merits or otherwise of contemporary attempts at state classification; the utility and morality of intervention in a state's internal affairs by economic or military means; the notion of hegemony; the assumptions underpinning African diplomacy; the incentives and constraints attendant on South Africa's foreign policy. In attempting to explain South Africa's role in the Zimbabwean crisis this paper will—where appropriate—make reference to these theoretical concerns on the assumption that the interaction between South Africa and Zimbabwe provides some revealing insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]