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This essay explores aspects of the historic restoration that bequeathed South Africa and its people a prototypical, justifiable Constitution, as well as present a discussion on its four interpretive leitmotivs, assessing their applicability and utility by drawing on examples from constitutional case-law.

In this article, the author focuses on learning about justice including philosophy of legal scholar Ronald Dworkin, Calvinistic convictions and Palaeolithic history.

Background. Health sciences students have traditionally been taught their practical skills in community health facilities. However, clinics and hospitals are not necessarily ideal settings for teaching students health-promotion skills. Objective. To explore health-promoting schools (HPSs) to teach Stellenbosch University (SU) undergraduate dietetic students health-promotion skills. Methods. In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, students completed structured reflective journals and conducted interviews with teachers. The chief professional nurse interviewed the school principals. Results. The students were positive about HPSs, but only fully understood its implementation and practice after entering the school setting. They felt that they could play a role in increasing its efficacy. The teachers were positive about the initiative and thought that they had adequate knowledge to take it further, but were open to gaining more knowledge and insight. Teachers and students had similar views on the role that students could play in HPSs, including educating learners, parents and teachers on health and nutrition, assisting with growth monitoring and promotion, developing educational tools, obtaining various resources for schools, planning menus, budgeting for meals, and growing vegetables. Resources required by the schools could best be addressed by a team of healthcare professionals in collaboration with government departments and with community support. Conclusion. HPSs offer extensive opportunities where SU undergraduate dietetic students, and possibly other healthcare profession students, could serve the needs of communities while learning and practising health-promotion skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to summarise current evidence and highlight best practices, in order to propose a paediatric food-based dietary guideline (FBDG) on exclusive breastfeeding for South Africa. A literature search was conducted to profile the current nutritional status of children and breastfeeding practices in South Africa, reflect on the commitment and capacity that has been pledged and built for exclusive and continued breastfeeding over the past five years, and highlight the action needed to improve infant and young child feeding practices in the country. From the review, it was clear that the nutritional status of children and breastfeeding practices in South Africa remain unsatisfactory. The evidence base supporting the importance of exclusive and continued breastfeeding on a global and local level has been broadened. There are comprehensive and practical international guidelines to guide the protection, promotion of, and support for breastfeeding. Comprehensive and sound national and provincial policies and guidelines have also been developed in South Africa. The political will to address infant and young child feeding has been advanced and demonstrated, and a supportive environment created through commitment and capacity building. There is a need for focused action addressing adequate monitoring and evaluation of processes during all stages of the implementation of evidence-based and theoretical planning. These actions should drastically improve exclusive and continued breastfeeding and advance the health and survival of children in South Africa. The recent momentum gained in support of improving infant and young child feeding could further be enhanced by the process of reviewing the preliminary South African paediatric FBDG and field testing the following proposed message: “Give only breast milk, and no other foods or liquids, to your baby for the first six months of life”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to propose evidence-based, paediatric food-based dietary guidelines on the complementary feeding period, from six to 24 months, of South Africa. A growing body of evidence supports the World Health Organization recommendation that, following six months of exclusive breastfeeding, appropriate and adequate complementary foods should be introduced, with continued breastfeeding for up to two years of age and beyond. A literature search was done by searching electronic databases (PubMed, the Cochrane Library and Sabinet) and hand searching key reference lists from January 2004 to April 2012, including studies published prior to 2004. Relevant international and national documents from normative bodies, global health and infant feeding authorities, professional and scientific societies and government were identified. It has been established that, in South Africa, high levels of stunting, growing concerns about overweight and obesity and the poor intake of certain micronutrients in the critical six- to 24-month period are, in part, a consequence of poor breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, as well as the poor quality of the complementary diet. The introduction of semi-solid foods before four months of age is a common practice. The typical maize-based feeding pattern is low in food sourced from animals, vegetables and fruit and omega-3 fatty acids. Efforts by mothers to improve the quality of their children’s diets by adding energy-rich food to maize meal improves energy intake, but not micronutrient intake. Low nutrient-dense liquid, such as tea and coffee, energy-dense sugar-sweetened drinks, an excessive intake of fruit juice and high-fat and salty snacks exacerbate poor nutrient intake and displace nutrient-dense food in the diet. Healthcare workers should provide consistent, evidence-based messages and guidelines to caregivers of future generations. Interventions must be implemented and strengthened at a programme level. These could include nutrition education to improve caregiver practices, the use of high-quality, locally available foods, the use of enriched complementary foods, and exceptional support of food-insecure populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The accurate assessment of avian sperm abnormalities is hampered by a lack of descriptive data and by the confusing terminology currently in use. Critical appraisal of semen samples from the distal ductus deferens of the emu revealed that two closely related yet separate (distinct) defects previously collectively referred to as “bent sperm” or “crooked-necked sperm” could be identified by light and electron microscopy. Head-base bending typically involved a 180° bend at the base of the nucleus which placed the head and midpiece into close apposition and parallel to each other. No part of the neck or midpiece was involved and bending was restricted exclusively to the base of the nucleus. Incomplete chromatin condensation was always associated with the bend. Disjointed sperm, which superficially resembled “bent” sperm, showed complete separation of the neck from the head-base at the level of the connecting piece. All structural elements of the neck region appeared normal. In both defects the region of contact between the head (nucleus) and the neck/midpiece was enclosed as a unit by the plasmalemma. Both defects were observed to originate in the testis; however, their subsequent expression in the ductus deferens cannot be ruled out. These results confirm that head-base bending of emu sperm represents a head defect, whereas disjointed sperm should be classified as a tail (neck/midpiece) defect. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global effort to improve the role of maternity services and to enable mothers to breastfeed their infants, thus ensuring the best start in life for their infants. The foundation for the BFHI is the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding (BF). It has been shown, however, that the selective implementation of only some of the steps may be ineffective and discouraging to successful BF practices. An initial study was therefore conducted to assess the extent of the implementation of the Ten Steps in both public and private maternity facilities. Poor performance for some steps led to a follow-up study to investigate the knowledge and attitudes of health care workers (HCWs) and mothers alike and to evaluate the exclusive BF (EBF) practices of mothers attending private BF clinics. Both studies followed descriptive, cross-sectional designs and were set in the Cape Metropole in the Western Cape. Twenty-six maternity facilities participated in the initial study, for which observation lists were completed and verified by interviewer-administered questionnaires to both HCWs and mothers. Eighteen private BF clinics participated in the follow-up study, which included observations and interviewer-administered questionnaires to 25 HCWs and 64 mothers. During the initial study, lower mean scores were noted for Steps 1, 2, 6 and 10. The overall implementation of the Ten Steps was average. The findings highlighted the importance of the establishment and implementation of BF policies, of appropriate and continuous BF training and better referral systems to ensure initiation and establishment of early BF, EBF practices and support on an ongoing basis to ensure the best start in life for infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A great need exists for ongoing breastfeeding training. Students of today relate well to computers in the learning environment. In this study, computer-based learning (CBL) was explored in the context of breastfeeding training for undergraduate Dietetic students. Aim: To adapt and validate an Indian computer-based undergraduate breastfeeding training module for use by South African undergraduate Dietetic students. Methods and materials: The Indian module was adapted to suit the South African scenario and converted into low-bandwidth, interactive computer-based material. It was assessed for face and content validity by 19 peer reviewers and 17 third-year Stellenbosch University (SU) Dietetic student reviewers by means of self-administered questionnaires. Impact of the adapted module on knowledge was evaluated on second-year SU (n = 14) and University of the Western Cape (UWC) (n = 15) Dietetic students by means of pre- and post-knowledge tests. Results: All reviewers rated their information technology (IT) skills as sufficient and enjoyed the presentation mode of the adapted module. Student reviewers indicated that CBL was a "nice way of learning", but requested that it should not be used as the sole source of instruction. Fifty three per cent (n = 19) of the reviewers rated CBL to be equally effective compared to conventional lectures, 36% (n = 13) rated it as being more effective and 11% (n = 4) as less effective. Pre- and post-knowledge test scores showed a significant increase (SU p < 0.0001 and UWC p < 0.00115). Conclusion: It is recommended that validated computer-based breastfeeding training modules be integrated as part of multi-media methods to increase coverage and enhance breastfeeding learning for undergraduate Dietetic students. Other students of health care professions and health care workers may also benefit from such modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An invitational teaching ecosystem comprises an environment of 5 Ps: people, places, policies, programmes and processes. Invitational education is promoted amongst students and educators. This article reports on an empirical study conducted at a higher education institution that is offering programmes at multiple sites of delivery to determine the impact of mergers on an invitational ecosystem. Results indicate that access to learning resources that support teaching, as well as other social and personal factors in the learning environment, also influence the quality of a student's learning. Enthusiasm, motivation and sensitivity of educators are noted by students as necessary to create an invitational ecosystem. Key priority areas on which higher education institutions should focus are highlighted in the findings. A qualitative approach was followed to understand and represent the opinions of the students at the different sites of delivery. This article attempts to represent the views of students on the balance between people, places, policies, programmes and processes within the educational transaction movements. 'Good ideas with no ideas on how to implement them are wasted ideas' (Fullan 2003). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first language-in-education policy of South Africa provides for additive bilingual education, a form of bilingual education that assumes a prominent role for the mother tongue throughout the learner's school career, as opposed to subtractive (bilingual) education, where mother tongue instruction is phased out. This article places the current debate on mother tongue education in South Africa within the context of bilingual education. It investigates the role of mother tongue education in different models of bilingual education. Following international trends, the article distinguishes between weak models of bilingual education (which effectively lead to unilingualism) and strong models of bilingual education (which effectively lead to bilingualism and biliteracy). It also discusses two sets of principles that may contribute to strong bilingual education and investigates the presence of these within the South African education system. The article demonstrates that mother tongue instruction is an essential component in ensuring successful bilingual education in South Africa, and concludes with the recommendation that the need to redirect the current debate on language in schools should be recognised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]