Research Articles (Political Science (Mil))

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    The complexities of Neo-Liberalism in Post-Apartheid South Africa
    (Lifescience Global, 2019) Breakfast, N. B.
    This article examines the contradictions and complexities of the model of development pursuit by the African National Congress (ANC) government in post-apartheid- South Africa. The article intends to shed some light on the current economic trajectory of South Africa by arguing that although there are some elements of neo-liberalism in government policies, namely: privatisation of services, inflation targeting and Public-Private Partnerships. However, the expansion of the size and the role of the South African state, are anti-neo-liberal. This is a qualitative literature assessment article; because it is based on desktop research. This article is located within the Marxism and Leninism tradition as a standpoint theory. This ontological approach is chosen owing to its meticulousness in teasing out the complexities of the capitalist mode of production. The aim of this article is to lay bare the different aspects of the mixed-bag approach of development employed by the South African government by asserting that is not simply neo-liberal in nature though to some extent it is inspired by market-friendly policies. This also indicates the gaps in the discourse with regard to the implementation of neo-liberalism in South Africa. This article contributes to the South African political economy debate by arguing that neo-liberalism has contradictions and complexities; it is not simplistic and straightforward.
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    Enhancing diversity via affirmative action : a case study of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality
    (AOSIS, 2019) Breakfast, Ntsikelelo B.; Maart, Brigitte
    Background: This article examines diversity within the context of affirmation action, with specific reference to the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality. The Employment Equity Act, 1998 (Act 55 of 1998), is a policy instrument through which affirmation action and organisational diversity are promoted in post-apartheid South Africa to increase the economic participation of designated groups. Aim: Against this background, the aim of this article is to investigate the influence of the Employment Equity Act, 1998, on diversity management in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. Setting: The guiding research question of this article is: what is the effective way of implementing affirmative action measures through Employment Equity Act, 1998 (Act 55 of 1998), in particular in promoting diversity in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality? Methods: A qualitative approach is employed to explore and describe the complexities at play in this article. Results: The findings of this article suggest that the goal and vision of diversity management should consistently be communicated in clear terms to all affected, especially the employees as they are most affected by it. Conclusion: This article contributes to the scholarship of Public Administration and Management surrounding the ongoing debate in South Africa with regard to transformation, organisation diversity and policy implementation of affirmative action. The central thesis of this article is that adequate policy execution of diversity and employment equity will improve service delivery alongside customer satisfaction.
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    Editorial
    (Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy), 2021) Kleynhans, Evert Philippus
    No abstract available
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    Political apathy amongst students : a case study of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
    (AOSIS, 2017) Breakfast, Ntsikelelo B.; Bradshaw, Gavin; Haines, Richard
    The primary motivation for this research, in which a qualitative method was employed, was to examine political apathy amongst students at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. The secondary motivation was to question whether youth political apathy threatens the consolidation of democracy. The researchers arranged four focus groups at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. A purposive sampling technique was utilised. All 50 participants in the study were Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University undergraduate and postgraduate black students, with ages ranging from 21 to 35 years. The researchers encouraged participants to have maximum participation in the focus group deliberations. The researchers also made use of elite interviews in the study. The findings of this study suggest that political apathy does exist amongst students at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Most of the participants in the focus groups indicated that young people in post-apartheid South Africa have no interest in politics.
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    Participatory democracy in theory and practice : a case study of local government in South Africa
    (AOSIS, 2015) Breakfast, Ntsikelelo; Mekoa, Itumeleng; Maphazi, Nondumiso
    The idea of democracy is a curious oneand puzzling. There is reason for this;everyone talks about democracy no matter whether their views are on the left, centreor right of the political spectrum. Various politicians, regimes, whether in Africa, Europe or America claim to be democratic;yet what each says and does is usuallydifferent. Democracy as a practice is supposed to bestow rules, laws and decisions that are justifiable on democraticgrounds. Democracy also has evolved through social struggles. This article examines the practice of democracy withinthe context of local government in South Africa, and is an attempt to explore the concept of democracy without escaping other historical aspects of the idea and practice. From a methodological standpoint, this article is based on a literature assessment. Lastly and most importantly, this paper has made a scholarly contribution to the scholarship of Political Science and Public Administration with regard to the nexus between democracy and public participation at local government level in South Africa.