This essay suggests that the anthropocentric interpretations of the concept of botho/ubuntu in African intellectual scholarship, whether religious, theological and social sciences, limit the potential of botho/ ubuntu in the quest for the fullness of life, and the affirmation of the integrity of creation, wholeness and wellbeing. The essay suggests therefore that when the expanded and creative interpretation of botho which acknowledges its socio-economic, political, and ecological scope or horizon is utilised, it has the potential to become a resource, principle and norm for overcoming ecological degradation and economic injustices in the world today. The essay thus posits botho/ubuntu as a vibrant, vital and ecologically and economically viable principle and norm for the wellbeing of humanity and of the integrity of creation.
Most capacity development efforts for research ethics committees focus on committee members and little on ethics administrators. Increasing studies mandate the focus on administrators’ capacity development needs to enable adequate and effective committee support. This study investigated current responsibilities, training requirements, and administrator role needs. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among administrators from 62 National Health Research Ethics Council-registered research ethics committees in South Africa. In total, 36 administrators completed the questionnaire. Results show that, in addition to administration, they perform managerial, review process and guidance-advisory tasks. Nearly 49% indicated only having received informal research ethics-related training, not targeted formal training, with 81% of the informal training being through workshops. Research ethics administrators’ responsibilities have evolved to complex tasks requiring targeted capacity development efforts.
From the perspective of a black South African woman social etburtst, this paper explores the implications of reconciliation, justice and mission in the context of South Africa. The paper calls for the entrenchment of justice and reconciliation in South Africa, particularly following the public and ecclesial discourses in South Africa that emphasized issues of truth, forgiveness and healing whilst underplaying the imperative for redistributive justice as a component that could possibly complement and facilitate reconciliation. Ten years after the demise of apartheid, and the subsequent democratization of South Africa, and three‐plus years after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission reported, this paper suggests that we have become conscious that the quest for justice and reconciliation ought to be the core of the church's witness and ministry on earth. Justice and reconciliation ministries should be encouraged as they are relevant for churches and societies that are in transition from violent oppression to freedom. In its last section, the paper suggests ways in which justice and reconciliation can be made real through the church's mission in concrete contexts, such as post‐apartheid South Africa.
This article discusses the notion of the Church's shift of gravity to Sub-Saharan Africa. From an African feminist ethical and theological perspective, the intention is to outline the debates relating to the expansion of Christianity in Africa, particularly as it is embodied by the neo-Pentecostal, charismatic and African independent churches (AICs). The aim is to arrive at an understanding of prominent theologies professed by these churches and of ecclesiologies they inhabit or promote, with a view to discerning some of their implications for theologies and ecclesiologies in Africa, particularly for African women. The article begins with an appraisal of the statistical data and debates relating to the Church's shift of gravity. This is followed by an account of the insights of African feminist theologies and ethics in relation to the shift of gravity and its implications for women in Africa.
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