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Item Contested identities, race and culture: An analysis of The Last Resort: A Memoir of Zimbabwe by Roger Douglas, Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah and Negro Land: A Memeoir by Margo Jefferson(Namibia University of Science and Technology, 2022-01) Namakasa, Sesilia KasikuThis study analyses contested identities, race, and culture in The Last Resort: A Memoir of Zimbabwe by Douglas Rogers, Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah and Negroland: A Memoir by Margo Jefferson through the lens of the postcolonial theory. One of the main focuses of the postcolonial theory is identity, and it is identity crises which give rise to multiple and fluid identities. Through the postcolonial theory the themes of race, culture, hybridity, and double consciousness are addressed. The study is a desktop qualitative research, and it uses content analysis to interpret and analyse the chosen autobiographies. The purpose of the study was to explore, the construction and contention of identity, race, and culture, as presented in the three selected text, through the lens of the postcolonial theory. The study found that all the three texts that were analysed are testament to how identities were constructed during apartheid, slavery, or colonisation and how identities were contested in postcolonial societies. The aftermath of all forms of colonisation led to the rise in identity problems being faced by individuals in contemporary societies. The study also found that, colonisation impacted identities of both the colonised and the colonisers to a great extent. The study recommends that more studies analysing identities in autobiographies using the post-colonial lens are conducted especially in African countries not covered in this study and that the black man’s identity be analysed in other genres of literature such as poetry and drama using the postcolonial theory. Lastly, the study also recommends that more studies are conducted, analysing Namibian autobiographies to scrutinise the Namibian identity.Item The concept of leadership in two autobiographies, Where others waivered and Long walk to freedom: A postcolonial reading(Namibia University of Science and Technology, 2022-10) Munkuli, RichardThe study sought to establish the concept of Leadership in two autobiographies, Where Others Wavered and Long Walk to Freedom, autobiographies of Nelson Mandela and Sam Nujoma, respectively. The study utilised secondary research in the form of qualitative desktop research in order to establish leadership roles, leadership styles and leadership concepts of these two African leaders. Content analysis was used to analyse research text and subsequent themes were generated. In terms of leadership concept, they shared the same values, as indicated that leadership is defined by commitment, training and observation, representing rights of the oppressed and responsibility. It was established that leadership is defined by commitment, training and observation, representing rights of the oppressed and responsibility. These concepts were shared by both Nelson Mandela and Sam Nujoma. Nelson Mandela was defined as a largely transformational leader who debatably demonstrated charismatic leadership style as presented in Long Walk to Freedom. Sam Nujoma hugely demonstrated an authoritarian leadership style as outlined in Where Others Wavered. Equally, Nelson Mandela had several roles such as supporting, planning, networking and advocating for change through the activities of the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League. The study established that Sam Nujoma had several leadership roles which included networking, planning and problem-solving roles as the front-line leader for South- West African People’s Organisation (SWAPO) in the fight for independence for Namibia. The study concluded that their leadership concepts differed but they share some similarities in networking, planning and problem-solving roles for pursuit of their country’s independence. The study recommends that future studies can compare countries that share regional boundaries such as Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Economic Community of West- African States (ECOWAS) in order to bring out an enhanced picture of African leadership.Item The determinants of effective and efficient land development and delivery system in Windhoek.(2014) Amadhila, HendrikThe main aim of this thesis was to find out the determinants of effective and efficient land development system in Windhoek. With increased movement of population in search for better settlement and employment, more people tend to be concentrated in urban areas. This thesis identifies the dynamics of land for urban housing in Namibia with specific reference to the city of Windhoek. The thesis remarks on one hand, weaknesses in the existing institutional framework for urban planning and delivery of land services, unnecessary prolonged procedure and actors in the process with overlapping authorities, roles and lines of accountabilities has been identified as contributing factors to such dynamics, on the other hand, lack of technical capacity, limited financial resources embedded with cumbersome procedures in the whole process of preparation and approval of detailed plans as prepared by land experts has been a catalyst for the low capacity of the municipality in allocating land for housing development to the developers. With the increasing influx of population towards the city of Windhoek, land servicing and delivery models need to be reformed to take into account the rapid population dynamics within the society. Municipalities need to be empowered with both technical and financial capacity to facilitate in provision of effective and efficiency services of providing land for housing.Item Exploring the effectiveness of management communication from and within the Ministry of Education Head Office, Namibia.(2014) Kanime, Frieda NdapewaPurpose – the purpose of this mini-thesis is to explore the Effectiveness of Management Communication from and within the Ministry of Education Head Office in Namibia. The Ministry of Education has an important role to play in the education of the Namibian people. According to Ministry of Education (2012), the mandate is to educate and train for citizens for national development. To this end, the study aims at identifying and examining factors that contribute to poor management communication in the Ministry of Education Head Office, and how this impact on staff performance and service delivery to the public. Design and methodology - the study is a qualitative research, which used a narrative design. Data was collected from staff members and members of the public who have/had a relation with the Ministry of Education. Data was collected through interviews and questionnaire. A desk research was also used. Findings – An efficient structure is indispensable for a high performance organization. The findings of the study show that the structure of the Ministry of Education is inefficient and does not enhance high performance of the staff, nor does it provide employee growth. Another significant finding of the study indicates that the communication style of the management cadre is aggressive and authoritative, and impact negatively on service delivery. Key benefits – The study was very important for the Ministry of Education as it identified reasons why the Mandate of the Ministry of Education has not been implemented as required. Furthermore, the study identified challenges faced by the Ministry, and offered recommendations on how these challenges could be addressed. Key words – Communication Styles, Communication Skills, Leadership Skills, Management Skills, Organizational Structure, Teamwork, Internal Communication, Interpersonal Relations.Item An assessment of the impact of ethical practices in the public procurement process on Namibia's socio-economic objectives.(2014) Hamutenya, Fransiska KandamboDiscussions around the public procurement system in the local media have been largely negative. Many articles have revealed mismanagement in the system. The emphasis of these articles has been on the need to uphold transparency and accountability in the way public procurement is conducted in Namibia. The Namibian experience is that the tendering process seems transparent on the surface, especially in connection with the sending out of tender invitations. However, the process becomes less transparent during the awarding process, which has in some instances necessitated recourse to the courts. As a result of these course cases, it could be said that the Namibian community has reached a point where the weaknesses in the current public procurement system can no longer be ignored. This study sought to address some of the flaws in the public procurement system, by interviewing people who have some knowledge of the system. Findings of the study confirm that there are weaknesses in the current system which needs to be addressed. The results further show that the control mechanisms that have been put in place are seriously ineffective. After reviewing the control mechanisms in place, suggestions are made to strenghten them. In terms of socioeconomic development, the findings indicate that the public procurement system could contribute to job creation and poverty reduction. The study also reveals that there is no comprehensive code of ethical conduct for Board Members and staff in the public procurement establishment. The researcher suggests that further research be conducted on areas that were not touched on in this study, such as the practice of exemptions, to evaluate the impact of exemptions on the image of the Tender Board, on the Secretariat, and on the tender process – in the context and spirit of anti-corruption.Item Investigating reasons for failing to implement strategic plans in the Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development.(2014) Yambwa, Florah KahimbiThe main purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing the ineffective implementation of strategic plans in the MRLGHRD and identify possible remedies to improve the situation. The study was guided by four objectives and data were collected to answer the research questions. An administered questionnaire were used, both descriptive (qualitative) and quantitative data were collected and analysed in order to answer the questions of the study. The study also used a combination of both primary and secondary data to evaluate the MRLGHRD’ strategic plan implementation. A randomly study was conducted from a total of 247 identified staff members on the Ministry’s staff establishment (MRLGHRD, 2012). The focus of the study was mainly the operational staff members in the MRLGHRD such as: Permanent Secretary, Deputy Permanent Secretary, DiVice Chancellors, Deputy DiVice Chancellors, Middle Managers/Chiefs and Non- supervisors. The accessibility population was made up of 127 people selected at randomly. The study revealed the response rate and the nonresponse rate of 69% and 31% respectively (table 8). This turnout was good because the researcher managed to achieve the objectives of the study. Based on the findings, the study found out that strategic plan implementation is influenced by the following major factors as indicated on table 12. The study revealed that 68% of the respondents strongly agreed that lack of commitment and teamwork is one of the major factors affecting the strategic plan implementation in the Ministry. Followed by 63% respondents strongly agreed that the organisational structure and culture are not aligned to strategy and 59% strongly agreed that employee’s performance not measured meaning no appraisal system (reward system) in the Ministry to motivate staff members to deliver quality services. 51% of respondents strongly agreed that the budget for the ministry is not enough to execute its programmes/projects as set in the strategic plans, and the budget is not allocated accordingly to where it needed mostly; inadequate leadership to direct strategy implementation; organizational culture; lack of appropriate technology to support the implementation; shortage of staff to implement strategic plan and poor involvement of key stakeholders. However, based on the research findings the following are the major key recommendations that were made for the MRLGHRD consider: There is a need to conduct an urgent skills audit within the Ministry and revise the organisational structure. All those in management level should be equipped with the necessary leadership skills, which will help in the successful implementation of the Ministry’s strategic plans. Allocation of funds including donor funded programmes should be in line with the set strategies (priorities), thus help the Ministry to be focused and implement the strategies to achieve desired results. Bureaucracy should be minimised because it destroys the whole concept of strategic plan especially when one does not understand the subject matter, then the whole system will collapse since there is none to explain it better. Government to create strong monitoring and evaluation systems and effective strategic plan implementation teams to coordinate and monitor the implementation process in all O/M/As. Finally, strategic plan implementation and reward system cannot be treated separately, therefore the study suggested that there is a need to introduce and implement the reward system in the Public Service of Namibia to motivate staff members to deliver quality services to its customers.Item The impact of Namibian reclassification as an upper-middle income country on Official Development Assistance.(2014) Kazauana, BerthaThe aim of the study was to analyse the impact of Namibian reclassification as an Upper Middle Income Country on Official Development Assistance (ODA). This study was prompted by the negative perception that was going on in the country about the reclassification and how it reduces ODA while on the contrary having the knowledge that Namibia is striving to become an Industrialised country with a high income status by 2030. In order to address the issue of the negative perception about the eclassification as the contributor to reducing ODA, the research approach selected was a descriptive qualitative interpretivist approach. A mix of primary and secondary data analysis was employed to gather information on the subject matter. Interviews were conducted with experts in the field of foreign aid to obtain views and feelings on the reclassification and how Namibia could better manage ODA. However the study revealed that although there were some donors who phased out traditional assistance to Namibia, the reason is not necessarily because of the reclassification. Hence the perception that the reclassification reduces ODA could not be proven, since ODA flows to Namibia after the reclassification were even higher than before. Given that ODA will eventually reduce because of global changes in the ODA architecture, the study recommended that Namibia start positioning herself to influence the ODA architecture in her favour. It is also recommended that the National Planning Commission (NPC) prepares an ODA strategy that will be aligned to the National Planning and Budgeting system to guide policy makers and to avoid donors to drive the development cooperation agenda in Namibia. It was further recommended that timely communication and proper consultations be held with donors in preparation of donor exits.Item The effectiveness of third party logistics providers in the public health sector.(2014) Beukes, Hendricus Christianus RalphThe main function of the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS) in Namibia is to provide health care services to population of Namibia. A large portion of the budget is usually spent on issues relating to logistics. This Ministry makes use of in-house logistics services. The current trends of many facilities are to make use of Third Party Logistics Providers (3PL’s). The main objective of the research is to investigate the possibility of using 3PL’s for the provision of logistics services in an attempt to improve healthcare services. This research identified six logistics activities: procurement, transport, warehousing, ordering, inventory and information technology, which form the main aspects of logistics in the MOHSS. The methodology used was a mixed method whereby data was collected through the survey of literature and the use of a questionnaire. Staff members from three (3) referral hospitals and eight (8) National level diVice Chancellorates from the MOHSS completed the questionnaires. The data obtained was, therefore, both qualitative and quantitative. The survey results illustrated that the health care system is complex and unique and thus requires a very good logistics system. They further revealed that information technology plays a huge role in a proper logistics setup. Based on the analysis done, a conclusion was made that there are still some areas that need to be improved and some area that are still problematic. Procurement and ordering were identified as logistics activities that have more positive outcomes. The other four activities: 1) Transport, 2) Warehousing, 3) Inventory and 4) Information Technology were identified as areas of concern in which some interventions are necessary. Furthermore, many of these activities are done mainly manually with limited use of Information Technology or computerized systems. These areas were also identified as possible areas for outsourcing. The key recommendations were fivefold and are summarised as follows: Firstly, 3PL providers can be used to provide logistics activities. Secondly, information technology must form the main basis on which logistics services must be done. Thirdly, the training of officials in the logistics set up is an important aspect that needs attention. Fourthly, logistics strategies need to be developed. Finally, inventory management must get special attention as it is the core activity of the logistics function.Item An empirical study of the planning and implementation of competency based education and training in vocational education training centres in Namibia: The case of Namibia Training Authority.(2014) Bock, LukasNamibia is currently undergoing a dramatic reform of its overall development strategy through its national statement, Vision 2030. As part of the response to make Vision 2030 a reality, the government came up with an Education and Training Sector Improvement Programme (ETSIP), which represents the education and training sector’s response to the call of Vision 2030. Its key purpose is to substantially enhance the sector’s contribution to the attainment of strategic national developmental goals and to facilitate the transition to a knowledge-based economy. The emphasis, according ETSIP, is on enhancing the quality of life for all and that calls for the intended rapid economic growth to be accompanied by equitable social development, according to Vision 2030. These twin goals of growth with equity are to be pursued within a broader strategic framework of transforming the economy into a knowledge-based economy (ETSIP, 2006). However, a critical impediment to the acceleration of growth, according to ETSIP, is the sluggish and sometimes even declining productivity in some of the sectors. This could be ascribed to the shortage of skilled workers on various levels and of various areas within industry. Without acceleration of economic growth, it is difficult for Namibia to create jobs to curb the current 51% unemployment rate, especially jobs that signal productivity growth, reduce poverty and attain equitable social development. Employers note the shortage of qualified artisans and technical staff as a constraint on increasing their productivity (ETSIP, 2006). One way of addressing this burning issue of skills shortages and unemployment, by the Namibian government, was the establishment of The Namibian Training Authority (NTA) under the Vocational, Education and Training Act (2008), with the aim of taking over management and direction of Vocational Education Training (VET) in Namibia. One of the strategic objectives for the restructuring is to improve the quality of VET, by establishing a Competency Based Education and Training (CBET) Programme (NAMCOL, 2011). The purpose of this case study was thus, to uncover the perceived (understood) effectiveness, of the transformation process of developing and implementing the CBET Program as a method of training in vocational training centres in Namibia by the NTA. An interpretive philosophical overview with a qualitative approach was found suitable for this study. The research design was a case study; and the specific research method for data collection was semi- structured interviews that were conducted at the research site; the NTA. A non-probability sampling technique was chosen and participants were selected purposively. The unit of analysis were those managers directly involved in the transformation process. Data were organised, categorised and interpreted in such a way that it would reflect the issues covered by the data obtained from the six subjects, which can then be adequately summarised in order to draw conclusions, for the purpose of making relevant recommendations. Looking at the change management strategies utilised (or not) by NTA in the transformation process, will hopefully, promote an understanding or inform practice in similar situations. It could, furthermore, be useful for investigating how an individual or programme changes over time, perhaps as the result of certain circumstances or interventions. The results could be used as a guiding tool to inform others of some of the realities that could be expected and how these realities can be dealt with when going through a process of change. It could also put other change agents at ease knowing that, there are companies out there experiencing similar obstacles as those faced by them and yet they were able to pull through successfully. The effectiveness could only be determined in terms of the research questions formulated by the main research question. From the findings, it can be deduced that the implementation of the new system was not totally ineffective, but also not a hundred percent effective. Research question four was not achieved at all, meaning that in the absence of a proper change management model or strategic plan the implementation was not really successful. Recommendations were given by the participants themselves on how to improve the effectiveness there off.Item The impact of organisational culture on the performance of junior secondary schools in Oshikoto Education Region.(2014) Iindombo, Gothard UugwangaThe possibility of a school’s culture influencing school performance has triggered wide spread research in recent years, with the introduction of organisational culture as a field of management studying the 1970s. This topic gained the wide interest of scholars’ attention by 1980. Building from sociological and anthropological perspectives, scholars have argued that organisations could possess a culture-which is the taken-for-granted assumptions and behaviour that makes sense of the people’s organisational context and therefore contributing to how groups of people respond and behave in relation to the issues they face. Cultural influences on organisational life can be good or bad. An ideal culture should be that which promotes school effectiveness and efficiency as these are the most important deliverables of performance. As can be discerned from the definition by Johnson above, researchers have found that culture influences performance ,attitudes and behaviour of both teachers and learners and thus builds the identity of a school. School culture is therefore a significant component of school life that fuels the school excellence or failure. It is thus of utmost importance for school principals and their staff to understand their school culture and strive towards developing an exemplary and yet inspiring culture-a culture that promotes and signifies teaching and learning through effective school management practices. The challenge remains with the school leadership to embrace the heterogeneous manifestation of culture among its school inhabitants and take cognisance of the fact that culture is volatile. The later implies that an effective organisation needs to develop a culture that has an “intrinsic ability to adopt to changing circumstances”. The reason behind this reasoning is that this type of culture embraces fast changing trends in performance enhancement in the dynamic world with the available resources, thus ensuring consistency or improvement despite the unstable situations. Amidst hard economic times and the stiff competition evident in the education sector in the twenty first century, any institution that endeavours to survive must justify its existence through its performance. As a result this research tries to take a range of approaches to understand school culture, from exploring the forces that may create and change culture, to measurements of the characteristics of a school culture and examining it as a driver of school performance.