editor@adonis-abbey.com UK: 0207 795 8187 / Nigeria:+234 705 807 8841
ISBN : ISSN 2634-3630 E-ISSN 2634-3649
To buy or subscribe,
please email:
sales@adonis-abbey.com
On behalf of the editorial board and the entire value chain including authors, reviewers, and staff, I am delighted to present the Volume 9 Number 3 edition of the of the African Journal of Gender, Society and Development (AJGSD). This is the last issue for 2020 and marks the end of my first year as guest editor. It is therefore a time of reflection and an opportunity to thank all the people who have contributed in one way or another to the success of the journal over the year. First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge and appreciate the authors who have continued to display their unwavering support to the journal with an ever-increasing rate of high-quality submissions. I say a big thank you to all our esteemed authors and hope they will continue to choose AJGSD as their favored place of publication. Secondly, I would like to thank all members of the editorial board who work extremely hard to ensure that every manuscript is reviewed by people with relevant expertise in the subject matter. Perhaps unbeknown to authors, members of the editorial board are the ones who give the initial authorizations about whether a manuscript should go through the review process. Thus, the responsibility of determining whether a manuscript is considered for publication, is shared between members of the editorial board and the peer reviewers. My job is to oversee this process, ensure good and fair decisions, and make high level recommendations about publication is made much easier with the excellent support of the Editorial Board. To all of them I say thank you. I would like to acknowledge with great appreciation the generous and timely help received from our peer-reviewers. Each submitted manuscript is massaged and sieved into a publishable paper by at least two peer-reviewers who work silently behind the curtains. The peer review process is crucial to the production of high-quality publications and in academia because it provides valuable feedback which accords authors the opportunity to iron out any flaws in their manuscripts. I am deeply indebted to our steadfast peer-reviewers for the time and effort they put into our journal in 2020 and hope that they and others will continue to review for AJGSD. I also acknowledge our readers in a special way because without them our journal will remain meaningless. As always feel free to provide suggestions we can publicize the journal’s distinctive features and give feedback on any part of this editorial to help further develop our journal and make it more appealing to our valued readers. But most importantly continue to read, support, and submit papers to AJGSD. The year 2020 has been dominated by the COVID-19 crisis and it is fair enough to say without doubt that is has been a tough year for everyone and nothing else really mattered. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented immense challenges to all humanity and has changed the world in several respects and fronts. Businesses have closed down their doors, entire systems and countries have shut down and closed borders, millions of people are infected, thousands are dead, the health and livelihoods of many people are threatened, and an increasing number of individuals now live in fear and isolation as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread and wreak havoc across the world. No one is exempt from the painful transformations imposed on us by this pandemic. The education sector particularly university sector has not been spared as face-to-face learning has been suspended in many countries. Universities have been forced to transit from face-to-face to online learning(e-learning) and scholars/researchers now work remotely meaning they are no longer able to visit their research sites and conduct field work. Against this backdrop, I am personally grateful that we have managed to produce all issues of our journal this year. Turning back to our current journal edition, we again present a diverse selection of captivating and stimulating articles from students and scholars. The volume has attracted some high-quality submissions that highlight the great variety of research topics currently being undertaken by African scholars. I am pleased to present thirteen topical articles from around Africa that in their own unique ways contribute to the better understanding of a range of cross-cutting issues traversing their local contexts. The volume starts with Newlin Marongwe and Harry Kasumba’s article which reports on the findings of a qualitative study that explored the impact of emotional challenges on lecturers’ work performance at a rural university in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The study established that university lecturers were overwhelmed by a myriad of emotional challenges including anxiety and uncertainty over job uncertainty security, heavy workload and requirement to engage in research and student supervision, frequent student unrest, dwindling resources, pressure to integrate information communication and technology in teaching and learning. The article concludes that these challenges have a negative impact on lecturers’ wellbeing and work performance. The paper recommends that the university management should develop a model to address these challenges to improve the quality of lecturers’ work performance. Olumoye Mosud and Irene Govender using the Housing Development Agency as a case study have prepared an interesting description and evaluation of public officials’ perspectives on the critical issues affecting the successful implementation of e-government in the housing sector in Nigeria, a relatively unresearched area. In their qualitative analysis they identified technological, organizational, and environmental factors, ICT infrastructure, top management support, public-private partnership, and regulatory policy and legislation as critical issues. Tit draws attention to contemporary challenges the housing sector is facing in embracing information technology. Dr Mutambuli J. Hadji and Prof Onsunkunle Oluyinka’s contribution to this volume advances current knowledge about violence against women and children. The authors have presented a valuable and informative article about the government’s communication strategy on the 16 Days of Activism to end Gender-Based Violence in Soshanguve, South Africa. The authors highlight that females more than men are likely to know about the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign and that the mass media plays an important role in the dissemination of messages and information for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and children. It draws attention to the need for more campaigns targeting men and sensitize the youth about the negative consequences of gender-based violence. Kehinde Omotoso, 'Jimi Adesina, and Ololade Adewole makes a significant contribution on the gender differentials in the use of broadband Internet and its effects on women’s participation in the labour market in South Africa. The article reveals that single women’s usage of high-speed broadband internet was responsible for their increased participation in the labour market. The authors attribute married women’s low participation in the labour market to their failure to use the high-speed broadband Internet to search for job opportunities. The authors recommend that more policy effort is required to bridge gender differentials in digital technologies and employment opportunities. Nompumelelo Nzama and Ikechukwu Ezeuduji make significant contribution that builds on previous research about the gender nuances in tourism-related entrepreneurship in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. The authors argue that while an increasing number of women are undertaking entrepreneurial activities in tourism, unlike their male counterparts, they are unable to sustain their businesses. The authors recommend that training and mentorship programmes for women on entrepreneurship. Gcelu Ntombizandile, Padayachee Amy Sarah and Makhasane Sekitla Daniel’s have delivered a valuable analysis on the management of indiscipline among Secondary School Students in Ilembe District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. They contend that indiscipline is almost getting out of hand in most South African schools and stress the critical role parents can play in passing messages to learners about expected behaviours at school. The authors suggest that the school code of conduct should be used to enforce discipline in schools. They recommend a collaborative approach to the management of discipline in secondary schools. Dr. Clever Ndebele’s article on nurturing research capacity among emerging academics through mentorship makes significant contribution that builds on previous research about the challenges facing universities in South Africa. His researched piece raises pertinent issues about the role of mentors and mentorship programmes in preparing a young generation of academics to replace aging professors. He highlights the need for financial support to historically disadvantaged universities to incentivise mentors and enable them run mentorship programmes and nurture upcoming academics. Kgabo Mphela, Mphoto Mogoboya & Sekgaila Chokoe’s paper argues the case for using Northern Sotho as an official indigenous language in Capricorn District Municipality of Limpopo Province in South Africa. They contend that while Northern Sotho is recognised as an official language in South Africa’s post-apartheid constitution, its usage in everyday communication is still marginalised. The authors suggest that this constitutional travesty needs to be rectified as it erodes the cultural identity of the native speakers of the language. Dr. Eleanor Alvira Hendrickss article on sexual harassment of female students in universities in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa makes a significant contribution a neglected aspect of gender-based violence. In her insightful qualitative evaluation, Dr Eleanor reports that sex for marks has become a norm and failure to comply results in one failing academically. The study recommended that female students should form support networks where they empower each other to overcome fear of abuse and assist victims to become survivors. The use of audio-visual and social media in blended learning has become a topical issue in recent times. Michael R. Brett has presented a valuable and informative article in which he argues that audio-visual media and social media can be used as a key component of blended learning. Using data from empirical research, Brett suggests that there is an urgent need to mainstream the use of multimedia and internet resources including social media and audio-visual media such as videos for blended learning both in schools and tertiary institutions especially within the context of South Africa. Ojolo Tolulope and Samson Adeoluwa Adewumi’s contribution to this volume advances current knowledge about youths’ perception and factors advancing cybercrime in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. The authors provide empirical evidence to support the claim that social media tools are routinely used to perpetrate cybercrime which includes the falsification of identity and impersonation, the use of diabolical powers/charms to hypnotize victims as well as crooks and hooks to make quick money. They point out that youth unemployment, poverty, corruption, weak law enforcement, environmental and peer influence key drivers of cybercrime. The authors suggest that social and economic empowerment programmes for the youth, job creation and value orientation, responsive and corrupt-free law enforcement agencies are critical in addressing cybercrime. Nyahunda Louis, Matlakala Frans, Koketso and Makhubele Jabulani Calvin’s article explores the repercussions of Cyclone Idai on women in Chimanimani District, Zimbabwe. The articles discussed the gendered impacts Cyclone Idai and the role of social workers in the healing and recovery process of women who were the hardest hit. They suggest that social workers have adequate expertise in the provision of support services to women and girls who are victims of natural disasters. On a final note, as we enter the Festive season and onto 2021, I encourage you all to take care of yourselves. The COVID-19 pandemic is real and has caused many people livelihoods. I hope that with the announcement that a vaccine has been developed in the USA, 2021 will hopefully be the year when we will wake from the strange and frightening 2020 bad dream. In addition, I wish for a peaceful transition in the USA to facilitate the production and supply of the vaccine to other countries. However, we need to be more vigilant now than ever about our health and wellbeing so that we are ready to tackle everything that 2021 throws at us. Thank you all for your continued support and I look forward to more collaboration in the days to come. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.