Ubuntu' for Educational Management and Leadership During Democratic Transformation in South Africa
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Stellenbosch University SUNScholar Repository THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CONCEPT 'UBUNTU' FOR EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP DURING DEMOCRATIC TRANSFORMATION IN SOUTH AFRICA NONTOBEKO WINNIE MSENGANA Dissertation presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Stellenbosch Promoter: Dr DJL Taylor December 2006 ii DECLARATION I, the undersigned, hereby declare that the work contained in this dissertation is my own original work and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it at any university for a degree. ....................................... ...................................... Nontobeko Winnie Msengana Date iii SUMMARY At the heart of this thesis is to debate and address the procedures of the past imbalances and inequalities in South Africa focusing on industrialization and Ubuntu worldviews. During industrialization, life changed for the indigenous peoples of South Africa. This forced people to change their way of living. They had to adapt to new ways of living in most aspects of their lives. Industrialization is viewed as one aspect that promoted the principles of individual self-sufficiency. Families were separated as the male breadwinners went away to work in industrial areas, e.g. in mines, leaving their families behind. This led to the fragmentation of homes and families. This study explores the nature of industrial society, and looks especially at the capitalist and colonial forms that South African society took. A great deal of this study is concerned with the assumption that certain characteristics and processes underpin industrial societies, and that as a result a set of universal propositions can be derived regarding these structures and processes. Industrialization was promoted by business leaders, industrialists and property-owners who wished to see a more thoroughgoing liberal reform of the economy. The industrial revolutionaries were primarily concerned with overthrowing a nominally feudal regime, which constituted a hindrance to industrial development. The study of industrialization is a complex field, which affects people's behaviour. An aim of this thesis is therefore the exposition of various discourses with regard to the relationship between classes within industrial sociology with special focus on origins, characteristics, effects, leadership, education, family life and religion. Leadership and management in education, as key concepts in this study, basically deal with human relations where problem solving, communication and decision-making are promoted. iv It is useful to think of leadership as a generic term that refers to the process characterized by the interrelationships among people as they work together in the formation and achievement of shared goals. South Africa's society in the emerging post-industrial era requires a new form of exceptional – almost heroic – leadership because the traditions, institutions, values and balances of a complex and divergent society need to be developed. The future hangs in a balance. As a traditional society, South Africa depends on the statesmanship, generosity and charity of leadership. This can be gained by understanding, accepting and practising the implications of the dual worldviews that are prevalent in South Africa society that is the Western view and Ubuntu. Ubuntu emphasizes the richness of people's cultural heritage and goes a long way in providing principles for application in practice, especially for whatever we engage in as participants in the world of work. At the same time, the philosophy of Ubuntu also challenges African societies to move away from the existing misunderstandings of different races and cultures. With its concern that people in South Africa should pay more attention to the strategic importance of education at this stage of transformation, this study explores the implications for educational management and leadership of an Afro centric heritage. African people need to discard a slave mentality and begin to develop a royal mind-set that has pride in its heritage of cultural diversity. Ubuntu is neither a narrow racial nor a trivial and sectional concept. It is both a uniquely African and a universal concept. This study does not envisage the supremacy of Ubuntu over Westernized knowledge systems. Rather it points the way to a combination of these two knowledge systems as the best option. v The aim was to investigate and discover the differences and similarities of Ubuntu and Western worldviews. The study highlights that African leadership does not strive for challenges and excellence, but rather tends to conserve, stabilize and remain constant with the status quo. It does not strive for change or deliberately stimulate motivation or competition. Meanwhile leadership within a Western worldview actively promotes individualism rather than promoting team orientation. The main contention then, is that what is generally needed in South Africa is the transformational type of leadership that can occur when there is a marriage between these two worldviews. vi OPSOMMING Die kern van hierdie studiestuk word gevorm deur die bespreking en die aanspreek van die ongebalanseerdheid en ongelykhede in die verlede ten aansien van gelyke regte in Suid Afrika, veral gefokus op die industrialisasie en Ubuntu wêreldmening. Gedurende die industrialisasie, het daar geweldige veranderinge ingetree in die lewens van die inheemse volke van Suider Afrika. Dit het die mense gedwing om hulle lewenwyse te verander. Hulle moes aanpas by nuwe lewenswyses in alle aspekte van hulle bestaan. Industrialisasie word beskou as een aspek wat die beginsels van individuele selfvoorsiening aangemoedig het. Gesinne is uitmekaar gedwing aangesien die manlike broodwinner sy gesin moes verlaat om te gaan werk in ‘n industriële omgewing, byvoorbeeld die myne, wat beteken het dat hulle gesinne moes agterbly. Hierdie omstandighede het bygedra tot die verbrokkeling van huisgesinne en families. Hierdie studiestuk het ten doel om die aard van die industriële gemeenskap te ondersoek, en meer spesifiek die kapitalistiese- en kolonialistiese vorm wat dit in Suid Afrika aangeneem het. ‘n Groot deel van hierdie studiestuk is gemoeid met die gevolgtrekking dat sekere karaktereienskappe en prosesse ondersteuning moes bied aan die industriële gemeenskappe. Die gevolgtrekking hiervan was dat daar ‘n hele stel algemene voorstelle gemaak kon word ten aansien van hierdie strukture en prosesse. Industrialisasie is aangemoedig deur sakeleiers, nyweraars en eienaars van vaste eiendom, wie graag ‘n veilige deurgang vir die liberale hervorming van die ekonomie wou verseker. Die industriële oproermakers was hoofsaaklik gemoeid met die omverwerping van ‘n nominale feodalistiese stelsel, wat geblyk het ‘n steurnis te wees vir die industriële ontwikkeling. Die studie van industrialisasie is ‘n komplekse aangeleentheid wat mense se gedrag affekteer. Die doelwit van hierdie studiestuk is dus die blootstelling van verskeie gesprekke met betrekking tot die verhouding tussen verskillende klasse in die vii industriële gemeenskapsleer met spesifieke fokus op oorsprong, karaktereienskappe, gevolge, leierseienskappe, opvoeding, gesinslewe en godsdienste. Leierskap en bestuur in die opvoeding as sleutelaangeleenthede in hierdie studiestuk, handel basies met menseverhoudinge waar probleemoplossing, kommunikasie en besluitneming aangemoedig word. Dit is voordelig om aan leierseienskappe te dink as ‘n generiese term wat verwys na die proses wat gekenmerk word deur die onderlinge verhoudings tussen mense wanneer hulle saamwerk in die vorming en bereiking van ‘n gemeenskaplike doel. Die Suid Afrikaanse gemeenskap in die opkomende na-industrialisasie tydperk, benodig ‘n nuwe vorm van uitstaande – bykans heroíse – leierskap want die tradisies, instellings, waardes en balans van so ‘n komplekse en uiteenlopende gemeenskap, streef daarna om ontwikkel te word. Die toekoms hang dus in die lug! As ‘n tradisionele gemeenskap, steun Suid Afrika op die staatmanskap, goedhartigheid en liefdadigheid van sy leierskap. Hierdie doelwit kan bereik word deur begrip, aanvaarding en toepassing van die gevolge van die tweeledigheid van wêreldsiening wat bestaan in die Suid Afrikaanse gemeenskap naamlik die Westerse siening en Ubuntu. Ubuntu bevestig die welvarendheid van mense se kulturele erfenis en voorsien alle beginsels vir die aanwending in die praktyk, veral waarin ons ookal betrokke raak as deelgenote in die wêreld van arbeidsaamheid. Terselfdertyd stel die filosofie van Unbuntu ook ‘n uitdaging aan Afrika se gemeenskappe om aan te beweeg, weg van die bestaande misverstande tussen die verskillende rasse en kulture. Met die kwelling dat Suid Afrika se mense meer aandag moet skenk aan die strategiese belangrikheid van opvoeding op hierdie stadium van transformasie, ondersoek hierdie studiestuk die gevolge van opvoedkundige bestuur en leierskap van ‘n Afrosentriese viii erfenis. Afrika se mense moet ontslae raak van die slawementaliteit en begin om ‘n luukse mentaliteit te ontwikkel wat trots is op hul erfenis van kulturele diversiteit. Ubuntu is nie ‘n fyn rassistiese of ‘n onbeduidende en verdelende konsep nie. Inteendeel, dit is beide ‘n unieke Afrika- en universele konsep. Hierdie studiestuk voorsien nie die oorheersing van Ubuntu oor Westerse kennissentrums nie. Dit wys eerder die weg aan na ‘n kombinasie van hierdie twee kennissisteme as die beste opsie. Die doel hiervan was om die verskille