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23 February 2021 | Story Dr Nitha Ramnath | Photo Supplied
Mankopane Tsosane.
Juggling work and studies while creating work-life balance can be quite challenging for many. Mankopane Tsosane managed to do just that. A staff member in the Department of Public Administration and Management on the Qwaqwa Campus, Tsosane will receive her MAdmin degree at the University of the Free State virtual graduation ceremony on 24 February 2021.

Promoted by Prof Liezel Lues, the title of Tsosane dissertation is, The influence of human resource development challenges on public health service delivery in Mangaung.  The study examined the human-resource development (HRD) challenges facing the administrative staff of the National, Pelonomi Regional, and the Universitas Academic hospitals.

“I am extremely excited and honoured to have gone through this journey and completed my master’s degree,” says Tsosane. This was no easy task, as I was supposed to balance my work and study. But this couldn’t have happened if it had not been for the continued support of my supervisor, Prof Liezel Lues. She has been a pillar of strength throughout, and for that I am forever indebted to her. “I have learned that the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams and anything is possible if you put your mind to it, with the right amount of discipline and dedication.”

An article written by Tsosane was accepted for publication in the next issue of the Journal of Public Administration titled: ‘Leadership Accountability and the Development of Administrative Staff at Prominent Hospitals in the Mangaung Metropolitan Health Area’.

The dissertation accepts that there is an increasing demand from the public for quality health-service delivery, as shown in the high number of public protests against poor health-service delivery. The study concludes that the Free State Department of Health (FSDoH) is still faced with the problem of a skills audit and insufficient budget allocations. Therefore, there is a dire need by the FSDoH to acquire skilled HRD professionals or to upgrade their skills and knowledge to meet the requirements of the now changing public sector.

News Archive

Race, technology, and maritime labour in the 19th century
2016-06-23


Prof John T. Grider

 

“When employers
impose
worker identity,
it creates problems.”

What does identity mean to people today, and how is it formed? Religion, politics, race, ethnicity, and gender make up individual and community identity. However, Prof John Grider (University of Wisconsin – La Crosse) is of the opinion that employment moulds our identity, since we spend so much time on the job.

Prof Grider joined the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice (IRSJ) on the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses to discuss his research on the maritime industry, published in his book, Foreign Voyage - Pacific Maritime Labour Identity: 1840 to 1890. “When employers impose worker identity, it creates problems,” he said. Particularly, this “creates instability in communities, and a vulnerability and insecurity amongst the employees”.

To illustrate his point, Prof Grider expanded on the history of 19th-century Atlantic sailors, a highly-skilled workforce, who failed to adapt to changes in their labour environment. Initially, the sea-faring community was very diverse racially. However, as the Pacific, and particularly Asian, marine community gained precedence, this tide turned to such an extent that, in 1886, the Atlantic sailors formed their own Coastal Seamen’s Union in San Francisco, causing a split between Asian and non-Asian sailors. Atlantic sailors had failed to integrate with the new technology of the day (steam power), nor had they accepted the demographic changes that flooded their community rapidly with cheap labour from Chinese shores. 

Prof Grider highlighted the need to maintain an adaptable mentality in the ever- and rapidly-changing labour world, since division amongst workers could lead only to further exploitation of the workforce.

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