Luvuyo Ntombana

• PhD (Anthropology)
• Research Director at Sol Plaatje University

The socio-economic and political meltdown in Zimbabwe that began in the year 2000 caused significant changes in how people related to religion. Zimbabwe has endured one of the world's most puzzling economic catastrophes, characterised by extreme unpredictability and instability. Since the year 2000, Zimbabwe's socio-economic landscape has changed d...

The South African Constitution and the law have ensured noticeable progress in acknowledging the LGBTQI community’s rights. Consequently, there is now a legal framework that protects LGBTQI people, and any discriminatory behaviour and utterances can be prosecuted by law. The struggle now lies within the religious sector, where limited progress has...

This article reflects on the successes and failures of student protests in transforming higher education in South Africa through a Marxist lens. The slow pace of change by the government in addressing structural and systemic inequalities has led to disgruntlement within the student body. In their quest to hasten the process, students engaged in pro...

This study explored the factors, responsible for the exodus of Nigerians to India for medical tourism. We employed a qualitative approach and the information was retrieved from 50 participants, using an in-depth interview method. The study found factors that were responsible for this drive are as follows: Cheaper cost of treatments and procedures,...

Education and development are lifespan experiences starting from infancy into adulthood in sociological, anthropological and biological studies. This article conducted an analysis of principal factors as perceived variables related to sociological orientation, policy-education and development through sports and their association with each other. It...

The focus of this paper is on the lived experiences of Rastafarians in post-1994 Malawi. The one significant change brought about by the elections of 1994 was the amendment of the constitution which had long ignored issues pertaining to human rights. Despite this change, this paper will come to show that democracy did not necessarily improve the co...

The focus of this paper is on the lived experiences of Rastafarians in post-1994 Malawi. The one significant change brought about by the elections of 1994 was the amendment of the constitution which had long ignored issues pertaining to human rights. Despite this change, this paper will come to show that democracy did not necessarily improve the co...

Although the Rastafari movement continues to attract a growing number of people around the world, not much is known in relation to how they have managed to sustain their identity despite the persecution and discrimination that most encounter. This is especially so in the case of Malawi where Rastafarians make up a minority of the country’s relig...

The current work employed qualitative phenomenological study to determine the reasons for the continued teaching of single Christian religious education in Lesotho secondary school in view that there are now compelling circumstances for pluralistic religious education. Central is the fact that Lesotho is cosigner of series of international decla...

South African democracy has brought about changes like freedom of associations, as opposed to apartheid which emphasised separateness of races and cultures. This social change warrants new ways of living among South Africans, especially among young people. Using a qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews, this study examined how white A...

This paper examines a strange behaviour associated with a spirit possession called amakhosi which has recently been prevalent in the Eastern and Western Cape. These behaviours were reported by various newspapers and community radio stations, where learners were said to mysteriously climb school walls with their bare hands, groaning violently and...

In South Africa, there are mainly two Christian traditions on Christianity and African ritual practices. One being from missionaries and now mainly trailed by most white Mainline Churches and Pentecostal Churches. The other is by African Independent Churches (AIC). The first group oppose and condemn Christian involvement on any rituals related to a...

This article evaluated interpretations between members of the Baptist Union of South Africa (BUSA) and the Baptist Convention of South Africa (BCSA), revisiting a particular moment, the merger talks of 1980s, at the time when the Baptist Church further entrenched these divisions. The Baptist Church has a crippling historical relationship to the pre...

The Xhosa male initiation practice, as it was viewed in the past, is discussed by focusing on its impact upon the initiates, its contribution to the moral upholding of values and its role in promoting the values of ‘ubuntu’. The present circumstances surrounding the initiation practice are also evaluated. The outcry of Church and other leaders, who...

This article is based on ethnographic work conducted between the Baptist Union of Southern Africa (BUSA) and the Baptist Convention Southern Africa (BCSA) in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province. The two Baptist churches share the same historical background and presuppositions concerning the Bible. They were once affiliated with each other in the c...

This article discusses the role of Xhosa male initiation practice in the teaching of moral values and the part played by the amakhankatha (traditional guardians) in the practice. Xhosa male initiation is regarded as a rite of passage since it has a historic role in building up the moral lives of boys as they graduate to manhood. Amakhankatha are id...