Namibian Journal for Research, Science and Technology

The individual effects of workplace bullying; Experiences from Namibia.

Clifford Hlatywayo — 2024-11-28

Workplace bullying has also been documented to have detrimental implications for employees, ranging from psychological to physical harm. Bullying in the workplace has a negative influence on organisational and individual performance, which has a knock-on effect on the workplace environment. Twelve self-reported targets were interviewed in depth using a qualitative approach, and data were analysed using the content analysis technique. Themes which emerged on coping with workplace bullying were; psychological, social, Physical and Mental Fatigue and Work Performance. Anxiety, feeling anxious, feeling edgy, Frustration, Weight loss, feeling tired, Irritated, Stress, Sleep disturbances, Fear, Headaches, Inability to concentrate, not happy, Lost confidence in self were the as the individual effects of workplace bullying. The present study contributed to the workplace bullying research by describing workplace bullying as a process in which targets’ experience bullying the data provided are in a new national context (Namibia). The researchers recommend inhouse mental wellbeing checks. Work life balance mechanism for HR Costing of employee absence and reduced productivity.

THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF STUDENTS IN REGARDS TO THEIR MENTAL HEALTH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NAMIBIA

Z.U. Rukambe — 2024-11-28

This paper enlists the findings of the Qualitative research study conducted on students at the University of Namibia. This study is concerned with the lived experiences of students registered at the University of Namibia, in regards to their mental health. The study aimed at exploring the mental health issues faced by students at the University of Namibia, investigating how students cope with their mental health challenges as well as the institutional support available at the University of Namibia to promote student’s mental health. This study adapted the phenomenological design and used a qualitative research approach to yield insights around the experiences of students at the University of Namibia. The participants on whom the study was conducted on were 10 students, including 4 significant informants, specifically a lecturer, an SRC, Dean of Students as well as a Social Worker. The study comprised of exploratory and thematic analysis. The findings were categorized into codes. The codes developed from the results were stress, COVID-19, negative encounters with lecturers, codes on their coping mechanisms as well as the institutional support available to them. Some participants portrayed symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress that affect their mental wellbeing, leading to poor academic performance

Positive psychology research within the workplace in Namibia: Findings and prospects for the future

Wesley Pieters — 2024-11-28

The field of Psychology has been criticised as being overly focused on pathology and less on the positive aspects of human functioning. Positive psychology research assesses what is going well and try to find ways to learn from those phenomena to enhance positive functioning amongst human beings. Making use of a desk study review, this study discusses research related to Positive psychology conducted in Namibia related to the world of work. This study focused on research work published during 2009-2019 within different industries ranging from education, health and social services, governmental institutions, service industry and the mining sector. Recommendations span from enhancing the positive human qualities, identifying factors that work against positive functioning, enhancing the working environment, improving healthy styles of leadership and developing the overall well-being of the organisation. This study aims to consolidate what has been researched within the Namibian context, taking stock and guiding the future approaches and focus within the field of Positive psychology. There is limited research within the field of Positive psychology and even less within the Namibian context. This study aims to reduce that gap within knowledge and within the field of psychology.

Nutritional Value and Antimicrobial Activity of Selected Edible Tubers of Namibia

R.H. Hans — 2024-11-28

Indigenous, leafy vegetables have been extensively studied but edible, tuberous vegetables are relatively underexplored in terms of their nutritional and medicinal values. This study aimed to evaluate the macronutrient, total phenolic and flavonoid contents as well as the antioxidant, cytotoxicity, antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of six edible tubers from Namibia. Proximate analysis revealed that the tubers have a high total carbohydrate and energy content, with the highest values recorded for Walleria nutans. The high protein content of 13 g/100 g dry mass recorded for Coccinea rehmannii, supports the use of members of this genus as nutritional protein supplements. The best, albeit poor, antimicrobial activity was recorded for the dichloromethane (DCM) extract of Eulophia hereroensis with an MIC of 2.5 mg/mL against Eschericia coli. Evaluation of the antibiofilm activity against Staphylococcus aureus showed that the DCM extract of Walleria nutans displayed the best biofilm formation inhibitory activity, whereas E. hereroensis exhibited the best biofilm eradication activity. A high total phenolic content and strong antioxidant activity was recorded for the aqueous methanolic extract of E. hereroensis, with IC₅₀s of 0.056 ±0.000 and 0.041 ±0.003 mg/mL obtained with the DPPH and H₂O₂ scavenging assays, respectively. All tubers showed little to no cytotoxicity with CC₅₀> 200 µg/mL against the VERO cell line. The macronutrient content, in vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the selected tuberous vegetables are reported here for the first time. Eulophia hereroensis and W. nutans showed potential as functional foods and merit an in-depth phytochemical study to isolate and characterize the phenolic compounds and potential antibiofilm agents.

Exploring the post-Independence experiences of the Namibian Children of the Liberation Struggle: A qualitative study

Manfred Janik — 2024-11-28

The Independence of Namibia on 21 March 1990 signified the end of the struggle against colonialism from Germany and South Africa. A voluntary repatriation of approximately 40 000 - 50 000 exiled Namibian people, including children born and/or raised in exile, back to Namibia happened as from 1989. These children are referred to as the Children of the Liberation Struggle (CLS). The CLS demonstrations and demands for jobs, education opportunities and national documents from government have been making headlines in the media for the past few years. Due to their demands and their protests, many Namibians often label the CLS as deviant and unproductive. The perceived demanding behaviour of a group of CLS in Namibia prompts one to consider possible reasons for their behaviour. An understanding of what drives behaviour can assist in meaning-making of the behaviour. The purpose of this study was thus to explore the experiences that the CLS had since their return “home” and to determine an impact on behavior. A qualitative approach was employed where in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 employed CLS in the Khomas region from two generations of CLS born between 1972 and 1978 and between1979 and 1986. Interviews were transcribed and the data was categorised and analysed according to thematic analysis. Excitement and disappointment with the homecoming experience, feeling unsafe during and after repatriation, being separated from biological parents and siblings, adjustment difficulties, lack of psychological support, seeking education opportunities and having to endure negative labelling are some of the post-Independence experiences that the CLS report. The study recommends psychological interventions in the form of therapeutic group sessions for employed and unemployed CLS as well as an awareness campaing amongst Namibians to understand what the CLS endured prior to as well as after Independence.

The Impact of Financial Literacy on the Sustainability of Female Entrepreneurship in the Namibian Cosmetic Industry

S.R. Sibanda — 2024-11-28

This paper analyses the impact of financial literacy on the sustainability of female entrepreneurship in the Namibian cosmetic industry. The aim of the study was to identify the financial literacy challenges faced by female entrepreneurs in Namibia when managing their businesses; to analyse these challenges, and to provide possible solutions to the challenges identified. Previous studies have concentrated on either the overall financial literacy of the Namibian adult population as a whole or the financial literacy of SMEs in general. To this end, the purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of financial literacy skills on the sustainability of female-run enterprises within the Namibian Cosmetic Industry. The study adopted the correlational research design in which data was processed through the use of the STATA 15 statistical software. The results of the study confirmed that the majority of entrepreneurs in Namibia were young female entrepreneurs who are, for the most part, educated. However, the findings of the study revealed that despite the high levels of education among female entrepreneurs, they still lacked the necessary financial literacy skills. For example, female entrepreneurs had lower financial literacy skills as compared to their male counterparts, and this has had a negative impact on the sustainability of their businesses over the years. It is recommended in this study that, as a matter of urgency, the Namibian Cosmetic Industry and interested parties in this matter, make concerted efforts to provide financial literacy education to their members to equip them with financial literate skills to enable their enterprises to be sustainable.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship, female entrepreneurs, financial literacy, impact, sustainability