South Africa is a multicultural society with diverse indigenous cultural communities. It has been argued that as Africa enters into a new phase of knowledge development, disciplines like social work are equally asked to rethink their methods and theories to embrace this emerging challenge. The central idea of this article is based on the presumption that social workers should intervene in a culturally-sensed manner, appropriately and seeking to discover uniqueness in local indigenous ways within specific communities. It is contested in this article that the practice of social work, with its specific intervention approach, which uses local specific knowledge, can be a catalyst for social change and transformation. The article calls for a transformed social work education in South Africa that embraces notions and discourses such as decolonisation, indigenisation and Africanisation. Locally collected anecdotes are presented in the discussion. Broadly, the article suggests that indigenous knowledge, which encourages local cultures, and contexts, which integrate culturally-sensitive and Afro-sensed approaches, has the potential for driving a changed social work practice and education.

Every humanity has some form of indigeneity – whether conscious or unconscious. It behooves all humanity to redefine and reflect on its indigenous roots. Indigenous Knowledge (IK) has been termed in different ways. These include traditional, cultural, local, community knowledge, etc. All these are interlinked and imply that IK is a body of “knowledge” owned by local people in their specific communities and passed on from generation to generation. Therefore, IK is that knowledge which is known to a group of people or is embedded in a community. It could be rural or urban. The chapter aims to present and reflect on selected local narratives to construct a context. This chapter argues for the ‘contextual' dimension when looking at IK. For the past eighteen years the researcher has worked with a number of practitioners and knowledge holders whose experience has shaped his understanding of the South African IK dialogues, debates, research and studies. The approach adopted for this study is a reflexive one.

Prior to colonisation, most indigenous communities were using indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) as part of their livelihood. The livelihoods of rural and indigenous peoples and those living in poverty are often closely tied to the use of biodiversity. Positive action, if taken in these communities, could decrease pressure from climate change impacts. Indigenous knowledge can be a sustainable development and livelihood tool that can be used throughout the Global South. The key research question explored in this paper is: Which IKS applied by marginalised communities can be used by environmental education and social workers to advance environmental sustainability? Afro-sensed and sustainable livelihood approaches have been adopted to guide the theoretical framework. The qualitative research methodology followed a descriptive and explorative design. The research findings concluded that the integration of IKS in social work and environmental education can contribute to environmental sustainability efforts. Finally, a recommendation is made on how social sciences and educational practitioners can work with marginalised communities to adapt IKS.

In this study, it is argued that the trust of previous (and existing) hermeneutical approaches of promoting ancient biblical texts as applicable to the everyday life of contemporary readers is not only imaginable but also too ambitious. The Hebrew Bible emerged from an Israelite cultural context, which neither speaks to nor deliberates on issues concerning the African cultural contexts. The present essay utilises a narrative approach comprising three main overtures. Firstly, some examples of previous contributions on hermeneutics will be discussed. Secondly, this study interrogates the legitimacy of employing African biblical hermeneutics that utilises ancient Jewish texts as applicable to African societies today. Thirdly and finally, the study will critically appraise for a balanced reading of the biblical text.Contribution: The present study aims at engaging (debriefing) existing hermeneutical contributions towards proposing a balanced reading of the biblical text. In order to achieve that goal, the study engages into a dialogue following hermeneutical approaches, which are popular amongst most African scholars, namely African biblical hermeneutics, black biblical hermeneutics, contextual biblical hermeneutics, feminist hermeneutics and oral hermeneutics.

Radical and critical social work has existed since the start of the profession. Still, the history of social work education in South Africa does not put prominence on black women social workers like Ellen Kuzwayo and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, among others. Remarkably, these women also participated in the national women’s protest against the pass laws in 1956 by the apartheid government. The authors espouse radical perspectives, such as feminist, human rights and social justice frameworks, embedded in an Afro-sensed approach. Expressly, the authors argue that, in its very nature, social work is protest, which can be used to restore ravaged history, as well as to influence the teaching and practice of social work.