A critical analysis of A2 Fast Track Lowveld sugar cane farms in Zimbabwe in global value chains: interrogating the lives of farmers and farm labourers
- Chingono, Kudakwashe Rejoice
- Authors: Chingono, Kudakwashe Rejoice
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: International trade , Sugar trade -- Zimbabwe , Sugar growing -- Zimbabwe -- Social aspects , Agriculture -- Zimbabwe -- Social aspects
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSci
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/93933 , vital:30972
- Description: The sugar cane industry has for many years been a lucrative business with a booming global market. In Zimbabwe, the sugar cane industry is no exception, as it has been regarded as one of the most efficient in the region and even in the world. The sugar cane farms and mills in Zimbabwe are located in Triangle and Chiredzi, in the south-eastern part of the country and they are under the ownership of Tongaat Hullet and the Zimbabwean A2 farmers. The focus of this is on the A2 fast track farms in Hippo Valley, which are now owned by black farmers but as out-growers for Tongaat Hullet. The crucial question addressed in the thesis is whether the A2 sugar cane farmers and their workers, located at the production end of the sugar cane global value chain, are benefitting from their involvement in this value chain. A number of scholars argue that global value chains lead to economic and social upgrading at the production end of the chain, based on thoughts contained in modernisation and trickledown theory. There is an assumption, then, that integration into the global economy leads to economic upgrading which translates into social upgrading. In drawing upon critical global value theorists, bolstered by the Marxist perspective, considers the importance of a more critical view of global value chains in relation to the sugar cane industry in Zimbabwe, with the particular focus on A2 farms. Thus, the main objective of the thesis is to consider the lives and livelihoods of A2 sugar cane farmers and sugar cane workers through a case study, in the context of global value chains and arguments around economic and social upgrading. This is pursued through a case study of six A2 farms, which involved interviewing farmers, supervisors, and both permanent and temporary workers. The thesis concludes that there is no significant evidence of social upgrading amongst the labour force, and that the A2 farmers are in constant tension with Tongaat Hullet in seeking to engage in economic upgrading of their status as commercial farmers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Chingono, Kudakwashe Rejoice
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: International trade , Sugar trade -- Zimbabwe , Sugar growing -- Zimbabwe -- Social aspects , Agriculture -- Zimbabwe -- Social aspects
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSci
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/93933 , vital:30972
- Description: The sugar cane industry has for many years been a lucrative business with a booming global market. In Zimbabwe, the sugar cane industry is no exception, as it has been regarded as one of the most efficient in the region and even in the world. The sugar cane farms and mills in Zimbabwe are located in Triangle and Chiredzi, in the south-eastern part of the country and they are under the ownership of Tongaat Hullet and the Zimbabwean A2 farmers. The focus of this is on the A2 fast track farms in Hippo Valley, which are now owned by black farmers but as out-growers for Tongaat Hullet. The crucial question addressed in the thesis is whether the A2 sugar cane farmers and their workers, located at the production end of the sugar cane global value chain, are benefitting from their involvement in this value chain. A number of scholars argue that global value chains lead to economic and social upgrading at the production end of the chain, based on thoughts contained in modernisation and trickledown theory. There is an assumption, then, that integration into the global economy leads to economic upgrading which translates into social upgrading. In drawing upon critical global value theorists, bolstered by the Marxist perspective, considers the importance of a more critical view of global value chains in relation to the sugar cane industry in Zimbabwe, with the particular focus on A2 farms. Thus, the main objective of the thesis is to consider the lives and livelihoods of A2 sugar cane farmers and sugar cane workers through a case study, in the context of global value chains and arguments around economic and social upgrading. This is pursued through a case study of six A2 farms, which involved interviewing farmers, supervisors, and both permanent and temporary workers. The thesis concludes that there is no significant evidence of social upgrading amongst the labour force, and that the A2 farmers are in constant tension with Tongaat Hullet in seeking to engage in economic upgrading of their status as commercial farmers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
A critical analysis of community participation at the primary level of the health system in Goromonzi District, Zimbabwe
- Authors: Gondo, Rachel
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1454 , vital:20059
- Description: The adoption of the primary health care approach by Zimbabwe in 1980 signalled the government’s intention to consolidate the gains of the liberation struggle by providing equitable health for all citizens regardless of race and class. This approach frames community participation as central to the design and implementation of responsive health systems. Having earned international recognition for its pro-poor policies in the social sectors after independence in 1980, the Zimbabwean government over the last three decades has overseen a progressive decline in the provision of health services and near collapse of the health sector. Participation of communities, whether in the form of organised groups or as unorganised members of the public, is argued to be an important pillar in the effective performance of a health system. There has been extensive research conducted on Zimbabwe’s implementation of primary health care in light of health status, accessibility and health services uptake. A few studies have been undertaken to demonstrate that the participation of communities in the health system is an important factor in improving the effectiveness of the health system in Zimbabwe. This thesis analyses the existing mechanisms for community participation in the health system in Zimbabwe and brings out multiple perspectives on the underlying contradictions, tensions and processes at play between policy and practice. This thesis makes a contribution to the growing number of studies on participation in health by offering an empirically rich critical analysis of community participation in the health system in one ward located in Goromonzi District in Zimbabwe. In examining the structural and procedural forms of the health system, insights concerning the nature and form of community participation in primary health care are brought to the fore. The thesis concludes that the ways in which community participation takes place in the health system in Zimbabwe is influenced by a number of socio-economic, political and societal factors and this in turn has a bearing on how health policy expresses itself in practice.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Gondo, Rachel
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1454 , vital:20059
- Description: The adoption of the primary health care approach by Zimbabwe in 1980 signalled the government’s intention to consolidate the gains of the liberation struggle by providing equitable health for all citizens regardless of race and class. This approach frames community participation as central to the design and implementation of responsive health systems. Having earned international recognition for its pro-poor policies in the social sectors after independence in 1980, the Zimbabwean government over the last three decades has overseen a progressive decline in the provision of health services and near collapse of the health sector. Participation of communities, whether in the form of organised groups or as unorganised members of the public, is argued to be an important pillar in the effective performance of a health system. There has been extensive research conducted on Zimbabwe’s implementation of primary health care in light of health status, accessibility and health services uptake. A few studies have been undertaken to demonstrate that the participation of communities in the health system is an important factor in improving the effectiveness of the health system in Zimbabwe. This thesis analyses the existing mechanisms for community participation in the health system in Zimbabwe and brings out multiple perspectives on the underlying contradictions, tensions and processes at play between policy and practice. This thesis makes a contribution to the growing number of studies on participation in health by offering an empirically rich critical analysis of community participation in the health system in one ward located in Goromonzi District in Zimbabwe. In examining the structural and procedural forms of the health system, insights concerning the nature and form of community participation in primary health care are brought to the fore. The thesis concludes that the ways in which community participation takes place in the health system in Zimbabwe is influenced by a number of socio-economic, political and societal factors and this in turn has a bearing on how health policy expresses itself in practice.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
A critical analysis of development NGO programmes in rural areas: a case study of East Cape Agricultural Research Project in South Africa
- Authors: Sanyangore, Agnes
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: East Cape Agricultural Research Project , Non-governmental organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Land reform -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Land tenure -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96187 , vital:31248
- Description: For a number of decades now, development non-governmental organisations (DNGOs) have been central to the world-wide development system which involves funding from international donors. Overall, DNGOs rely quite fundamentally on their donors for organisational sustainability, such that upward accountability to donors is inevitable. At the same time, as development agents, DNGOs are often celebrated for the deep participatory methodologies used when engaging with the beneficiaries of their programmes, leading to significant downward accountability – as least potentially. Often, for DNGOs, an awkward tension between upward and downward accountability exists. This thesis considers this tension by examining a DNGO in South Africa, namely, the East Cape Agricultural Research Project (ECARP), which focuses on questions around land redistribution. ECARP works with farm labourers and dwellers on commercial farms and small-scale farmers on redistributed farms. In the context of a broader understanding of ECARP’s mission, capacities and programmes, the thesis looks specifically at ECARP’s food security and sovereignty programme amongst small-scale farmers on redistributed farms. By drawing upon Interface theory, the thesis discusses in detail the diverse manner in which ECARP uses participatory methodologies in this particular programme. The thesis concludes that there is a reasonable degree of downward accountability in this programme, but that this does not distract from the fact that ECARP remains within the tension-riddled space marked by dual demands for accountability.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Sanyangore, Agnes
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: East Cape Agricultural Research Project , Non-governmental organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Land reform -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Land tenure -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96187 , vital:31248
- Description: For a number of decades now, development non-governmental organisations (DNGOs) have been central to the world-wide development system which involves funding from international donors. Overall, DNGOs rely quite fundamentally on their donors for organisational sustainability, such that upward accountability to donors is inevitable. At the same time, as development agents, DNGOs are often celebrated for the deep participatory methodologies used when engaging with the beneficiaries of their programmes, leading to significant downward accountability – as least potentially. Often, for DNGOs, an awkward tension between upward and downward accountability exists. This thesis considers this tension by examining a DNGO in South Africa, namely, the East Cape Agricultural Research Project (ECARP), which focuses on questions around land redistribution. ECARP works with farm labourers and dwellers on commercial farms and small-scale farmers on redistributed farms. In the context of a broader understanding of ECARP’s mission, capacities and programmes, the thesis looks specifically at ECARP’s food security and sovereignty programme amongst small-scale farmers on redistributed farms. By drawing upon Interface theory, the thesis discusses in detail the diverse manner in which ECARP uses participatory methodologies in this particular programme. The thesis concludes that there is a reasonable degree of downward accountability in this programme, but that this does not distract from the fact that ECARP remains within the tension-riddled space marked by dual demands for accountability.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
A critical analysis of NGOs in addressing HIV and AIDS in the context of gendered inequality: The case of Makhanda, Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Mhavika, Moreblessing
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: AIDS (Disease) -- Sex factors , AIDS (Disease) -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Makhanda , HIV infections -- Sex factors , HIV infections -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Makhanda , HIV-positive women -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Non-governmental organizations -- South Africa -- Makhanda
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSci
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/143225 , vital:38212
- Description: South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV and AIDS in the world. The HIV pandemic has, and continues to have, negative implications for communities and individuals, especially women, in South Africa and beyond. HIV and AIDS has left women disproportionately more infected and affected than men because of social, cultural and economic factors, leading to the feminisation of HIV. South African NGOs have tried to fill in the gap and to respond to the HIV pandemic, either independently or in partnership with government departments. In this context, the purpose of this thesis is to provide a critical analysis of NGO programmes in Makhanda (in the Eastern Cape Province) to ascertain whether NGOs address the feminisation of HIV and, if so, how. In doing so, the study utilises qualitative analysis with the use of interviews, a focus group discussion and primary documents as research methods. The study concludes that local government in Makhanda has failed to address women’s vulnerabilities to HIV and that it does not provide a sufficiently enabling environment for NGOs in this regard. In addition, inadequate funding from donors, alongside issues of accountability and the failure to engage in HIV programmes from a perspective founded in feminism, were factors found to contribute to NGOs not fully considering women’s vulnerabilities to HIV. Resultantly, NGOs in Makhanda rarely, at least intentionally, address the feminisation of HIV.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Mhavika, Moreblessing
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: AIDS (Disease) -- Sex factors , AIDS (Disease) -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Makhanda , HIV infections -- Sex factors , HIV infections -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Makhanda , HIV-positive women -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Non-governmental organizations -- South Africa -- Makhanda
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSci
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/143225 , vital:38212
- Description: South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV and AIDS in the world. The HIV pandemic has, and continues to have, negative implications for communities and individuals, especially women, in South Africa and beyond. HIV and AIDS has left women disproportionately more infected and affected than men because of social, cultural and economic factors, leading to the feminisation of HIV. South African NGOs have tried to fill in the gap and to respond to the HIV pandemic, either independently or in partnership with government departments. In this context, the purpose of this thesis is to provide a critical analysis of NGO programmes in Makhanda (in the Eastern Cape Province) to ascertain whether NGOs address the feminisation of HIV and, if so, how. In doing so, the study utilises qualitative analysis with the use of interviews, a focus group discussion and primary documents as research methods. The study concludes that local government in Makhanda has failed to address women’s vulnerabilities to HIV and that it does not provide a sufficiently enabling environment for NGOs in this regard. In addition, inadequate funding from donors, alongside issues of accountability and the failure to engage in HIV programmes from a perspective founded in feminism, were factors found to contribute to NGOs not fully considering women’s vulnerabilities to HIV. Resultantly, NGOs in Makhanda rarely, at least intentionally, address the feminisation of HIV.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
A critical analysis of sustainable human settlement in housing: the case of Hlalani, South Africa
- Authors: Nkambule, Sipho Jonathan
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Human settlements -- South Africa , Black people -- Housing -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3334 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003740 , Human settlements -- South Africa , Black people -- Housing -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Description: As a result of apartheid’s history, the current South African government was initially faced with two major challenges in the development of sustainable human settlement in urban areas: delivering the quantity of houses needed to reduce the massive housing backlog (notably in black townships) and overcoming the problem of racially-based spatial separation inherited from the apartheid era. To rectify the legacies of apartheid, the state has sought to pursue a massive housing programme in urban areas for poor urban blacks. In doing so, though, it has worked within the confines of the racially-segregated South African city and has adopted a macro-economic policy with a pronounced neo-liberal thrust. This thesis examines the South African state’s housing programme with reference to questions about social sustainability and specifically sustainable human settlements. It does so by highlighting social capital and the different forms it takes, notably bonding, binding and linking capitals. This is pursued through a case study of a small area of a black township in Grahamstown called Hlalani. The case focuses on the lived experiences of Hlalani residents and their intra-household and inter-household relations as well as their linkages with local state structures. It is concluded that social capital is weak and incipient in Hlalani and that Hlalani could not, by any definition or measurement of the term, be labeled as a sustainable human settlement.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
- Authors: Nkambule, Sipho Jonathan
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Human settlements -- South Africa , Black people -- Housing -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3334 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003740 , Human settlements -- South Africa , Black people -- Housing -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Description: As a result of apartheid’s history, the current South African government was initially faced with two major challenges in the development of sustainable human settlement in urban areas: delivering the quantity of houses needed to reduce the massive housing backlog (notably in black townships) and overcoming the problem of racially-based spatial separation inherited from the apartheid era. To rectify the legacies of apartheid, the state has sought to pursue a massive housing programme in urban areas for poor urban blacks. In doing so, though, it has worked within the confines of the racially-segregated South African city and has adopted a macro-economic policy with a pronounced neo-liberal thrust. This thesis examines the South African state’s housing programme with reference to questions about social sustainability and specifically sustainable human settlements. It does so by highlighting social capital and the different forms it takes, notably bonding, binding and linking capitals. This is pursued through a case study of a small area of a black township in Grahamstown called Hlalani. The case focuses on the lived experiences of Hlalani residents and their intra-household and inter-household relations as well as their linkages with local state structures. It is concluded that social capital is weak and incipient in Hlalani and that Hlalani could not, by any definition or measurement of the term, be labeled as a sustainable human settlement.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
A critical Fanonian understanding of black student identities at Rhodes University, South Africa
- Mercadal-Barroso, Adriana Kimberly
- Authors: Mercadal-Barroso, Adriana Kimberly
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Fanon, Frantz, 1925-1961 -- Political and social views , Rhodes University , Education, Higher , College graduates, Black -- South Africa -- Grahamstown -- Attitudes , Identity , Black people -- Ethnic identity
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3391 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016375
- Description: South African history is rooted in racial identities, inequalities and injustices, which the post-apartheid government has sought to address for twenty years since 1994. The transition to a post-apartheid society though has been a difficult one with the social structure and everyday life still marked by the racial past. Though racial classifications on an official basis no longer exist, racial identities continue to pervade the country. Of particular significance to this thesis are black identities including the possibility of black inferiority, which I examine in relation to black post-graduate university students in contemporary South Africa, specifically at Rhodes University. In examining this topic, I draw extensively on the work of Frantz Fanon, who wrote about both colonial society and the emerging post-colonial experience. Fanon was a young black intellectual whose work was in part based on his own experiences of being a once-colonised black person in a world which he perceived as being dominated by whiteness. In his work he expresses his own perceptions of whiteness and how the black identity has come to be shaped by and around this dominant white foundation. Fanon extensively discussed the lives of black intellectuals and elites, and demonstrated how the black identity becomes shaped by and around the world of whiteness. In doing so, he raised a range of themes, such as black inferiority, mimicry and double consciousness. I draw upon the work of Fanon in a critically sympathetic manner to delve into the experiences of black postgraduate students as they negotiate their way through a university setting dominated by a white institutional culture. I bring to the fore the argument that the racial identities of these students is not fixed and sutured but, rather, is marked by considerable fluidity and ambiguity such that black identity must be understood not just as a state of being but also as a process of becoming.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Mercadal-Barroso, Adriana Kimberly
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Fanon, Frantz, 1925-1961 -- Political and social views , Rhodes University , Education, Higher , College graduates, Black -- South Africa -- Grahamstown -- Attitudes , Identity , Black people -- Ethnic identity
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3391 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016375
- Description: South African history is rooted in racial identities, inequalities and injustices, which the post-apartheid government has sought to address for twenty years since 1994. The transition to a post-apartheid society though has been a difficult one with the social structure and everyday life still marked by the racial past. Though racial classifications on an official basis no longer exist, racial identities continue to pervade the country. Of particular significance to this thesis are black identities including the possibility of black inferiority, which I examine in relation to black post-graduate university students in contemporary South Africa, specifically at Rhodes University. In examining this topic, I draw extensively on the work of Frantz Fanon, who wrote about both colonial society and the emerging post-colonial experience. Fanon was a young black intellectual whose work was in part based on his own experiences of being a once-colonised black person in a world which he perceived as being dominated by whiteness. In his work he expresses his own perceptions of whiteness and how the black identity has come to be shaped by and around this dominant white foundation. Fanon extensively discussed the lives of black intellectuals and elites, and demonstrated how the black identity becomes shaped by and around the world of whiteness. In doing so, he raised a range of themes, such as black inferiority, mimicry and double consciousness. I draw upon the work of Fanon in a critically sympathetic manner to delve into the experiences of black postgraduate students as they negotiate their way through a university setting dominated by a white institutional culture. I bring to the fore the argument that the racial identities of these students is not fixed and sutured but, rather, is marked by considerable fluidity and ambiguity such that black identity must be understood not just as a state of being but also as a process of becoming.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
A gender based analysis of the Amalima Programme in empowering married women within households in rural Gwanda, Zimbabwe
- Authors: Sibanda, Patience
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Non-governmental organizations Zimbabwe Matabeleland South Province , Power (Social sciences) Zimbabwe Matabeleland South Province , Women Zimbabwe Social conditions , Women's rights Zimbabwe , Patriarchy Zimbabwe Matabeleland South Province
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63682 , vital:28470
- Description: Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have occupied a prominent role in the socio-economic development of rural areas of Zimbabwe since the time of the country’s independence in 1980, including a focus on improving the conditions and status of women in communal areas. These NGOs adopt a participatory methodology in their development programmes and projects, as they try to ensure that the active participation of women in rural development facilitates women’s access to resources and the realisation of their rights. These initiatives are important given the pronounced system of patriarchy which exists in communal areas. In the context of local patriarchies, NGOs also often claim that they empower women. This thesis focuses on the work of one particular NGO programme, namely the Amalima programme, with a particular focus on three wards in the communal areas in Gwanda, Zimbabwe. From a gendered perspective concerned with questions of women’s empowerment, the main objective of the thesis is to provide a critical analysis of the Amalima programme with particular reference to married women in Gwanda. Based on original fieldwork (including interviews with men, women and NGO practitioners), the thesis concludes that the outcomes of the Amalima programme in empowering married women in Gwanda are uneven and that, overall, the local system of patriarchy (including at household level) remains largely intact.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Sibanda, Patience
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Non-governmental organizations Zimbabwe Matabeleland South Province , Power (Social sciences) Zimbabwe Matabeleland South Province , Women Zimbabwe Social conditions , Women's rights Zimbabwe , Patriarchy Zimbabwe Matabeleland South Province
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63682 , vital:28470
- Description: Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have occupied a prominent role in the socio-economic development of rural areas of Zimbabwe since the time of the country’s independence in 1980, including a focus on improving the conditions and status of women in communal areas. These NGOs adopt a participatory methodology in their development programmes and projects, as they try to ensure that the active participation of women in rural development facilitates women’s access to resources and the realisation of their rights. These initiatives are important given the pronounced system of patriarchy which exists in communal areas. In the context of local patriarchies, NGOs also often claim that they empower women. This thesis focuses on the work of one particular NGO programme, namely the Amalima programme, with a particular focus on three wards in the communal areas in Gwanda, Zimbabwe. From a gendered perspective concerned with questions of women’s empowerment, the main objective of the thesis is to provide a critical analysis of the Amalima programme with particular reference to married women in Gwanda. Based on original fieldwork (including interviews with men, women and NGO practitioners), the thesis concludes that the outcomes of the Amalima programme in empowering married women in Gwanda are uneven and that, overall, the local system of patriarchy (including at household level) remains largely intact.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
A history of land tenure in the Herschel district, Transkei
- Authors: Viedge, Bronwen Elizabeth
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Land tenure -- South Africa -- Transkei Land tenure -- Herschel -- South Africa -- Transkei Land tenure -- History -- Herschel -- South Africa -- Transkei
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3338 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003808
- Description: A historical review of land tenure systems implemented in the Herschel district, Eastern Cape, South Africa and an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of each system in conjunction with international experience of land tenure provide guidelines as to what elements could be incorporated in the formulation of a new integrated land tenure system. These guidelines together with the information obtained from a questionnaire survey amongst the Herschel population provide the government of South Africa with a broad outline of an integrated land tenure system that could serve to link the former homelands to the land tenure system that currently operates in the rest of the country thereby removing one of the obstacles to rural development and land redistribution.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2001
- Authors: Viedge, Bronwen Elizabeth
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Land tenure -- South Africa -- Transkei Land tenure -- Herschel -- South Africa -- Transkei Land tenure -- History -- Herschel -- South Africa -- Transkei
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3338 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003808
- Description: A historical review of land tenure systems implemented in the Herschel district, Eastern Cape, South Africa and an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of each system in conjunction with international experience of land tenure provide guidelines as to what elements could be incorporated in the formulation of a new integrated land tenure system. These guidelines together with the information obtained from a questionnaire survey amongst the Herschel population provide the government of South Africa with a broad outline of an integrated land tenure system that could serve to link the former homelands to the land tenure system that currently operates in the rest of the country thereby removing one of the obstacles to rural development and land redistribution.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2001
A learning state?: a case study of the post-1994 South African welfare regime
- Mungwashu, Sthembiso Handinawangu
- Authors: Mungwashu, Sthembiso Handinawangu
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: South African Social Security Agency , South Africa -- Social policy , Poor -- South Africa , Social service -- South Africa , Public welfare -- South Africa , Social service -- Government policy -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3325 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003113 , South African Social Security Agency , South Africa -- Social policy , Poor -- South Africa , Social service -- South Africa , Public welfare -- South Africa , Social service -- Government policy -- South Africa
- Description: This thesis examines the processes of policymaking in South Africa, as expressed through the shifts in income maintenance policy. The thesis focuses on the processes leading to the establishment of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), as its case study. SASSA is the institutional framework for the delivery of social grants. Our intention is to test the efficacy of what we have called ‘state learning’ in the South African context. Therefore, the overall aim of the study is to assess the capacity of the ‘state to learn’ in the process of policymaking as expressed through the shifts in social grant administration and the institutional framework of social welfare in South Africa. The subsidiary goals of the research includes mapping changes in the system of social grants administration since 1994 in order to assess the sources of the shifts in its institutional framework; to assess processes and responses within the state that result in policy shifts and the extent to which these can be considered dimensions of state learning; to assess the power of ideas in the policymaking process and to assess the influence of non-state agencies/actors in policy contestation and learning processes. This is essential, because social policy, especially welfare policy research in post-apartheid South Africa, has focused on the economic value of policies and not the political processes in policymaking. For the framework of analysis the study draws on theories of learning, especially at the organizational or institutional level. We start from the perspective that policymaking and implementation cannot be reduced to a neatly ordered schema (Lamb: 1987:6). Further, that policy change and policymaking are “iterative, haphazard, and highly political processes, in which the apparently logical sequences of decision-making, may turn out to be the reverse” (Lamb, 1987:6). This is mainly because state building is a complex affair and a contested terrain; policy learning and making are neither benign nor do they involve the state working in isolation (Sabatier, 1998). To understand processes of policymaking in South Africa, we rely on content analysis of primary and secondary materials or documents and in-depth interviews with key informants involved in the policy process. The documentary sources include records of parliamentary debates, green and white papers on social welfare, ANC party documents, presidential task force reports, newspapers, magazines and court judgments. The study reveals that the establishment of SASSA lends itself to the idea of ‘state learning’. Learning is indicated in South Africa by the capacity and ability of the state to stimulate ideas, debate ideas to establish ideational matrixes as well as paradigms that have informed the development of policy, take ideas and implement them to try and solve mismatches between the intention of the state and the outcomes and the ability of the state to produce policy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Mungwashu, Sthembiso Handinawangu
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: South African Social Security Agency , South Africa -- Social policy , Poor -- South Africa , Social service -- South Africa , Public welfare -- South Africa , Social service -- Government policy -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3325 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003113 , South African Social Security Agency , South Africa -- Social policy , Poor -- South Africa , Social service -- South Africa , Public welfare -- South Africa , Social service -- Government policy -- South Africa
- Description: This thesis examines the processes of policymaking in South Africa, as expressed through the shifts in income maintenance policy. The thesis focuses on the processes leading to the establishment of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), as its case study. SASSA is the institutional framework for the delivery of social grants. Our intention is to test the efficacy of what we have called ‘state learning’ in the South African context. Therefore, the overall aim of the study is to assess the capacity of the ‘state to learn’ in the process of policymaking as expressed through the shifts in social grant administration and the institutional framework of social welfare in South Africa. The subsidiary goals of the research includes mapping changes in the system of social grants administration since 1994 in order to assess the sources of the shifts in its institutional framework; to assess processes and responses within the state that result in policy shifts and the extent to which these can be considered dimensions of state learning; to assess the power of ideas in the policymaking process and to assess the influence of non-state agencies/actors in policy contestation and learning processes. This is essential, because social policy, especially welfare policy research in post-apartheid South Africa, has focused on the economic value of policies and not the political processes in policymaking. For the framework of analysis the study draws on theories of learning, especially at the organizational or institutional level. We start from the perspective that policymaking and implementation cannot be reduced to a neatly ordered schema (Lamb: 1987:6). Further, that policy change and policymaking are “iterative, haphazard, and highly political processes, in which the apparently logical sequences of decision-making, may turn out to be the reverse” (Lamb, 1987:6). This is mainly because state building is a complex affair and a contested terrain; policy learning and making are neither benign nor do they involve the state working in isolation (Sabatier, 1998). To understand processes of policymaking in South Africa, we rely on content analysis of primary and secondary materials or documents and in-depth interviews with key informants involved in the policy process. The documentary sources include records of parliamentary debates, green and white papers on social welfare, ANC party documents, presidential task force reports, newspapers, magazines and court judgments. The study reveals that the establishment of SASSA lends itself to the idea of ‘state learning’. Learning is indicated in South Africa by the capacity and ability of the state to stimulate ideas, debate ideas to establish ideational matrixes as well as paradigms that have informed the development of policy, take ideas and implement them to try and solve mismatches between the intention of the state and the outcomes and the ability of the state to produce policy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
A narrative study of patients’ illness experiences on antiretroviral treatment
- Authors: Tsope, Lindiwe
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: AIDS (Disease) Social aspects South Africa , HIV infections Social aspects South Africa , Stigma (Social psychology) , Antiretroviral agents , Disclosure of information , Social media in medicine South Africa , Discourse analysis, Narrative
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63032 , vital:28356
- Description: Eight female respondents, who have publicly disclosed their HIV-positive status on social media, were involved in a semi-structured in-depth interview process. Using the theoretical frameworks of symbolic interactionism and social constructionism, the study explores the effects of antiretroviral treatment on patients’ illness experiences, looking at the personal and social symbolisms and meanings attached to taking antiretrovirals. The study revealed a positive and inspirational aspect of living with HIV/AIDS and especially consuming antiretroviral therapy. It became evident that the knowledge participants had of antiretrovirals before consuming them was misguided and based more on false ‘general knowledge’ among laypersons than actual medical fact. Moreover, the study revealed that there is a social reconstruction of narratives that has taken place in each participant’s life due to consuming antiretrovirals. Publicly disclosing their statuses has also proved to have both negative and positive consequences for the individuals and for society at large. While there is a consensus that participants’ illness experiences are directly affected by antiretroviral treatment, each participant’s narrative is different, yet positive.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Tsope, Lindiwe
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: AIDS (Disease) Social aspects South Africa , HIV infections Social aspects South Africa , Stigma (Social psychology) , Antiretroviral agents , Disclosure of information , Social media in medicine South Africa , Discourse analysis, Narrative
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63032 , vital:28356
- Description: Eight female respondents, who have publicly disclosed their HIV-positive status on social media, were involved in a semi-structured in-depth interview process. Using the theoretical frameworks of symbolic interactionism and social constructionism, the study explores the effects of antiretroviral treatment on patients’ illness experiences, looking at the personal and social symbolisms and meanings attached to taking antiretrovirals. The study revealed a positive and inspirational aspect of living with HIV/AIDS and especially consuming antiretroviral therapy. It became evident that the knowledge participants had of antiretrovirals before consuming them was misguided and based more on false ‘general knowledge’ among laypersons than actual medical fact. Moreover, the study revealed that there is a social reconstruction of narratives that has taken place in each participant’s life due to consuming antiretrovirals. Publicly disclosing their statuses has also proved to have both negative and positive consequences for the individuals and for society at large. While there is a consensus that participants’ illness experiences are directly affected by antiretroviral treatment, each participant’s narrative is different, yet positive.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
A participant-focused sociological analysis of Beedz, a Grahamstown skills training project for women
- Authors: Bobo, Azola Benita Dorothea
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Beedz (Makhanda, South Africa) , Feminist theory -- Developing countries , Training -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Occupational training -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Women -- South Africa -- Makhanda -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5686 , vital:20964
- Description: This research looked at a participant-focused sociological analysis of Beedz, a Grahamstown skills training project for women. Beedz is run by the River of Life Church and aims to equip women with the necessary skills to participate in the economy, either as entrepreneurs or as employees. Using third world feminist theory, this research explored the experiences of women who have participated in the Beedz programme, what they went through, and whether the programme benefited them or not. In particular, this research explored how the participants experienced Beedz as a programme for women without an exclusive focus on traditional feminist issues. This research was qualitative in nature; with in-depth, semi-structured interviews being used as a means of data collection. Data was analysed using key themes emerging from the interviews. The key findings of this research were that it is important to include women in training projects, as by including them you create spaces and enabling environments for women to empower themselves. Secondly, although Beedz does not deliberately work from the third world feminist theory, it could be argued that it fits in this framework as this programme facilitates skills training through looking at women as a whole, taking into account not only their gender, but also their class and race. Recommendations were made on how the Beedz programme may be improved, based on the information gathered from the participants from the interviews conducted during the research, with the key recommendation being that the organisers of the programme need to create a space for the participants’ voice to be heard, so that the programme can be relevant and beneficial to them.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Bobo, Azola Benita Dorothea
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Beedz (Makhanda, South Africa) , Feminist theory -- Developing countries , Training -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Occupational training -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Women -- South Africa -- Makhanda -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5686 , vital:20964
- Description: This research looked at a participant-focused sociological analysis of Beedz, a Grahamstown skills training project for women. Beedz is run by the River of Life Church and aims to equip women with the necessary skills to participate in the economy, either as entrepreneurs or as employees. Using third world feminist theory, this research explored the experiences of women who have participated in the Beedz programme, what they went through, and whether the programme benefited them or not. In particular, this research explored how the participants experienced Beedz as a programme for women without an exclusive focus on traditional feminist issues. This research was qualitative in nature; with in-depth, semi-structured interviews being used as a means of data collection. Data was analysed using key themes emerging from the interviews. The key findings of this research were that it is important to include women in training projects, as by including them you create spaces and enabling environments for women to empower themselves. Secondly, although Beedz does not deliberately work from the third world feminist theory, it could be argued that it fits in this framework as this programme facilitates skills training through looking at women as a whole, taking into account not only their gender, but also their class and race. Recommendations were made on how the Beedz programme may be improved, based on the information gathered from the participants from the interviews conducted during the research, with the key recommendation being that the organisers of the programme need to create a space for the participants’ voice to be heard, so that the programme can be relevant and beneficial to them.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
A platform for women’s experiences? a case of the hip hop scene in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape
- Authors: Kabwato, Sasha Nyasha
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Hip-hop -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Popular culture -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Rap musicians -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Musicians, Black -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Women musicians, Black -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Women, Black -- South Africa -- Makhanda -- Psychology
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96503 , vital:31287
- Description: The main aim of this research is to examine the hip hop scene in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape and whether hip hop can serve as a significant platform to discuss women’s lived experiences. This study also places focus on how female rappers construct their rap personas, as well as how they are perceived by their male counterparts. In order to understand the multifaceted viewpoints, it was necessary to interview both male and female hip hop artists. Eight interviews were conducted with eight young black rappers who are actively involved in the Grahamstown hip hop scene. It was found that hip hop, like any other art form, is a significant platform for women to express themselves, however gender constraints limit who is willing to listen to and promote their music. Male rappers advocate for women to talk about their stories, yet are more unlikely to listen because it does not relate to their struggles. In addition, there seem to be four specific tropes that female rappers choose to construct their identities from. Female rappers tend to create their personas around: Queen Mother, Fly Sista, Bitch with Attitude, and Lesbian. However, these categories are fluid and it was found that women navigate these categories depending on their audience and message they want to convey at a particular moment. Lastly, there is a split between Grahamstown West (Rhodes University) and Grahamstown East (township). University students are unlikely to perform in the township, and township residents rarely perform at organised events in Grahamstown West. In addition, Rhodes University students are more likely to feature on the university run radio station, rather than Radio Grahamstown, the local community radio.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Kabwato, Sasha Nyasha
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Hip-hop -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Popular culture -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Rap musicians -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Musicians, Black -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Women musicians, Black -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Women, Black -- South Africa -- Makhanda -- Psychology
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96503 , vital:31287
- Description: The main aim of this research is to examine the hip hop scene in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape and whether hip hop can serve as a significant platform to discuss women’s lived experiences. This study also places focus on how female rappers construct their rap personas, as well as how they are perceived by their male counterparts. In order to understand the multifaceted viewpoints, it was necessary to interview both male and female hip hop artists. Eight interviews were conducted with eight young black rappers who are actively involved in the Grahamstown hip hop scene. It was found that hip hop, like any other art form, is a significant platform for women to express themselves, however gender constraints limit who is willing to listen to and promote their music. Male rappers advocate for women to talk about their stories, yet are more unlikely to listen because it does not relate to their struggles. In addition, there seem to be four specific tropes that female rappers choose to construct their identities from. Female rappers tend to create their personas around: Queen Mother, Fly Sista, Bitch with Attitude, and Lesbian. However, these categories are fluid and it was found that women navigate these categories depending on their audience and message they want to convey at a particular moment. Lastly, there is a split between Grahamstown West (Rhodes University) and Grahamstown East (township). University students are unlikely to perform in the township, and township residents rarely perform at organised events in Grahamstown West. In addition, Rhodes University students are more likely to feature on the university run radio station, rather than Radio Grahamstown, the local community radio.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
A social capital analysis of citizen participation and service delivery in metropolitan government in Zimbabwe: the case of Glenview, Harare since 2013
- Authors: Sachikonye, Tafadzwa I
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Social capital (Sociology) -- Zimbabwe -- Harare , Municipal services -- Zimbabwe -- Harare , Local government -- Zimbabwe -- Harare , Public administration -- Zimbabwe -- Harare , Citizen particpation -- Zimbabwe -- Harare , Local government --Citizen participation -- Zimbabwe -- Harare , Harare (Zimbabwe). City Council
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96236 , vital:31253
- Description: Significant challenges exist in contemporary Zimbabwe with regard to urban government, including with specific reference to citizenship participation and service delivery capacities. One of the crucial factors considered in the existing literature when examining urban government is the extent to which the central government intrudes in the affairs of urban government. This is particularly important given that, in recent years, many urban governments have been controlled by the main opposition party in the country. In this context, the thesis offers a critical examination of urban government in contemporary Zimbabwe by focusing on urban government in Harare (the capital) and, even more specifically, on the high-density, low-income area of Glenview. Harare is one of two metropolitan urban areas in Zimbabwe, along with Bulawayo, and is governed by the Harare City Council. While the central state’s relationship with urban governments (including Harare) in Zimbabwe is important, and is examined in this thesis, the primary concern is how this and other factors affect citizenship participation and service delivery in Harare. In pursuing this, the thesis draws upon social capital theory (including questions around trust and networks) to facilitate a critical analysis of urban government, citizenship participation and service delivery in Harare and Glenview specifically. The fieldwork for this thesis involved a qualitative research methodology, including informal interviews with relevant local stakeholders in Harare and associated documents. The thesis concludes that localised political, social and other contextual factors in Harare undercut the prospects for meaningful citizenship participation (with forms of social exclusion existing) and that this has negative implications for effective and efficient service delivery mechanisms.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Sachikonye, Tafadzwa I
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Social capital (Sociology) -- Zimbabwe -- Harare , Municipal services -- Zimbabwe -- Harare , Local government -- Zimbabwe -- Harare , Public administration -- Zimbabwe -- Harare , Citizen particpation -- Zimbabwe -- Harare , Local government --Citizen participation -- Zimbabwe -- Harare , Harare (Zimbabwe). City Council
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96236 , vital:31253
- Description: Significant challenges exist in contemporary Zimbabwe with regard to urban government, including with specific reference to citizenship participation and service delivery capacities. One of the crucial factors considered in the existing literature when examining urban government is the extent to which the central government intrudes in the affairs of urban government. This is particularly important given that, in recent years, many urban governments have been controlled by the main opposition party in the country. In this context, the thesis offers a critical examination of urban government in contemporary Zimbabwe by focusing on urban government in Harare (the capital) and, even more specifically, on the high-density, low-income area of Glenview. Harare is one of two metropolitan urban areas in Zimbabwe, along with Bulawayo, and is governed by the Harare City Council. While the central state’s relationship with urban governments (including Harare) in Zimbabwe is important, and is examined in this thesis, the primary concern is how this and other factors affect citizenship participation and service delivery in Harare. In pursuing this, the thesis draws upon social capital theory (including questions around trust and networks) to facilitate a critical analysis of urban government, citizenship participation and service delivery in Harare and Glenview specifically. The fieldwork for this thesis involved a qualitative research methodology, including informal interviews with relevant local stakeholders in Harare and associated documents. The thesis concludes that localised political, social and other contextual factors in Harare undercut the prospects for meaningful citizenship participation (with forms of social exclusion existing) and that this has negative implications for effective and efficient service delivery mechanisms.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
A socio-economic study of East London, Cape Province, with special reference to the non-European peoples
- Authors: Bettison, D G
- Date: 1951
- Subjects: East London (South Africa) -- Social conditions , East London (South Africa) -- Economic conditions , Rural-urban migration -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3387 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013496
- Description: From Forward: The development of gold mines in the Orange Free State is likely to be to modern East London what Kaffir Wars were to old East London. "The Fighting Port", as it is commonly called, is the nearest harbour to these mines and is linked by good rail, road and air facilities. A wide variety of industry is already established. Development is likely to be rapid. At present the City contains over 80,000 persons, and with the addition of peri-urban suburbs has doubled its population in just over fifteen years. In the past is has claimed to be the healthiest holiday resort in the Union. This year a City-wide campaign has been organised to fight tuberculosis, as the City's statistics indicate that it has one of the highest rates of anywhere in the world. Within twelve years two government sided commissions of enquiry have sat in the City and reported on the administration and living conditions of the city's African populaton. Extremely strong adjectives have been used to describe, and drastic recommendations made to improve the socio-economic and general conditions of the African people. Under the holiday atmosphere of the City lies a very serious, complex, and potentially dangerous human problem.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1951
- Authors: Bettison, D G
- Date: 1951
- Subjects: East London (South Africa) -- Social conditions , East London (South Africa) -- Economic conditions , Rural-urban migration -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3387 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013496
- Description: From Forward: The development of gold mines in the Orange Free State is likely to be to modern East London what Kaffir Wars were to old East London. "The Fighting Port", as it is commonly called, is the nearest harbour to these mines and is linked by good rail, road and air facilities. A wide variety of industry is already established. Development is likely to be rapid. At present the City contains over 80,000 persons, and with the addition of peri-urban suburbs has doubled its population in just over fifteen years. In the past is has claimed to be the healthiest holiday resort in the Union. This year a City-wide campaign has been organised to fight tuberculosis, as the City's statistics indicate that it has one of the highest rates of anywhere in the world. Within twelve years two government sided commissions of enquiry have sat in the City and reported on the administration and living conditions of the city's African populaton. Extremely strong adjectives have been used to describe, and drastic recommendations made to improve the socio-economic and general conditions of the African people. Under the holiday atmosphere of the City lies a very serious, complex, and potentially dangerous human problem.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1951
A sociological analysis of Rhodes University Students previously diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and prescribed psychostimulant medications
- Authors: Brasher, Chelsea Marilyn
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Stereotypes (Social psychology) , Mental illness -- Public opinion , Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder , Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder -- Treatment , Symbolic interactionism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7610 , vital:21278
- Description: Using the theoretical framework of symbolic interactionism, bringing into account the labelling theory, the stigmas attached upon mental health issues and the medicalization approach, this study sought to document and analyze the viewpoints that previously diagnosed Rhodes University students hold towards the ADHD label and the subsequent usage of psychostimulant medications. Seven respondents were involved in an in-depth interviewing process. Out of the seven respondents chosen, five of the respondents were diagnosed in their primary school years, whereas the other two respondents were diagnosed in their late teenage years or early adult years. These respondents were included to enlighten and support the narrative of the five respondents diagnosed in their youth. The findings varied, with some of the respondents feeling negatively affected by having the ADHD label attached to them, and others, positively affected by it. The findings were also diverse in terms of how the respondents experienced stimulant usage, with some believing that the benefits of usage outweigh the costs, and others, the opposite. At a general level, it was discovered that the respondents were not affected by the ADHD label in terms of their interactions with others in primary school. It was only as they got older did some become fearful of the stigma attached to the ADHD label, and that of medication.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Brasher, Chelsea Marilyn
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Stereotypes (Social psychology) , Mental illness -- Public opinion , Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder , Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder -- Treatment , Symbolic interactionism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7610 , vital:21278
- Description: Using the theoretical framework of symbolic interactionism, bringing into account the labelling theory, the stigmas attached upon mental health issues and the medicalization approach, this study sought to document and analyze the viewpoints that previously diagnosed Rhodes University students hold towards the ADHD label and the subsequent usage of psychostimulant medications. Seven respondents were involved in an in-depth interviewing process. Out of the seven respondents chosen, five of the respondents were diagnosed in their primary school years, whereas the other two respondents were diagnosed in their late teenage years or early adult years. These respondents were included to enlighten and support the narrative of the five respondents diagnosed in their youth. The findings varied, with some of the respondents feeling negatively affected by having the ADHD label attached to them, and others, positively affected by it. The findings were also diverse in terms of how the respondents experienced stimulant usage, with some believing that the benefits of usage outweigh the costs, and others, the opposite. At a general level, it was discovered that the respondents were not affected by the ADHD label in terms of their interactions with others in primary school. It was only as they got older did some become fearful of the stigma attached to the ADHD label, and that of medication.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
A sociological analysis of Rhodes University students’ understanding of depression
- Authors: Kadula, Tadala
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: College students -- South Africa -- Mental health , College students -- South Africa -- Mental health -- Case studies , Depression, Mental , Rhodes University -- Students -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96258 , vital:31255
- Description: Using the theoretical framework of symbolic interactionism, this research sought to analyse and explore how Rhodes University students, both depressed and not depressed, understand depression, and how their understanding influences their interaction with people who do suffer from depression. For the purposes of this paper, eight participants were involved in an in-depth interview process. Out of the eight participants, six of them suffered from depression while the other remaining two participants had never suffered from depression, but they were close to someone who had depression. The findings of this research varied, some understood depression as a mental disturbance, others understood it as a condition that affects your emotions, and others understood it as a multifaceted condition that is highly subjective and cannot be understood using standardized measures. The participants’ personal experience and introduction into a new environment, in this context, university, changed their understanding of depression. The change in how they understood depression correlated with the change in how they interacted with depressed people.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Kadula, Tadala
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: College students -- South Africa -- Mental health , College students -- South Africa -- Mental health -- Case studies , Depression, Mental , Rhodes University -- Students -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96258 , vital:31255
- Description: Using the theoretical framework of symbolic interactionism, this research sought to analyse and explore how Rhodes University students, both depressed and not depressed, understand depression, and how their understanding influences their interaction with people who do suffer from depression. For the purposes of this paper, eight participants were involved in an in-depth interview process. Out of the eight participants, six of them suffered from depression while the other remaining two participants had never suffered from depression, but they were close to someone who had depression. The findings of this research varied, some understood depression as a mental disturbance, others understood it as a condition that affects your emotions, and others understood it as a multifaceted condition that is highly subjective and cannot be understood using standardized measures. The participants’ personal experience and introduction into a new environment, in this context, university, changed their understanding of depression. The change in how they understood depression correlated with the change in how they interacted with depressed people.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
A sociological analysis of Southern African AIDS Trust's capacity-development model in responding to HIV and AIDS
- Authors: Mushonga, Allan
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Southern African AIDS Trust , AIDS (Disease) -- Social aspects -- South Africa , HIV (Viruses) -- Social aspects -- South Africa , HIV-positive persons -- South Africa , Community development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3379 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013261
- Description: The issues of capacity and capacity development in the response to HIV and AIDS is a topic of intense academic interest and is on the agenda of development practitioners, particularly as these issues are linked to community HIV and AIDS competence and sustainability of civil society organisations and community capacity. The capacity development model of the Southern African AIDS Trust is one of the more illuminating examples of capacity development of civil society organisations for the enhancement of community HIV and AIDS competence in southern Africa. The thesis examines the conceptualisation and implementation of the Southern African AIDS Trust's capacity development model in order to identify and understand the multi-dimensional factors that influence the success and sustainability of HIV and AIDS responses. It argues that, even though the conceptualisation, formulation and implementation of the model were appropriate and yielded acceptable benefits to communities in relation to HIV and AIDS, the sustainability of the model depended fundamentally on the availability of requisite resources. The dependence on external resources, the availability of which is in large part beyond the control of the Southern African AIDS Trust and its community-based beneficiaries, undercuts the sustainability of the model and the programmes delivered through it. Community capacities and community-based HIV and AIDS responses are sustainable only to the extent that communities have sufficient resources to build capacities and develop responses, or can leverage and negotiate external inputs. The degeneration of capacity in intermediary organisations (such as Southern African AIDS Trust) that support community competence undermines models that at first sight seem suitable for effective capacity enhancement with regard to HIV and AIDS programmes. In this regard, the thesis also focuses on the organisational crisis within Southern African AIDS Trust and the ramifications this had for community HIV and AIDS competence.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Mushonga, Allan
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Southern African AIDS Trust , AIDS (Disease) -- Social aspects -- South Africa , HIV (Viruses) -- Social aspects -- South Africa , HIV-positive persons -- South Africa , Community development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3379 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013261
- Description: The issues of capacity and capacity development in the response to HIV and AIDS is a topic of intense academic interest and is on the agenda of development practitioners, particularly as these issues are linked to community HIV and AIDS competence and sustainability of civil society organisations and community capacity. The capacity development model of the Southern African AIDS Trust is one of the more illuminating examples of capacity development of civil society organisations for the enhancement of community HIV and AIDS competence in southern Africa. The thesis examines the conceptualisation and implementation of the Southern African AIDS Trust's capacity development model in order to identify and understand the multi-dimensional factors that influence the success and sustainability of HIV and AIDS responses. It argues that, even though the conceptualisation, formulation and implementation of the model were appropriate and yielded acceptable benefits to communities in relation to HIV and AIDS, the sustainability of the model depended fundamentally on the availability of requisite resources. The dependence on external resources, the availability of which is in large part beyond the control of the Southern African AIDS Trust and its community-based beneficiaries, undercuts the sustainability of the model and the programmes delivered through it. Community capacities and community-based HIV and AIDS responses are sustainable only to the extent that communities have sufficient resources to build capacities and develop responses, or can leverage and negotiate external inputs. The degeneration of capacity in intermediary organisations (such as Southern African AIDS Trust) that support community competence undermines models that at first sight seem suitable for effective capacity enhancement with regard to HIV and AIDS programmes. In this regard, the thesis also focuses on the organisational crisis within Southern African AIDS Trust and the ramifications this had for community HIV and AIDS competence.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
A sociological analysis of the experiences of acceptance of Christian gay men within the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) in Grahamstown
- Authors: Sipungu, Thoko Andy
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3961 , vital:20573
- Description: Buffington, Luibhéid, & Guy (2014: 1) argue that “in the contemporary world, our own sexuality and our sense of the sexualities of others colour all aspects of contemporary life, from interpersonal relations to foreign affairs.” In line with this statement, this study provides an account of how a person’s gay sexuality can possibly colour that person’s experience of acceptance by the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) in Grahamstown. Samuel Hill (2008: 6) notes that there is an urgent need to create a dialectic between religious and secular discourse with regards to furthering our understanding of sexuality. Thus this thesis seeks to contribute to the body of scholarship that explores and discusses the disjuncture between one’s homosexual identity and one’s religious identity. Barton (2012: 2) notes that “gay people are often talked about but seldom listened to; rarely are they asked about their own oppression and the individuals and institutions oppressing them.” While adopting a qualitative approach utilising interviews to explore the stories of the respondents, this study applies Bourdieu’s concepts of field, habitus, social capital and symbolic violence in order to analyse the experiences of acceptance of gay men within the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) in Grahamstown. With regard to the use Bourdieu’s concepts in the analysis of the experiences, the following dimensions were considered: i) construction of a gay identity within the field of Christianity as represented by the MCSA in this context, ii) the impact the field has on the ‘gay habitus’, iii) Social capital as an advantageous strategy in constructing a gay identity within the church, and iv) symbolic violence that gay men experience within the church. In analysing the conditions of the acceptance that gay men receive within the church, this study also uses Jacques Derrida’s concept of hospitality.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Sipungu, Thoko Andy
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3961 , vital:20573
- Description: Buffington, Luibhéid, & Guy (2014: 1) argue that “in the contemporary world, our own sexuality and our sense of the sexualities of others colour all aspects of contemporary life, from interpersonal relations to foreign affairs.” In line with this statement, this study provides an account of how a person’s gay sexuality can possibly colour that person’s experience of acceptance by the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) in Grahamstown. Samuel Hill (2008: 6) notes that there is an urgent need to create a dialectic between religious and secular discourse with regards to furthering our understanding of sexuality. Thus this thesis seeks to contribute to the body of scholarship that explores and discusses the disjuncture between one’s homosexual identity and one’s religious identity. Barton (2012: 2) notes that “gay people are often talked about but seldom listened to; rarely are they asked about their own oppression and the individuals and institutions oppressing them.” While adopting a qualitative approach utilising interviews to explore the stories of the respondents, this study applies Bourdieu’s concepts of field, habitus, social capital and symbolic violence in order to analyse the experiences of acceptance of gay men within the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) in Grahamstown. With regard to the use Bourdieu’s concepts in the analysis of the experiences, the following dimensions were considered: i) construction of a gay identity within the field of Christianity as represented by the MCSA in this context, ii) the impact the field has on the ‘gay habitus’, iii) Social capital as an advantageous strategy in constructing a gay identity within the church, and iv) symbolic violence that gay men experience within the church. In analysing the conditions of the acceptance that gay men receive within the church, this study also uses Jacques Derrida’s concept of hospitality.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
A sociological analysis of the involvement of men in campaigns against sexual violence towards women at Rhodes University: the aftermath of the #RUReference protest
- Authors: Roboji, Philasande Milisa
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: #RUReferenceList , Rhodes University -- Students -- Attitudes , Rape in universities and colleges -- South Africa , Social movements -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Women college students -- Violence against -- South Africa , Male college students -- South Africa -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSci
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/148059 , vital:38706
- Description: Gender-based violence more especially sexual violence towards women is one of the biggest social issus affecting South Africa including higher institutions of learning, universities in this context. In recent years, we have seen students in universities protesting sexual violence demanding universities to improve their ways of dealing with this violence. The motivation behind this thesis is the notion that sexual violence is a women’s issue and how most men in our communities and universities do not involve themselves in campaigns that are designed to end sexual violence towards women. There is an assumption that women should be the ones fighting against sexual violence because it affects them when in fact sexual violence affects everyone and more importantly, is mostly perpetuated by men. Therefore, the main purpose of this thesis was to sociologically analyze the involvement of men in campaigns against sexual violence towards women and the aftermath of the #RUReferenceList protest that took place at Rhodes University in 2016. This protest started immediately after a list of students who were said to be alleged sexual perpetrators was published online. Attached to this primary objective, the sub-goals that informed the entire study were to investigate how the involvement of men in the #RUReferenceList protest has contributed to challenging rape culture at Rhodes University. Also, to investigate if there are any ongoing campaigns and/or projects that includes men and that are still addressing the issue of sexual violence towards women. There is however, a dearth of research on the involvement of men in campaigns against sexual violence in South Africa. Therefore, it was difficult finding existing literature that touches on the involvement of men in campaigns against sexual violence towards women particularly in the context of universities. This thesis was conducted within the premises of Rhodes University through a qualitative research approach in a form of in-depth interviews. Five participants were selected through purposive sampling which included the Chair of the Gender Action Forum, one former student representative council member, a sub-warden from a male residence and two students. The findings of this research are not the full representation of the entire university but opinions and perspective of the participants that were interviewed. Their opinions and perspectives have a potential of contributing to the factors and reasons as to why majority of men have not engaged themselves in issues of gender-based violence or involved themselves in campaigns against sexual violence towards women.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Roboji, Philasande Milisa
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: #RUReferenceList , Rhodes University -- Students -- Attitudes , Rape in universities and colleges -- South Africa , Social movements -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Women college students -- Violence against -- South Africa , Male college students -- South Africa -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSci
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/148059 , vital:38706
- Description: Gender-based violence more especially sexual violence towards women is one of the biggest social issus affecting South Africa including higher institutions of learning, universities in this context. In recent years, we have seen students in universities protesting sexual violence demanding universities to improve their ways of dealing with this violence. The motivation behind this thesis is the notion that sexual violence is a women’s issue and how most men in our communities and universities do not involve themselves in campaigns that are designed to end sexual violence towards women. There is an assumption that women should be the ones fighting against sexual violence because it affects them when in fact sexual violence affects everyone and more importantly, is mostly perpetuated by men. Therefore, the main purpose of this thesis was to sociologically analyze the involvement of men in campaigns against sexual violence towards women and the aftermath of the #RUReferenceList protest that took place at Rhodes University in 2016. This protest started immediately after a list of students who were said to be alleged sexual perpetrators was published online. Attached to this primary objective, the sub-goals that informed the entire study were to investigate how the involvement of men in the #RUReferenceList protest has contributed to challenging rape culture at Rhodes University. Also, to investigate if there are any ongoing campaigns and/or projects that includes men and that are still addressing the issue of sexual violence towards women. There is however, a dearth of research on the involvement of men in campaigns against sexual violence in South Africa. Therefore, it was difficult finding existing literature that touches on the involvement of men in campaigns against sexual violence towards women particularly in the context of universities. This thesis was conducted within the premises of Rhodes University through a qualitative research approach in a form of in-depth interviews. Five participants were selected through purposive sampling which included the Chair of the Gender Action Forum, one former student representative council member, a sub-warden from a male residence and two students. The findings of this research are not the full representation of the entire university but opinions and perspective of the participants that were interviewed. Their opinions and perspectives have a potential of contributing to the factors and reasons as to why majority of men have not engaged themselves in issues of gender-based violence or involved themselves in campaigns against sexual violence towards women.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
A sociological analysis of the lives and livelihoods of child support grant caregivers in Queenstown, South Africa
- Authors: Ntantiso, Ziyanda
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7925 , vital:21325
- Description: The post-apartheid state in South Africa has initiated and implemented a large-scale social assistance programme in the form of social grants, including the child support grant. The grant system is meant to provide recipients, who comprise mainly people from poor black households, with the capacity to reduce levels of poverty in their households. The grant with the largest number of recipients is the child support grant, and it is given to the caregiver of a child eligible to receive the grant. Though the value of the monthly grant is minimal, the prevailing literature suggests that it does contribute in some way to enhancing the welfare of the recipients. This thesis focuses on child support grant recipients in the town of Queenstown in the Eastern Cape, and particularly those recipients for whom the grant is the crucial source of income. The main objective of the thesis is to understand and analyse the lives and livelihoods of child support grant recipients (all women) in Queenstown, South Africa. In this regard, the vast majority of caregivers of grant children are women and they often rely exclusively on the grant in taking care of themselves and the children. The thesis does not seek to determine any direct causal relationship between the child grant and poverty reduction, as much of the existing literature seeks to do. It focuses instead on the lives of the grant recipients, including the many challenges they face, as well as how they use the grant to pursue livelihoods in a manner which may at least inhibit the prospects of entering into deeper levels of poverty. The thesis demonstrates that, despite their deprived conditions of material existence, the female caregivers in Queenstown display significant agency in caring for their grant children.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Ntantiso, Ziyanda
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7925 , vital:21325
- Description: The post-apartheid state in South Africa has initiated and implemented a large-scale social assistance programme in the form of social grants, including the child support grant. The grant system is meant to provide recipients, who comprise mainly people from poor black households, with the capacity to reduce levels of poverty in their households. The grant with the largest number of recipients is the child support grant, and it is given to the caregiver of a child eligible to receive the grant. Though the value of the monthly grant is minimal, the prevailing literature suggests that it does contribute in some way to enhancing the welfare of the recipients. This thesis focuses on child support grant recipients in the town of Queenstown in the Eastern Cape, and particularly those recipients for whom the grant is the crucial source of income. The main objective of the thesis is to understand and analyse the lives and livelihoods of child support grant recipients (all women) in Queenstown, South Africa. In this regard, the vast majority of caregivers of grant children are women and they often rely exclusively on the grant in taking care of themselves and the children. The thesis does not seek to determine any direct causal relationship between the child grant and poverty reduction, as much of the existing literature seeks to do. It focuses instead on the lives of the grant recipients, including the many challenges they face, as well as how they use the grant to pursue livelihoods in a manner which may at least inhibit the prospects of entering into deeper levels of poverty. The thesis demonstrates that, despite their deprived conditions of material existence, the female caregivers in Queenstown display significant agency in caring for their grant children.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017