Exploring attitudes and perceptions about the knowledge acquisition process and experiences of Ngangelizwe youth graduates in the Eastern Cape to understand the significance of their education: a Freirean approach
- Authors: Bango, Yanda Tamsanqeleka
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Freire, Paulo, 1921-1997 , Education -- Sociological aspects -- South Africa -- Mthatha , College graduates, Black -- South Africa -- Mthatha -- Attitudes , College graduates, Black -- South Africa -- Mthatha -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4277 , vital:20642
- Description: Education is a critical phenomenon which cannot be ignored as its effects cut across all spheres of life, especially the social and economic aspects. In the particular case of South Africa, education has been a serious issue of concern for a very long time and after the transition process took place in 1994 it became a priority on all agendas of governance. Expanding on the already existing debate about education in South Africa, this thesis specifically explores attitudes and perceptions about the knowledge acquisition process and experiences of Ngangelizwe youth graduates to understand the significance of education in their lives. As Freire wrote about the phenomenon of education from the point of view of the oppressed and marginalized in society, his theory explains and aids as a tool for careful analysis in this case. Moreover, considering that at the centre of Freire’s world view was the belief that humans have an ontological vocation to become more fully human, the youth graduates of Ngangelizwe became a good case as they live under conditions that one would regard as dehumanizing and oppressive. The youth graduates’ actions and attitudes would therefore guide and provide indication as to whether their education, both from academic spaces and the community, has empowered them to challenge the dehumanizing and oppressive nature of the dominant culture as a means to becoming fully human in their life and time, particularly in their community of Ngangelizwe. While the general finding has been that the participants’ education portrays both elements of banking and problem-posing education, it was also discovered that it all depends on the level and forces of education that the participants receive their inspiration from. This is due to the fact that education is not one dimensional, it begins from the moment one is born up until he or she no longer exists on earth. Therefore, education does not belong to one group of people; everyone has the ability to educate in as much as he or she has the ability to be educated.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Bango, Yanda Tamsanqeleka
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Freire, Paulo, 1921-1997 , Education -- Sociological aspects -- South Africa -- Mthatha , College graduates, Black -- South Africa -- Mthatha -- Attitudes , College graduates, Black -- South Africa -- Mthatha -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4277 , vital:20642
- Description: Education is a critical phenomenon which cannot be ignored as its effects cut across all spheres of life, especially the social and economic aspects. In the particular case of South Africa, education has been a serious issue of concern for a very long time and after the transition process took place in 1994 it became a priority on all agendas of governance. Expanding on the already existing debate about education in South Africa, this thesis specifically explores attitudes and perceptions about the knowledge acquisition process and experiences of Ngangelizwe youth graduates to understand the significance of education in their lives. As Freire wrote about the phenomenon of education from the point of view of the oppressed and marginalized in society, his theory explains and aids as a tool for careful analysis in this case. Moreover, considering that at the centre of Freire’s world view was the belief that humans have an ontological vocation to become more fully human, the youth graduates of Ngangelizwe became a good case as they live under conditions that one would regard as dehumanizing and oppressive. The youth graduates’ actions and attitudes would therefore guide and provide indication as to whether their education, both from academic spaces and the community, has empowered them to challenge the dehumanizing and oppressive nature of the dominant culture as a means to becoming fully human in their life and time, particularly in their community of Ngangelizwe. While the general finding has been that the participants’ education portrays both elements of banking and problem-posing education, it was also discovered that it all depends on the level and forces of education that the participants receive their inspiration from. This is due to the fact that education is not one dimensional, it begins from the moment one is born up until he or she no longer exists on earth. Therefore, education does not belong to one group of people; everyone has the ability to educate in as much as he or she has the ability to be educated.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Exploring the need for Academic Support Programmes (ASPs) for returning undergraduates at Rhodes University
- Matabane, Ramathetse Belinda
- Authors: Matabane, Ramathetse Belinda
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Compensatory education -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Rhodes University. Department of Sociology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/35094 , vital:24326
- Description: The overarching purpose of this thesis is to explore the need for Academic Support Programmes (ASPs) in higher education with specific reference to returning undergraduates in the Sociology Department at Rhodes University. The transformational agenda in higher education in post-apartheid South Africa in terms of expanding access to education, the promotion of accountability and efficiency in higher education, massification, the articulation gap between school and university, institutional culture, unpreparedness of universities and underpreparedness of students comprise the conceptual core of this study. I undertake to investigate the necessity and relevance of academic support offered to returning undergraduates at Rhodes University. I do this by exploring two main issues theoretically and in my fieldwork. The two main issues that form the basis of this research are students’ perceptions regarding availability and accessibility of academic support programmes in the Sociology Department and students’ perceived academic needs. Students’ perceptions and attitudes towards Academic Support Programmes have been uncovered through both quantitative and qualitative fieldwork to gauge the extent to which literature is applicable when it comes to the above-mentioned conceptual frameworks. The study illustrated that academic support is not exclusive to first year students. It is also clear that improved, systematic academic support gives rise to improved student academic performance. Throughout the study, students perceive availability and accessibility of ASPs as a challenge.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Matabane, Ramathetse Belinda
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Compensatory education -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Rhodes University. Department of Sociology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/35094 , vital:24326
- Description: The overarching purpose of this thesis is to explore the need for Academic Support Programmes (ASPs) in higher education with specific reference to returning undergraduates in the Sociology Department at Rhodes University. The transformational agenda in higher education in post-apartheid South Africa in terms of expanding access to education, the promotion of accountability and efficiency in higher education, massification, the articulation gap between school and university, institutional culture, unpreparedness of universities and underpreparedness of students comprise the conceptual core of this study. I undertake to investigate the necessity and relevance of academic support offered to returning undergraduates at Rhodes University. I do this by exploring two main issues theoretically and in my fieldwork. The two main issues that form the basis of this research are students’ perceptions regarding availability and accessibility of academic support programmes in the Sociology Department and students’ perceived academic needs. Students’ perceptions and attitudes towards Academic Support Programmes have been uncovered through both quantitative and qualitative fieldwork to gauge the extent to which literature is applicable when it comes to the above-mentioned conceptual frameworks. The study illustrated that academic support is not exclusive to first year students. It is also clear that improved, systematic academic support gives rise to improved student academic performance. Throughout the study, students perceive availability and accessibility of ASPs as a challenge.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Land reform and rural livelihoods of evicted farm workers: a case study of Radway Green Farm Project
- Authors: Zishiri, Kudzanai
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/44377 , vital:25402
- Description: The land issue has remained a contentious one more than two decades into a democratic South Africa. With the dispossession of the indigenous people from their land stretching back as far as 1913, eviction of farm workers and farm dwellers has increased tremendously even in the post-Apartheid era. Thus, the main goal of this study is to analyse the impact of the eviction on the Radway Green farm workers’ community and to examine the factors affecting the generation of livelihood activities in their new settlement. In doing so, I used the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods Approach (SRLA) as my theoretical framework as it conceptually grounds my area of study. It was employed to analyse data gathered from the field through in-depth interviews, focus groups, key informant interviews and descriptive observation of the case study. The centrality of the SRLA concept is on rural development, poverty eradication and the ability or sustainability of the vulnerable and poor to cope with stresses and shocks as they make a living (Scoones, 1998: 5). In that regard, the theoretical framework became an important cornerstone in analysing the impact of eviction of the Radway Green farm workers’ community and examining the factors affecting the generation of livelihoods activities in their new settlement. To analyse the research findings, various themes were utilised Forced Evictions and Resettlement; Eviction or Displacement; The Struggles of Recreating Livelihoods; The Need for Security of Land Tenure and Access to Infrastructure. Under these themes, the study revealed how the eviction was detrimental to the livelihoods of the farm workers and farm dwellers as they lost the land that was a primary source for the construction of their livelihoods. They lost employment, homes, agricultural land for food security and natural resources, social and family structures and most importantly cultural disruption. It is well documented that the rural poor who constitute the farm workers and the farm dwellers are some of the vulnerable people who need constant governmental support through the promulgation of laws that protect them and assist in livelihood construction. Thus, this study also served to examine how the evicted workers and their families have settled into their new homes and how they, in conjunction with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform and any other government agencies are faring in terms of the establishment of income generating projects for their livelihoods at the new settlement.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Land reform and rural livelihoods of evicted farm workers: a case study of Radway Green Farm Project
- Authors: Zishiri, Kudzanai
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/44377 , vital:25402
- Description: The land issue has remained a contentious one more than two decades into a democratic South Africa. With the dispossession of the indigenous people from their land stretching back as far as 1913, eviction of farm workers and farm dwellers has increased tremendously even in the post-Apartheid era. Thus, the main goal of this study is to analyse the impact of the eviction on the Radway Green farm workers’ community and to examine the factors affecting the generation of livelihood activities in their new settlement. In doing so, I used the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods Approach (SRLA) as my theoretical framework as it conceptually grounds my area of study. It was employed to analyse data gathered from the field through in-depth interviews, focus groups, key informant interviews and descriptive observation of the case study. The centrality of the SRLA concept is on rural development, poverty eradication and the ability or sustainability of the vulnerable and poor to cope with stresses and shocks as they make a living (Scoones, 1998: 5). In that regard, the theoretical framework became an important cornerstone in analysing the impact of eviction of the Radway Green farm workers’ community and examining the factors affecting the generation of livelihoods activities in their new settlement. To analyse the research findings, various themes were utilised Forced Evictions and Resettlement; Eviction or Displacement; The Struggles of Recreating Livelihoods; The Need for Security of Land Tenure and Access to Infrastructure. Under these themes, the study revealed how the eviction was detrimental to the livelihoods of the farm workers and farm dwellers as they lost the land that was a primary source for the construction of their livelihoods. They lost employment, homes, agricultural land for food security and natural resources, social and family structures and most importantly cultural disruption. It is well documented that the rural poor who constitute the farm workers and the farm dwellers are some of the vulnerable people who need constant governmental support through the promulgation of laws that protect them and assist in livelihood construction. Thus, this study also served to examine how the evicted workers and their families have settled into their new homes and how they, in conjunction with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform and any other government agencies are faring in terms of the establishment of income generating projects for their livelihoods at the new settlement.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
My Friend, the stranger: Somali spaza shop operators in the villages around Cofimvaba, Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Maselwa, Avuyile
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Immigrant business enterprises -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Somalis -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Somalis -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Public opinion , Somalis -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/41738 , vital:25127
- Description: This thesis presents a study of the relationships between Somali spaza operators and the villagers living in the villages around Cofimvaba. The Somali spaza operators are operating spazas in the villages around Cofimvaba in the Intsika Yethu District Municipality (IYDM) located in the Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM). Spaza shops are general dealers selling daily consumption items, which usually operate in the informal sector, primarily in poorer black neighbourhoods, both urban and rural. Resentment of the very visible, post-apartheid, expansion of immigrant entrepreneurship - in the informal sector, notably in spazas- has been central to South African anti-immigrant sentiment, popularly dubbed “xenophobia,” which casts foreigners, mainly black or Asian, as stealing South African resources. Foreign spaza operators, many of them Somalis, have been subject to ongoing violence and looting for well over a decade, notably in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces. Yet in the deeply impoverished villages around Cofimvaba, in the former Transkei black homeland in the Eastern Cape, where Somalis play a central and growing role in spazas, such attacks are unknown. The aim of this thesis is to understand why. Careful qualitative research in several villages has indicated key reasons. These include the relative absence of South African, locally- owned spazas, and so, the lack of a local group driving xenophobic resentment; the convenience offered by Somali-owned spazas in these isolated villages, the affordability of the products offered, and the availability of systems of credit for villagers; the investment of the Somali entrepreneurs into the villages through acts like charity; and their social interaction with villagers. The Somalis have redefined the local spaza sector, to the benefit of the villagers, and there is a degree of “xenophilia” as a result. The research also found that the growing number of Somali spaza operators in the villages was a direct result of the xenophobia experienced by this group in the urban townships. The villages around Cofimvaba benefit the Somali operator, not in a financial sense as these are not where the most profits have been made, but as sites where the traders feel safest. But although the villages are a sort of refuge, they are isolated and isolating. The Somalis resident in these areas struggle to maintain the strong ethnic group consciousness based on a strong vision of the Somali homeland, and a sense of being sojourners, hoping to relocate elsewhere.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Maselwa, Avuyile
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Immigrant business enterprises -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Somalis -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Somalis -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Public opinion , Somalis -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/41738 , vital:25127
- Description: This thesis presents a study of the relationships between Somali spaza operators and the villagers living in the villages around Cofimvaba. The Somali spaza operators are operating spazas in the villages around Cofimvaba in the Intsika Yethu District Municipality (IYDM) located in the Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM). Spaza shops are general dealers selling daily consumption items, which usually operate in the informal sector, primarily in poorer black neighbourhoods, both urban and rural. Resentment of the very visible, post-apartheid, expansion of immigrant entrepreneurship - in the informal sector, notably in spazas- has been central to South African anti-immigrant sentiment, popularly dubbed “xenophobia,” which casts foreigners, mainly black or Asian, as stealing South African resources. Foreign spaza operators, many of them Somalis, have been subject to ongoing violence and looting for well over a decade, notably in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces. Yet in the deeply impoverished villages around Cofimvaba, in the former Transkei black homeland in the Eastern Cape, where Somalis play a central and growing role in spazas, such attacks are unknown. The aim of this thesis is to understand why. Careful qualitative research in several villages has indicated key reasons. These include the relative absence of South African, locally- owned spazas, and so, the lack of a local group driving xenophobic resentment; the convenience offered by Somali-owned spazas in these isolated villages, the affordability of the products offered, and the availability of systems of credit for villagers; the investment of the Somali entrepreneurs into the villages through acts like charity; and their social interaction with villagers. The Somalis have redefined the local spaza sector, to the benefit of the villagers, and there is a degree of “xenophilia” as a result. The research also found that the growing number of Somali spaza operators in the villages was a direct result of the xenophobia experienced by this group in the urban townships. The villages around Cofimvaba benefit the Somali operator, not in a financial sense as these are not where the most profits have been made, but as sites where the traders feel safest. But although the villages are a sort of refuge, they are isolated and isolating. The Somalis resident in these areas struggle to maintain the strong ethnic group consciousness based on a strong vision of the Somali homeland, and a sense of being sojourners, hoping to relocate elsewhere.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
My madam: same race, different class: living and working conditions of undocumented, migrant BaSotho domestic workers employed in black middle class houshold
- Madonsela, Koketso Njabulo Gosiame
- Authors: Madonsela, Koketso Njabulo Gosiame
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Black women household empoyees -- South Africa , Black employers -- South Africa , Women household employees -- South Africa , Women, Sotho -- Employment -- South Africa , Businesspeople, Black -- South Africa , Migrant labor -- South Africa , Illegal aliens -- South Africa , Master and servant -- South Africa , Women, Black -- Employment -- South Africa , Industrial relations -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/35166 , vital:24337
- Description: Jacklyn Cock’s Maids and Madams is a study on domestic work in the Eastern Cape which places a focus on black domestic workers who work in white families. Cock’s study was ground-breaking research within labour development in South Africa (with regards to domestic service). The apartheid system regarded domestic work as that of social reproduction: domestic workers left their families to replenish and reproduce the labour power of white families, whose members were employed in a formal workplace. The contribution to this system, according to Cock (1989), was unbreakable because they did not earn enough money to disrupt the system. The respondents of this thesis are undocumented migrant Basotho domestic workers. These domestic workers have much in common with Cock’s respondents. For one, they leave their homes and families to replenish the labour power of black middle class families, whose members are employed in a formal workplace. The difference between this thesis and Cock’s study is that the respondents’ employers are members of the black middle class. Furthermore, the employees are undocumented Basotho domestic workers. Undocumented, migrant, Basotho domestic workers are in a similarly vulnerable position to that of Cock’s respondents. This dissertation engages with the extent to which Maids and Madams is still relevant to the living and working conditions of a new vulnerable workforce in the domestic sector: undocumented, female, Basotho domestic workers employed in black, middle-class households in Gauteng. The dissertation also finds that the relationship between the black migrant domestic worker and the black middle class employer is influenced cultural aspects of what domestic chores represent in black families, and the element of respect from employers (particularly to elderly domestic workers) or lack thereof. This dissertation underlines that the term “ousi” makes the Basotho domestic workers a collective, and not individuals. Thus the term “ousi” can be viewed as the term that takes away the identity of the domestic worker. The theoretical framework of the research is labour process theory (LPT). The new wave of labour process theorists are much more focused on the service industry. LPT is significant to this research because its focus is on the subjective experiences of the workers. This is the core purpose of the thesis. The focus of the new wave LPT involves a shift from understanding workers at a macro level to understanding the subjective experiences of the workers (in the service industry) at a micro level. This provides an appropriate framework to study the subjective working and living experiences of undocumented, migrant, Basotho domestic workers. The research design is based on qualitative research. The research made use of in-depth and semi-structured interviews. The selection of respondents was done through purposive sampling. They findings of this research highlighted the central themes in the relevant literature. However, the key findings of this research also reveal tensions and contradictions that are not explored in detail in the existing literature. For example, the relationship between the black middle class employer and the black domestic worker has tensions which originate from a cultural context. The respondents of this dissertation and their employers are of the same race, yet are of a different class.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Madonsela, Koketso Njabulo Gosiame
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Black women household empoyees -- South Africa , Black employers -- South Africa , Women household employees -- South Africa , Women, Sotho -- Employment -- South Africa , Businesspeople, Black -- South Africa , Migrant labor -- South Africa , Illegal aliens -- South Africa , Master and servant -- South Africa , Women, Black -- Employment -- South Africa , Industrial relations -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/35166 , vital:24337
- Description: Jacklyn Cock’s Maids and Madams is a study on domestic work in the Eastern Cape which places a focus on black domestic workers who work in white families. Cock’s study was ground-breaking research within labour development in South Africa (with regards to domestic service). The apartheid system regarded domestic work as that of social reproduction: domestic workers left their families to replenish and reproduce the labour power of white families, whose members were employed in a formal workplace. The contribution to this system, according to Cock (1989), was unbreakable because they did not earn enough money to disrupt the system. The respondents of this thesis are undocumented migrant Basotho domestic workers. These domestic workers have much in common with Cock’s respondents. For one, they leave their homes and families to replenish the labour power of black middle class families, whose members are employed in a formal workplace. The difference between this thesis and Cock’s study is that the respondents’ employers are members of the black middle class. Furthermore, the employees are undocumented Basotho domestic workers. Undocumented, migrant, Basotho domestic workers are in a similarly vulnerable position to that of Cock’s respondents. This dissertation engages with the extent to which Maids and Madams is still relevant to the living and working conditions of a new vulnerable workforce in the domestic sector: undocumented, female, Basotho domestic workers employed in black, middle-class households in Gauteng. The dissertation also finds that the relationship between the black migrant domestic worker and the black middle class employer is influenced cultural aspects of what domestic chores represent in black families, and the element of respect from employers (particularly to elderly domestic workers) or lack thereof. This dissertation underlines that the term “ousi” makes the Basotho domestic workers a collective, and not individuals. Thus the term “ousi” can be viewed as the term that takes away the identity of the domestic worker. The theoretical framework of the research is labour process theory (LPT). The new wave of labour process theorists are much more focused on the service industry. LPT is significant to this research because its focus is on the subjective experiences of the workers. This is the core purpose of the thesis. The focus of the new wave LPT involves a shift from understanding workers at a macro level to understanding the subjective experiences of the workers (in the service industry) at a micro level. This provides an appropriate framework to study the subjective working and living experiences of undocumented, migrant, Basotho domestic workers. The research design is based on qualitative research. The research made use of in-depth and semi-structured interviews. The selection of respondents was done through purposive sampling. They findings of this research highlighted the central themes in the relevant literature. However, the key findings of this research also reveal tensions and contradictions that are not explored in detail in the existing literature. For example, the relationship between the black middle class employer and the black domestic worker has tensions which originate from a cultural context. The respondents of this dissertation and their employers are of the same race, yet are of a different class.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
South-South labour migration complexities and shifting visa policies in South Africa: a sociological analysis of Rhodes University academic labour migrants’ perceptions
- Authors: Domboka, Edward
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Foreign workers -- South Africa , Foreign workers -- Government policy -- South Africa , College teachers, Foreign -- South Africa -- Attitudes , College teacher mobility -- Africa , Visas -- South Africa , Rhodes University -- Employees -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/46242 , vital:25593
- Description: International migration is an old phenomenon caused by many factors divided into push and pull factors. However, there is no enough coverage on the perceptions of the labour migrants. Although there is a vast body of writing on migration, this study delves into the experiential perceptions of academic labour migrants at Rhodes University. These academic labour migrants include professors, lecturers, researchers and postdoctoral research fellows. The study took a qualitative approach to document the experiential perceptions of academic labour migrants at Rhodes University. In-depth interviews were conducted with twelve respondents, to analyse how academic labour migrants perceive South Africa’s changing visa policies in the context of regional integration and development, migration networks and choice, host-migrant relations. The study is underpinned by Probsting’s (2015) concept of "spatial fix" in the context of capitalism and migration, to locate the positionality of academic labour migrants within a capitalist society. The study established that the increase in skilled labour migration is relatively linked to the expansion of capitalism. Based on the perceptions of the respondents, the study concluded that migration is inherently vital in providing cheap labour for capitalists. It established that changing visa policies is not without problems. Historical dispositions of the apartheid system, conflicting domestic versus international imperatives, neo-liberal policies and the widely condemned results of capitalism as an imperialist system and other factors influence migration management in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Domboka, Edward
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Foreign workers -- South Africa , Foreign workers -- Government policy -- South Africa , College teachers, Foreign -- South Africa -- Attitudes , College teacher mobility -- Africa , Visas -- South Africa , Rhodes University -- Employees -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/46242 , vital:25593
- Description: International migration is an old phenomenon caused by many factors divided into push and pull factors. However, there is no enough coverage on the perceptions of the labour migrants. Although there is a vast body of writing on migration, this study delves into the experiential perceptions of academic labour migrants at Rhodes University. These academic labour migrants include professors, lecturers, researchers and postdoctoral research fellows. The study took a qualitative approach to document the experiential perceptions of academic labour migrants at Rhodes University. In-depth interviews were conducted with twelve respondents, to analyse how academic labour migrants perceive South Africa’s changing visa policies in the context of regional integration and development, migration networks and choice, host-migrant relations. The study is underpinned by Probsting’s (2015) concept of "spatial fix" in the context of capitalism and migration, to locate the positionality of academic labour migrants within a capitalist society. The study established that the increase in skilled labour migration is relatively linked to the expansion of capitalism. Based on the perceptions of the respondents, the study concluded that migration is inherently vital in providing cheap labour for capitalists. It established that changing visa policies is not without problems. Historical dispositions of the apartheid system, conflicting domestic versus international imperatives, neo-liberal policies and the widely condemned results of capitalism as an imperialist system and other factors influence migration management in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Understanding the contributions of the Treatment Action Campaign and Section27 to a Rights-Based Approach to HIV and AIDS in South Africa
- Authors: Dlamini, Nomalanga
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Treatment Action Campaign , SECTION27 (Braamfontein, South Africa) , AIDS (Disease) -- Prevention -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Public health laws -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Civil rights -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4690 , vital:20713
- Description: This thesis examines the link between social movements with the legal system to enforce human rights within the public health sector in regards to access to HIV and AIDS-related disease treatment. Research shows large scale incapacity for the provision of such essential medications within the public health sector; this is not merely an issue for those in the developing world. This thesis demonstrates that it is an issue that is faced by those using the public health sector services to access essential HIV and AIDS medications and it shows that certain people are unaware of their human rights to have fair and equal access to such essential medications. Although there is abundant research studies on HIV and AIDS in South Africa, there is a lack of studies that look into the impact that social movements have had in strong-arming, to a certain extent, the government in holding it accountable for infringing its constitutional promises to all citizens. This thesis is set against a backdrop where, the crisis of lack of access to essential medications in the public health sector which is closely intertwined with the collapsing health care system and it is combined with the issues of international patent policy for essential medication and developing countries like South Africa, who are trying to tackle this hurdle straight on. This thesis argues that the social injustices of rights violations integrated with the issues of international patent laws aggravate the access to essential medications in the public health sector in the country. This thesis adopts the use of a Rights-Based Approach, which is built on the foundational understanding that at the centre the focus is on human rights. In using the rights-based approach the intention is to outline ways in which to improve and further develop the ability of individuals and communities to recognize their rights. The findings show that the important factor of using a Rights- Based Approach is that it puts the pressure on the state to legitimately fulfil its obligation to its people. Thus the thesis evaluates the use of combining the legal system to enforce human rights and the role of social movements to realize the right to health for South Africans that use the public health sector to access essential HIV and AIDS antiretroviral drugs. This research paper shows that the Treatment Action Campaign and Section27 have contributed to the recent transformation of the public health sector in South Africa. They have achieved this through the implementation of rights-based education campaigns as well as HIV and AIDS education particularly geared for those that use the public health sector facilities, to attain access to essential medications; not only for HIV and AIDS but also for tuberculosis and other AIDS-related disease treatment. The thesis further highlights that the Treatment Action Campaign and Section27 have assisted in greatly improving the access to HIV and AIDS essential medications for prevention of Mother to Child Treatment Programs. The findings of the research paper outline that the main issue lies in the fact that even though essential medications for HIV and AIDS are now more available, the medical infrastructure is one of the main problems accounting for the lack of service delivery of these essential medications in the country’s public health sector.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Dlamini, Nomalanga
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Treatment Action Campaign , SECTION27 (Braamfontein, South Africa) , AIDS (Disease) -- Prevention -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Public health laws -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Civil rights -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4690 , vital:20713
- Description: This thesis examines the link between social movements with the legal system to enforce human rights within the public health sector in regards to access to HIV and AIDS-related disease treatment. Research shows large scale incapacity for the provision of such essential medications within the public health sector; this is not merely an issue for those in the developing world. This thesis demonstrates that it is an issue that is faced by those using the public health sector services to access essential HIV and AIDS medications and it shows that certain people are unaware of their human rights to have fair and equal access to such essential medications. Although there is abundant research studies on HIV and AIDS in South Africa, there is a lack of studies that look into the impact that social movements have had in strong-arming, to a certain extent, the government in holding it accountable for infringing its constitutional promises to all citizens. This thesis is set against a backdrop where, the crisis of lack of access to essential medications in the public health sector which is closely intertwined with the collapsing health care system and it is combined with the issues of international patent policy for essential medication and developing countries like South Africa, who are trying to tackle this hurdle straight on. This thesis argues that the social injustices of rights violations integrated with the issues of international patent laws aggravate the access to essential medications in the public health sector in the country. This thesis adopts the use of a Rights-Based Approach, which is built on the foundational understanding that at the centre the focus is on human rights. In using the rights-based approach the intention is to outline ways in which to improve and further develop the ability of individuals and communities to recognize their rights. The findings show that the important factor of using a Rights- Based Approach is that it puts the pressure on the state to legitimately fulfil its obligation to its people. Thus the thesis evaluates the use of combining the legal system to enforce human rights and the role of social movements to realize the right to health for South Africans that use the public health sector to access essential HIV and AIDS antiretroviral drugs. This research paper shows that the Treatment Action Campaign and Section27 have contributed to the recent transformation of the public health sector in South Africa. They have achieved this through the implementation of rights-based education campaigns as well as HIV and AIDS education particularly geared for those that use the public health sector facilities, to attain access to essential medications; not only for HIV and AIDS but also for tuberculosis and other AIDS-related disease treatment. The thesis further highlights that the Treatment Action Campaign and Section27 have assisted in greatly improving the access to HIV and AIDS essential medications for prevention of Mother to Child Treatment Programs. The findings of the research paper outline that the main issue lies in the fact that even though essential medications for HIV and AIDS are now more available, the medical infrastructure is one of the main problems accounting for the lack of service delivery of these essential medications in the country’s public health sector.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
A critical analysis of agricultural innovation platforms among small-scale farmers in Hwedza communal area, Zimbabwe
- Authors: Mahiya, Innocent Tonderai
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/596 , vital:19973
- Description: Agricultural research has existed for many decades at national and global levels and research-based agricultural interventions, often driven by the state, have taken place across Africa over an extended period. But, overall, these interventions have not generated the high potential and kinds of outcomes expected of them in terms of enhancing agricultural productivity amongst small-scale farmers and improving the quality of their agrarian lives. In the context of neoliberal restructuring globally, new forms of agricultural interventions have arisen which highlight the significance of more participatory methodologies in which non-governmental organisations become central. One such methodology rests on the notion of an agricultural innovation platform which involves bringing on board a diverse range of actors (or stakeholders) which function together to generate agricultural knowledge and practices suitable to the needs of a particular small-scale farming community, with the small-scale farmers expected to be key actors in the platform. Such platforms are now being implemented in specific rural sites in Zimbabwe, including in communal areas in the district of Hwedza where farming activities have for many years now being in large survivalist in character. The objective of this thesis is to critically analyse the agricultural innovation platforms in Hwedza, but not in the sense of assessing the impact of the platforms on agricultural productivity. Rather, the thesis examines the multi-faceted social interactions and relationships embodied in the innovation platform process. In pursuing this, I rely heavily – but in a critical manner – on interface analysis as set out by Norman Long. The fieldwork for the Hwedza involved an interpretative-qualitative methodology based on methods such as in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, questionnaires and observations. The major finding of the thesis is that the agricultural innovation platforms, at least as implemented in Hwedza, do challenge top-down approaches to agricultural interventions by unlocking the possibility of multiple pathways of inclusion and particularly for small-scale farmers but that, simultaneously, they also involve processes marked by divergences, exclusions, tensions and conflicts which may undermine the legitimacy and effectiveness of the platforms.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Mahiya, Innocent Tonderai
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/596 , vital:19973
- Description: Agricultural research has existed for many decades at national and global levels and research-based agricultural interventions, often driven by the state, have taken place across Africa over an extended period. But, overall, these interventions have not generated the high potential and kinds of outcomes expected of them in terms of enhancing agricultural productivity amongst small-scale farmers and improving the quality of their agrarian lives. In the context of neoliberal restructuring globally, new forms of agricultural interventions have arisen which highlight the significance of more participatory methodologies in which non-governmental organisations become central. One such methodology rests on the notion of an agricultural innovation platform which involves bringing on board a diverse range of actors (or stakeholders) which function together to generate agricultural knowledge and practices suitable to the needs of a particular small-scale farming community, with the small-scale farmers expected to be key actors in the platform. Such platforms are now being implemented in specific rural sites in Zimbabwe, including in communal areas in the district of Hwedza where farming activities have for many years now being in large survivalist in character. The objective of this thesis is to critically analyse the agricultural innovation platforms in Hwedza, but not in the sense of assessing the impact of the platforms on agricultural productivity. Rather, the thesis examines the multi-faceted social interactions and relationships embodied in the innovation platform process. In pursuing this, I rely heavily – but in a critical manner – on interface analysis as set out by Norman Long. The fieldwork for the Hwedza involved an interpretative-qualitative methodology based on methods such as in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, questionnaires and observations. The major finding of the thesis is that the agricultural innovation platforms, at least as implemented in Hwedza, do challenge top-down approaches to agricultural interventions by unlocking the possibility of multiple pathways of inclusion and particularly for small-scale farmers but that, simultaneously, they also involve processes marked by divergences, exclusions, tensions and conflicts which may undermine the legitimacy and effectiveness of the platforms.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
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 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
An investigation into the survival strategies of the rural elderly in Zimbabwe: a case study of Hobodo ward in Mangwe District in Zimbabwe
- Authors: Marazi, Tafara
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Rural elderly -- Zimbabwe , Elderly poor -- Zimbabwe , Ophans -- Services for -- Zimbabwe , AIDS (Disease) -- Zimbabwe , Child welfare -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3407 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020605
- Description: The thesis focuses on the survival mechanisms of the rural poor elderly in Zimbabwe. The situation of the rural elderly is looked at in the context of the ravaging HIV/AIDS pandemic. The focus is specifically directed on the increasing numbers of orphans who are generated following the rampant deaths of their parents (sexually active individuals). With Africa failing to effectively withstand the forcefulness of the pandemic, the community structures in Zimbabwe are being heavily shaken to the detriment of all social groups. It is within this continuum that the research is laid out to investigate the situation on the ground. In this case, a fieldwork exercise was carried out in the Hobodo ward of Mangwe district in Zimbabwe. An intensive and in-depth examination of the critical situation was pursued under the case study model. To make the study more focused, the elderly were placed under investigation with regards to their new role of providing familial care for the orphans. The manner in which they face such a towering task under strained resources and limited knowhow was explored. The well-being of the orphans was also investigated in close relation to the welfare efforts of the elderly guardians. The investigations were made in respect of the contribution of the local resources towards the innovativeness of the elderly guardians. The adaptivity of the elderly and the versatility of the orphans were examined within the confines of the social and the economic capitals of the Hobodo ward. It is within the natural, social and economic capital dimensions of the Hobodo rural locality that the applicability of the sustainable livelihoods framework in explaining the dire social situation of the elderly and the orphans was brought under spotlight. The study was pursued through the qualitative research paradigm. This was done to capture the social perceptions, beliefs and the innovative capabilities of the elderly in their natural environment; and under the fieldwork setting. Several data collection techniques were employed to unveil the subject under study. These included interviews, questionnaires, participant observations, focus group discussions. Sampling was used to produce the research framework. Participants in the research were largely identified through random sampling. In special circumstances, purposive sampling was used. Tape recording and note taking were largely used to capture the responses of the research participants.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Marazi, Tafara
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Rural elderly -- Zimbabwe , Elderly poor -- Zimbabwe , Ophans -- Services for -- Zimbabwe , AIDS (Disease) -- Zimbabwe , Child welfare -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3407 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020605
- Description: The thesis focuses on the survival mechanisms of the rural poor elderly in Zimbabwe. The situation of the rural elderly is looked at in the context of the ravaging HIV/AIDS pandemic. The focus is specifically directed on the increasing numbers of orphans who are generated following the rampant deaths of their parents (sexually active individuals). With Africa failing to effectively withstand the forcefulness of the pandemic, the community structures in Zimbabwe are being heavily shaken to the detriment of all social groups. It is within this continuum that the research is laid out to investigate the situation on the ground. In this case, a fieldwork exercise was carried out in the Hobodo ward of Mangwe district in Zimbabwe. An intensive and in-depth examination of the critical situation was pursued under the case study model. To make the study more focused, the elderly were placed under investigation with regards to their new role of providing familial care for the orphans. The manner in which they face such a towering task under strained resources and limited knowhow was explored. The well-being of the orphans was also investigated in close relation to the welfare efforts of the elderly guardians. The investigations were made in respect of the contribution of the local resources towards the innovativeness of the elderly guardians. The adaptivity of the elderly and the versatility of the orphans were examined within the confines of the social and the economic capitals of the Hobodo ward. It is within the natural, social and economic capital dimensions of the Hobodo rural locality that the applicability of the sustainable livelihoods framework in explaining the dire social situation of the elderly and the orphans was brought under spotlight. The study was pursued through the qualitative research paradigm. This was done to capture the social perceptions, beliefs and the innovative capabilities of the elderly in their natural environment; and under the fieldwork setting. Several data collection techniques were employed to unveil the subject under study. These included interviews, questionnaires, participant observations, focus group discussions. Sampling was used to produce the research framework. Participants in the research were largely identified through random sampling. In special circumstances, purposive sampling was used. Tape recording and note taking were largely used to capture the responses of the research participants.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Being a black mine worker in South Africa: the case of Anglo Platinum Mine
- Authors: Maseko, Robert
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/651 , vital:19978
- Description: This thesis presents a decolonial perspective on the experience of being a black mineworker in post-apartheid South Africa with specific reference to the Platinum Belt. It seeks to understand what it means to be a black mineworker by unmasking and analysing the existence and prevalence of coloniality in contemporary South Africa despite the end of formal colonialism (i.e. apartheid). As a world-wide system, coloniality has different dimensions which all speak to and highlight continuities between the period of colonialism and the post-colonial period. These dimensions are coloniality of power, coloniality of being and coloniality of knowledge. The power structure of coloniality produces and reproduces the identity of the black mineworker in present-day South Africa as a sub-ontological being devoid of an authentic humanity such that the mineworker is depicted as incapable of rational thought and knowledge. The existential condition of the black mineworker is symptomatic of the generic experience of being a racialised subject of colour in the current global power structure predicated on the dominance and hegemony of Western-centred modernity. The black mineworker exists on the darker side of Western-centred modernity, living a life of wretchedness and continuing to suffer the colonial wound in the absence of formal colonialism and apartheid. The mineworker is disposable and dispensable and lives and works in the shadow of death. In pursuing this course of reasoning, I deploy the epistemic method of ‘shifting the geography of reason’ in order to read the experience of mineworkers in South Africa from the locus of enunciation of the oppressed subject within the scheme of a colonial power differential based on a hierarchy of humanity. This method allows me to speak with and from the perspective of the black mineworkers in the Platinum Belt as opposed to speaking for and about them. I reach the conclusion that being a platinum mineworker in post-apartheid South Africa is a racial and market determined identity of colonialised subjectivity that relegates the dominated subject (the black mineworker) to the realm of the subhuman. In setting the context for this claim, I trace the origins and development of the black mineworker in South Africa with reference to historical processes such as dispossession and proletarianisation. Empirically, the thesis is rooted in a contemporary case study of mainly Anglo Platinum Mine, which involved comprehensive fieldwork focusing on the present lived realities of platinum mineworkers. The dignity and humanity of these black mineworkers has still not returned despite twenty years of democratic rule in South Africa, such that race remains a crucial organising principle in postapartheid South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Maseko, Robert
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/651 , vital:19978
- Description: This thesis presents a decolonial perspective on the experience of being a black mineworker in post-apartheid South Africa with specific reference to the Platinum Belt. It seeks to understand what it means to be a black mineworker by unmasking and analysing the existence and prevalence of coloniality in contemporary South Africa despite the end of formal colonialism (i.e. apartheid). As a world-wide system, coloniality has different dimensions which all speak to and highlight continuities between the period of colonialism and the post-colonial period. These dimensions are coloniality of power, coloniality of being and coloniality of knowledge. The power structure of coloniality produces and reproduces the identity of the black mineworker in present-day South Africa as a sub-ontological being devoid of an authentic humanity such that the mineworker is depicted as incapable of rational thought and knowledge. The existential condition of the black mineworker is symptomatic of the generic experience of being a racialised subject of colour in the current global power structure predicated on the dominance and hegemony of Western-centred modernity. The black mineworker exists on the darker side of Western-centred modernity, living a life of wretchedness and continuing to suffer the colonial wound in the absence of formal colonialism and apartheid. The mineworker is disposable and dispensable and lives and works in the shadow of death. In pursuing this course of reasoning, I deploy the epistemic method of ‘shifting the geography of reason’ in order to read the experience of mineworkers in South Africa from the locus of enunciation of the oppressed subject within the scheme of a colonial power differential based on a hierarchy of humanity. This method allows me to speak with and from the perspective of the black mineworkers in the Platinum Belt as opposed to speaking for and about them. I reach the conclusion that being a platinum mineworker in post-apartheid South Africa is a racial and market determined identity of colonialised subjectivity that relegates the dominated subject (the black mineworker) to the realm of the subhuman. In setting the context for this claim, I trace the origins and development of the black mineworker in South Africa with reference to historical processes such as dispossession and proletarianisation. Empirically, the thesis is rooted in a contemporary case study of mainly Anglo Platinum Mine, which involved comprehensive fieldwork focusing on the present lived realities of platinum mineworkers. The dignity and humanity of these black mineworkers has still not returned despite twenty years of democratic rule in South Africa, such that race remains a crucial organising principle in postapartheid South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Biofuels and rural development: A case study of the Mapfura-Makhura Incubator and small-scale farmers in the Limpopo Province
- Authors: Mothupi, Frans Makwena
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1488 , vital:20062
- Description: The primary objective of the study is to examine the livelihood impact of biofuel production on small-scale rural farmers participating in the MMI project in the local districts in Limpopo province. The study is theoretically underpinned by the sustainable livelihoods framework which provides a nuanced analysis of the complex nature of poverty and livelihoods. The framework was used to examine how MMI as a structure with its own processes (incubator model) plays a role in creating a means for farmers to have more access to livelihood assets which would help them achieve improved livelihoods outcome. The findings of this study reflect what has already been articulated in literature about small-scale biofuel projects. This study shows that MMI’s incubator plays an important role for 73% of the farmers to access all of the livelihood assets and ultimately improving their farm income and food security. Furthermore, 90% of the participants admitted to have received support from MMI in a number of ways. This includes the provision of farming inputs, labour and access to markets in addition to training, mentoring and coaching. The study also found that despite the overwhelming support, both MMI and farmers face a number of challenges. Farmers still lack adequate farming inputs, transport, access to markets and vulnerability to natural disasters. MMI faces challenges in raising funds to provide inputs to all their incubatees and lack of adequate mechanization. Lack of transportation affects both farmers and MMI in that farmers find it difficult to access MMI service. In the same light, MMI has found it difficult to reach farmers for post-incubation, coaching and mentoring or delivering inputs; this can be challenging and a costly process. MMI’s biofuel production project has the capability for improving rural livelihoods through agriculture. The study concludes by recommending that MMI should improve its own capacity in order for them to better the lives of the farmers they assist. This study is significant for contributing to a field which has received less academic and research attention in South Africa. Its scholarly contribution will enhance the existing body of knowledge on biofuels and rural development in South Africa
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Mothupi, Frans Makwena
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1488 , vital:20062
- Description: The primary objective of the study is to examine the livelihood impact of biofuel production on small-scale rural farmers participating in the MMI project in the local districts in Limpopo province. The study is theoretically underpinned by the sustainable livelihoods framework which provides a nuanced analysis of the complex nature of poverty and livelihoods. The framework was used to examine how MMI as a structure with its own processes (incubator model) plays a role in creating a means for farmers to have more access to livelihood assets which would help them achieve improved livelihoods outcome. The findings of this study reflect what has already been articulated in literature about small-scale biofuel projects. This study shows that MMI’s incubator plays an important role for 73% of the farmers to access all of the livelihood assets and ultimately improving their farm income and food security. Furthermore, 90% of the participants admitted to have received support from MMI in a number of ways. This includes the provision of farming inputs, labour and access to markets in addition to training, mentoring and coaching. The study also found that despite the overwhelming support, both MMI and farmers face a number of challenges. Farmers still lack adequate farming inputs, transport, access to markets and vulnerability to natural disasters. MMI faces challenges in raising funds to provide inputs to all their incubatees and lack of adequate mechanization. Lack of transportation affects both farmers and MMI in that farmers find it difficult to access MMI service. In the same light, MMI has found it difficult to reach farmers for post-incubation, coaching and mentoring or delivering inputs; this can be challenging and a costly process. MMI’s biofuel production project has the capability for improving rural livelihoods through agriculture. The study concludes by recommending that MMI should improve its own capacity in order for them to better the lives of the farmers they assist. This study is significant for contributing to a field which has received less academic and research attention in South Africa. Its scholarly contribution will enhance the existing body of knowledge on biofuels and rural development in South Africa
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
E-governance in the public sector : a case study of the central admission system in Tanzania
- Authors: Mahundu, Fabian G
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Universities and colleges -- Tanzania -- Admission , Universities and colleges -- Tanzania -- Entrance requirements , Education, Higher -- Tanzania , Information technology -- Social aspects -- Tanzania.
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3409 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020845
- Description: This thesis sets out to answer the following central research question: what are the influences, challenges, benefits and costs of the Central Admission System (CAS) as an e-Governance initiative in improving undergraduates’ admissions service delivery and quality assurance in Tanzania’s higher education institutions?’ In answering this key question, three sub-questions were explored: (1) To what extent and in what ways does the implementation of the CAS influence the organisation of admissions work and workplace relations in higher education institutions? (2) What are the sociotechnical challenges of implementing the CAS? (3) What are the advantages of the CAS in improving admissions service delivery and quality assurance in higher education institutions? The sociotechnical theoretical framework is an ideal for exploring these issues as it accommodates the understanding of dual relationship between social and technological aspects of the CAS in line with the contextual issues in its implementation. The focus of the thesis is on Tanzania’s higher education institutions where the CAS is being implemented. The study is informed by data collected through interviews and documentary analysis. Data organization and analysis was done using NVivo 10 QSR software. The study demonstrates that, notwithstanding the fast development and uptake of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), the implementation of the CAS in Tanzania is hampered by the fact that most of the end-users of CAS (particularly applicants) have relatively low access to the ICT infrastructure. Several factors continue to have a significant effect on the implementation of CAS, which in turn lead to implications for the uptake of improved admissions service delivery and quality assurance. A digital divide, resistance to change by some higher education institutions (HEIs), poor ICT skills among applicants, the costs of internet services, unreliable electricity supply, and inadequate IT experts continue to frustrate the objective of improved admissions service delivery and quality assurance. As a technological innovation in the workplace, the CAS has led to a restructuring of admissions work tasks among admissions officers, a need to review job descriptions, introduced tighter controls over admission work processes, and has shaped admission workers’ professional identities and self-presentations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Mahundu, Fabian G
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Universities and colleges -- Tanzania -- Admission , Universities and colleges -- Tanzania -- Entrance requirements , Education, Higher -- Tanzania , Information technology -- Social aspects -- Tanzania.
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3409 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020845
- Description: This thesis sets out to answer the following central research question: what are the influences, challenges, benefits and costs of the Central Admission System (CAS) as an e-Governance initiative in improving undergraduates’ admissions service delivery and quality assurance in Tanzania’s higher education institutions?’ In answering this key question, three sub-questions were explored: (1) To what extent and in what ways does the implementation of the CAS influence the organisation of admissions work and workplace relations in higher education institutions? (2) What are the sociotechnical challenges of implementing the CAS? (3) What are the advantages of the CAS in improving admissions service delivery and quality assurance in higher education institutions? The sociotechnical theoretical framework is an ideal for exploring these issues as it accommodates the understanding of dual relationship between social and technological aspects of the CAS in line with the contextual issues in its implementation. The focus of the thesis is on Tanzania’s higher education institutions where the CAS is being implemented. The study is informed by data collected through interviews and documentary analysis. Data organization and analysis was done using NVivo 10 QSR software. The study demonstrates that, notwithstanding the fast development and uptake of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), the implementation of the CAS in Tanzania is hampered by the fact that most of the end-users of CAS (particularly applicants) have relatively low access to the ICT infrastructure. Several factors continue to have a significant effect on the implementation of CAS, which in turn lead to implications for the uptake of improved admissions service delivery and quality assurance. A digital divide, resistance to change by some higher education institutions (HEIs), poor ICT skills among applicants, the costs of internet services, unreliable electricity supply, and inadequate IT experts continue to frustrate the objective of improved admissions service delivery and quality assurance. As a technological innovation in the workplace, the CAS has led to a restructuring of admissions work tasks among admissions officers, a need to review job descriptions, introduced tighter controls over admission work processes, and has shaped admission workers’ professional identities and self-presentations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Exploring perceptions on aesthetics and emotional labour experienced by women working in two different clothing retail shops in Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown
- Authors: Dalikeni, Tawonga
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3750 , vital:20541
- Description: The retail industry is the fastest growing sector in the economy contributing trillions towards the global revenue. In a post-apartheid South African economy that is experiencing increased buying power, the clothing retail sector to be specific is consequently flourishing. However, the economy is faced by structural adjustments; an accompanying concern is how foreign direct investments and pressures of globalization impact the operation of clothing retail shops. The main focus of this thesis based on the qualitative research methodology is emotional and aesthetic labour being experienced by women working in two clothing retail shops in Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown. Empirical data shows that emotional labour is a dominant form of labour in the clothing retail shops under investigation. The women working as sales assistants are trained to exude a certain emotional aura when dealing with customers to build a relationship that will encourage the customer to purchase from the shop. Aesthetic labour on the other hand is an important public relations strategy used as sales assistants dress in a way that represents their company brand. Edgars employees dress elegantly because they focus more on formal dressing whilst Mr Price employees dress more casually because they focus on casual and relaxed fashion. Besides these external attributes, the study showed that certain aspects of the job are fairly similar. With codes of happiness and strings of dissatisfaction towards their job requirements, the women’s social lives suffer the atrocities of their long working hours and limited off-duty days.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Dalikeni, Tawonga
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3750 , vital:20541
- Description: The retail industry is the fastest growing sector in the economy contributing trillions towards the global revenue. In a post-apartheid South African economy that is experiencing increased buying power, the clothing retail sector to be specific is consequently flourishing. However, the economy is faced by structural adjustments; an accompanying concern is how foreign direct investments and pressures of globalization impact the operation of clothing retail shops. The main focus of this thesis based on the qualitative research methodology is emotional and aesthetic labour being experienced by women working in two clothing retail shops in Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown. Empirical data shows that emotional labour is a dominant form of labour in the clothing retail shops under investigation. The women working as sales assistants are trained to exude a certain emotional aura when dealing with customers to build a relationship that will encourage the customer to purchase from the shop. Aesthetic labour on the other hand is an important public relations strategy used as sales assistants dress in a way that represents their company brand. Edgars employees dress elegantly because they focus more on formal dressing whilst Mr Price employees dress more casually because they focus on casual and relaxed fashion. Besides these external attributes, the study showed that certain aspects of the job are fairly similar. With codes of happiness and strings of dissatisfaction towards their job requirements, the women’s social lives suffer the atrocities of their long working hours and limited off-duty days.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Impact of sectoral determinations in previously unregulated sectors: a case study of domestic work in Grahamstown
- Authors: Nxokweni, Saphokazi
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3761 , vital:20542
- Description: Domestic labour is widely recognized as one of the most vulnerable labour sectors, both nationally and internationally. In South Africa, sectoral determination 7 was specifically developed to protect domestic workers’ rights and provide them with the means to negotiate with and hold employers to account. However, research over the past years has demonstrated that, while some areas of domestic labour have improved, many workers are still locked in exploitative labour relationships. This research shows that it may seem as if there are significant changes in this sector since the introduction of the sectoral determination, but paternalistic orientations, one-of-the-family myths, and food distribution suggest otherwise. The research concluded that continuities of exploitative and discriminatory practices are still prominent in the employment relationship when viewed through the lens of paternalistic care, food distribution, and the ‘one-of-the-family’ myth.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Nxokweni, Saphokazi
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3761 , vital:20542
- Description: Domestic labour is widely recognized as one of the most vulnerable labour sectors, both nationally and internationally. In South Africa, sectoral determination 7 was specifically developed to protect domestic workers’ rights and provide them with the means to negotiate with and hold employers to account. However, research over the past years has demonstrated that, while some areas of domestic labour have improved, many workers are still locked in exploitative labour relationships. This research shows that it may seem as if there are significant changes in this sector since the introduction of the sectoral determination, but paternalistic orientations, one-of-the-family myths, and food distribution suggest otherwise. The research concluded that continuities of exploitative and discriminatory practices are still prominent in the employment relationship when viewed through the lens of paternalistic care, food distribution, and the ‘one-of-the-family’ myth.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Investigating youth perceptions of youth participation in development: a focus on community engagement as a platform for youth/student participation at Rhodes University
- Authors: Dano, Nqaba
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1444 , vital:20058
- Description: The main objective of the study is to investigate youth perceptions of youth participation in development with a focus on the Rhodes Community Engagement programme as a platform for youth participation. The study was inspired by trying to locate the position that youth put themselves in when they regard their own participation in development. It was further motivated by trying to gain perspectives from the youth themselves because most discourses on youth rarely feature their own voices. The study utilized a qualitative methodology with an interpretive paradigm, which used semi-structured in-depth interviews as a method of data collection. The theoretical framework used was the notion of participatory development. The literature consulted was broken up into participation in development which looked at the history of participation and the need for participation, the importance of participation and the limits of participation and the type of participation. It looked at youth participation, the definition of youth as a group in society and the discourses that surround how youth are defined; lastly it looked at community engage in higher education, the role students place in community engagement and the nature of Rhodes Community engagement. The data was discussed and analysed following the above mentioned themes which were participation in development, youth participation and community engagement. From the data collected it was made evident that if youth are given more spaces and chances to actively participate they could challenge prominent discourses that treat them as irresponsible minors and exclude them from decision-making processes that directly affect them and the society within which they live.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Dano, Nqaba
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1444 , vital:20058
- Description: The main objective of the study is to investigate youth perceptions of youth participation in development with a focus on the Rhodes Community Engagement programme as a platform for youth participation. The study was inspired by trying to locate the position that youth put themselves in when they regard their own participation in development. It was further motivated by trying to gain perspectives from the youth themselves because most discourses on youth rarely feature their own voices. The study utilized a qualitative methodology with an interpretive paradigm, which used semi-structured in-depth interviews as a method of data collection. The theoretical framework used was the notion of participatory development. The literature consulted was broken up into participation in development which looked at the history of participation and the need for participation, the importance of participation and the limits of participation and the type of participation. It looked at youth participation, the definition of youth as a group in society and the discourses that surround how youth are defined; lastly it looked at community engage in higher education, the role students place in community engagement and the nature of Rhodes Community engagement. The data was discussed and analysed following the above mentioned themes which were participation in development, youth participation and community engagement. From the data collected it was made evident that if youth are given more spaces and chances to actively participate they could challenge prominent discourses that treat them as irresponsible minors and exclude them from decision-making processes that directly affect them and the society within which they live.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Livelihood strategies of female-headed households in the Coloured community of Sunningdale in Harare, Zimbabwe
- Authors: Wadi, Chenai C
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3839 , vital:20547
- Description: The turbulent economic and political situation that has plagued Zimbabwe over the past two decades has had a dire effect on its urban population. The country’s tempestuous situation has not only threatened urbanites’ access to basic necessities but has also rendered many households and particularly female-headed households vulnerable to poverty and deprivation. Thus the primary objective of this study was to analyse and understand how coloured female-headed households in Sunningdale, Harare, Zimbabwe are surviving in the context of the current economic and political crises in the country. Essentially the study sought to achieve the three main objectives. The first objective was to identify and document the current livelihood strategies that a small sample of coloured female-headed households have adopted; the second was to explore the challenges and problems faced by female-headed households in their daily lives and lastly, the third was to establish what support mechanisms were available to these households to cope with the challenges and problems they face in generating an income and catering to their household needs. Methodologically the study employed a qualitative research approach with in-depth semi-structured interviews being used to collect data from five female-headed households. The data was then analysed using an interpretive approach and presented textually. Essentially the study found that in terms of the first research objective that coloured female-headed households engaged in a range of livelihood activities in order to earn a living, with informal trading being the main livelihood activity that the participants relied on to acquire an income to support their households. With regards to the second objective, it was revealed that the female heads interviewed faced numerous challenges ranging from economic to social problems that limited their ability to develop sustainable livelihoods, thereby increasing their risk to fall into poverty and validating their feminization of poverty. In terms of the third and last objective, the study found that the female heads did not have many reliable support mechanisms available to them thereby limiting their ability to achieve financial and social empowerment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Wadi, Chenai C
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3839 , vital:20547
- Description: The turbulent economic and political situation that has plagued Zimbabwe over the past two decades has had a dire effect on its urban population. The country’s tempestuous situation has not only threatened urbanites’ access to basic necessities but has also rendered many households and particularly female-headed households vulnerable to poverty and deprivation. Thus the primary objective of this study was to analyse and understand how coloured female-headed households in Sunningdale, Harare, Zimbabwe are surviving in the context of the current economic and political crises in the country. Essentially the study sought to achieve the three main objectives. The first objective was to identify and document the current livelihood strategies that a small sample of coloured female-headed households have adopted; the second was to explore the challenges and problems faced by female-headed households in their daily lives and lastly, the third was to establish what support mechanisms were available to these households to cope with the challenges and problems they face in generating an income and catering to their household needs. Methodologically the study employed a qualitative research approach with in-depth semi-structured interviews being used to collect data from five female-headed households. The data was then analysed using an interpretive approach and presented textually. Essentially the study found that in terms of the first research objective that coloured female-headed households engaged in a range of livelihood activities in order to earn a living, with informal trading being the main livelihood activity that the participants relied on to acquire an income to support their households. With regards to the second objective, it was revealed that the female heads interviewed faced numerous challenges ranging from economic to social problems that limited their ability to develop sustainable livelihoods, thereby increasing their risk to fall into poverty and validating their feminization of poverty. In terms of the third and last objective, the study found that the female heads did not have many reliable support mechanisms available to them thereby limiting their ability to achieve financial and social empowerment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Perceptions and experiences of G2E e-Government workplace restructuring: The cases of Buffalo City and City of Cape Town metropolitan municipalities, South Africa
- Authors: Makwembere, Sandra
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/617 , vital:19975
- Description: Taking the cases of Buffalo City Metropolitan municipality (BCMM) and City of Cape Town Metropolitan municipality (CoCT), this thesis explores the implications of government to employee (G2E) electronic government workplace restructuring on skills transformation and workplace control as perceived by back office employees and managers from different Corporate Services departments. It aims to describe the arrangements, rationale and degree of G2E e-government at BCMM and CoCT, investigate how managers, employees and union representatives identify the workplace changes relating to skill as well as document and analyse workplace struggles linked to G2E e-government. Using labour process analysis, the impacts of G2E e-government technological change are conceptualised. The labour process concepts alert us to ways in which G2E e-government technology is applied in the context of specific public sector production relations. They explain how employees and managers experience the dynamics of skill transformation and the mechanisms of control related to G2E e-government. The consideration of the labour process contrasts predominant e-government scholarly works that focus on government websites. Further, by using case study methods, namely interviews, surveys and observations, the thesis documents the particular back office employees’ and managers’ realities of G2E e-government which are marginalised in scholarly literature. The sample of respondents were selected using purposive sampling based on the subjects’ knowledge and experience, snowball sampling following referrals and random sampling during site visits. The respondents included four managers, four employees, two shop stewards and one service provider at BCMM and 16 managers, 20 employees and four shop stewards at CoCT. The findings from BCMM and CoCT illustrate how G2E e-government workplace restructuring individualises the labour process through the kind of technologies it introduces. Moreover, they show how the restructuring facilitates electronic information, communication and operations which broaden demands on technical as well as social skills. The findings also show that the restructuring extends avenues for managerial control thereby marginalising union representivity as the workplace control systems create opportunities for systemic control by management. As the South African government adopts electronic government and makes optimistic declarations of “cost saving”, “efficiency”, “productivity” and “innovation” through egovernment, the study uncovers marginalised local government employee and manager experiences. It contributes to building new knowledge on the impacts of contemporary technological change on the local government labour process and contributes to debates around the effects of G2E e-government reforms on local government.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Makwembere, Sandra
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/617 , vital:19975
- Description: Taking the cases of Buffalo City Metropolitan municipality (BCMM) and City of Cape Town Metropolitan municipality (CoCT), this thesis explores the implications of government to employee (G2E) electronic government workplace restructuring on skills transformation and workplace control as perceived by back office employees and managers from different Corporate Services departments. It aims to describe the arrangements, rationale and degree of G2E e-government at BCMM and CoCT, investigate how managers, employees and union representatives identify the workplace changes relating to skill as well as document and analyse workplace struggles linked to G2E e-government. Using labour process analysis, the impacts of G2E e-government technological change are conceptualised. The labour process concepts alert us to ways in which G2E e-government technology is applied in the context of specific public sector production relations. They explain how employees and managers experience the dynamics of skill transformation and the mechanisms of control related to G2E e-government. The consideration of the labour process contrasts predominant e-government scholarly works that focus on government websites. Further, by using case study methods, namely interviews, surveys and observations, the thesis documents the particular back office employees’ and managers’ realities of G2E e-government which are marginalised in scholarly literature. The sample of respondents were selected using purposive sampling based on the subjects’ knowledge and experience, snowball sampling following referrals and random sampling during site visits. The respondents included four managers, four employees, two shop stewards and one service provider at BCMM and 16 managers, 20 employees and four shop stewards at CoCT. The findings from BCMM and CoCT illustrate how G2E e-government workplace restructuring individualises the labour process through the kind of technologies it introduces. Moreover, they show how the restructuring facilitates electronic information, communication and operations which broaden demands on technical as well as social skills. The findings also show that the restructuring extends avenues for managerial control thereby marginalising union representivity as the workplace control systems create opportunities for systemic control by management. As the South African government adopts electronic government and makes optimistic declarations of “cost saving”, “efficiency”, “productivity” and “innovation” through egovernment, the study uncovers marginalised local government employee and manager experiences. It contributes to building new knowledge on the impacts of contemporary technological change on the local government labour process and contributes to debates around the effects of G2E e-government reforms on local government.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Restructuring in higher education institutions: a case study of centralised cleaning services at Rhodes University
- Authors: Ntlokwana, Ziyanda
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3738 , vital:20540
- Description: The centralization of cleaners at Rhodes University has been the university’s response to the pressures put on higher education. This form of restructuring is the university’s attempt at dealing with the government’s cuts in funding despite the increasing demands placed on higher education institutions. The demands on universities necessitates that they compete on a global scale ,which sometimes sees many universities adopting a ‘neoliberal logic’ and as a result cutting labour costs to survive and compete. The aim of this study was to examine the nature and form of restructuring at Rhodes University and its impact on the workers’ lives. This research made use of both quantitative and qualitative research methods: namely, a quantitative survey that focused on the cleaners and in-depth interviews with trade union representatives. This research discovered that the restructuring programme at Rhodes University is different from that at other universities through its avoidance of outsourcing and the retrenchment of workers. Despite this tricky balance, however, the effects of this form of restructuring largely embody outsourcing characteristics and as a result disadvantage the cleaners.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Ntlokwana, Ziyanda
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3738 , vital:20540
- Description: The centralization of cleaners at Rhodes University has been the university’s response to the pressures put on higher education. This form of restructuring is the university’s attempt at dealing with the government’s cuts in funding despite the increasing demands placed on higher education institutions. The demands on universities necessitates that they compete on a global scale ,which sometimes sees many universities adopting a ‘neoliberal logic’ and as a result cutting labour costs to survive and compete. The aim of this study was to examine the nature and form of restructuring at Rhodes University and its impact on the workers’ lives. This research made use of both quantitative and qualitative research methods: namely, a quantitative survey that focused on the cleaners and in-depth interviews with trade union representatives. This research discovered that the restructuring programme at Rhodes University is different from that at other universities through its avoidance of outsourcing and the retrenchment of workers. Despite this tricky balance, however, the effects of this form of restructuring largely embody outsourcing characteristics and as a result disadvantage the cleaners.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016