3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions

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An assessment of the impact of National Arts Council (NAC) funding on resilience and financial sustainability on craft enterprises: a review of nine organisations in four provinces
(2018) April, David Thatanelo
Over the past two decades funding organisations in both the private and the public sector have been instrumental in the development of the arts and culture sector through the disbursement of funds. The National Arts Council (NAG) is an example of such an organisation in the public sector to oversee sector development and there has been focus on redress and transformation through grant disbursements. This research aims to assess the impact of NAG funding on organisations from 2010- 2015 particularly in the craft sector, and to explore the extent to which such funding has had an effect on their becoming resilient and sustainable. Recommendations will be made for putting measures into place for the NAG to review their funding policy in the disbursement of funds so that the funds allocated have a measured impact on beneficiary organisations.
E-hailing and the crisis of work: a contextual investigation into the working conditions of e-hailing drivers in South Africa
(2021) Dubbelman, Bradley
The objective of this thesis is to provide a contextual analysis into the working conditions of e-hailing drivers in the Global South, and specifically in South Africa. Through fifteen in-depth telephonic interviews with these drivers conducted between May and October 2020, a number of key insights were derived that support the argument that a context-specific understanding of the unique dynamics of each nation State is of critical importance in informing policy that is just and equitable. Existing literature emphasises the current narrative around the precarious working conditions of e hailing drivers exclusively within countries of the Global North. These are grounded on the assumption that workers own their vehicles and that e-hailing has had an informalizing effect on the standard employment working relationship that has characterised the relationship between capital and labour in traditional economies. These Northern analyses thereby fail to capture the unique dynamics of countries in the Global South, characterised as having high levels of inequality and fragmented transport industries. Similarly, they provide a simplistic understanding into the contextual complexities around formal and informal work in developing economies. As such, the tensions between e-hailing companies, such as Uber and Bolt, and drivers within these networks ensuing on a global level, are informed predominantly by Northern experience. Of particular importance is the ownership and leasing structure implemented in SA, and other developing countries, where e-hailing drivers who lack the financial ability to own their own vehicles are forced to lease vehicles from third party Drive Partners. Designed to integrate drivers who lack the means of vehicle ownership into the e-hailing network, the leasing system creates an ownership class that reinforces existing patterns of inequality in developing countries as the ensuing contracts (or lack thereof) borne out between drivers and Drive Partners, contributes to the complexity and precarity many drivers face as a result. This leasing structure is central to understanding how new and emerging forms of work associated with the gig economy have been adapted to the differing realities of the Global South. The financial pressure these drivers face, reinforced by decreasing e hailing demand during the Covid-19 Lockdown, together with heightened levels of fear over driver safety and security, are additional features that differentiate the Southern driver experience to that of the Northern one. This thesis highlights these differences and emphasises the need for specific and contextual considerations in policy formulation should it have any relevance for e-hailing drivers within their respective localities. The analysis herein uses a North/South framework to demonstrate the relative differences drivers face in their respective geographies. It is important to emphasise that while drivers across the globe experience differing realities, they too have many shared experiences. The framework does thereby not intend to generalise, nor is it meant as a tool to create classification binaries between North and South, instead it is used to emphasise common driver experiences based on localities with similar socio-economic histories and contexts, albeit that these may differ significantly in themselves.
Ethnic identity in post-apartheid South Africa: a case study of southern Ndebele identity in the Kwamhlanga region in Mpumalanga province
(2017) Ndlovu, Sifiso
This thesis examines the inter-relationship between Southern Ndebele ethnic identity and the construction of a new national identity in post-apartheid South Africa as framed in terms of an inclusive approach. The articulation between Southern Ndebele identity and the idea of the nation was analysed through the case study of the culturally heterogeneous KwaMhlanga locale. In understanding the expression of Southern Ndebele identity as it manifests itself in the KwaMhlanga region in the context of the making of national identity, the thesis argues that there are interactions between these two identities ( ethnic and national identity). The study shows how a sense of belonging to Southern Ndebele identity has been shaped by various changing power dynamics of internal and external factors in ways that allows one to understand how the production of national identity impact on the expression of belonging to Ndebele ethnic identity. The analysis is framed on the premise that like most collective identities, Southern Ndebele identity has been malleable, fluid, negotiable, complex, shifting and contested but it centrally argues that Southern Ndebele identity crystallises around certain key markers. These key markers reveal that there are moments when expressions of belonging to ethnic identity and national identity are profoundly connected and happen simultaneously. Through triangulation of archival research, observation and tracking of political-cultural activities in the KwaMhlanga region for four years and in-depth interviews, the thesis focused on the politics of the making of the KwaNdebele homeland, material culture, heritage and initiation as some of the primary aspects in understanding the production of Southern Ndebele identity historically and in relation to South African national identity. The thesis shows that even if the relationship between expression of Ndebele identity and national identity is mutually constitutive, it is not a static one. The study demonstrates and thus foregrounds the argument that the relationship is a complex one wherein there are shifts which indicate that the expression of belonging to Ndebele identity and national identity sometimes operate independently but never completely isolated in a fluid continuum as it manifests itself in the K waMhlanga region. One of the key findings is that even if K waMhlanga is a culturally mixed area, a level of an expression of distinctive particularism of Southern Ndebele identity has been maintained-albeit with key dynamics like gender, generation and class playing themselves out as they relate to diverse identities which are acknowledged as some of the foundational constitutive elements of post-apartheid South African national identity. In making a unique contribution to wide-ranging scholarship on ethnicity and the construction of national identity in South Africa, the study highlights the intricately balanced dialectical relationship between the sense of belonging to ethnic identities and the production of national identity as one of the entry points in nuancing our understanding of politics of identity in culturally diverse states.
Hearing device use and tinnitus retraining therapy for clients with tinnitus: assessing the benefits in a private practice in Johannesburg, South Africa
(2018) Swart, Duone Rochelle
Background: Hearing devices have been used as a tool for treating tinnitus since the 1940's. In the same way, tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) has been used to treat tinnitus originating from various causes successfully. A variety of research focuses on each of the above-mentioned treatment options, but few researched the combination of these two treatment methods. In addition, no current research exists for a South African population, relating to the benefits of these treatments used together. Purpose: To assess the benefits of treating tinnitus using a combination of tinnitus retraining therapy and hearing devices, using the tinnitus handicap inventory (THI). To identify themes within the 25 THI items and how they affect the daily functioning of the client experiencing tinnitus. Methods: A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional design was used for this research study. The research sample included 29 clients, who were fitted with hearing devices and received accompanying tinnitus retraining therapy. Clients were seen in private practice settings in Johannesburg, South Africa. Clients were seen by TRT trained audiologists. Clients completed the THI after each TRT visit. Descriptive statistics and a statistical z-test was used to analyse the scores obtained from the THls. Thematic analysis was used to analyse 25 THI items. Ethical clearance was obtained to conduct the study before data collection commenced. Results: The findings of this research showed that n=10 clients received 3-6 THI and hearing device therapy sessions. For these participants, a combination of TRT and hearing device use was successful in treating their tinnitus. The mean score for the first THI was 50,55 and the mean score for the last THI was 29,31. Statistical z-test results showed a statistically significant different between the first and last THI scores and supported the null hypothesis. Analysis of the 25 items of the THI showed that quality of life experienced by the client is adversely affected by tinnitus. Conclusion: The results for this study indicated that to receive benefit from a combination of TRT and hearing device use, the client must attend at least 3-6 consecutive TRT and hearing device sessions. TRT and hearing device use therapy should be provided within a team setting. Tinnitus influences the functional activities of the client, closely followed by influences on their emotional state.
The Islamic liberation theology of Ali Shari'ati: religion and revolution
(2017) Jeenah, Shir'a
The emergence of Islam 1438 years ago in Makkah resulted in massive shifts in power dynamics and in social relations and ways of living within, firstly, the Arabian Peninsula and, within a couple of centuries, in most of West Asia and large parts of Europe. The Islamic leader, Prophet Muhammad, following with experience of the Judaic and Christian traditions, delivered the message of a religion that challenged the status quo and advocated a new system of social, political and economic relations, one based on the principles of justice and equality. Almost fifteen centuries later, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, when more than twenty percent of the world's population is Muslim, millions of Muslims around the world continue to rely on the faith as an inspiration for their own struggles and for their solidarity with the struggles of oppressed peoples across the globe. In a context where discourses on decolonisation have become a major focus in political science, especially at universities, there has been a shift in discussions on struggle and revolution. A concerted effort has been made to tend away from the reliance on Western epistemologies and to throw the spotlight on thinking from and about the global South in an attempt at embarking on a process of 'decolonising' knowledge, academic spaces and society at large. In an attempt to expand beyond just Marxist analyses, much emphasis in decoloniality discussions has been placed on thinkers such as Frantz Fanon, Leopold Senghor, Che Guevara, those within the Indian subaltern tradition and others from the Global South. However, following the modernist (and postmodernist) tradition, there seems to be resistance among many such thinkers, who have enjoyed relative popularity within the academy, to afford any religious - including Islamic - strands of thought a seat at the decolonial intellectual table, though there are exceptions. This research report will make the case for further extending this privilege to Islamic thinkers through a presentation of the work of the Iranian revolutionary intellectual Ali Shari'ati.
Munsieville
(2018) Van Heerden, Bianca
Munsieville is a township west of Johannesburg, South Africa , located on the outskirts of the town previously known as Krugersdorp, which since February 2001 falls under the Mogale City Municipality. In 2014 a largely Afrikaans-speaking group living in Coronation Park - a caravan park in Krugersdorp - were forced to relocate from the space they named 'die kamp' (Afrikaans for 'the camp') to nearby Munsieville in an attempt to upgrade the dilapidated campsite that was in the process of being revamped. Coronation Park had become home to this group of people for nearly a decade, and they were hesitant to move. At the time of writing this thesis in 2018, the group was living in informal structures on a plot of land in Munsieville in hope of receiving Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) housing from the local municipality. The creative component of this thesis is a photographic project that focusses on Munsieville, in particular a section known as and referred to by its residents as the 'Pangokamp' (Afrikaans for 'Pango Camp'). Munsieville centres on a photographic project that explores the idea of 'home' as a central concept of place. As is argued in this thesis, and what I attempt to show in the creative work, is that the need for establishing one's identity as a person is connected to the notion of feeling like one belongs in a space. I created a body of creative work that explores ideas around identity within what the residents call their 'community' - variously self-identified in a broad sense as changes within their identification around whiteness and Afrikanerness in post-apartheid South Africa. Through analysing theories on 'home' by Peter Somerville, Mary Douglas, Hazel Easthope, and other theorists who explore the meaning of home, this thesis also focuses on the use of documentary photography to create an aesthetic of shock images of poverty by several photographers, including E.G. Malherbe and Dorothea Lange, who are some of the original forerunners of the documentary aesthetic still often used in South Africa.
The naming patterns of the Swati people living in the townships: a case study of kaMsogwaba
(2018) Ngobeni, Nkateko
Substantial attention has been given to Zulu onomastic patterns. However, Swati onomastic patterns have not been afforded sufficient attention. Hence, this study was developed as a means of bridging the gap that exists within Nguni onomastic patterns. The study explores Swati personal names in the area of kaMsogwaba, a former informal settlement situated approximately 29 kilometres from the city of Nelspruit, in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. The study focuses on how the residents of kaMsogwaba Township use Swati personal names to embrace their culture and religion. kaMsogwaba is a religiously diverse area and thus provided rich information for the purpose of this study. The township comprises various social classes and is under the leadership of a chief, which indicates that much of the traditional culture is still prevalent in the area. Therefore, the information required for this dissertation was obtained by studying the township of kaMsogwaba, its people, their culture and traditions. African societies are communal. This implies that social structures such as culture and religion have an impact on naming patterns as people socialize and navigate through life. Social identity theory and identity theory are used to explain how culture and religion become involved in the naming process. The study was conducted from a qualitative perspective, while ethnography was the main method used for data collection.
Transnationalisation of national peasants movements' activism: the case of the National Union of Small-scale Farmers of Mozambique's membership to La Via Campesina
(2017) Guilengue, Fredson Guirramela Lopes
In this master's dissertation report, I explore how the National Union of Small-scale Farmers of Mozambique (UNAC) transnationalised its activism through its membership to La Via Campesina (LVC), covering the period between 2004 and 2014, to understand the nature of transnational activism of national peasant movement organisations. I identify the factors behind national peasant movement organisations embarking on transnational activism, the structure put in place to secure their transnational activism and the possible opportunities and threats transnational activism poses to their national mandate. I applied ethnography and more concretely Michael Burawoy's approach to the extended case method to reconstruct (by extending) neo-Marxist approaches to the study of peasantry, peasant movements and social movements in general. Based on a qualitative approach to the data collected, the research conducted documentary analysis and in-depth interviews with relevant actors. Results suggest that peasants' national movement organisations transnationalise part of their activism through joining an already transnational peasant's movement organisation by adopting and campaigning for its political themes, building transnational peasant activists, and by practising transnational solidarity. Results also suggest that national peasant movement organisations transnationalise their activism precisely because they share a common interest of fighting capitalism with the movement organisation they affiliate with, they seek to expand their political messages and because they are looking for international solidarity. Added to this, results show that this type of transnational activism does not necessarily require specific administrative structures and does not pose major threats to the national mandate of national peasant movement organisations. More importantly, results suggest re-theorising the neo Marxists' approach to social movements by accommodating transnational agency of national peasant movement organisations.
Wush!
(2016) Hermans, Stanley

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