Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Masters)

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Browsing Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Masters) by SDG "SDG-16: Peace, justice and strong institutions"

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    A comparative study of how four selected newspapers framed the coverage of the death of mthokozisi ntumba
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) MAGOMANI, AMUKELANI; Balliah, Dinesh
    For years, traditional media such as newspapers have played a pivotal role in circulating news and information for public consumption. South Africa has recently experienced an increase in news on police brutality cases against protesters on various platforms covered by the newspapers. This study analyses the framing of media coverage by Daily Maverick, Daily Sun, Mail & Guardian, and Sowetan newspapers of the pre-and post-trial of the law enforcement officers charged with the killing of Mthokozisi Ntumba. This case was centred on forceful actions by police officials to disperse a crowd during a student protest. Although Ntumba was not amongst the protesting crowds, he was shot and killed by police officers. The study aims to discover the ways in which Ntumba’s case was reported by the four selected newspapers. The nature, aim, objectives and contextual significance of this study dictates that a qualitative research approach be used. The study was underpinned by the framing theory. Qualitative data was collected using the content analysis method, with purposive sampling used to select all textual units that contributed towards answering the study’s research questions. A sample of 83 articles was selected on the basis that the articles reported the news of the killing of Ntumba and the follow up court trial of the police officers. Qualitative framing analysis was used to study the media coverage of the killing of a bystander and police brutality in South Africa. From the study’s findings, it was revealed that different frames were used by the four selected newspapers in the coverage of Ntumba’s case. The frames used by the selected newspapers highlighted the extent to which the issue of police brutalityin the country has led to the death of people and other underlying issues that exist due to police brutality during protests.
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    Challenges faced by court interpreters while interpreting for children in South African courts
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Chikele, Heather Mikateko; Maliko, Natasha Parkins; Dladla, Celimpilo P.
    The study investigated the challenges faced by court interpreters in South Africa when working with child witnesses within the legal system. The objectives of the study included investigating interpreter challenges, identifying their role in safeguarding children’s well-being and rights, and evaluating the effectiveness of interpreter training. The country’s linguistic diversity, characterized by 12 official languages and distinct cultural distinctions, adds layers of complexity for interpreters (Powell, et al., 2017). The problems encountered during the process includes linguistic barriers, encompassing the clear conveyance of child testimonies, interpretation of child-friendly legal terminology, and ensuring the child’s understanding of legal proceedings. The study recognized the involved interplay of language, culture and age, which highlights the need for interpreters to address the emotional state, comprehension level, and communication capacities of child witnesses. To tackle these challenges, the study highlighted the crucial requirement for specialized training and support for court interpreters handling cases involving children in South African courts (Moeketsi & Wallmach, 2005). This involved cultivating a sophisticated understanding of child psychology, cultural sensitivity, and legal terminology to effectively bridge communication gaps (Jianqing, 2008). By doing so, the study contended that South Africa could strengthen its commitment to safeguarding children’s rights and welfare within the legal system, ultimately ensuring equitable access to justice for all residents. The study utilized a quantitative research methodology, utilising a structured questionnaire distributed through Google Forms. The questionnaire was designed to gather insights from court interpreters about their experiences and challenges. The questions were crafted to elicit detailed responses on topics such as the impact of the child’s age on interpretation, linguistic and cultural challenges, and training and qualifications of court interpreters. The research focused on obtaining valuable information directly from court interpreters through the survey instrument, so as to understand their perspectives in a more streamlined manner (Cheung, 2014).
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    Social media as a sphere of violent discourse in times of civil unrest: A case study of the 2021 looting in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024-03-15) Malaka, Chaboke Prince; Govenden, Prinola
    Social media has been used by activists in contemporary civil upheavals.The content created by these activists is believed to predict offline protest behaviour. There was previously no corelation drawn between social media usage and real-world behaviour, however, recently protesters’worldwide use of social media platforms provide an unparalleled opportunity to witness how social media usage can have real-world behavioural ties (Mina, 2019). This study's main objective was to investigate the extent to which social media, specifically X (formerly Twitter), was used as a forum for violent discourse during times of civil unrest. In particular, it examines the looting that occurred in South Africa in 2021 July under the hashtags,#LootingSA and #FreeZuma, that started in KwaZulu-Natal province on 8 July 2021 and spread to the Gauteng province. It is well recognised that social media sites enable users to communicate, share knowledge, and produce digital content. Social media has also served as an activist platorm during times of civil disturbance (Lim, 2012). This study adds to the current literature by elucidating howpeople’s engagement in X (formerly Twitter) as a social media platform was used to createa discourses of violence during the 2021 looting. Protest Participation Theory (PPT) and Galtung’s Theory of Violence (GTV) media theories have been used to drive this study and has further supported the findings from a theorectical standpoint. . The study used a qualitative approach and employed a thematic analysis technique to analyse data. The units of analysis, violent tweets, revealed a substantial presence of aggressive language, calls for violence, threats, and incitements to harm during the civil unrest period. Interestingly, a significant portion of these tweets did not explicitly endorse violence but circulated content related to violent acts e.g Tweets containing voilent content. In contrast, non-violent tweets predominantly centered around the arrest of former President Jacob Zuma with sentiments expressing disapproval, critique, or support for the arrest of the former president. The study acknowledged instances where X (formerly Twitter) was used for personal agendas and entertainment indicating a diverse range of discussions on social media related to violence. The non-violent tweets highlighted both opposition and support for Jacob Zuma's arrest with a smaller percentage categorised as "not related" and not taking a clear stance on the overarching topic. The research primarily focused on measuring the prevalence of looting activities rather than delving into the detailed aspects of the "how" question.