Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Masters)
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Item An evaluation of genetic editing in terms of its impact on free will, genetic determinism and reason-responsiveness(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Lendrum, Tristan; Leon, Mark; Coates, AshleyGenetic editing has advanced at an ever-increasing speed over the past five decades and has sparked curiosity from all corners of academia. This paper discusses genetic editing in terms of its interaction with philosophical topics relating to the freedom of will. A vast collection of literature has already been published regarding the ethical considerations of genetic editing, however, in this paper I put those concerns to the side and seriously analyse the impact a complete practice of genetic engineering would have on our free will in the context of a moderately reasons responsive framework. Theoretically, the discussion occurs under the theoretical position of compatibilism. The main claim of the argument which develops in this paper is that genetic editing is uniquely positioned to expand our scope of free will in line with a moderately reasons responsive understanding of free will.Item Has the CRRF helped host countries to adequately address the needs of refugees? A case study on Uganda and Kenya(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Tshuma, TruthThe prevalence of war, famine and political instability on the African continent has resulted in large scale migration into neighbouring countries. The long-lasting effects of these conditions have resulted in protracted refugee situations and host countries have reached the stage of being overburdened by hosting refugees. The New York Declaration on Refugees and Migrants (2016) seeks to address this challenge by encouraging host states to integrate refugees into their national development goals through the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF). By so doing, host countries stand to conjointly address the needs of refugees while also addressing the needs of the host community. This is made possible through co-joined efforts of the international community in supporting host countries with funding. Additionally, through this process, the vision of the CRRF is that refugees will eventually become self-reliant through the opportunities provided by the host countries. This paper investigates whether the CRRF has managed to assist host countries to adequately address the needs of refugees. Having used Uganda and Kenya as the main case studies, the results suggest that the CRRF has partially addressed the needs of refugees. The identified shortfall being that there is inadequate funding, as such, the impact of the CRRF is seen only in a select few situations. The main purpose of this study is to encourage policy development. Future research should consider looking into the reasons behind the lack of international commitment. This will be helpful towards finding means to address the root causes for policy developers.Item Rhetoric Versus Reality: Examining South Africa’s Commitment to UNSCR 1820, 1888 and 1889 on Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict(2024) Green, Tshidi Marvina; Small, MichelleThe use of brute force and sexually motivated attacks on civilians has been a feature within armed conflicts for millennia. With the rise and popularity of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in the early 2000s, greater attention has been demanded to address issues of conflict- related sexual violence. Various robust and groundbreaking resolutions have been adopted and ratified by the UN Security Council to combat the use of rape as a weapon of war. These include but are not limited to UNSCR 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009) and 1889 (2009). Through these resolutions the international community has called for individual nation states to action the mandates outlined within the broader WPS Agenda in relation to conflict-related sexual violence. South Africa, having occupied a leading role in the peace process of various states within the African continent, has been one such nation tasked with fulfilling this mandate through its peace diplomacy and foreign policy. This study examines the degree to which South Africa has adopted and implemented the normative obligations contained within UNSCR 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), and 1889 (2009), within its peace diplomacy on the African continent. The study employs a case-study analysis of South Africa’s peace deployments in two African states, namely, the DRC and South Sudan. Process-tracing is used to analyse and ascertain the key junctures within its peace diplomacy to determine how the norms underpinning the WPS agenda, in relation to CRSV, have emerged, been adopted, and implemented within South Africa’s peace diplomacy. The study examines these developments through the theoretical framework of norm evolution and norm life cycle theory.Item The gendered barriers women face in politics: The case study of South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Olivier, Ursulene; De Matos Ala, JacquelineWomen politicians face nefarious and diverse obstacles. Their voices are both needed and lacking in the halls of national decision-making. According to the 2022 Global Gender Gap Report (GGGR) the gap in global female Political Empowerment has consistently remained the largest since the first report was published in 2006. Globally women only have 22% of the Political Empowerment that men have. This research conducts a discourse and content analyses of female political representation in South Africa and whether this translates into better outcomes for gender equality in broader society. It investigates the social constructs of political hegemonic masculinity and political patronage and the role it plays in the political careers of women to reach executive level positions such as becoming a cabinet minister and president. Key findings are gender stereotypes and gender roles found in both social constructs keep women out of political power. Many women politicians also do not champion the gender equality cause in South Africa in support of political hegemonic masculinity and political patronage.Item The State’s Responses to Urban Marginality in Natalspruit(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Gqoboza, Zandile Samantha; Katsaura,ObviousThis research argues that dimensions of ‘urban marginality’ are reflected in South African cities, in informal trading in poor urban peripheries; specifically, in ‘townships’ and ‘informal settlements’. One finds in post-apartheid South Africa, poor urban margins, where individuals are forced to create alternative forms of employment as a means to survive. These alternative forms of employment are part of the waiting experience of the urban poor (Auyero, 2012). The findings of this paper dispute a claim made by Yamada (1996) stating that informal self-employment is by choice and that it is economically sufficient. Contrary to the above claims the research illustrates that this form of employment is forced and is unprofitable and is therefore economically insufficient. This study therefore suggest that the post-apartheid state should formulate policies with the understanding that this sector is forced and is economically insufficient. To illustrate the above, the research focuses on the experiences of informal traders in the trading area of Natalspruit and analyze their relationship with the municipal state in Ekurhuleni.Item Cultural Diplomacy and Soft Power: The Impact of South Korea’s Pop Culture on China and the World(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Jiang, ZhiqiThis research paper, titled "Cultural Diplomacy and Soft Power: The Impact of South Korea’s Pop Culture on China and the World" is submitted by Zhiqi Jiang on August 16, 2024, as a Master’s Research Report in International Relations. It examines the extent to which South Korea’s pop cultural diplomacy has challenged China’s cultural dominance in East Asia and contributed to South Korea’s rise in global soft power since the 1990s. By contrasting the cultural diplomacy strategies of China and South Korea and investigating the achievements of South Korea’s pop cultural diplomacy in economics, international organizations, and foreign policies, the study argues that South Korea’s strategic promotion of its pop culture, including K-pop, K-dramas, and films, has significantly enhanced its soft power. This influence manifests in South Korea’s ability to shape public opinion and influence economic and foreign policies in and with China. Additionally, South Korea has leveraged global economic gains and diplomatic influence through celebrity youth diplomacy to further strengthen its international soft power. The findings highlight the critical role of pop cultural diplomacy in international relations, providing insights for nations seeking to improve their global standing.Item Understanding the requirements and barriers to providing Post-Trial Access (PTA): A review of continued access to effective medicine(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mthembu, XoliswaClinical trials are essential in establishing the safety and efficacy of investigational products and are a mandatory requirement for the registration of a new medicine. Additionally, clinical studies offer access to new therapies, innovative treatments or more effective treatments which may not be readily accessible to the general population. Clinical trial participants receive investigational medicine during the study conduct phase as a study benefit and as compensation for their voluntary participation. In resource-limited countries, this may be the only option available to access new and effective medicine. Therefore, continued treatment access becomes of greater value. However, providing PTA presents ethical considerations which need to be addressed. The provision of PTA to effective medicine can be viewed as an inducement to join a study and creates inequalities between diseased patients, as it excludes other diseased patients who did not participate in the study or patients who were excluded from participation in the study. However, prior to addressing these controversies, it is necessary to establish first whether clinical trial participants have a moral claim to PTA provision. This report seeks to establish the moral requirement for PTA provision to address the ethical issues around providing continued access to effective medicines outside clinical trial settings. The first two chapters will focus on discussing the evolution of clinical trials, highlighting the ethical issues surrounding continued access to effective investigational products. The principles of bioethics will be discussed in detail in Chapter 2 to draw out the moral claims which mandate the requirement to provide PTA to efficacious medical therapy offered during the study. In Chapter 3, I will argue for the moral requirement for providing PTA using the principles of bioethics as a framework. In Chapter 4, I will discuss the challenges and PTA solutions. In my conclusion, I will reiterate my support for the mandatory requirement and implementation of PTA until the Investigational Product is commercially available and accessible to all trial participants, emphasising the importance of this stance.Item Contesting Heritage: A Political Analysis of Freedom Park and Voortrekker Monument in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Ndlovu, Xolane; Veriava, AhmedThis study critically examines the political and social dimensions of heritage preservation in South Africa, with a specific focus on the contested sites of Freedom Park and Voortrekker Monument. The study is underpinned by a social constructionist framework, which acknowledges the multiplicity of realities and narratives in relation to public memory and heritage politics in South Africa. The research methodology encompasses a qualitative approach, including site visits, archival work, and qualitative content analysis. The theoretical framework draws on Anderson's concept of ‘imagined communities’ to understand the emergence of national identities championed by various political actors in relation to heritage sites. The dissertation explores the role of public monuments in post-apartheid South Africa, the controversies surrounding the Voortrekker Monument, and the creation of counter-structures such as Freedom Park to challenge dominant colonial narratives. It also examines the political symbolism of Freedom Park in nation-building and its influence on visitor perceptions. Ethical considerations were paramount throughout the research process, particularly in conducting site visits and ensuring the integrity and reliability of the data collected. The findings of the study offer recommendations for further exploration of the articulation of heritage sites and the debate by other political actors, such as the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), to potentially illuminate the emergence of an imagined community. Overall, this dissertation provides a comprehensive and nuanced exploration of the political, social, and cultural dimensions of heritage preservation in South Africa, shedding light on the complex interplay of historical narratives, political ideologies, and social values within the country’s heritage landscape.Item Access to the Township Economy A comparative study of the spaza shop sector in the City of Ekurhuleni Townships Tsakane and Duduza(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mongwe, Veli; Quirk, Joel2024 marks 11 years since the Duduza community forced out Somali spaza shop traders from Duduza and it is exactly 11 years of continued gatekeeping from a collaborative informal relationship between the business community, township associations and some state actors. While the state actors and non-state actors may not take the credit for chasing Somalis out of Duduza they take pride in their informal governance systems and agreements they have kept Somalis out of Duduza. This research questions the role and power of state and non-state actors in Township informal governance. The concepts of “informal governance systems” and “gatekeeping” were used to guide this research to respond to the question of access. The study employed a qualitative approach as it is interested in understanding the cause for the variations in on the two townships. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and participant observation. In the initial stages of the research, the snowball sampling was used to identify participants with leads. These two participants were able to refer the researcher to key state and non-state actors in Duduza and Tsakane. The findings of the study reveal the existence of two cartels, a cartel that facilitates gatekeeping in Duduza and a cartel that runs Somali spaza shops in Tsakane. The Duduza business community, associations and some state actors have created informal rules of trade that prohibit Somali spaza shop traders from trading in Duduza, on this other side, Tsakane appears to have a more relaxed approach to trading rules. Access into the Duduza township economy is controlled and protected through informal systems of governance. Through the informal systems of governance, the business community, associations and some state actors in Duduza exercise the power to agree on trading rules and other rules to govern the township. While the trading rules are said to be binding to all who wish to trade in Duduza, they also appear to be stricter on limiting access to Somali and Bangladesh spaza shop traders because of their history in the township. Lastly, the Somali spaza shop cartel that runs the Somali spaza shops in Tsakane is sustained by various pillars i.e. strategic placing of spaza shops which enables its expansion and prevalence in Tsakane.Item Factors associated with HIV knowledge among younger adolescents aged 12-14 years old in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Makgale. Tswelopele1.Background In 2019, there were 1.7 million adolescents aged 10-19 living with HIV globally, with 1.5 million in sub-Saharan Africa and 360,000 in South Africa. Early sexual debut, defined as having first intercourse at or before age 14, has significant consequences for adolescents worldwide. While sexual activity during adolescence is normal, early sexual debut is linked to risky behaviours. While efforts have been made to understand HIV/AIDS knowledge among older adolescents and young adults, research often neglects younger adolescents aged 12-14 years old. Poor HIV knowledge among this age group may increase transmission risk, delay diagnosis and treatment, and fuel stigma. It's crucial to focus on this age group to eradicate the disease, although research is limited due to the sensitive nature of discussing HIV/AIDS with younger adolescents. 2.Objective The two set objectives of this study were firstly, to examine levels of HIV knowledge among younger adolescents aged 12-14 years old in South Africa. Secondly, to identify the demographic, socioeconomic and subjective norm characteristics associated with HIV knowledge among younger adolescents aged 12-14 years old in South Africa. 3.Methodology This study utilised secondary data acquired from the fifth South African National HIV, Behaviour and Health Survey of 2017 – this was the latest survey available data was analysed using STATA version 14. The South Africa National HIV Prevalence, Incidence, Behaviour and Communication Survey (SABSSM) is a national population-based survey conducted for surveillance of the HIV epidemic in South Africa. The sample for the study was younger adolescents aged 12-14 years old. The weighted sample of 927 861 was selected and used for analyses. The dependent variable in this study was HIV knowledge, defined as having accurate knowledge of all HIV-related questions from the survey. Eight questions assessing HIV and AIDS knowledge, perceptions, and stigma were used. Adolescents were asked about the curability of AIDS, reducing HIV risk by having fewer sexual partners, whether a healthy- looking person can have HIV, mother-to-child transmission, risk reduction by monogamy with an uninfected partner, HIV transmission through shared food, condom use, and male circumcision reducing HIV risk. The original response options were 'yes', 'no', and 'don't know', with 'don't know' responses excluded to ensure that the data accurately reflected the participants knowledge on HIV and AIDS. The dependent variable had three categories: low HIV knowledge (1-3 out of the eight questions answered correctly), average HIV knowledge (4-5 out of the eight questions answered correctly), and comprehensive HIV knowledge (6-8 questions answered correctly). A Multinomial Logistic Regression model was employed to analyse HIV knowledge. The data analysis was done in three phases. The first phase included descriptive analyses of utilised in the study through a ranked frequency and percentage distribution table and sex ratio which was used to explore the HIV knowledge levels based on sex. The second stage included Pearson’s chi-square test which were to measure the associations between the demographic, socioeconomic and subjective norms. The third stage included an unadjusted (bivariate) and adjusted (multivariate) Multinomial Logistic Regression which was employed to examine the demographic, socioeconomic and subjective norms associated with HIV knowledge among younger adolescents aged 12-14 years old in South Africa. 4.Results Less than half of younger adolescents (47.0%) had comprehensive HIV knowledge. The relative risk ratio shown in the multivariate Multinomial Logistic Regression model showed that the respondent’s age, sex, race, place of residence, province, grade, orphanhood status and subjective norms are significant predictors of HIV knowledge among younger adolescents aged 12-14 years old in South Africa. These associations indicated that non-African female adolescents are less likely to possess HIV knowledge compared to Black male adolescents, but generally, female adolescents have a slightly higher relative risk of possessing comprehensive HIV knowledge compared to their male counterparts (1.01, P<0.05; CI=0.99-1.03). Adolescents residing in rural areas have higher relative risks of possessing average and comprehensive HIV knowledge compared to those in urban areas, with relative risks increasing by 1.52 (P<0.05; CI=1.48-1.52) and 2.18 (P<0.05; CI=2.13-2.24), respectively. Additionally, willingness to share food with someone who has HIV/AIDS shows no significant difference in the relative risk of having average or comprehensive HIV knowledge (RRR:0.641; P<0.05; CI=0.62-0.65), while willingness to play with someone who has HIV/AIDS decreases the relative risks of having average and comprehensive HIV knowledge by factors of 0.32 (P<0.05; CI=0.32-0.33) and 0.13 (P<0.05; CI=0.12-0.13), respectively. Furthermore, adolescents uncomfortable discussing HIV/AIDS with at least one family member have decreased relative risks of possessing average and comprehensive HIV knowledge by factors of 0.27 (P<0.05; CI=0.27-0.28) and 0.30 (P<0.05; CI=0.29-0.30), respectively. These results highlight the importance of demographic and social factors in understanding HIV knowledge among young adolescents in South Africa. 5.Conclusion Despite significant efforts by the South African government to integrate HIV education into the national school curriculum and collaborate with NGOs and civil society groups, adolescents aged 12-14 still lack comprehensive HIV knowledge. Understanding HIV early plays a vital role in reducing stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS, fostering a supportive and inclusive atmosphere. It also promotes critical thinking among adolescents, empowering them to question myths and misunderstandings about the disease, thereby encouraging healthier behaviours and attitudes. The hypothesis for this research was that there is no association between demographic, socioeconomic and subjective norm characteristics and HIV knowledge among younger adolescents in South Africa. The multinomial logistic regression showed significant results. Therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected. Post the completion of the National Youth HIV Prevention Strategy (2022-205), it will become mandatory for the government to evaluate and refine the policy framework to include those under 15 years. Including those aged 12-14 years old will be crucial for fostering a generation equipped to safeguard their sexual health and make informed choices, thereby perpetuating the efficacy and relevance of HIV prevention efforts within the broader national agenda