Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Masters)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/37997

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Subject: search.filters.subject.SDG-16: Peace, justice and strong institutions

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 19
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    Back from the Brink: De-escalation of Conflict During the Four Crises of the Taiwan Strait
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Tshabalala, Matshepo Kholofelo; Small, Michelle
    The Taiwan Strait remains a critical flashpoint in East Asia, with significant implications for regional and global security. This study explores the Four Crises of the Taiwan Strait, investigating historical tensions, military strategies of brinkmanship and deterrence, and the diplomatic relations between the PRC, ROC and the USA. Through qualitative analysis, this paper endeavours to understand the causal mechanisms and strategies that have been employed to de-escalate conflict. Key aspects of this research include an examination of China's strategic objectives, the effectiveness of the use of brinkmanship to achieve these objectives, Taiwan's evolving political landscape and defence strategies, and the United States’ policy manoeuvres aimed at maintaining regional stability and protecting Taiwan. The study analyses incidents and crises to identify patterns and triggers of escalation and de-escalation. The findings highlight the importance of deterrence, diplomatic engagement, concession and appeasement. This study contributes to the broader discourse on conflict resolution and ongoing efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region.
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    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, Truth
    The 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.
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    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, Michelle
    The 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.
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    A Critical Inquiry into The Ethical Justification(s) For Decriminalising Cannabis Use In South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Moolla, Sadiyyah; Attoe, Aribiah David
    The right to privacy, as contained in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, grants individuals the right to engage in certain activities, insofar as those activities are private, without infringement by individuals or the state. The said right is what was relied upon by the Constitutional Court in the decision to decriminalize Cannabis, for private use. However, there is a marked difference between that which is legal and that which is moral. In this thesis, I will grapple with the ethical justifications for the decriminalization of Cannabis. Using the Ubuntu ethical theory, I will show that there is in fact no ethical justification for impeding on a moral agent’s right to consume cannabis. I will begin by providing some arguments for and against the legalisation of cannabis use, showing their merits and their demerits. I will then provide an account of Ubuntu ethics and show how its tenets bear on the right to consume cannabis.
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    The Role of International Commitments in Combating the Illicit Distribution of Cocaine
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Bacta, Raquel; Alence, Rod
    Theoretical studies claim that states’ adherence to international drug control treaties may impact the enforcement of cocaine seizure regulations. However, this study found no significant relationship between commitment to United Nations Conventions and cocaine seizures. The study employed two multi-level regression models to investigate the poten- tial correlation between state adherence to drug control conventions and cocaine seizures between 1996 and 2019. The results suggest that other factors, such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), trade openness, military expenditure, and governance indicators, may play a more important role in explaining the variation in cocaine seizures. Furthermore, the findings imply that practical outcomes may not meet expectations despite efforts to ad- here to international agreements on drug control. Other factors such as national interests, domestic politics, and resource allocation might play a more crucial role in determining the effectiveness of drug control measures. Therefore, comprehensive strategies beyond gov- ernance indicators alone are necessary to address drug trafficking, requiring multifaceted approaches considering socio-economic dynamics, law enforcement capabilities, and inter- national cooperation.
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    Food Riot? Analyzing the July 2021 Unrest in South Africa Using Topic Modeling
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Khoza, Palesa; Kesselman, Brittany
    The July 2021 unrest in South Africa trended on Twitter between the 9th and 31st of July 2021. The unrest received attention from different groups of society, it was interpreted by the media, government, and scholars. This paper explores whether the July 2021 unrest was framed as a food riot by the affected communities across KwaZulu–Natal and Gauteng provinces in South Africa. A dictionary-based analysis and STM topic modeling were conducted on 8264 geo-tagged tweets extracted from the 9th to the 31 of July 2021 to capture the views of the communities in areas affected by the unrest. The findings indicate that conversations concerning the unrest were around collective action, food disturbances, political dissatisfaction, looting, and socio-economic stressors. This study found that political dissatisfaction is linked to a lack of governance response to the deteriorating socio-economic conditions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of this study suggest that loss of income and high food prices associated with the pandemic contributed to food disturbances. In addition, food price increases were expected in the aftermath of the social unrest. In conclusion, the views on Twitter revealed conversations around multiple interlinked issues.
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    Caste and Colourism: Constructions of beauty among women in the historically Indian area of Chatsworth, Durban
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Moodley, Paalini Jasanthini; Mngomezulu, Nosipho
    This research study has set out to uncover the silences surrounding caste and colourism, and the influence of this on constructions of beauty standards among women in the Chatsworth Indian community. My fieldwork consisted of participant observations and interviews over the course of four weeks at a beauty parlour in Chatsworth, with a predominantly Indian women clientele. There were six participants in this study who consisted of the owner of the beauty parlour, Sandhya, the nail technicians, Mahati and Nidhi, the threaders, Yukti and Kalyani, and the hairdresser, Lavana. Throughout the chapters within this study, I argue that despite the language of caste rarely spoken, it exists as a reconfigured caste system determined by culture and colour, significantly influencing women’s perceptions of beauty. Moreover, certain standards of beauty that favour lighter skin tones as a result of systemic prejudice, influence women to partake in beauty treatments that feed into this ideal. Lastly, women’s choices in certain treatments are severely influenced by their desire to please a man, impress a mother-in-law, flaunt social status to family through a lighter skin tone, and fit an ideal standard of beauty. In theorising beauty, I draw on feminist and postcolonial perspectives, contextualising beauty within historical, socio-cultural, socio-economic, and socio-political dimensions. I use Hauntology as a framework in unmasking the recursive force of caste which consumes women’s everyday lives, dictating marriage criterion, popularity, status, affluence, and beauty standards
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    Changing Patterns of violence in the Western Sahel
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Krienke, Hannah
    This dissertation investigates how changing patterns of violence in Mali and Burkina Faso have resulted in the formation of alternative government systems by jihadist groups and community militias. By analysing the interactions between these non -state actors, state institutions, and foreign intermediaries, the study highlights the significant impacts of socioeconomic problems, corruption, ethnic and religious tensions, and climate change, which have given rise to space where power and control of the state is contested. In Mali, violence erupted in 2012 with an insurgent movement that was exacerbated by subsequent coups and political crises, eroding state authority and supporting the growth of multiple armed groups most notably via jihadist insurgency. Violence in Burkina Faso began to grow in 2015, and it was exacerbated with the 2022 coup, which altered the dynamics of domestic and foreign alliances, including the Russian Wagner Group's involvement. Both countries are currently governed by the military, although in both cases the military has struggled to calm violence. The frequency of attacks increasing drastically between 2015 and 2024. Therefore, the dynamics of violence in both countries are examined in relation to the restructuring of local and state interactions and the emergence of new forms of governance. This involves drawing on theories such as Mary Kaldor's t "new wars," who emphasises the relationship between identity politics and armed conflict. Through a comparative examination, the study reveals parallels as well as differences in the ways that violence has impacted state formation and impacted Sahelian populations in Mali and Burkina Faso.
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    The aesthetic politics of skin tone and hair texture amongst black women in Diepkloof, Johannesburg
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Kwinika, Makhawukana Akani; Katsaura, Obvious
    Beautification practices for Black women in South Africa reveal a complex interplay of cultural influences and individual affirmative choices. This research explores the societal factors that inspire Black women to beautify the surface-body, focusing on hair and skin, both locally and from an intra-racial perspective. The theories that the research borrows from are the Self- objectification theory, which explains the issues associated with bodily modifications and insecurities, and African Feminism, which examines the intersectionality of race, gender, and beauty standards, emphasizing the importance of examining the history of African women. Employing a qualitative methodology, data were collected through questionnaires and in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted in Diepkloof Zone 2, a Township situated in Soweto, Johannesburg, with a sample size of seven women. Thematic analysis was utilized for data analysis. The findings demonstrate that Black women’s beautification practices remain politicized globally, yet the Black beauty experience is multifaceted, ranging from personal to trivial. The study highlights the agency of Black women in redefining beauty standards globally and within the African continent, rather than merely adhering to Western norms. Recommendations include further exploration of Black women’s hair aesthetics to accommodate bald-headedness or short hair as a preference. Furthermore, to explore skin bleaching practices among Black women and understand the psychological implications of colourism and the yellow bone phenomenon beyond the internalization of whiteness.
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    Nationalism Without a State: A Comparative Analysis of Revolutionary Nationalism Among Stateless Nations
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Mayet, Humairaa; Zähringer, Natalie
    A political philosophy employed by nationalist groups and parties, revolutionary nationalism, is used to resist the established order and achieve political goals. It is especially prevalent when power is held by a group or party which attempts to oppress and stifle certain identities and nationalities while enabling others. Revolutionary nationalism has been practiced by the people of Palestine and Western Sahara, both when they resisted against their European colonisers, Britain and Spain, and today, as they resist against their occupiers, Israel and Morocco. Forms of resistance practices include popular and organised resistance, as well as violent and nonviolent resistance. Similarities and differences emerge when analysing how each of these occupied populations attempted to resist through means of revolutionary nationalism and these can be examined and compared. Revolutionary nationalism often goes hand-in-hand with the expression of the right to self-determination, the highest form of which is statehood. The aim of this research report is to discern whether or not the practices of revolutionary nationalism give rise to self-determination, even though it has been proven that, in the post-Cold War era, they do not give rise to statehood.