ETD Collection

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/handle/10539/104


Please note: Digitised content is made available at the best possible quality range, taking into consideration file size and the condition of the original item. These restrictions may sometimes affect the quality of the final published item. For queries regarding content of ETD collection please contact IR specialists by email : IR specialists or Tel : 011 717 4652 / 1954

Follow the link below for important information about Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Library Guide about ETD

Browse

Filters

2016 - 201912020 - 20221

Settings

Subject: search.filters.subject.Hunger

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Stakeholder voices on the role of higher education institutions in providing food to students who are hungry on campus : the case of a South African University
    (2022-03) Singh, Karuba D.
    Hungry students exist as an almost invisible population at universities. Yet globally, as in South Africa, student hunger is a growing phenomenon that threatens academic success. Should universities be providing food aid to students, or is food aid the remit of social service organisations alone? At the heart of the role of a research university is the creation and dissemination of knowledge. Traditionally, universities have not necessarily been concerned with the conditions under which students are expected to pursue academic activities. The reality though is that universities find themselves dealing with the problem of student hunger on campuses. Research in student hunger is limited to the prevalence and distribution of the phenomenon at universities. No research has delved into stakeholder views and attitudes about the role of the university in providing food aid to students. Understanding these attitudes requires research. This study is premised on a qualitative research approach, involving internal student and staff stakeholders of the University of the Witwatersrand. Online questionnaires, individual interviews and a focus group were used to collect data from volunteer participants. The research has illuminated differing views on the University’s role in providing food aid to students, but more significantly, has helped us understand what the barriers are to developing a consensus approach to student hunger. The main conclusions drawn from the study are that student hunger should be addressed if access to encompassing education is valued and academic success is the goal. Information from this research may contribute to the development of policy on how best to respond to the issue of student hunger.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Advocating for the right to food in South Africa - an analysis of judicial activism, public interest litigation and collective action in South Africa as a strategy to secure the right to food
    (2016) Moyo, Busiso Helard
    This dissertation is an investigation of the conditions that would bring about the legal enforcement of the right to access sufficient food in South Africa as premised on the Constitution. This is motivated by the fact that modern-society has seen a gradual increase in the occurrence of socio-economic rights being protected through the legal opportunity structure of countries, ultimately leading to public interest litigation. At present, the right to food is being violated in South Africa. Taking into account the ambit of the constitution and several international instruments that speak to its realisation and the fact that there has been litigation on other socio-economic rights, suggesting that tools for litigation are in place, it is perplexing that right to food litigation has not taken place. The research question of this paper is therefore: which factors and conditions would have to be present for there to arise public interest litigation on the right to food in South Africa? Due to the fact that literature on right to food litigation is almost non-existent, especially for the African context, this is an explorative case study. The dissertation utilises an analytical framework to study the prospect of litigation on the right to food becoming a reality. The study is largely theory-driven, relying on various sources of evidence: secondary literature, conducted-research and official state documents speaking to the countries right to food narrative. The analysis reveals that there are many barriers to right to food litigation in South Africa. These mainly have to do with the conditions that impact the manner in which right to food violations are understood by the poor and marginalised in society on one hand and the responsiveness of the courts to the voice of the marginalised and poor on the other. The dissertation concludes that the most crucial factors for right to food litigation in South Africa to arise are the need for more information and awareness around the right to food; improved legal assistance for the hungry and poor; more trust in the legal system amongst those at the bottom of the pyramid; the need for a stronger focus on litigation strategies by civil society and advocacy groups and the need for judges to be more innovative in carrying-out their duties. The conclusions of this study have relevance for those working actively for the promotion and realisation of the right to food in South Africa.