School of Social Sciences (ETDs)
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Item The role of intersecting identities in career development and progression in the core disciplines of the South African mining industry(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mahobe, Patience Ntsoaki; Dey, SayanThe study sought to contribute to scholarship in the South African mining industry related to career development and progression in the core disciplines. Using qualitative research methods and applying intersectionality as a theoretical framework, the study examined whether, and how social identity plays a role on career development and progression in the core disciplines (mining & technical services, metallurgy, and engineering) of the South African mining industry. The study further examined whether there has been a change in the experiences of the different social identity groups related to career development and progression in the nearly thirty years since the promulgation of various pieces of legislation in South Africa in the mid- to late 1990s across industries and the mining industry in the early 2000s to transform the demographic profile across various occupational levels. The study lastly determined whether historical and current organisational, industry and societal systemic issues and dynamics impact career development and progression in these core disciplines. Thematic analysis was used to systematically identify and organise the data from the narratives of the participants provided through semi-structured interviews. This study confirms that intersectional identities have an impact on the career development and progression in core disciplines in the South African mining industry. The application of intersectionality as a theoretical framework brought to the fore different career development and progression experiences, challenges, and outcomes for the different social identity groups. Some progress in changing the demographic of the industry was noted, although progress is seen as being slow, particularly at executive level, with historical systemic issues related to entrenched ways of working and a leadership style that is not people-centric being the most difficult to change. The outcomes of the study and recommendations challenge the industry to think differently about transforming their cultures and ways of working, to create a focus on macro-level organisational systems and structures that continue to produce and reproduce unequal outcomes whilst also creating awareness and dealing with micro-level individual behaviourItem Food Riot? Analyzing the July 2021 Unrest in South Africa Using Topic Modeling(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Khoza, Palesa; Kesselman, BrittanyThe 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.Item 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, NosiphoThis 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 standardsItem The geopolitics of climate change and violent conflicts in Africa: the Nigerian and Kenyan perspectives(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Emupenne, Olanrewaju Ojo; Small, MichelleThis study empirically examined the correlation between climate change (independent variable) and violent conflict (dependent variable), focusing on East Africa and West Africa. Climate change poses a serious threat to humanity and the ecosystem, particularly in Africa. Also, despite other serious challenges the continent faces, violent conflict remains among the most devastating. Various reasons, including poor leadership, social exclusion, and conflicting goals, are cited as causes of violent conflict in Africa. Recently, a new narrative has emerged suggesting climate change is a potential driver of violent conflicts. This study examines the correlation. So, to investigate this relationship, a survey research design was employed. The study adopted a descriptive research design, and four main research methods were used in the study namely, mixed methods research, comparative case study research, triangulation approach to social research, and convergent synthesis design. Also, the research utilized questionnaires that were directly formulated from the study’s hypotheses and were tested using a parametric regression model. Furthermore, the research employed Key Informant Interviews (KII), and the data gathered were processed using Atlas.ti, a Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Software (CAQDAS). Sampling techniques included purposive, stratified, and random sampling. The study population comprised government officials, environmentalists, academia, farmers, herders, youth leaders, and community leaders. 17 government officials, 7 academia, 6 environmentalists, 15 farmers, and 13 herders randomly selected in Nigeria, and 22 government officials, academia, and environmentalists, 15 farmers and members of farmers cooperatives, and 12 herders and members of livestock associations randomly selected in Kenya participated in the Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) to make a sample size of 110. In addition, 174 government officials, environmentalists, and academics completed the Set A questionnaire in Nigeria, 116 government officials, environmentalists, and academics completed the Set A questionnaire in Kenya, and 423 farmers, herders, youths, and community leaders completed the Set B questionnaire in Nigeria, and 205 respondents do the same in Kenya to make a sample of 918 respondents. In all, a total of 1,028 respondents participated in the study. The study was systematically guided by four research questions and two hypotheses. These research questions are as follows: (1) To what extent does climate change effect features in the geopolitics of peace and security in West Africa and East Africa? (2) Specifically, what is the correlation between climate change and farmer-herder conflicts in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria and farmer-herder conflicts in the Tana River County in Kenya? (3) What is the level of awareness about the effects of climate change among crop farmers, herders, and policymakers in the Northern region of Nigeria and Tana River County of Kenya, and how does the knowledge about the effects of climate change play a role in the different stakeholders’ approach to conflict? (4) What are the policy frameworks in Nigeria and Kenya that create awareness about climate change and mitigate the effects vi of climate change on violent conflict at both national and local levels? The quantitative data obtained were analyzed using SPSS Version 25 and R, while the qualitative data were analyzed using Atlas.ti. Results revealed a positive correlation between climate change and geopolitical dynamics of peace and security in West Africa and East Africa but did not establish causation. While climate change intensified, it contributed to shifts in geopolitical dynamics impacting peace and security. However, establishing causation requires more than observing correlation; it demands demonstrating that changes in the independent variable cause changes in the dependent variable. The findings of the study also revealed varying levels of knowledge and awareness regarding climate change among farmers, herders, and policymakers in Northern Nigeria and Tana River County of Kenya; divergent opinions about available policy frameworks for creating awareness about climate change and mitigating the effects of climate change on violent conflict. Some of the respondents agreed that policies were available, some were of the view that policies were available but not implemented while some expressed the fact that policies were not available. Considering these findings, several policy recommendations were made which include the integration of climate adaptation strategies with conflict prevention efforts, decision- making and policy implementation, creating more awareness programmes, indigenous approach and inclusivity, curbing migration, farmer/herder dialogue, and the establishment of special judicial commission solely for farmers and herders. In a nutshell, the study emphasized the need for nuanced understanding and consideration of multiple factors influencing the geopolitical landscape of AfricaItem Supporting women smallholder farmers in Eswatini: Comparing those in cooperatives to those outside of cooperatives(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Lukhele, Ntfombiyenkhosi Patricia; Kenny, BridgetIn Eswatini, women contribute significantly to the agriculture sector, and in rural areas, women’s labour is not compensated. Diverse reasons have led women to organize themselves into cooperatives, societies, and organizations to increase their earnings. Agricultural cooperatives are said to increase access to markets, credit, and to increase productive capacity. Those who operate outside of cooperatives would be excluded from such due to inadequate purchasing power, an absence of productive assets, or cultural barriers. This study examines the support accessible to women smallholder farmers who are members of a cooperative and those who are not members of a cooperative. It compares the two categories based on support received in order to evaluate the usefulness of cooperatives to these women farmers. Qualitative interviews were used to investigate these dynamics with 16 interviewees and thematic analysis was applied. The analysis shows that a cooperative in Eswatini in the Manzini region under the Ludzeludze constituency does not experience most of the support afforded to cooperatives and those operating individually succeed without the benefits of being members of a cooperative. This was depicted in the areas of accessing markets, credit, and in assessing the impact of social capital on farmers. I conclude that support for smallholder farmers in a cooperative is available in the areas of informal markets, accessing credit, training, and with government subsidies, it is not easily accessible, and that support for women smallholder farmers outside of cooperatives is available in workshops and trade fairs. The study contributes to the understanding of how important it is to engage women farmers in the kind of support they need and how women smallholder farmers should be given adequate support just like farmers in cooperatives. Important to note is how the study highlights the important role of social capital in accessing resources from the state and NGOs. The study compared women cooperative farmers to women non-cooperative farmers and attention was placed on the kind of support that is available to them from the state and NGOs.Item A computational study of media bias in South African online political news reporting over the period 2021 - 2023(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Ngwenya, Nonhlanhla Nomusa; Alence, RodThe study examined the presence of tonality bias in South African political news reporting over the period 2021 until mid-2023. The study employed the methods of the Lexicoder Sentiment Dictionary, a lexical-based method, and Latent Semantic Scaling, a semi-supervised machine learning method. Sentiment was utilised as a proxy for tonality. Online commercial media publishers were contrasted against the state-owned news publisher to ascertain how online news reporting contributed to shaping the national agenda, and the framing of political actors and their respective political parties. The Lexicoder Sentiment Dictionary and the Latent Semantic Scaling evidenced that commercial media publishers exhibited positive tonality bias for the Democratic Alliance during the 2021 Municipal Elections. South African media publishers were found to exhibit consistent negative tonality bias when reporting on protest action. The state-owned media publisher was found to drive a pro ruling party sentiment whereas commercial media publishers’ sentiment was anti- populist and agenda-setting. The congruency in political news reporting gave grounds to the call for diversity in publishingItem Investment and Social Conflict in Extractive Industries in Africa: The Case of Cabo Delgado, Northern Mozambique(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Magagula, Noncedo; Eyita-Okon, EkeminiabasiFollowing the rise of an insurgency in the mid-2010s in northern Mozambique, scholars have undertaken the task of exploring the driver of the insurgency considering the different actors including the government of Mozambique and Multinational corporations amongst others. Dominant views on the insurgency have not found a single root cause for the conflict and have settled on a number of causes including the socio economic and socio-political environment in the northern provinces of the country, the discovery and exploration of natural gas by MNCs and religious cleavages. Using a qualitative research approach based on existing sources and literature, this paper investigates the role of foreign investments towards the extraction of natural gas in exacerbating the insurgency in northern Mozambique, Cabo Delgado. It finds that the MNC led developments towards natural gas extraction exacerbated conflict by shining a spotlight on the socio-economic cleavages that have dominated Cabo Delgado throughout the country’s post-independence history. The state and the consortiums neglected the brewing issues in Cabo Delgado, which were years in the making and gave the insurgents ample opportunity to grow into the insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives and halted economic activities in the province.Item The crisis of trade union representation in post-1973 unions and the role of the full-time shop steward (FTSS): A case study of NUMSA at BMW Rosslyn Plant Tshwane South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Malabela, Musawenkosi Hemelton; Mosoetsa, SarahFull-time shop stewards (FTSSs) are elected trade union shop stewards paid by the employer to do full-time union work. This is a peculiar arrangement in the South African industrial landscape which draws from the German model of workers’ councils. These FTSSs were first negotiated in the early 1980s at Ford and Volkswagen (VW) in South Africa. The main reason for these FTSSs was, as noted by Gomomo (1985), to deal with production pressures and disruptions caused by ordinary shop stewards, who, from time to time, would be pulled from the production line to attend to trade union business. The employer offered these positions as a tool for addressing this dilemma. This benefitted the trade unions that were growing exponentially and did not have money to hire organisers to service every organised and non- organised workplace. The s served to augment the role of the organisers; they became a de facto organiser. This study, through in-depth interviews, document analysis, focus groups, ethnography and participant observation, explores the contradictory role of FTSSs through the case study method at BMW. The findings highlight the significance of the FTSSs in building the power of the trade union at the shopfloor level and the potential they have in building a strong, vibrant and militant trade union movement on the ground or branch level. The evidence shows that, if not properly managed, FTSSs’ positions can be used for upward social mobility by self-interested individuals. This is because of the benefits and resources attached to these positions, which accord incumbents some level of social status. Hence these positions are highly and fiercely contested. For these positions to yield positive outcomes, FTSSs ought to be accountable to the rank-and-file members through regular meetings for feedback and mandate takings, and regular 4 elections ought to be institutionalised. Notions of career pathing of FTSSs need not be entertained as they will open space for the institutionalisation of upward social mobility of FTSS. Although upward social mobility is one of the options for an FTSS, those who are not re-elected to office face social downgrading, which includes going back to the production line. This comes with a huge personal loss and has a psychological impact as they lose the benefits associated with these positions and the social status that comes with it. The thesis turns Michels’ (1958) notion of ‘iron law of oligarchy’ on its head as it shows that FTSSs should act as a countervailing force against the development of oligarchic tendencies in the workplace. Because accountable FTSSs suffocate the development of oligarchic tendencies in the trade union. The thesis argues that accountability is a pain of democracy—it should be embraced and promoted, and regular elections of FTSSs should be encouraged and institutionalised as a countervailing force to the development of oligarchic tendencies. This will promote the worker control principle, which is the cornerstone of these post-1973 trade unions. The thesis further argues that the FTSS falls into the trap of being a tool of management if not properly managed. They become a communication bridge of management or information brokers1 (see Malabela, 2012) by communicating production schedules. Borrowing from Tony Lane's (1974) thesis of shop stewards being the man with two masters, it argues that the FTSS is the man with three masters. The three masters are the workers who elected them, the second one is the employer who pays their salary, and finally, the trade union who they represent and on whose card they were elected. I posit that all these masters have different expectations: the 1 See Malabela, 2012 5 first is to represent them against the employer, the second is to maintain labour peace and avoid unnecessary strikes and stoppages, and the third is to build a strong workplace organisation. In the final analysis FTSSs are an important and integral part of South African industrial relations—and benefit both the employer and the trade union. The trade union needs to develop clear policies to manage FTSSs, so that the positions are not abused for upward social mobility and to hold them accountable. Accountability occurs through regular general meetings with workers to solicit mandates and report back, and FTSS elections should be institutionalised. Trade unions ought to benefit a great deal from FTSSs only if these positions serve the intentions of the trade unions and build a vibrant workplace organisation that serves the interest of the rank-and-file.Item The Effects of the National Minimum Wage as a Labor Market Mechanism for Reducing Income Inequality in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Alli, Muhammad Matola; Bischoff, ChristineSouth Africa has stood among the most unequal countries in the world in terms of income differentials between the highest-paid and the lowest-paid workers for the past four decades. Local and international reports on inequality indicate that in the post-apartheid era, inequality has been sustained or increased. The post-apartheid state adopted the National Minimum Wage (NMW) in 2018 as part of its extensive social policy initiative to help address the challenge of income inequality. While there are enough data that attribute the reduction of income inequality in some developed as well as developing countries to statutory minimum wages, it is not clear to what extent the NMW in South Africa can achieve the goal of reducing income inequality. This study assesses whether the NMW is an effective tool for addressing income inequality in the labor market. A qualitative approach was adopted and interviewed experts in labor market policies in South Africa and supplemented by an analysis of some key documents related to this study. Tesch’s 1990 data analysis model was utilized to analyse data according to the objectives of the study. The findings of this study reveals that the NMW if well implemented, is an effective mechanism for reducing income inequality in the labor market. However, in the context of South Africa, poor implementation and setting at a low level has weakened the effectiveness of the NMW in achieving its objective of reducing income inequality. This study argues that the current rate of the NMW is influenced by the power and dominance of capital and operates to achieve the interests of capitalists. This means that the NMW could not achieve the intended objective of reducing income inequality as envisioned by the labor movements and activists that pioneered the NMW campaign. This study recommends adopting an integrated social policy approach in the implementation of the NMW to enable its beneficiaries to leverage other social policy initiatives. This approach entails allowing beneficiaries of the NMW to also benefit from other social policy initiatives in their communities. This approach aims to inspire a rethinking among the political, economic, and labor activists towards an effective approach that would enable the NMW to reduce income inequality in the labor market.Item Ethics and the Destiny of Being(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Letswalo, Gabe MorokoeAlthough the student experience is commonly praised for its empowerment, learning opportunities, and adventurous nature, it is important to acknowledge that students also face substantial pressure and stress throughout their academic journeys. This has been known to adversely affect student engagement (i.e., vigour, dedication, and absorption) levels, potentially diminishing academic performance and productivity levels, and increasing the likelihood of university dropouts (Jafri, 2017; Kuh et al., 2008). Fortunately, psychological capital (PsyCap); the combination of four psychological capacities (hope, self-efficacy, optimism, and resilience), has been cited as a significant contributor of academic engagement (Luthans et al., 2016; You, 2016). These constructs are explained by the Job Demands- Resources (JD-R) model as well as the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory. However, few studies have considered the relationship between PsyCap and academic engagement amongst first-year university students. This provided a unique and novel context for application, warranting future research. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to examine whether a micro PsyCap intervention had an effect upon the levels of academic engagement experienced by first-year university students. The following three instruments were combined into an online questionnaire and used to collect the necessary data for the current study: 1) A demographic questionnaire was administered to gather information about the sample and sample characteristics; 2) the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students (UWES-S) was used to measure academic engagement; 3) the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ) was used to measure psychological capital and/or personal resources. Data was collected at two different time periods (i.e., pre-intervention/time 0 and post-intervention/time 1), whereby the PCQ was used to measure levels of PsyCap, and the UWES-S was used to measure academic 2 engagement. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics, correlational analysis, and mixed-model analysis of variance (ANOVA). The final sample (N = 319) consisted of both full-time and part-time first-year students across different faculties of study (i.e., Humanities, Health Sciences, and Commerce, Law, and Management) at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. Results of the current study demonstrated that a positive relationship exists between PsyCap and academic engagement. Specifically, the study revealed that students with higher levels of PsyCap tend to show more energy and enthusiasm (vigour), stronger commitment (dedication), and deeper absorption in their learning (absorption). These findings were supported by previous research. However, the current study also revealed that the proposed PsyCap intervention failed to significantly affect the students’ levels of vigour, dedication, and absorption over time. These results were surprising considering previous research but may be attributed to the inherent difficulties of developing an online intervention in South Africa, where there are significant variations in resource availability and economic status (especially amongst university students). Based on these challenges, future studies should incorporate face-to-face interventions to ensure inclusivity and participation from all participants; use larger and more representative samples; and embrace a mixed-methods approach to gain a deeper understanding of participant experiences. Nevertheless, the study’s result does not invalidate prior research that has demonstrated the effectiveness of PsyCap interventions in enhancing academic engagement amongst university students. 3 This study confirms a link between psychological capital (PsyCap) and student engagement, underlining the importance of personal resources in the student-university context. Further research is necessary to develop more effective iterations of the proposed PsyCap intervention aimed at effectively enhancing academic engagement and promoting overall student success.