School of Social Sciences (ETDs)
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Item Azibuye Emasisweni: Exploring Everyday Notions of Zulu Nationalism Through the Women in the Hostels of Alexandra Township(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Makhathini, Sinqobile; Mngomezulu, NosiphoThis thesis explores the lives of four women who ethnically identify as Zulu within the hostels of Alexandra. Hostels, which refer to the housing compounds that were established as ethnically segregated and gender-distinguished spheres for the colonial migrant labour system, have become an essential axis for Zulu nationalist revival away from Kwa-Zulu Natal. Through participant observation and semi-structured interviews, I examine how Mam’Dlamini (57 years), the Nduna of Madala hostel and three hostel residents: Nokukhanya (23years), Mam’Nzama (55 years), Nokwazi (21 years), engage and shape forms of Zulu nationalism within their everyday life. I further engaged in autoethnography, whereby I positioned myself as the fifth participant, undertaking self-reflexivity about my identification as a Zulu woman. My work is invested in ukuzwa ngenkaba, listening with the umbilical cord, which is to say, centring African epistemologies in the ways we research (Mkhize 2023). In this way, I think through Fox and Miller-Idriss’ (2008) four modalities of everyday nationhood (talking, choosing, consuming and performing the nation) within Zulu conceptual frames. In my research, I found that in “talking the nation'' women used ulimi and ukuncelisa both literally and figuratively to signal membership and centre the role of mothers in shaping Zulu subjectivity. The framing of choices as national is understood by participants as more than individual articulations of personal agency but importantly incorporates inherited traditions. Ordinary people are not simply uncritical consumers of the nation; they are simultaneously its creative producers through everyday acts of consumption (Fox et al 2008, 505). My research shows how rituals become fertile sites for enacting Zulu personhood through specific forms of consumption and production. Performing the nation was evidenced through the women’s embodied expressions of inhlonipho. These themes have allowed for the understanding of how women do not remain hidden within notions of co-constituting but rather preserve this order from and beyond their matriarchal hold of the hostel.Item Role of Men in Teenage Pregnancy in the Bojanala district, North West province, South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Petlele, Rebaone; Mkwananzi, Sibusiso; Odimegwu, CliffordTo Professor Odimegwu, words aren’t enough to express my appreciation for your guidance, support and enduring patience. Thank you, Prof, for guiding me through this journey, not only during my PhD, but from my undergraduate years. Thank you for not giving up on me. You have been instrumental in my career progression and achievements. I am most grateful. Dr Mkwananzi, thank you so much for being there for me. You have been my sounding board, you have been rooting for me from day one, thank you for giving of your time, your grace, and all you’ve shared with no reservation…including the laughs. Thank you. To my DPS family, you have been a source of motivation and my constant support system. Thank you to all staff members, past and present. Dr Sasha and Prof Nicole, you have been a constant and positive feature in my academic journey. You have taught me, mentored me and became a great example of what I could achieve. I appreciate you both very much. Ms Gloria, thank you for everything you do. To my fellow PhD brothers and sisters, what an amazing bond we share, thank you for the camaraderie, this journey was so much better with you by my side. You’ve been there and I cannot thank you enough, I know our journey doesn’t end here. To everyone at Community Media Trust (CMT), I am most grateful. Your organisation’s support has been immeasurable. Thuso Molefe, thank you for saying yes, thank you for facilitating all the reinforcement I needed to see through my fieldwork. Boitumelo, ka leboga (thank you) Sistas, your assistance opened so many doors, thank you for all that you did for me and with me. Mam’Wendy, thank you for being there when we needed you. The work you do is a calling, I appreciate all the counsel you provided during this time, not just to my study participants, but those moments I needed to debrief too. I know your work isn’t done yet, thank you for everything. Levite Solomon Mabolawa, you have gone far beyond the call of duty. You were there during all the phases of my fieldwork, you took on multiple roles, you used your resources and time to ensure I achieved what I was there to do. Thank you for being selfless, this would not have been possible without your daily acts of kindness. Thapelo Moloto, you’ve been more than a fellow researcher but a big brother. Thank you for nurturing this process like you would your own. I am so grateful. You never hesitated to take on this task, and I am so happy that it was you who accompanied me on this journey.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 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 I thought I was dying”: Menstruation experiences, knowledge gaps, and knowledge-seeking practices among young black South African women(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mahumapelo, Mmabatho; Lewins, KeziaThis research studies how (if at all) and to what degree knowledge about menstruation and menstrual health is disseminated; how it is received and from whom; how the quality of the source is determined, and how the information received shapes the recipient’s understanding of their own body. I contribute to existing literature by investigating how black South African women gather knowledge on menstruation and how the sources of information they encounter shape their perceptions and experiences of menstruation. By drawing upon literature on the menstruation experiences of women in the Global South and especially the African continent, I explore and analyse how the intersectionality of gender, socioeconomic status, religion, culture, and tradition shape what and how South African girls learn about menstruation pre-menarche, at the onset of menarche and post-menarche. Semi- structured interviews with young black South African women of menstruating age from diverse backgrounds in South Africa reveal retrospective accounts of their menstruation experiences from menarche until date. Through these interviews, I establish the important knowledge sources on menstruation in the lives of these women and uncover the effectiveness and reliability of these sources for knowledge on menstruation. I also explore the possibility of knowledge gaps, communication delays and the subsequent knowledge seeking strategies applied to meet any learning deficits. I explore how primary networks such as parents, schools, friends, and peer groups influence menstruators, and consider the awareness of, access to and use of alternative resources like digital media and mHealth tools like period tracking apps to build on prior knowledge. The study draws upon feminist, shame, and self-policing (Foucault) theories to explain the social inferences about menstruation. In addition, I apply Jaccard et al.’s (2002) five aspects of communication to explain how sharing and receiving knowledge on menstruation is influenced by the characteristics of those who are engaging in the communication, their context, the content of the message communicated and how the message is delivered. The study shows that girls and young women pick up information from multiple sources and knowledge accumulates as they progress on their menstruation journey. In some cases, information on menstruation is shared actively by parents or primary caregivers and schools while in other cases, menstruators learn about aspects of menstruation passively. Where information received is insufficient, girls and young women rely on online sources like Google, social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok, and period tracking apps for knowledge. This research contributes fresh insights to the discussion of menstruation in South African women by placing menstruation at the forefront of discussions with youth about sexual and reproductive health.Item “They will never know what we lost when we lost our home”: How Do Women in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, Remember Forced Removals (1960-1990)?(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Isaack, Jeaneth Samantha; Julian BrownThis thesis focuses on the enduring impact of forced removals and the significance of land dispossession in present-day South African politics. It is based on interviews I conducted with women who experienced forced removals in the 1970s from areas surrounding Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal. Much of the literature on forced removals focuses on the event of the removals and less on the aftermath of the event particularly from the perspective of the women who have often had to lead the rebuilding of households, communities and local economies. Access to land and land ownership is today still a contested topic despite government initiatives to remedy the injustices of the past. Using a feminist lens in conducting this research means identifying the need to highlight and put forth women’s experiences of land dispossession in ongoing land debates. Moreover, the study is a contribution to the limited literature on the long- term effects of dispossession for those who experienced forced removals in the country. Furthermore, this study illustrates the limits of the current land reform policy in addressing the far-reaching effect of the removals as is revealed through interviews with the women who experienced forced removals. In this study, I argue that the current approach of restitution cannot be successful unless it acknowledges the ongoing nature of the experience of forced removals. Remembering and referring to the past is part of the initiative to establish a better future for the vast majority of previously (and often still) disadvantaged people.Item Gendered discursive practices of the South African police service towards survivors of domestic violence(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Sinclair, Ingrid Maralene; Vearey, Jo; Palmary, IngridThis study explores the reproduction, maintenance and resistance of gendered subjectivities within the discursive practices employed in the policing of gender-based violence (GBV). It examines how historical and socio-political structures shaping asymmetric power relations in society are reproduced in the everyday interactions between police officers and survivors of GBV. The research adopts a socio-historical lens on gendered policing, using an African decolonial feminist intersectional perspective. This approach focuses on the analytical categories of gender, violence, power, and inequality. This approach allowed me to situate the problem of GBV within the legacy of colonial and apartheid violence, where entrenched harmful gendered power dynamics have persisted and are reproduced in contemporary policing through the coloniality of power. By examining how police officials construct gendered power relations and how survivors experience these dynamics, I endeavour to illuminate how the gendered power relations are reproduced, resisted, and maintained in everyday policing in ways that reflect unequal power relations at the interpersonal, institutional, community, and societal levels. This qualitative study uses a bricolage of theories and methodologies embedded in a transdisciplinary approach to design a mosaic of the experiences of police and survivors of the policing of GBV. Using an interpretive phenomenological approach, I conducted an ethnographic study that explored the experiences of survivors and victim advocates at a women’s shelter as well as visible police officials at four police stations in the West Rand, Gauteng. Data collection methods included narrative interviews, informal conversations, participant observation and the analysis of police documents. The data was analysed using a decolonial intersectional narrative analysis and a critical Foucauldian discourse analysis to understand how discursive practices shape gendered subjectivities and power relations. The narratives of participants revealed and/or obscured how gendered subjectivities and intersectional inequalities are constructed, reproduced, resisted and maintained by police officials, survivors, and victim advocates. This study contributes to the growing body of research on the policing of GBV by showing how inequitable gendered power relations are institutionalised and normalised in the police organisational culture and are reproduced through symbolic violence in the everyday discursive practices of the police. By grounding the analysis of policing GBV in an African feminist decolonial intersectional framework this study situates GBV within the context of v colonial/apartheid violence that normalised violence as a means of resolving disputes. A decolonial reading of the policing of GBV reveals how violence became deeply embedded in knowledge regimes that are perpetuated through racism, classism, sexism and other social markers of difference. Additionally, the study draws on the lived experiences of survivors to contribute empirically to the body of knowledge regarding the crafting of a gender-responsive, socially just, and humane policing of GBV.Item Fluid Justice: Tracing The Experiences Of Women Navigating Urban Water Insecurity In Luveve In Bulawayo, Zimbabwe(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Dube, Gugulethu Violet; Joynt, KatherineWater insecurity, exacerbated by population growth and climate change, poses significant global challenges. Especially in developing countries, where decreasing water supply, contaminated sources and inadequate infrastructure disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. Women, often primary caregivers, bear the brunt of these challenges as they are typically responsible for water collection, impacting their educational and economic opportunities. This report delves into the complex impact of water insecurity on women in an urban township in Luveve, Bulawayo, while also addressing the broader issue of global water insecurity and advocating for water access as a fundamental human right essential for poverty reduction. Employing a combination of semi-structured interviews, critical reading, and a feminist lens rooted in Social Reproduction Theory (S.R.T.) and Feminist Political Ecology (F.P.E.) alongside urban vulnerability theory, I explore the interplay between gender and water access. Our findings challenge the conventional narrative surrounding women's vulnerabilities to water insecurity, revealing diverse experiences shaped by factors like gender, socio-economic status, and household and community dynamics. Informed by these insights, the report identifies key challenges and proposes context-specific interventions to address women's needs in urban townships. By incorporating these interventions, development practitioners can advance more equitable and practical solutions, driving the empowerment and resilience of women grappling with water insecurity in developing country contexts. At the heart of this objective lies the concept of "fluid justice," which I define as the dynamic and context-specific pursuit of fairness and equity in water access, distribution, and management. This principle underscores the commitment to exploring nuanced and responsive approaches to tackling water insecurity, ensuring that interventions are sensitive to affected communities' diverse needs and experiences.Item The Relationship Between Sensory Disability Status and Contraceptive Use Among Women Aged 15- 49 Years Old In South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Sifora, Kutlwano Katlego Kimberly; De Wet-Billings, NicoleBackground: Studies suggest that disability significantly hinders access to reproductive health services, particularly family planning, in low- and middle-income countries. Women with disabilities have a low contraceptive use rate, leading to increased risks of unintended pregnancies and health complications. This study examined the relationship between sensory disability status and contraceptive use in South Africa. A sensory disability is a condition that affects one or more of the body's sensory functions like sight, hearing, touch, taste, or smell. In this study, sensory disabilities focused on hearing and visual impairments. Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional design using the 2016 South Africa Demographic and Health Survey. The study focused on women of reproductive age (15–49 years old) in South Africa, who were sexually active and provided information on both their contraceptive use and sensory disability status. The outcome variable of this study was contraceptive use, and the main independent variable was sensory disability status. The control variables included demographic characteristics namely age, race, marital status, province, and place of residence, as well as socioeconomic characteristics such as employment status, wealth status, education, family planning messages, and contraceptive knowledge. The analysis was conducted using Stata 17.0 on a weighted sample of 6 683 sexually active women aged 15–49 years old who answered questions on contraceptive use. The data analysis was done in three phases. For the first phase, cross-tabulations and chi-square analysis were used to demonstrate the levels of contraceptive use as well as all characteristics of women. For the second phase, bivariate binary logistic regression models were used to determine the relationship between each of the independent variables and the outcome variable of contraceptive use. Lastly, for the third phase, a stepwise multivariate binary logistic regression was utilised to determine the relationship between sensory disability status and contraceptive use among women aged 15– 49 years old in South Africa. Results: Among South African women of reproductive age, 55.4% were using contraceptives. Women with sensory disabilities were shown to have lower odds of using contraceptives than those without sensory disabilities, even after adjusting for all other variables [OR: 0.78, CI: 0.63873 - 0.95227]. Significant associations with contraceptive use were observed for factors xi including age, race, marital status, education and province. Compared to women aged 15–24, women aged 35–39 had a much lower likelihood of using contraceptives. [OR: 0.46, CI: 0.38150 - 0.55364]. Women from races other than black were also observed to have lower odds for contraceptive use compared to black women [OR: 0.75, CI: 0.61098 - 0.92237]. Conversely, married women were significantly more likely to use contraceptives than women who were never married [OR: 1.23, CI: 1.05328 - 1.42899]. Additionally, women with secondary [OR: 1.98, CI: 1.28089 - 3.07512] or higher education [OR: 2.40, CI: 1.49931 - 3.83750] exhibited a significantly higher likelihood of contraceptive usage compared to those lacking formal education. Women residing in Western Cape [OR: 1.83, CI: 1.29743 - 2.57637], Eastern Cape [OR: 1.66, CI: 1.27747 - 2.15886], Northern Cape [OR: 1.61, CI: 1.18574 - 2.19087], KwaZulu Natal [OR: 1.51, CI: 1.17797 - 1.92456], North West [OR: 1.43, CI: 1.01266 - 2.01228], and Mpumalanga [OR: 1.50, CI: .15808 - 1.93439] were found to have a higher likelihood of using contraceptives compared to women residing in Limpopo. Conclusions: Low contraceptive use among women with sensory disabilities in South Africa highlights the need for inclusive reproductive health services, addressing communication, information access, and societal attitudes to ensure informed decisions.Item Masjid Al-Nasaa: Women Call for an Islamic Elsewhere(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Hoosen, LeyyaMy research explores what it means to be a “Muslim woman” in South Africa in the digital age. More broadly, what does Muslimness and Religiosity mean? How do we enact these concepts and practices, and how do they inform our processes of identification? How does access to digital platforms allow a new way of engaging these forces? This research took place over the course of three years, starting in 2020, and was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. With the increased digitalisation that came with the pandemic, many activities had to shift to online platforms to survive. This also created a space where Muslim women were able to create virtual masjids and hold online prayers. I followed one such online Jumu’ah (Friday prayer) group and interviewed the women who attended. I also interviewed women from a women-led South African Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) on their experiences and relationships with Islam(s). While their relationships with Islam(s) and Muslimness were complex and nuanced, what echoed through all their narratives was that they felt called to Islam(s) in some way and their Islamic practice was a response to that call. In my thesis, I unpack this call and use it as a guiding conceptual and theoretical framework. Through the multifaceted nature of the call, and the different ways that the women are called to Islam(s), I explore what it means to respond to a call that is not bounded or territorial in its address. The thesis takes the form of a masjid (mosque) in its architecture: beginning with a preface that is named ‘Niyyah’ (intention); moving into the ‘Wudhu’ introductory chapter that provides the contextual and historical orientations for the research; and then proceeding to go through seven chapters, named after the minarets (spires) in a masjid complex. These seven core theoretical and narrative chapters unpack the call to Islam(s) that the women experience. The call ranges from a call to the Digital Islamic Elsewhere as an alternate semi-public, to a call beyond essentialised identifications (such as ‘Muslim’), a call that re-orients and queers notions of the ‘Muslim woman’, to a call that challenges a hegemonic ummah (transnational Islamic community) in favour of a multiplicity of ummah(s), a call that is hidden and opaque, and a call that is ensouled in its manifestation. These different frequencies of the call to Islam(s) echo and reverberate through the thesis as I unpack what it means to be a woman in Islam(s) in the digital age.