School of Social Sciences (ETDs)

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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, Bridget
In 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.
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, Ekeminiabasi
Following 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.
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, Sarah
Full-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.
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, Christine
South 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.
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, Kezia
This 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.
Labour led strategy towards the fourth industrial revolution: a critical appraisal of numsa’s approach to worker control
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Ntlokotse, Mamolaba Ruth; Satgar, Vishwas
This research report would not have been possible without the efforts of many people. First, I would like to thank the Almighty God, who bestowed strength throughout the research journey. Embarking on a master’s journey was not easy, especially being a committed trade union leader with many union responsibilities. I am deeply indebted to my Supervisor, Professor Vishwas Satgar; the research report would not have been possible without the support, guidance, and feedback throughout the research project. I cannot begin to express my thanks to comrade Dinga Sikwebu, my mentor and source of inspiration throughout my shop steward journey. His help cannot be overestimated, as he introduced me to worker education and encouraged me throughout my studies. Let it not end with me. I owe a deep sense of gratitude to Professor Michelle Williams for her keen interest in me at every stage of my study. Thank you for being open-minded and constructive throughout. Thank you for giving me a shoulder to lean on when the road was bumpy. Your inspiration, motivation and suggestions have enabled me to complete my research report. I am incredibly grateful to my family who gave me unwavering support: my mom, Amelia; my siblings, Lebohang, Taelo and Thabang; my niece Bokamoso and my nephew, Bophelo. Most importantly, my son Bokang understood the sacrifice I had to make and sometimes did not spend time with him. To my late Dad, Ntate Mosuwe, I know you would be incredibly supportive if you were still alive. Finally, special thanks to everyone who offered invaluable practical contributions to the research project, particularly my comrades from NUMSA in Ekurhuleni. The leadership of SAFTU, especially the General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, and other sister unions, never let me down.
Ethical Foundations For International Investments In Developing Poor African Countries
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Xate, Lulamile L.; Attoe, Aribiah David
There is a moral and ethical obligation for the rich and developed nations and their business corporations to invest in and trade ethically with Africa. This moral obligation extends to African leaders and elites who facilitate the continued exploitation of Africa and corruption in the post-independence period. To reveal this obligation and its basis, I begin by reviewing and exploring the history of African colonialism in pursuit of capital profit maximization within the imperialist framework and its consequences, focusing on its immoral and unethical practices. I then show that the moral foundations of colonialism and post-independence African leadership have not been considered in understanding African underdevelopment in relation to the prosperity of other nations, and the role of African leaders. Finally, I argue there are morally right actions that can plausibly change this. I explicate this using three moral philosophical approaches – Kantian, Utilitarian and Ubuntu African relational ethics.
A relational history of space, administration and economic extractivism in the Mogalakwena Local Municipality in Limpopo, South Africa (1948-2000)
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Pearson, Joel David
This dissertation seeks to contribute to existing local government scholarship by presenting a situated and relational historical study of the Mogalakwena Local Municipality in present-day Limpopo Province of South Africa. By adapting and extending Gill Hart’s spatial-relational methodology, this study draws out key mechanics of change over time in the Mogalakwena area since the early 20 th century. This historical analysis reveals that the shifting array of power relations which together structured the field of rural local governance came to be enacted and concretised through specific and identifiable processes of spatial transformation, administrative government, and economic extractivism. While existing scholarship has elaborated on aspects of these processes, the present study insists on analysing all three together, in relation to each other, attentive to forms of both mutual constitution and contradiction, and cognisant of how these processes feed into political dynamics of varying scales – local, regional, and national. As such, the thesis argues that these three sets of processes should be understood as axes of rural local governance. This analysis draws off an empirical foundation compiled from archival and oral history sources, and which points to three broad historical conjunctures of local governance in Mogalakwena over the apartheid and early democratic eras. The first, spanning the period between the early 1950s and early 1970s, is identified as an era of state-building and remaking the countryside under the ascendant National Party (NP), one in which the white central state initiated massive and sweeping transformations of rural areas to bring to life its “Bantustan strategy”. The second conjuncture, defined as the terminal phase of apartheid from the late 1970s through to the end of the 1980s, was one in which rural local governance came to be dominated by forms of resistance, reform and repression when bottom-up political forces challenged the reach and authority of the apartheid central state in rural localities. And during the third conjuncture, the transitional period of national negotiations and democratisation between 1990 and 2000, rural local governance came to be defined by uneven and contested initiatives towards institutional amalgamation, deracialisation and redress. In considering the field of rural local governance within which the Mogalakwena Local Municipality operates today, this study concludes that the three axes together remain key determinants in structuring local and regional power relations. While dramatic new power relations have unfolded within and around the municipality since its creation in the year 2000, this study concludes that these have continued to be materialised through intertwined spatial, administrative and extractivist processes which extend back into history. As such, it suggests a new systematic approach for the study of local government institutions, histories of the state in rural areas, and studies of the state more broadly.
The Persistent Health Burden: Understanding Black South African Working-Class Men’s Experiences of Living with Tuberculosis
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Madhuha, Edmond; Carrasco, Lorena Nunez
This study is the culmination of ethnographic fieldwork on black working-class men’s tuberculosis (TB) illness experiences, conducted during 2020 and 2021 in Modimolle Township, a non-mining, peri-urban community of South Africa’s Limpopo province. The study examines ways men construct masculine identities and how this provides a lens through which to understand their health-seeking behaviours when beset with TB suggestive symptoms. Men’s construction of masculine identities further helps shed light on their tuberculosis illness experiences and treatment outcomes. Tuberculosis scholarship in South Africa has justifiably focused on the impact of silicosis on men, and the subsequent oscillating labour migration as pathways through which the disease is contracted and transmitted to non-mining communities of the country and the southern African region. Men’s experiences with tuberculosis disease in non-mining communities have however received little attention in South Africa’s extensive tuberculosis research. Drawing from the African-centred theories of masculinity is a conceptualisation of men that I call masculinity in sociability. This thesis of masculinity in sociability manifests when men gather in spaces and engage in social behaviours and practices such as sharing cigarettes and beer within proximity of each other. I demonstrate that masculinity in sociability is informed by the socio-cultural values of seriti (dignity, integrity, and respect), maitshwaro (manners and conduct), and botho (humanness, ubuntu, the sum of human values), which engender a sense of belonging and community among men in specific masculinised spaces. I argue that masculinity in sociability illuminates the crucial and intricate interplay between masculinised, enclosed physical spaces and shared air as possible ways tuberculosis is contracted and transmitted among men. Considering that masculinity in practices of sociability is predominantly performed in masculinised spaces, I further argue that its manifestation concomitantly recedes when men experience TB illness in the private sphere of the home. The thesis demonstrates that men’s exposure, infection, diagnosis, and response to tuberculosis treatment are influenced by their masculinity. In contrast to the public performances of masculinity for the purposes of sociability, the vulnerabilities brought about by tuberculosis create a significant disruption in individuals’ life stories. This disruption is evident in men’s experiences of losing their sources of income and becoming dependent on the care provided by mothers and spouses, which can be experienced by men as a return to a more childlike state. From health through to the continuum of TB diagnosis and illness experience, the thesis shows that masculinity exhibits a remarkable flexibility and adaptability. The thesis contributes to our understanding of masculinities by offering a condensed perspective on how iv economically marginalised black men perceive and undergo the challenges of tuberculosis. Using metaphors, men depict TB as a debilitating and insidious illness condition which unmasks their vulnerability.
Rethinking Agricultural Marketing Middlemen in Tanzania: A Social Embeddedness Perspective
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Musinamwana, Earnest; Sefalafala, Thabang Masilo
This thesis explored how social relations of middleman traders influenced and patterned their entrepreneurial actions in informal agricultural output markets of Kasulu District in Tanzania. The study applied a mixed methods social network analysis design which involved a balanced fusion of personal network analysis and ethnographic techniques. The study established that middleman traders’ personal relationships have a pervasive influence on their entrepreneurial actions. Interpersonal trust emerged as a key mediating factor of entrepreneurial actions. Contrary to the perception that middleman roles are performed by minorities and “strangers”, the study showed that trading middlemen emerge from the peasantry and, therefore, represent a form of endogenous entrepreneurship. The study showed that governance of entrepreneurial exchanges occurred mostly through informal personal relationships. The study revealed a tendency for reverse embeddedness involving the overlaying of personal relations on relationships that originate from pure market interactions. The overlaying of social dimensions on pure economic relationships creates a social enforcement mechanism that compensates for the lack of formal rules and regulations. Overall, study results suggest that social embeddedness of informal entrepreneurship manifests through a composite interplay of sociological concepts such as patronage, clientelisation and reciprocity. Based on the study findings, I argue that bean-trading middlemen employ a socially embedded business model in which social relations are accessory to the performance of entrepreneurial actions. In sum, this study has generated new insights regarding the link between social embeddedness and persistence of middlemen in agricultural markets. The integrative theoretical and analytical approach contributes to the quest for a unified approach to studying social embeddedness. Ultimately, the study revealed that, while economic sociology concepts have independent theoretical lives, they are inextricably linked and integrating them is central to understanding the social embeddedness of economic phenomena.

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