School of Social Sciences (ETDs)

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Operating under the Radar: Forestry Plantation Workers Everyday Resistance in Chimanimani District, Zimbabwe
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mvundura, Wellington; Pillay, Devan
This thesis explores and analyses the everyday forms and practices of labour resistance that rural commercial forestry plantation labour crafts to navigate a highly insecure post-colonial capitalist plantation labour process. It attends to the scholarly puzzle that in Zimbabwe, Africa, and elsewhere quotidian forms and practices of resistance are in a much less or barely empirically demonstrated and theoretically elaborated state in both resistance and labour resistance studies. This is even more pronounced in agrarian labour politics studies, yet agriculture labour constitutes a significant proportion of the overall industrial labour-force in xii Africa and elsewhere and is arguably the most easily exploitable form of wage labour. This motivated my empirical focus on commercial plantation labour. In light of evidence from Barura plantation estate, I argue that the workers may have to accept the fact of post-colonial capitalist plantation wage employment, the plantation-specific modalities of statist ethno-national citizenship, and state-sanctioned partisan national politics while contesting the terms and conditions under which these mutual systems of domination and exploitation occur. The practices do not seek to radically decompose the historical material- cum-symbolic bases of these systems of power. The everyday practices of defiance mediate the workers’ realisation of piecemeal de facto material and status gains more than the de jure recognition of those gains. My major empirical contribution is the discovery and foregrounding of the quotidian practices of subaltern groups as an integral part of politics. In a specialised and methodical manner, I re- centre the mundane everyday acts of plantation labour as workplace politics namely labour resistance. Theoretically I deploy and test the conceptual-cum-theoretical positions of seminal scholars on (everyday) resistance and modify some of these positions in light of empirical evidence. Methodologically, I break from the intention-oriented and foreground the practice- oriented approach to everyday resistance. This study is based on a continuous fourteen-month long on-site ethnography at a state-owned commercial forestry plantation. Ethnography was instrumental for the contextualised in-depth discovery and thick description of the workers’ forms, practices, and dynamics of subterranean labour resistance. It also enabled the cultivation of high levels of trust and rapport required to discover a sensitive, incriminating, and largely backstage (hidden) social phenomenon like quotidian labour resistance. For data collection I used three levels of participant observation, unstructured in-depth interviews, casual conversations, and deep hangouts.
Access to the Township Economy A comparative study of the spaza shop sector in the City of Ekurhuleni Townships Tsakane and Duduza
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mongwe, Veli; Quirk, Joel
2024 marks 11 years since the Duduza community forced out Somali spaza shop traders from Duduza and it is exactly 11 years of continued gatekeeping from a collaborative informal relationship between the business community, township associations and some state actors. While the state actors and non-state actors may not take the credit for chasing Somalis out of Duduza they take pride in their informal governance systems and agreements they have kept Somalis out of Duduza. This research questions the role and power of state and non-state actors in Township informal governance. The concepts of “informal governance systems” and “gatekeeping” were used to guide this research to respond to the question of access. The study employed a qualitative approach as it is interested in understanding the cause for the variations in on the two townships. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and participant observation. In the initial stages of the research, the snowball sampling was used to identify participants with leads. These two participants were able to refer the researcher to key state and non-state actors in Duduza and Tsakane. The findings of the study reveal the existence of two cartels, a cartel that facilitates gatekeeping in Duduza and a cartel that runs Somali spaza shops in Tsakane. The Duduza business community, associations and some state actors have created informal rules of trade that prohibit Somali spaza shop traders from trading in Duduza, on this other side, Tsakane appears to have a more relaxed approach to trading rules. Access into the Duduza township economy is controlled and protected through informal systems of governance. Through the informal systems of governance, the business community, associations and some state actors in Duduza exercise the power to agree on trading rules and other rules to govern the township. While the trading rules are said to be binding to all who wish to trade in Duduza, they also appear to be stricter on limiting access to Somali and Bangladesh spaza shop traders because of their history in the township. Lastly, the Somali spaza shop cartel that runs the Somali spaza shops in Tsakane is sustained by various pillars i.e. strategic placing of spaza shops which enables its expansion and prevalence in Tsakane.
Determinants of Adaptation and Insurance Uptake among Small-Scale Farmers in Kenya
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Segone, Tshepiso; Alence, Rod
Despite the costs associated with climate-related damage and loss, WII uptake remains low among small-scale, Kenyan farmers. Many of these farmers continue to opt for traditional adaptive and mitigative strategies in the wake of climate-related challenges, despite the many known benefits insurance has for climate resilience. Thus, the study seeks to understand the determinants of insurance uptake, and to measure the relationship between these determinants and agricultural output, using a binary regression model. Overall, the study underscores the complex interplay of socio-economic, cultural, and environmental factors shaping farmers’ adaptation decisions in Kenya and highlights the need for targeted interventions to enhance insurance uptake and promote effective climate strategies
The economic and geopolitical implications of China’s BRI in Nigeria and Ethiopia: A comparative analysis
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mojela, Tshenolo; Freer, Gordon
The BRI, launched by China in 2013, has significantly reshaped global economic and geopolitical landscapes through extensive infrastructure projects to enhance global connectivity. This dissertation examines the economic and geopolitical implications of the BRI in Nigeria and Ethiopia, two pivotal African partners of the initiative. Despite a global decline in FDI to developing countries, Africa's FDI remained stable, with notable increases in BRI-related engagements. Nigeria and Ethiopia have received substantial investments, boosting their infrastructure and economic capacities while raising concerns about increased debt dependency and potential geopolitical shifts favouring China. Employing dependency theory, this research explores how the BRI influences Nigeria and Ethiopia's agency, economic dependencies, and sovereignty. This dissertation contributes to the broader understanding of the BRI's role in shaping Africa's geopolitical landscape and offers insights into the responses of African nations to this transformative global initiative. The findings are valuable for policymakers, scholars, and stakeholders interested in China's engagement strategy in Africa, informing the development of policies that leverage the benefits of the BRI while mitigating potential risks to ensure sustainable and equitable growth for African nations.
The Influence of Perceived Opportunities and Perceived Capabilities on Entrepreneurial Activity in Sub-Saharan Africa
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Kgomo, Tshegofatso; O’Donovan, Michael; Alence, Rod
This research examines the impact of perceived opportunities and capabilities on entrepreneurial activities in Sub-Saharan Africa. It uses logistic regression to analyse available data on the region from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, which consists of survey data from South Africa. The analysis reveals that perceived opportunities do not significantly influence entrepreneurial activities within both the formal and informal sectors. However, perceived capabilities are pivotal in driving entrepreneurial activities. Further analysis incorporating control variables such as gender, age, educational levels, and employment status indicated that educational attainment does not have a relationship with entrepreneurial activity and age and employment status are negatively associated with entrepreneurial activity. Thus, this study challenges the prevailing notion that opportunity recognition predominantly fosters entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting instead the critical role of perceived personal capabilities in entrepreneurial ventures.
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.

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