School of Social Sciences

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The adoption and ratification of the African Union's Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa: an analysis of the dicourse of states and the international humanitarian aid community
(2012-10-17) Johnson, Hilton William Eric
The phenomenon of internal displacement dwarfs the refugee crisis world-wide. Forced migration, and more specifically internal displacement, looms as one of the largest and most poorly understood humanitarian challenges currently facing states and the international humanitarian aid community in Africa. This research project aims to increase our understanding of internal displacement by factoring in the discourse of states and the international humanitarian aid community as a key contributing factor to our conceptualization of this phenomenon in Africa. Discourse analysis may demonstrate various “sites of struggle” as important messages and ideas from the various actors compete. The well-established notion of discourse framing and containing the responses of certain actors and institutions is at the heart of this research project. The international humanitarian aid community and Africa states have been described in various documents related to the 2009 Kampala Convention as playing leading roles in the provision of protection and assistance to internally displacedConvention as its discursive locus, analyzing selected texts (documents) that are related to the production, adoption and ratification processes of the Convention. This research report will include diachronic and synchronic analyses of the ID discourse, in the form of documents, for the purpose of exploring the key messages and ideas, which will then be contextualized with the incorporation of academic literature and information related to the phenomenon of internal and forced displacement in Africa. This research report will attempt to demonstrate the various ways in which the limits of the internal displacement discourse are constructed and negotiated by states and the international humanitarian aid community, in order for us gain a better understanding of the role that is played by this growing platform for international deliberation. persons. This paper uses the Kampala
Alcohol consumption among undergraduate social work students at a South African university
(2017) Nyandu, Andiswa
Alcohol consumption among tertiary students is becoming an urgent public health problem in many parts of the world, including South Africa and has the potential of adversely affecting students’ performance at university. The aim of this study was to investigate the drinking patterns of undergraduate students in the Social Work Department at the University of the Witwatersrand; the factors that contribute to drinking among these students; and the perceived effects of drinking on students’ academic performance. The research was guided by social learning theory and social control theory. A cross-sectional, quantitative, survey research design was employed and the entire population of undergraduate social work students was invited to participate in the study and 145 students completed a group administered questionnaire. The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The main findings were that the prevalence of alcohol use among the respondents was relatively high (88%) with two-fifths participating in binge drinking, and that enjoyment was the primary reason for drinking. However, despite the high prevalence of drinking behaviour, a high proportion (78%) reported not performing poorly on a test or exam due to alcohol consumption in the past 12 months. The research enhances knowledge of drinking patterns among students and yields recommendations for the prevention of alcohol abuse among those studying to become future healthcare professionals, and for university counselling services aimed at supporting students. Key words: alcohol consumption; undergraduate university students; drinking patterns; social work students
ANTI-RETROVIRAL THERAPY: The perceptions of Female sex workers using Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) on their use of PrEP at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Soweto.
(2018) Vuma, Gloria
Background: In South Africa PrEP was primarily intended for sex workers, who have the highest HIV prevalence in South Africa and experience high levels of stigma and discrimination in societies. The services that have been put into place in partnership with the targeted group which is the sex workers are user-friendly. Yet the conclusion to use PrEP remains an individual choice and no one is coerced into using it.Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore the perceptions of women sex workers using Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis regarding their experiences on using PrEP as one of the antiretroviral drugs recently brought in South Africa as prevention from HIV, (the study will be conducted specifically at the Perinatal HIV Research Unit; situated in Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Soweto). The Secondary objectives of this study are; to explore the experiences of women sex workers on the use of PrEP, to explore the experiences and perceptions of women sex workers who use PrEP on unprotected sex and to explore what influences women sex workers to take PrEP regardless of the number of side effects versus its health benefits. Method: The study is qualitative as it will be exploring people’s lived experiences, their opinions and their subjective truths, and it will make use of case study individual interviews (semi-structured interviews) to collect data. The sample to be used includes 2 women sex workers who are PrEP users in the Baragwanath Hospital and have used PrEP for more than four months. A Narrative analysis will be used when analysing the data that will be gathered from the research study. Findings: The findings are presented in a form of themes that emerged as a result of the data collected through the interview schedules. The findings are also related to other studies with a similar interest to the study topic. Overall the findings suggested just PrEP is a harmful and an effective drug for preventing HIV. KEY WORDS: Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis HIV prevention Unsafe sex Women at risk of HIV
"At your own risk" : narratives of Zimbabwean migrant sex workers in Hillbrow and discourses of vulnerability, agency, and power.
(2013-09-27) Schuler, Greta
This study explores the self-representations of cross-border migrant, female sex workers in Johannesburg and compares these representations to those created by public discourses around cross-border migration, sex work, and gender. With a focus on issues of agency, vulnerability, and power, the study questions the impact of prevalent representations of these women by others on their individual self-representations. The participatory approach of this study builds on previous participatory research projects with migrant sex workers in Johannesburg and employs creative writing as a methodology to generate narratives and thus adds to literature about alternative methodologies for reaching currently marginalised and under-researched groups. Organisations such as Sex Worker Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT) and Sisonke Sex Worker Movement have worked with sex workers to generate digital stories for advocacy; however, academic research employing storytelling as a methodology has not been done with migrant sex workers in South Africa. While existing evidence indicates that cross-border migrant, female sex workers are often marginalised by state and non-state actors professing to assist them, this study emphasizes the voices of the women themselves. Over the course of three months, I conducted creative writing workshops with five female Zimbabwean sex workers in Hillbrow, Johannesburg; the women generated stories in these workshops that became the basis for one-on-one unstructured interviews. I compared the self-representations that emerged from this process with the representations of migrant sex workers that I determined from a desk review of the websites of organisations that contribute to trafficking and sex work discourses in South Africa. With the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill close to becoming law in South Africa and the prevalent assumption that systemic trafficking problems are related to the sex industry and irregular migration, developing a better understanding of migrants involved in sex work in South Africa is particularly important. Furthermore, a national focus on reducing and even preventing immigration—and the stigma attached to migrants—adds urgency to the elucidation of the lives of migrants. This study investigates how female Zimbabwean sex workers in Johannesburg—often positioned as vulnerable and sometimes misidentified as trafficked—see themselves in a country increasingly concerned with issues of (anti-)immigration and (anti-)trafficking. Furthermore, sex work is criminalized in South Africa and social mores attach stigma to prostitution. Contrary to assumptions that all sex workers are forced into the industry or foreign sex workers trafficked into the country, the participants in this study spoke of active choices in their lives—including choices about their livelihood and their movement—and describe their vulnerabilities and strengths. Perhaps the most striking similarity between participants was the women’s acknowledgement of the dangers they face and the decisions they make, weighing risks and gains. This recognition of agency ran through the six key themes that I generated through thematic analysis: Conflicting Representations of Sex Work, Stigma and Double Existence, Health and Safety, Importance of Independence, Morality of Remittances, and Mobility. Throughout the analysis, I argue that the participants in the study present themselves as aware of the dangers they face and calculating the risks. The participants responded enthusiastically to the creative writing methodology—through their stories, discussions, and interviews, they portrayed a complex, at times ambiguous, portrait of migrant sex workers in South Africa. While recognizing their double vulnerability—as illegally engaging in sex work and, often, illegally residing in South Africa, they also emphasized their strength and agency.
Attitudes of black African mothers towards the use of traditional healing and Western medicine in treatment of newborn infants
(2017) Lekgothoane, Nteseng
Many Black African mothers take their newborn infants to a traditional healer not long after birth for them to be given treatment to protect them against bad spirits and to aid in their growth and development. However, there are some Black African mothers who do not believe in traditional medicines but rather in western medicine and practices; while others use a combination of approaches. The aim of the study was to understand the different attitudes that mothers of newborn infants have towards the use of traditional and/or western medicine for the treatment of newborn infants. The study employed a qualitative research paradigm which allowed for the understanding of different beliefs and practices of mothers of newborn infants. An interview schedule was used to facilitate data collection. Eighteen participants were recruited through snowball sampling, and thereafter the participants’ responses were analysed using thematic analysis. The study was guided by the Afrocentric approach. A key finding that emerged from the research was that participants were of the view that monthly visits to western-based healthcare clinics were necessary to track the growth and development of their children, while consultations with traditional healers were limited to approximately three visits in the first few months of life. The mothers who were interviewed also indicated a preference for the use of western medicine as opposed to traditional healing. The main conclusion reached was that the use of traditional healing and western medicine are not necessarily mutually exclusive and that mothers were able to see the value of both approaches, despite a preference for biomedicine. Findings also underscored the importance of an Afrocentric theoretical approach for guiding a research project of this nature. Key words: newborn infants, maternal beliefs, traditional healer, traditional medicine, western medicine
Authority, trust and accountability : regulation of pharmaceutical drug trade practices in Yeoville.
(2013-09-27) Cossa, Ema Euclesia
The increase in use and distribution of pharmaceuticals on a global scale has caused pharmaceuticals to play an integral role in the notions of quality of health. This study is concerned with how Western medication is transacted and interpreted in explicit and implicit contrast to the other context. I observe the commercial trade of medicines, specifically the effects of regulation of pharmaceutical drug trade in a suburb of Johannesburg (Yeoville) a low income area where many migrant groups have found long and short term refuge. A Policing and Mobility Project (Hornberger & Cossa 2010) centred on tracing paths of medication and the level of policing thereof in Johannesburg revealed that clandestine sale of medication occurs in the suburb’s local market. This prompted a comparison between the formal and informal pharmaceutical trade spaces. Simon (a pharmacist) and Teresa (a former nurse turned market trader) sell pharmaceutical drugs in seemingly contrasting contexts. Despite their expertise in health care, Simon and Teresa were flung to opposite ends of the trade spectrum by regulation. In the weeks I spent with Teresa and Simon it became abundantly clear that the spaces which had been initially presented as the opposite of one another may have had a few layers of common ground. At first it seems as though only regulation has the ability to produce authority, trust and accountability. But later it becomes evident that such aspects can be reproduced through manipulation of everyday practices. Roger Cotterrell’s (1999) interpretation of Emile Durkheim’s view of the law as a ‘Social Fact’ (1999:9), demonstrates how the collective experience of regulation (an aspect of the law) affects the individual. But De Certeau (1984) claims that the same individual can tacitly undermine this collective experience (the dominant form) through everyday practices. The findings suggest that the assumed roles of regulated and unregulated pharmaceutical trading spaces are not as static as they appear. The study concluded that authority, trust and accountability can be reproduced outside of regulation. And secondly thus the formal and informal trade of pharmaceuticals in Yeoville have more in common than perceived since both Simon and Teresa, had authority in health, their customer’s trust and loyalty and were accountable within the trade.
Balancing opportunity and conflict: the impact of a refugee influx on the decentralisation process
(2009-04-15T11:21:44Z) Blaser, Caitlin
Abstract This study explores the impact a refugee influx has on the decentralisation process. It uses the case study of Loulouni, southern Mali, in 2005-2006, where a camp for Ivorian refugees was established. Using mixed methods including a large survey and many in depth interviews, this study has found that the refugee influx has had a profound and transformatory impact on decentralisation at the local level. In Mali, the decentralisation effort is closely tied to the promotion of participatory democracy in the country, and the refugee presence has further promoted interaction between citizens and local government officials. However, the arrival of resources in the form of humanitarian aid has also caused conflict between upwardly and downwardly accountable local government authorities, which threaten a complete transfer or powers.
Biomedical health care and African traditional healing in the treatment of HIV and AIDS : complementary or competing cosmologies
(2016) Mendu, Elvis
"Burying our dead in your city": interpreting individual constructs of belonging in the context of burial of loved ones in exile.
(2009-09-09T09:11:36Z) Ayiera, Eva A. Maina
ABSTRACT Globalization and an exponential increase in cross-border migration have led to a redefining of belonging and membership. It is argued that the question of belonging is no longer a question of residential geography and ties to location, but one that is constructed in light of a decline of the meaning of fixed place in an ever more globalized world. Globalization has facilitated a rise of alternatives to place-bound identity. Yet, when refugees face the experiences of death and burial of loved ones in exile, they seem to cling to fixed place as the base for asserting their identity and where they belong while in exile. Although where one is buried is important in many African communities, burying loved ones on foreign land does not generate rather a new sense of connection to the foreign land. Instead, refugees repudiate ties to this soil and consciously invoke references to their homeland and geographical locations in describing where they belong. This paper presents a discussion of the concepts of belonging and place in the context of compelling experiences of death and burial in exile for refugees in a globalized world.
Challenges and opportunities experienced by people with a physical disability in Alexandra, Gauteng
(2017) Mthembu, April Yolanda
Physical disability can interfere significantly with the functional adaptation and emotional wellbeing of people with disability and their families. While adjustment to physical disability varies across people, research has shown that physical disability can contribute to widespread disability and impairment in physical functioning for most people over time. Research evidence indicates that people with a physical disability are frequently exposed to marginalisation and stigmatisation within society. However, limited research focused on both the challenges and opportunities experienced by people with physical disability, especially in disadvantaged communities. The primary aim for this study was to explore the challenges and opportunities encountered by people with a physical disability residing in Alexandra, Gauteng. This study adopted the qualitative research design to gather information or data. The type of qualitative design that was employed in this study was the phenomenological approach where the researcher focused on lived experiences of the participants related to topic being researched. The method used to gather data was face-to-face where the research tool was the semi-structured interviews were employed to collect information from research participants. Findings were analysed using a thematic analysis. Approximately 10 adults with a physical disability were purposively selected from Alexandra Disability Centre, which is sanctioned to render services to people with a physical disability. It is envisaged that the research findings will yield to insights to people with physical disability challenges and recommendations that can assist people who render services to people with physical disability were made regarding how they can be treated and encouraged in communities. Keywords: physical disability, challenges, opportunities, empowerment, employment
Challenges faced by Congolese refugees after arriving in South Africa
(2016) Mahlangu, Winnie
In partial fulfilment of the requirement of the degree Bachelor of Social Work
Challenges in organising informal workers : a study of gendered home-based care work in post-apartheid South Africa.
(2009-03-02T07:48:51Z) Munakamwe, Janet
The purpose of the current study was to determine the constraints to and opportunities for organising the gendered home-based care sector in post apartheid South Africa. Also the gender aspect of care work has been closely examined and the study has revealed that societal stereotypes that view care work as women work in the private sphere have to a greater extent contributed to the devaluation of care work in both society and as a form of paid care work. Qualitative research methodology was used in the form of documentary analysis, interviews and participant observation. The research findings demonstrate that unions themselves, resources and legislation/ policy issues pose as major barriers to organising these atypical workers. Generally, most unions are not yet ready to embrace informal workers into the mainstream as it entails innovation of new organising strategies that could be out of their comfort zone, the pumping out of a vast amount of resources and the avoidance of the huge obligation of breaking through legal barriers. Grassroot mobilising around gender needs has been proposed as the most appropriate strategy for organising the newly emerging mobile and precarious workforce which comprises principally of women. An undeniable link between the formal and informal economy has also been confirmed as formal institutions such as NGOs, hospital, clinics and private companies through the Expanded Public Works Programme here in South Africa make use of informal labour to execute their obligations in the HBC sector. From a gender perspective, this study argues that female jobs are despised by society let alone trade unions where democracy and gender sensitivity should be practiced. Devaluation of female jobs herein care work could be the reason why NEHAWU has taken too long to organise the HBC sector. Finally, results of the study have demistified the societal stereotypes that female jobs are difficult to organise as HBC workers were more than willing to join NEHAWU.
The claim for urban space and the problem of exclusion: the perception of outsiders' rights by communities affected by xenophobic violence in contemporary South Africa
(2012-08-21) Ogunyemi, Samson
This research is located in the broader body of literature and activity that have sought to comprehend the xenophobic violence of 2008 in South Africa and the persistence of this phenomenon, especially in poor locales of the main urban areas. The primary objective is to explore the perceptions that South Africans have of the rights of those people designated as outsiders and/or foreigners who live in areas that have experienced xenophobic violence targeting foreigners as well as people of South African minority ethnic groups. This study attempts to unpack the discourse of insider versus outsider rights within South African communities in relation to South Africa’s recent history - the xenophobic violence of 2008. Notably, it examines the challenge brought about by the crushing of space and time as an effect of globalization and how this has contributed to the process of multi-culturalism and multi-ethnicity that local communities are largely unprepared to cope with. This study contributes to the understanding of “otherness” as a key issue to design and implement better policies and practices that are necessary to promote the social and spatial inclusion of international migrants in Africa and the world. The empirics of this study give credence to the view that migrants’ rights operate at the rhetorical level, largely due to the lack of political will to translate them into actual benefits. The study specifically looks at two communities affected by xenophobic violence - Tembisa and Alexandra. Focusing on South Africans, the study draws on information gathered through in-depth semi-structured interviews and group discussions carried out from July through October 2011. The findings are examined through thematic content analysis.
Coping strategies employed by third year social work studies to manage emotionally challeges
(2017) Mthimkhulu, Mbono
Describing the psychosocial challeges faced by disadvantaged girl children under a specific holistic education model
(2016) Holman, Drew
The research aimed at decribing the psycho-social challenges that a specific group of disadvantaged girls (aged 15-17) face. These girls have been selected to complete their secondary schooling on a full scholarship at a private school funded by a wealthy benefactor in South Africa. The school was designed specifically for disadvantaged South African girl children who have displayed either academic or leadership excellence. This research looked at the effects of attending this school on the student’s relationships with their friends and family, culture and acculturation, and the way these challenges have impacted their functioning at the school. The school has adopted a holistic approach to education meaning that it acknowledges the importance of the students’ emotional, physical, spiritual, intellectual and psychological spheres. The research has enhanced the understanding of the psychosocial challenges the students navigate by identifying common themes within the data from which some recommendations were made. Ultimately the themes that are described will lay the foundation for further research at the institution. This study followed a qualitative research design. The population for the research was obtained by using purposive, non-probability sampling techniques. Data was gathered by making use of an interview schedule while conducting semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used for analyzing the data. Key Words Descriptions, psychosocial, challenges, girl-child, holistic education model.
Effects of Nyaope of families with a family member that is addicted to the drug Nyaope
(2017) Nkosi, Hlengiwe Setty
The use of Nyaope amongst South Africans has risen dramatically since it first appeared on the streets. Real concerns have been voiced about the negative effects this street drug has had on communities in South Africa. Some townships in South Africa claim to have been ruined by Nyaope. There were various reasons to conduct the study; firstly families experience many negative effects associated with having an addicted member in their family; for example the addition of family members on nyaope causes disharmony and conflicts within families of the addicted individuals. Moreover families experience despair, shame and helplessness; nevertheless families also feel intimidated by the addicted person due to their undesirable behaviour and therefore find it hard to cope within the family and within the community. The primary aim for this study is to explore the effects and challenges of nyaope on families. This study adopted the qualitative research design to gather information/data. The type of qualitative design that was used in this study was the case study where the researcher focus on different cases related to the topic being researched. Moreover the method that was used to gather information was face-to-face interviews where the research tool was the semi-structure interview schedule. Findings were analysed using the thematic analysis. Anticipated value of findings for the study was that it is challenging in a micro, meso and macro level to live with persons using the drug nyaope, hence there are different and/or various negative effects in all three dimensions. The findings of the study was there are various challenges experienced by families that have a family member who is addicted to the drug nyaope and those involve emotional distress and physical manifestation of that stress, there is stigma attached to having a family member that is addicted to nyaope and there are also financial challenges experienced by families that have a family member that is addicted. Moreover there are various resources that were identified in the course of this study that families normaly resort to in dealing with the situation of having a family member that is addicted to nyaope. However every family deals with the problem of having a family member that is addicted to nyaope in a different way that are suitable or best for the as a unit.
Effects of perceptions and negotiation of decision making on gender relations, masculinity and contested patriachy among immigrant-South African households in Johannesburg, South Africa
(2014-01-31) Aaca, Lisa Rebecca
The study aimed at understanding how immigrant men and South African women in heterosexual relationships perceive and negotiate gender relations arising from household decision-making; and the effects these have on notions of masculinity among couples living in Johannesburg, South Africa. In order to investigate the research question, I used qualitative descriptive approaches with a poststructuralist perspective. The study drew on Foucault’s conceptualization of power and identified eight (8) immigrant men originating from other African countries and eight (8) South African women using purposive and snowball sampling. All individuals recruited were of at least eighteen years of age and had lived with their partners for at least two years. I perceived a minimum of two years of living together as adequate for differences in culture and socialization of people in immigrant-South African relationships to manifest in the performance of gender; and to equip participants with different constructions of decision-making, gender relations and masculinity. I selected men from other African countries because of the exclusionary discourses surrounding them in South Africa. Data was collected using face-to-face in-depth semi structured interviews with open-ended questions. Data analysis was undertaken using both thematic and discourse analysis. In doing the thematic analysis, work by Braun and Clarke (2006) was drawn on while work by Parker (1994, 1997 and 2005) was focused on for the discourse analysis. The study found that immigration and difference in nationality shape the different perceptions that determine decisions on formation of immigrant-South African relationships; affect income inequalities and decisions on expenditures; as well as decisions related to children in immigrant-South African households; and that these affect gender relations and notions of masculinity. The study further found that there are contradiction between gender equality and traditionally acceptable gender roles; as well as patriarchal and anti-patriarchal socializations by immigrant men and South African women. It also found that immigrant men and South African women use similar strategies in reviving and silencing of transgressed masculinity.
The effects of socio-economic status on the stress of University students
(2016) Raff, Mirriam
Previous international research suggests there is a relationship between socioeconomic status and stress levels at college, or University. The aim of this study was to determine whether students at the University of the Witwatersrand socio economic status affected their stress levels. The sample of thirty two students included both students from privileged backgrounds and those that were from underprivileged backgrounds, in varying degrees. The data was collected through paper based questionnaires over a ten week time period. The methodological standpoint with which the research wished to engage with the study was quantitative in nature and therefore the approach of the study and administration of instruments and data analysis were necessarily quantitative in nature. The relationship between the dependant (stress) and independent (Socio-economic status) variables were highlighted. The researcher chose to use a quantitative approach for the study given that the variables under investigation in the current study are believed to be manifest and as such utilised a questionnaire (Mueller & Hancock, 2010). The measuring of variables based on the questionnaire, in order to express the relationship between socio-economic status, and stress by using effect statistics such as correlations, relative frequencies, and differences between means in order to test the correlation between the two variables. In order to explore this relationship, a point biserial correlation was conducted and its respective assumptions were tested. Secondary questions explored whether differences existed between students with a job, versus those without a job, students from two parent families, and those who are not, and students who are the first to study in their families, and those who are not Furthermore, results of the questionnaires were quickly and easily quantified by the researcher which allowed the data to be analyzed more scientifically and objectively. The information from the survey gives the University of Witwatersrand a clearer understanding of the stress students experience based on their socio economic status. Key Words: Socioeconomic status, stress, students, relationship.
An Enquiry into Attitudes of Female Students towards the Use of Injectable Contraceptives: The Case of Wits University
(2017) Munemo, Cleopas
The emergence of injectable contraceptives provides women with multiple options to choose, among a wide variety of contraceptives methods. Although injectable contraceptives remain a viable alternative for a lot of females, contemporary studies demonstrate an increase in the use of injectable contraceptives by young adult females. In most cases, they are the least experienced in terms of sexual health and yet are under constant exposure during college years. The purpose of this study was to explore Wits student’s perceptions of injectable contraceptives and to establish their knowledge of and preferences among other contraceptive methods. The study adopted a qualitative approach to select participants for data collection and analysis. The study made use of one interview with a key informant. Again, the study made use of information gathered from a focus group consisting of five female participants only, that have used or are using injectable contraceptives. The study employed thematic analysis to analyse the collected raw data following the six-phase suggested by (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The information generated from this study helps us gain more insight on the issue of injectable contraception especially those that affect female university students.
The experience of black female lectures in the Faculty of humanities at the university of the Witwatersrand
(2017) Maseko, Mbali
With the call for transformation post 1994, major changes with regards to policies, leadership, diversity of staff and an increase in the number of Black students, have occurred in the South African institutions of higher learning to redress the inequalities of the apartheid era. Included in these changes is the call for an increase in the number of Black female lectures. This research project explored the experiences of black female lecturers in the Humanities Faculty at the University of the Witwatersrand. A qualitative research approach was used. The research project was explorative in nature. The participants were 9 Black female South African lecturers. Purposive sampling was employed. Data was gathered using face to face conversational interviews and a semi-structured interview schedule as a tool for data gathering and. The data was analysed using thematic analysis From the information which I obtained from the Faculty of Humanities the percentage of Black female lecturers, of the permanent staff, in the Faculty of Humanities is 33 % currently. This is similar to the social work department where 6 out of the 9 female lecturers are black. The findings in the study were that the academic environment was not accommodating for Black female academics. The small amount of Black female lectures at the higher levels had very big representational roles to play and Black female lecturers in general were involved in a lot of service work. Black female lectures experienced racial attacks in the classroom where their qualifications were questioned. Lastly because of a perceived lack of support systems within the institution Black female lecturers reverted to external informal forms of support. This research will help with recommendations on how the work environment of the lecturers can be improved and how the lecturers can be empowered and perform at their optimum best. Furthermore most of the lecturers in the courses that Social Work students do are based in the Faculty of Humanities. Key words: black women, lecturers, South Africa Higher Education, University of the Witwatersrand.