4. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - Faculties submissions
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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 Narratives of identity and belonging: place and the everyday practices of immigrant Muslim women living in Fordsburg, Johannesburg(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Bobat, Safiya; Bradbury, Jill; Vearey, JoThis study set out to explore the ways in which identity and a sense of belonging are negotiated across place, space and time, taking into consideration the transnational and socio- political realities of the global world in which we live. It was located in Fordsburg, affectionately known as ‘Foodsburg’, an inner-city suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa that has a long, rich history of playing host to many different groups of people, particularly immigrant groups. This study asked the question: what are the experiences and understandings of Muslim, immigrant women living in Fordsburg on how their multiple identities and sense of belonging are negotiated across time and place in making sense of their lives through the everyday practices they engage in? Adopting a narrative methodological approach, multiple in-depth interviews, along with field notes and participant observations, were conducted with 10 participants who are all first-generation immigrant Muslim women from India, Bangladesh and the Philippines, currently living in Fordsburg. These narratives were analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis and a narrative constructionist analysis. Food and food practices were used as a lens to access narratives which opened up exploration into the complexity of negotiating identity and belonging within micro-spaces of home, broader spaces of community, and within transnational spaces. This study found that food is deeply symbolic, it is personal and social, it is local and global, and allows for deep insights into identity negotiations at multiple levels across time and place. Through the sensuous materiality that eating, preparing and purchasing food evoked, participants’ narratives revealed how identity is re-negotiated through the articulation of what is felt to be ‘known’ due to its familiarity and what is experienced as ‘new’ or ‘different’ and is integrated and accommodated. Through this articulation, the familiar and the new are 4 evaluated and assessed, losses and gains are negotiated, and new ways of being emerge. Themes of sensuous materiality, mobility, safety and transnational families emerged and highlighted the ways in which the concepts of memory, nostalgia, temporality, space and place are all intertwined in negotiating identity and belonging. This study provides valuable insights into the ways immigrant Muslim women negotiate their multiple identities and sense of belonging, through narratives of sensory engagement with the spaces they inhabit, local and transnational relationships, and broader socio-political discourses. It brought into conversation key concepts related to identity and belonging and related to place and space, deepening our understanding of these concepts by applying them to the immigrant experience, with a particular focus on gendered aspects of migration as related to women. Identity and place/space are both conceptualised as constructs that are continually evolving, and are reconstructed and reconceptualised across spatial and temporal lines. The ways in which identity and place/space articulate in these reconstructions and renegotiations is a key conceptual contribution of this study What is evident is that while immigrant women may actively work to carve out spaces of belonging and cultivate a sense of home in places in South Africa, like Fordsburg, the dominant prevailing xenophobic discourse within South African society impacts them on every level of their engagement.Item Governance quality and popular support for democracy in Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mongae, Mmabatho; Alence, RodThe stability of democracy depends on citizens’ support for and satisfaction with democracy as a form of government. Yet the past decade has seen a public backlash against democracy worldwide, and Africa is no exception. This study aims to clarify the determinants of public perceptions of democracy, in particular how the quality of governance in African democracies affects public perceptions of democracy as a preferred system of government. Are citizens more likely to be supportive of and satisfied with democracy in countries that score higher on indicators of political and economic governance quality? This thesis addresses this question using a mixed methods approach. The study harnesses multi-level statistical analysis, incorporating national-level governance indicators from the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem), and Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI), alongside individual-level survey data from Afrobarometer covering thirty-four African countries. The statistically selected case studies of Sudan, Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe probe more deeply by capturing various experiences with democracy. The central finding is that public support for democracy in Africa depends significantly on the quality of governance. However, support for democracy is not based purely “instrumentally” on the receipt of material benefits, as citizens also value the practical provision of political freedoms and protections “intrinsic” to democracy. These findings challenge existing assumptions about the transactional nature of democratic support, highlighting the critical role of governance quality in fostering a deep-rooted commitment to democratic ideals. By foregrounding the lived experiences of African citizens within democratic systems, this thesis contributes to the discourse on democracy in Africa. It shifts the analytical lens from abstract institutional performance metrics to the tangible democratic encounters of individuals, providing a richer, more textured understanding of democratic resilience and support on the continent. Through this approach, the study not only responds to the existing gaps in literature but also offers fresh insights into the complex dynamics that underpin public attitudes towards democracy in Africa, thereby enhancing our understanding of the factors that promote or hinder democratic engagement and supportItem Explicit and Implicit Cultural Policies: A Critical Analysis of the Role and Impact of Cultural Policies that Govern the Television Sector in Botswana(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Selolwane, Marang; Chatikobo, Munyaradzi3 Abstract The cultural policy landscape in Botswana is characterized by considerable ambiguity, with far-reaching implications for both the television sector and the broader media environment. Deploying the lenses of implicit and explicit cultural policies, stakeholder management, and intergovernmental relations, the study critically examines the role of policy in propelling Botswana's television sector forward. This paper establishes that the television industry in Botswana faces obstacles due to a convoluted regulatory framework and insufficient cooperation among stakeholders, leading to governance issues and impeding industry advancement. It highlights deficiencies in policy implementation and calls for enhanced collaboration between government departments and broadcasting entities to tackle governance challenges and foster sectoral expansion. The research addressed both theoretical and practical gaps in television regulation in Botswana, advocating for the establishment of a more cohesive and coordinated policy framework to facilitate sustainable growth within the sector. The central argument made in the paper is that the television sector in Botswana is shaped more by implicit cultural policies than explicit cultural policies, and therefore effective coordination and management of stakeholders driving both implicit and explicit cultural policies need to be located in both the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport, and Culture and the Ministry for State President to strike an equilibrium of interests and influence.Item The parents' lived experience of the pathway to identification and support provision of a child’s Learning Difficulty: Case studies(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Zikalala, Lucia; Mayisela, SimangeleThe democratically elected government of South Africa undertook reforms in the education sector to provide everyone with access to high-quality education and to align the system with global norms. The Department of Education (2001) has legislated policies, such as Education White Paper 6 (EWP6), which unequivocally states that all learners must have access to support and that learning barriers must be removed to reach their full potential. EWP6 states that bolstering the educational support system for students, instructors, schools, and the education system is one of the most important ways to lower learning difficulties. To implement EWP6, the Department of Basic Education has adopted the National Strategy for Screening, Identification, Assessment, and Support (SIAS) (Department of Education, 2001). Additionally, the SIAS policy offers tactics to educators so they can work cooperatively with parents and students to build inclusive systems. Although teachers are the driving force for inclusive education, they involve the parents as soon as they notice any learning difficulty. Furthermore, support structures like the School Based Support Team (SBST) and the District Based Support Teams (DBST) were formed to accomplish inclusive education. The study focused on the parents’ lived experiences of the pathway to identification and support provision of a child’s learning difficulty through case studies. The study adopted a qualitative research design with data collected through semi-structured telephonic interviews with eight high school parents from Soweto. Data was analyzed through thematic analysis. The ethical principles adhered to were informed consent, anonymity, confidentiality, and non-maleficence. Cultural- historical Activity Theory was employed as a theoretical framework to understand the parents’ lived experiences of the pathway to identifying and supporting a child’s learning difficulty through case studies. The study findings suggest that even though it has been several years since the SIAS policy was developed, the South African education system still faces challenges with the implementation of the policy. The findings further indicated the need for educating the parents about inclusive education and the identification process. The parents had no clear understanding of the identification process and the support that should be provided to their children after they have been identified as having a learning difficulty. The parents experienced the identification process in primary and secondary schools differently.Item The experiences of COVID-19 related lockdown and social media usage among the youth in Vosloorus, Mfundo Park, Gauteng(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Dlamini, Lindokuhle Sibahle; Ndimande-Khoza, Nomhle; Langa, MaloseThis research sought to understand how the COVID-19 lockdown affected young people from the Vosloorus Township as well as their social media usage throughout the lockdown. The study targeted seven individuals, both male and female, through semi-structured interviews to gain rich data for this research. The research used a qualitative approach that allowed the researcher to adequately document these individuals’ life experiences in a naturalistic and interpretive way. Additionally, the interpretive phenomenological approach (IPA) which allowed the researcher to get an in-depth understanding of how the research participants understand or interpret their world, more especially how they describe their personal experiences. The findings have shown that young people from townships have suffered significantly from the impact of the pandemic. They experienced notable psychological distress at the hands of the military and police who were sent to maintain order in the townships during the lockdown. They were forced to adapt to a new way of life which included letting go of traditional burial rituals. The social distancing measures meant that the majority of the population could not express their final goodbyes to relatives who have passed on in order to control the rate of infection. Furthermore, the social recession had a more devastating impact on these young people as they naturally thrive under social interaction for their growth and developmental trajectory. The lack of social and/or physical interaction with peers affected not only their growth, but it also affected their academic performance. Social media became the only digital tool they relied on for any form of learning and communication with peers, relatives as well as educators. Although social media provided these young people with some form of connection to the outside world, it became an eminent threat to their overall welfare. The spread of fake news about the virus caused a lot of confusion, chaos, emotional and psychological stress among these young people.Item Making Home in Setswetla: A Narrative Exploration of ‘Belonging’ and ‘Home’ in a Contested Informal Settlement in Johannesburg(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Sebidi, Kgaugelo; Bradbury, JillThis study sought to explore biographical narratives of black women who reside in Setswetla, a contested informal settlement in Alexandra (Johannesburg), as an attempt to understand how their personal stories informed conceptualisations of ‘belonging’ and ‘home’. While literary interest in informal settlements is notable, there remained a vacuum in studies that narratively explored the lives lived within informal settlements, thus going beyond typical studies of livelihood within these settings. Through the qualitative methodology of narrative inquiry, the study attempted to better understand person-place relations through in-depth narrative interviews and photovoice. Through thematic narrative analysis, the study brings theoretical concepts to life through visual experiential narratives of participants' lives. From the findings, it was clear that the concepts of belonging, and home were complex, especially when explored within informal settlements. The study found that participants continued to experience structural violence through the deplorable and inhumane material conditions that they live in. Through participants’ narrations of social injustice, the study was able to capture visceral accounts of the antithetical nature of structural violence to belonging and feeling at home, both in a community sense and a citizenry sense. These narratives provided a powerful political critique as participants’ adverse living conditions were preventable and avoidable. More crucially, the study unearthed compelling counternarratives of agency and collective action through participants' endeavours to enforce their belonging and feeling at home amid harsh material conditions. Through their stories, the study captures human agency in action and counterattacks to structural violence. Although bonded by their struggles, even more powerful was how they were bonded by relationality, community, and resilience. The study also highlights how participants express their identities and form attachments to their homes through place-making, thus forming new meanings and relationships with place while enriching their biographical narratives. The study therefore provides a new perspective on informal settlements, and it enriches theory while simultaneously enriching our understanding of the lives lived within informal settlements.Item The Expressive Semantic Skills of Sesotho-Speaking Toddlers (28 and 30 months): A Comparison using the Sesotho Picture-Naming Vocabulary Task and the Preliminary Version of the Sesotho Communicative Development Inventory(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Naidoo, Kerchia; Moonsamy, Sharon; Southwood, Frenette; Mupawose,AnniahBackground: At present, there exists little to no standardised methods of assessing language- related skills which have been normed within the South African population. This makes it difficult for a Speech-Language Pathologist to accurately diagnose language or communication difficulties within this context, and has resulted in inappropriate interventions and the stigma of disability associated with a child with a language impairment. It is therefore imperative that Speech-Language Pathologists use assessment tools that are fit for purpose, i.e. culturally appropriate and linguistically relevant for the diverse child populations in South Africa. The intention for this research study is to assist the South African Communicative Development Inventory team in addressing the concerns of culturally and contextually inappropriate assessment methods. Aims: The key aim of this research study was to compare the results of a Basotho child’s expressive, semantic language skills using the caregiver-report Communicative Development Inventory and the picture-naming vocabulary task. The objectives were to: (i) describe the contextual background of Sesotho-speaking child participants which may have influenced their communication development; (ii) describe the child participants’ semantic communication abilities using the Sesotho Communicative Development Inventory; and (iii) describe the child participants’ expressive semantic abilities using the picture-naming vocabulary task. Method: This research study employed a mixed methods approach using multiple case studies. The case studies comprised of caregiver-child dyads. Both quantitative and qualitative paradigms were utilised to achieve the mixed methods approach. The non-probability, purposive sampling method assisted in selecting participants for this study. The data collection was conducted in a predominantly monolingual Sesotho-speaking population in Tweeling, Free State. A total sample size of 20 – 10 adult and 10 child participants – was chosen for this study. The adult participants were the adult caregivers of the child participants. The child participants were chosen between 28 and 30 months of age who are monolingual Sesotho speakers. Three data collection instruments were administered on the chosen participants: a family background questionnaire; a Sesotho picture-naming vocabulary task; and the Sesotho Communicative Development Inventory. The analysis of the assessment instruments used descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and semantic analysis. Results: A significant correlation was found between the Sesotho Communicative Development Inventory and the Sesotho picture-naming vocabulary task. The Communicative Development Inventory highlighted maternal-headed households and socioeconomic status as the major sociocultural factors impacting the child participants’ language development outside of the individual factors. Furthermore, the Communicative Development Inventory revealed that 70% of adult participants were more likely to report that their child would have language skills below the 50th percentile. However, the majority (60%) of child participants’ scores on the picture-naming vocabulary task were above the 50th percentile. Adult participants also noted that their child would perform higher in semantic categories related to verbs, food, adjectives, household items, and games and routines. However, the child participants scored higher in only two of the same categories reported by their adult caregivers: household items and games and routines. Conclusion/Implications: The research study found that the Communicative Development Inventory did in fact measure what it was intended for – the expressive language skills of the Sesotho child participant. The implications for this lay in the South African Communicative Development Inventory team’s mandate to validate inventories in all South African indigenous languages. These indigenous inventories can then be used to more accurately assess indigenous speakers’ language skills which can eventually lead to the collection and development of language normsItem The Role of Social Networks in Destination Selection Among Urban Refugees in Kampala, Uganda(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Ayanzu, Francis; Wet- Billings, Nicole DeThe rampant displacements due to armed conflicts, torture, gender-based violence, human rights abuse, and all other forms of displacements increased the number of forced migrants residing in urban areas. This study is about the role of social networks in the destination selection of urban refugees, including asylum seekers. Although asylum seekers differ from refugees in terms of status determination, this group is included under refugees because choices about destination occur prior to arrival in Kampala, the place of asylum, not upon arrival. Destination selection refers to the decisions regarding where to go. Existing studies have pointed to the role of social networks, defined as interpersonal relationships through which resources such as information and social support flow, in facilitating the refugee movements and settlement in urban areas. Studies on urban refugees particularly in the Sub- Saharan Africa showed that refugees use their social networks to access livelihood opportunities upon arrival at an urban area. Related to destination decisions, refugee studies in Uganda and Kenya have shown that strong social networks formed in camps and countries of asylum sometimes affect humanitarian interventions regarding returning refugees to countries of origin or relocation of refugees to new refugee settlement areas. Much of these influences have been attributed to the presence of either refugees from the countries of origin at a particular camp or relationships build through shared ethnic membership with local communities in which the refugees reside. However, not all ethnic members have equal weight in exerting influences on a refugee and not every actor in the social network supports the choice of a destination. Moreover, actors who exert influences are not only at the places of origin or destination, but also those encountered on transit or those living elsewhere in another country or camps. The details of who actually influence the refugees to move to city is important because it enables us to answer the question whether refugees make decisions on where to go and if so, what enables their decision-making capacity. This is a critical aspect in the context of Uganda where refugees are associated with settlements in the rural areas. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to investigate the role of social networks in the selection of Kampala, actors involved in the social networks and how they influenced the refugees’ decisions to specifically move to Kampala. Specifically, study explored the associations between social 17 networks and destination selection and how actors in the social networks influence the decisions of the refugees. The study also investigated the profiles of the refugees associating with destination selection, and patterns of movement to Kampala.Item The Experiences of Community Service Rehabilitation Professionals Who Managed Their Own Department in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Allsop, Julia; Masuku, K.Background: A compulsory community service year for all healthcare professionals, including rehabilitation healthcare professionals was introduced to address the challenges of access to healthcare especially in rural South African communities as a result of inequalities brought about by apartheid. Even though the focus of the community service year was for healthcare professionals to render clinical services under the supervision of a more experienced healthcare professional, this has changed over the years. Due to the lack of resources and funding and subsequently the shortage of healthcare professionals, community service rehabilitation professionals often find themselves placed in healthcare facilities without the supervision of a senior member of staff. Community service rehabilitation professionals therefore end up taking up the role of head of department without prior preparation or training. Aim: The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of rehabilitation community service healthcare professionals who have managed their own department during their community service year. Methodology: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 rehabilitation healthcare professionals. A purposive sampling strategy was used to recruit participants. Interviews were conducted online via Zoom. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a framework analysis approach employing Faloy’s five elements of management. Findings: The following 16 themes demerged from data analysed from the semi structured interviews with participants: (i). Undergraduate training does not prepare students for managing a rehabilitation department; (ii). Insufficient handover from the previous community service therapist and not enough orientation at the beginning of the year; (iii). Create new documents that outline plans for their community service year; (iv). Duties expected of a community service rehabilitation professional, (iv- a) Clinical duties expected of a community service rehabilitation healthcare professional heading a department; (iv -b). Administrative duties expected of a community service rehabilitation professional heading a department; (v). Not having enough time for clinical and administrative duties; (vi). Co-ordinating with staff 3 members within the healthcare facility; (vii). Discovering outside resources to collaborate with to assist with managerial and clinical duties; (viii). Staff negative attitudes towards community service rehabilitation professional; (ix). Staff’s lack of knowledge of rehabilitation healthcare professions; (x). Meetings with other managers; (xi). Little to no feedback or verification structures in place, (xii). Creating a handover for the next community service therapist, (xiii) Ethical considerations, (xiii -a) Language barriers, (xiii-b) performing duties outside of scope of practice, (xiii -c) Lack of carryover of treatment due to lack of personnel (xiv) Safety, and (xv) Emotional toll on community service rehabilitation professionals Conclusion: Findings from the study suggest the need for different kinds of informal and formal support structures that are needed for rehabilitation community service practitioners who have no access to a supervisor during their community service year. This includes creating a better support network of professionals in the same district who can assist each other as well as better support from the healthcare professionals at the healthcare facility. Furthermore, the findings highlighted the need for continued professional development (CPD) courses that could be capacitate community service rehabilitation professionals who are heading a department by focus on providing both practical support and assistance with managerial duties. These implications will allow community service rehabilitation professionals to feel more supported and have greater confidence in their abilities as a clinician and a manager leading to better service given to patients