4. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - Faculties submissions

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Investigating the impact of the land reform policy on land use and land cover changes, in Ngaka Modiri Molema district of the North West province
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mmangoedi, Molebogeng Precious; Adam, Elhadi
The purpose of this study was to assess how land reform policies affected changes in land use and land cover in the province of North West's Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipality. The study employed remote sensing technologies to analyse changes in land use and land cover (LULC) resulting from the implementation of land reform programs between 1985 and 2015. The primary objective of the research was to systematically map Land Use and Land Cover types across five-year intervals spanning from 1985 to 2024, leveraging Landsat earth observation data in conjunction with a random forest classifier. These methodologies were employed to facilitate the identification of spatial patterns and trends associated with the implementation of land reform policies within the study area. Furthermore, the study utilized Landsat data and advanced change detection algorithms to quantitatively assess LULC changes over the specified timeframes. Through the application of spatial analysis techniques, the research aimed to elucidate the relationship between the implementation of land reform measures and corresponding shifts in LULC patterns across the research study area. The findings of the investigation indicated a noticeable expansion in built-up areas between the years 1985 and 2024 which was approximately 10.86%. This expansion was primarily attributed to the growth experienced by the municipality during this period. Additionally, more opportunities might have risen from the agricultural farming activities and also from the land reform policy being implemented. However, as the ownership changed due to land redistribution and more land was being acquired by black people through the land reform policy, agricultural farming decreased slightly throughout the years. The reduction was due to the factors that arose from inefficient policy implementation. The study also recommends that remote sensing techniques should be utilised to carry out studies to determine LULC changes that derive from land policies aiming at dealing with socio-economic factors and urbanisation. An incorporated agrarian reform sustainable programme has vast potential in cultivating the production of the projects, particularly if it involves packages in rural infrastructure, support services, and co-operatives. The major role of such an approach should be in the trainings conducted for the farmers, obtaining, and distributing agricultural resources and equipment to agrarian reform or beneficiaries of the land reform projects. Additionally, there should be an allowance for special grants which will be useful in supporting the government’s efforts.
Migration, Motherhood and Subjective Wellbeing: Experiences of Transnational Mothers in Johannesburg
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-12) Zikhali, Thulisile; Vearey, Jo; Walker, Rebecca
The discussions on feminisation of migration have renewed research interests into the gendered nature of migration experiences. This highlights the implications of cultural norms and values on migrant women. Despite that there is a longstanding history of people migrating to Johannesburg from within the Southern African region, little is written about the experiences of cross border migrant mothers who leave their children behind. This study explores the intersections of migration, motherhood, and subjective wellbeing in Johannesburg inner city, drawing from the experiences of twenty women: originating from Zimbabwe (comprising 15 women), Ghana (consisting of 3 women), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (involving 2 women). Participant observations and semi-structured interviews are methods that were used to collect data in the following three Johannesburg inner city areas: Hillbrow, Berea, and Yeoville. These are migrant-dense urban spaces in Johannesburg. The study used matricentric feminism and constructivism as its philosophical resources. It also utilised concepts of precarity, embodied transnationalism and subjective wellbeing as analytical tools to examine transnational mothers’ experiences. Findings indicate that familial social history and cultural gender norms play a crucial role in shaping perceptions of motherhood and in determining what are seen as “acceptable” ways of mothering. The study also found that there were tensions and contradictions in mothers’ perceptions of motherhood: their convictions on meanings of motherhood and the roles that mothers are expected to play in families were not in alignment with their own contemporary realities. Contrary to studies that have been conducted elsewhere, for example in North America and Europe, this study suggests that transnational mothering strategies in Johannesburg inner city are largely mediated by localised contextual factors such as lack of documentation, unstable jobs, xenophobia and crime. These factors undermine mothering strategies by creating an environment of uncertainty which makes it difficult for mothers to fulfil their mothering obligations, for example, sending remittances on time, maintaining regular cross border communication and regular visits to home. This study contributes to conceptual advancement in transnational motherhood research by bringing the aspect of wellbeing to the fore. It does this by uniquely considering the use of subjective wellbeing in understanding mothers’ experiences and how migration was beneficial to their mothering goals and aspirations. Findings indicate that mothers demonstrated agency in dealing with various challenges. They found migration as emancipatory and they were determined to provide for their children as well as to secure their future.
Intimate partner killings, criminal defences and the law
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Sithole, Patience Thandeka
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 in section 9 resoundingly guarantees the ‘equal protection and benefit of the law’ to all who are within the Republic. This undertaking is a crucial part of the South African democracy, and it is a manifestation of the law’s progression from being grossly and arbitrarily discriminatory, to becoming more inclusive and considerate of people from all walks of life. Contrarily though, a close analysis of some aspects of the law as it currently exists, shows that equality before the law is more aspirational than it is a reality. Women, in particular, are often overlooked and subjected to unfairness by the same law that, in theory, vows to protect them. The lack of accommodation of abused women who kill, by the private defence ground of justification, under criminal law is an apt example of the law’s marginalisation of women. This marginalisation manifests itself in the rigid approaches to cases of abused women who kill. The typical approach is the objective ‘reasonable person’ standard which is effective in most instances but has fallen short in cases of abuse, as such cases require consideration of the abused woman’s unique set of circumstances. This calls for a closer exploration of the specific and subjective factors of women’s experiences in order to comprehend the nature and extent of the abuse. Although expert witness evidence is admissible in these cases, the weight placed on such evidence is minimal, often leading to a miscarriage of justice. In view of that, this paper serves to play a dual role of re-identifying the inadequacies that continue to exist under the private defence laws in South Africa, while simultaneously providing recommendations on how the law can be developed to successfully address these inadequacies.
The Exploration of the experiences and perceptions of service providers on the implementation of the Amendments to the Criminal Law (Sexual Offenses and Related Matters) Amendment Act 13 of 2021: The case of statutory rape in Johannesburg, Gauteng
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Doodhnath, Sirishka; Nkala-Dlamini, Busisiwe
This study aims to explore service providers’ perceptions and experiences regarding the implementation of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 13 of 2021 in South Africa. The study examined the regulations concerning the age of consent for sexual activity involving minors, which are considered essential in addressing statutory rape. Using a qualitative research approach and exploratory study design, the study sought to gain an in-depth understanding of service providers on the effectiveness of the Act in addressing statutory rape and related issues. 12 service providers who have worked on the Amended Act were recruited and sampled for the study with the assistance of the Department of Community Safety. The department provided the researcher with a list of multi-disciplinary team professionals involved in the Victim Empowerment program. The study employed semi- structured interviews using interview guides to collect data from all service providers involved in the implementation of the Act. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data and to identify recurring themes. The study findings offer insights that can assist policymakers in addressing the challenges and gaps in the implementation of the Act, with the goal of protecting minors and combating statutory rape in South Africa.
The 1995 Shobashobane Christmas Day massacre: political mass murder that shook the new South Africa
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Khumalo, Sibongile
This research report tells the story of the killing of 18 African National Congress (ANC) supporters in the village of Shobashobane on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast by an Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) aligned mob. It is one of the earliest episodes of political conflict that marred post-apartheid South Africa in what was a climax of instability in the region with a long history of violence. The survivors of the massacre still bear the scars of the onslaught and question whether the political change they fought for has brought them the future they envisaged. The gruesome attack, which took place on 25 December 1995, was a consequence of a fight for political hegemony between the IFP and the ANC. Twenty-eight years after the massacre, the events of that fateful Christmas day are still etched in the memory of the survivors and aggravated by the challenging socio-economic conditions of the present. The court found the massacre to be politically motivated by the rival supporters. Those convicted and jailed for their role in the massacre described by the court as ‘well-orchestrated’ have all been released from prison, while others had their convictions overturned on appeal shortly after sentencing. Political violence continues to plague parts of KwaZulu-Natal in different forms, and Shobashobane remains a mishmash of complex socio-political contrasts.
A Critical Inquiry into The Ethical Justification(s) For Decriminalising Cannabis Use In South Africa
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Moolla, Sadiyyah; Attoe, Aribiah David
The right to privacy, as contained in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, grants individuals the right to engage in certain activities, insofar as those activities are private, without infringement by individuals or the state. The said right is what was relied upon by the Constitutional Court in the decision to decriminalize Cannabis, for private use. However, there is a marked difference between that which is legal and that which is moral. In this thesis, I will grapple with the ethical justifications for the decriminalization of Cannabis. Using the Ubuntu ethical theory, I will show that there is in fact no ethical justification for impeding on a moral agent’s right to consume cannabis. I will begin by providing some arguments for and against the legalisation of cannabis use, showing their merits and their demerits. I will then provide an account of Ubuntu ethics and show how its tenets bear on the right to consume cannabis.
The Role of International Commitments in Combating the Illicit Distribution of Cocaine
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Bacta, Raquel; Alence, Rod
Theoretical studies claim that states’ adherence to international drug control treaties may impact the enforcement of cocaine seizure regulations. However, this study found no significant relationship between commitment to United Nations Conventions and cocaine seizures. The study employed two multi-level regression models to investigate the poten- tial correlation between state adherence to drug control conventions and cocaine seizures between 1996 and 2019. The results suggest that other factors, such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), trade openness, military expenditure, and governance indicators, may play a more important role in explaining the variation in cocaine seizures. Furthermore, the findings imply that practical outcomes may not meet expectations despite efforts to ad- here to international agreements on drug control. Other factors such as national interests, domestic politics, and resource allocation might play a more crucial role in determining the effectiveness of drug control measures. Therefore, comprehensive strategies beyond gov- ernance indicators alone are necessary to address drug trafficking, requiring multifaceted approaches considering socio-economic dynamics, law enforcement capabilities, and inter- national cooperation.
Food Riot? Analyzing the July 2021 Unrest in South Africa Using Topic Modeling
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Khoza, Palesa; Kesselman, Brittany
The July 2021 unrest in South Africa trended on Twitter between the 9th and 31st of July 2021. The unrest received attention from different groups of society, it was interpreted by the media, government, and scholars. This paper explores whether the July 2021 unrest was framed as a food riot by the affected communities across KwaZulu–Natal and Gauteng provinces in South Africa. A dictionary-based analysis and STM topic modeling were conducted on 8264 geo-tagged tweets extracted from the 9th to the 31 of July 2021 to capture the views of the communities in areas affected by the unrest. The findings indicate that conversations concerning the unrest were around collective action, food disturbances, political dissatisfaction, looting, and socio-economic stressors. This study found that political dissatisfaction is linked to a lack of governance response to the deteriorating socio-economic conditions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of this study suggest that loss of income and high food prices associated with the pandemic contributed to food disturbances. In addition, food price increases were expected in the aftermath of the social unrest. In conclusion, the views on Twitter revealed conversations around multiple interlinked issues.
Caste and Colourism: Constructions of beauty among women in the historically Indian area of Chatsworth, Durban
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Moodley, Paalini Jasanthini; Mngomezulu, Nosipho
This research study has set out to uncover the silences surrounding caste and colourism, and the influence of this on constructions of beauty standards among women in the Chatsworth Indian community. My fieldwork consisted of participant observations and interviews over the course of four weeks at a beauty parlour in Chatsworth, with a predominantly Indian women clientele. There were six participants in this study who consisted of the owner of the beauty parlour, Sandhya, the nail technicians, Mahati and Nidhi, the threaders, Yukti and Kalyani, and the hairdresser, Lavana. Throughout the chapters within this study, I argue that despite the language of caste rarely spoken, it exists as a reconfigured caste system determined by culture and colour, significantly influencing women’s perceptions of beauty. Moreover, certain standards of beauty that favour lighter skin tones as a result of systemic prejudice, influence women to partake in beauty treatments that feed into this ideal. Lastly, women’s choices in certain treatments are severely influenced by their desire to please a man, impress a mother-in-law, flaunt social status to family through a lighter skin tone, and fit an ideal standard of beauty. In theorising beauty, I draw on feminist and postcolonial perspectives, contextualising beauty within historical, socio-cultural, socio-economic, and socio-political dimensions. I use Hauntology as a framework in unmasking the recursive force of caste which consumes women’s everyday lives, dictating marriage criterion, popularity, status, affluence, and beauty standards
Intimacy, sadness-as-courage and post-apartheid disillusionment in Nhlanhla P. Maake’s Mangolo a Nnake
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mochechane, Khumo Sophia; Musila, Grace A.
In this thesis, I analyse Nhlanhla P. Maake’s 1999 novella, Mangolo a Nnake. While Mangolo readily constitutes apartheid literature, I make a discussion around its prescient nature; that is to say, the ways in which it predicts post-apartheid neocolonialism and ‘ruined time’. The overarching subject matter being black female self-actualisation, I explore Professor Roger Coulibaly’s question, “What do African women need in order to write?”, making a case for the responses space, time and affective prompting. The broad subject of psychosocial support, female solidarity and female social capital is also discussed in line with the ways in which sadness sometimes births the courage to initiate and maintain self-actualisation. By way of close reading of the novella, I discuss various literary devices that are able to cultivate intimacy in a reader. The reader of an epistolary novel can be considered an ‘eavesdropper’, and I show the ways in which literary ‘eavesdropping’ makes way for simulation with a literary character to take place as abstract spectator – that is to say, as reader. I also discuss psychosocial support vis-a-vis female solidarity as an additional need for black women writers. These sometimes find expression by way of storytelling and humour. The latter two are explored in this thesis for their therapeutic and healing abilities. I also read Ntshebo’s disappointment and hurt as allegorical of the larger disappointment of the post-apartheid nation as a result of neocolonialism. A running trope throughout this thesis is the ways in which the concept of the ‘New Woman’ found place and proliferation under the apartheid regime.

4. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - Faculties submissions

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