4. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - Faculties submissions
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Item A Queer Economic Study: Exploring the Economic and Social Burden of Discrimination Against Black Lesbians in Johannesburg(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Futshane, Vuyokazi; Dawson, Hannah; Francis, DavidThis qualitative study explores the experiences of Black lesbians in Johannesburg, focusing on the intersections of their identity to understand the links between sexual orientation, discrimination, and the South African social and economic context. It examines the dynamics in the workplace and connects it to social relations outside of the workplace. Drawing upon intersectionality, this study reveals how race, class, gender, and sexual orientation do not operate independently but overlap simultaneously to shape Black lesbian’s experiences of discrimination. The findings highlight the varied nature of discrimination, ranging from subtle biases and microaggressions to overt forms of prejudice, and the strategic concealment of sexual orientation by some, a coping mechanism against potential biases. The study stresses the impacts of non-conformity of heteronormative expectations and underscores the importance of exploring queer economics to understand how identities intersect with socio-economic realities more comprehensively.Item Employee Sentiments Concerning Workplace Greening(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-09) Khorommbi, Phumudzo; Moolla, RaeesaFor centuries, people have continuously impacted the environment, resulting in an exponential rise in environmental problems and deterioration. In the quest to find solutions, business organisations have employed or tried to institute greening programmes, such as promoting waste at source and installing solar panels. However, it is essential for people, specifically in occupational settings, to see this as a need - for greening programmes to be effective. To this end, this study aimed to identify the elements that drive individuals to conduct environmentally responsible behaviours at work. This qualitative study collected data by administering surveys to research participants. Information related to eco-helping, eco-initiatives and eco-civic engagement was collected by administering surveys to local contractors at the PepsiCo site in Kempton Park, Johannesburg. The survey amassed 70 responses during October 2023. The study found that gender was an important indicator of pro-environmental behaviour, and that age affected a person’s inclination to act pro-environmentally. As this study relied on proclamations of good environmental intentions from participants, future studies should test this hypothesis in the field to quantify its success.Item An assessment of the determinants of IT entrepreneurs' level of awareness of the most common causes of start-ups failures in Johannesburg, South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Mkhavele, NhlamuloIn South Africa, more than 70% to 80% of small to medium-sized businesses (SMMEs) fail within the first three years. In order to gain insight into the level of awareness of IT start-up entrepreneurs regarding the causes of SMME failure, this study conducted an empirical review of the literature and developed a hypothetical framework, the study builds on the work done by Justino Vicente on the factors influencing the failure of small enterprises in order to achieve its objective. It then makes recommendations for future research on the topic. In the aftermath of several economic adversities, prominent among them unemployment, poverty, and HIV and AIDS, SMME failure and success are key among national strategic concerns in the Republic of South Africa, where this study is being conducted in the Johannesburg region. The research employed a quantitative research methodology and the main instruments for gathering data was a survey/ questionnaire, and the snowball sampling method was used. 100 ICT start-ups owners and managers received surveys. The statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) program was employed to analyse the quantitative data collected. Tables, pie charts, and bar charts were used to display the statistically descriptive results. Due to the many different reasons why SMMEs fail, this study focused its conclusions on the following factors: determinants of IT entrepreneurs' level of awareness of the most common causes of start-ups failures in Johannesburg, South Africa, determinants of accessibility to information of the most common causes of start-up failures and the willingness of entrepreneurs to consume information related to start-up failures were also presented. Among the results of failure include unemployment, societal ills, poverty, and loss of revenue. The study concludes by recommending various interventions to improve the level of awarenessItem Assessing the Retrofitting of Office Buildings in the City of Johannesburg, South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Katumba, Bamoni Nathalie; Hildebrandt, DianeClimate change caused by greenhouse gasses (GHG) has become a challenge to the world and South Africa (SA) alike. SA emits 450 million tons per annum (TPA) of carbon dioxide (CO2) and is the 12th largest CO2 emitter in the world. Buildings account for 50% of GHG, globally; therefore, energy use in new and existing buildings must be addressed. Retrofitting existing buildings has been identified as one of the ways to achieve sustainability in the built environment, this is done by enhancing energy efficiency (EE), the environmental performance of the property and lowering energy demand. This study, therefore, examined the challenges, benefits and critical success factors (CSF) for retrofitting offices in the City of Johannesburg (CoJ), SA. The data for this study were obtained from built environment professionals with experience in retrofitting existing office buildings. An online questionnaire was issued to the targeted sample using Google Forms and 71 responses were received. The quantitative data were analysed using the t-test function from the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. This study uncovered that lack of government incentives; budget constraints; longer payback periods; technical challenges and disruption of and inconvenience to the tenant during retrofitting are the top five challenges hindering retrofitting of existing office buildings. The study also identified improved EE; enhanced marketability of the buildings; improved building climate control; reduced energy consumption and reduced operational cost of buildings as the top five benefits of retrofitting existing office buildings. Furthermore, project cost control; communication; efficient planning and regulatory approvals between the municipality and project manager; project schedule management and competency of the project manager were revealed as the top five CSF that influence retrofitting of existing office buildings. Recommendations include engagements between various stakeholders; cost benefits analysis; CSF at the beginning of retrofitting projects; changes in government regulations and policies to incentivise retrofitting projects; tenants’ inputs throughout projects, public and private sectors collaboration; availability of retrofitting information and inclusion of sustainability in the built environment tertiary curriculumItem Lil_ith- A love story for South Africa’s queer, misfit youth(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-03) de Jager, Robin Claude; Wessels, ChristopherThis project takes the form of an explorative filmic investigation into and reflection on the archetype of the queer misfit in South African cinema. The film and research take the standpoint of the South African misfit archetype being a post-queer-theory subject in relation to the country’s historical, socio-economic, sexual, traditional and technological landscape. I will compare the appearance of the queer misfit through the arrival of the neon and caustic characters of the New Queer Cinema movement of the 1990s to South Africa’s contemporary emergence of this archetype, positioning Queer Theory and the New Queer Cinema movement of the early as the primary emergence of a ‘true’ queer voice. I will engage with the influence of socio-economic, political and technological stimuli as well as the emergence of post-Queer Theory in the West and South Africa and its contribution to the evolution of the queer and misfit in post-colonial South African cinema. Through a practice-led, autoethnographic approach I combined these findings with core theoretical frameworks on post-modern sexuality by Queen and Schimel to inform and fuel the development of the film Lil_ith. The film stands as a creative execution expanding on the South African Misfit archetype in relation to the global history of Queer Misfit representation as well as its relationship with South Africa as a nation in the process of de-lonialisation within a digitised and globalised world.Item Diasporic Landscape: A Geosemiotic Analysis of Greekness in Johannesburg(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-03) Vratsanos, Alyssa Vida Castrillon; Baro, GillesAfter a number of waves of immigration of Greeks from Greece, Cyprus, and the established Greek diaspora in Egypt, South Africa is home to a sizable Greek community – concentrated in Johannesburg – that has established its own cultural identity in the country and left indelible traces of Greekness in the semiotic landscape of the city. In this dissertation, I explore the discursive, multimodal processes employed to inscribe Greekness – the quality of being of Greek heritage – in the city of Johannesburg. The overarching aim of this study was to analyse how members of the Greek diaspora in Johannesburg negotiate and perform their Greek identity and how Greekness is inscribed in various spaces in the city. In particular, it aimed to answer the following research questions: (i) How are certain spaces in the city of Johannesburg materially constructed as Greek spaces?; (ii) How is Greekness semiotically constructed?; and (iii) How is this constructed Greekness experienced by social actors, in the context of a European diasporic community in Johannesburg, a city in the Global South?. Empirically, this linguistic/semiotic landscape study made use of multimodal data, in the form of ethnographic field notes, photographs of signs, interviews, and newspaper articles, which were analysed within Scollon and Scollon’s (2003) geosemiotics framework. Previous works by McDuling (2014) and McDuling and Barnes (2012) have examined the Greek diaspora in Johannesburg from a sociolinguistic perspective, with a focus on language shift and maintenance. This study differs significantly in approach, shifting the focus from language use to an analysis of the signs used to assert and inscribe Greekness in Johannesburg, thereby drawing this subject matter into a linguistic landscape study of the diaspora In the empirical chapters of the dissertation, I used geosemiotics as a methodological toolkit to analyse several themes that arose from my data. First, I analysed the role food plays in inscribing Greekness in Johannesburg through an analysis of the Greek foodscapes in the city, such as Greek restaurants and supermarkets, as well as the food-centric elements used in other Greek spaces to communicate Greekness. I then introduced the concept of syncretism as a term that can be applied in a semiotic sense, to describe the ways in which signs and symbols from various, sometimes incompatible, aspects of Greek history and identity are deliberately displayed side-by-side in a space and operate in aggregate to communicate homogeneous and ‘authentic’ Greekness. Finally, I took a ‘semiotic approach’ (Van Leeuwen, 2001) to authenticity and analysed how authenticity in the Greek diaspora is semiotically constructed both visually and aurally in Greek spaces in Johannesburg. This study argues that the Greek diaspora in Johannesburg seeks to construct spaces in the city as recognisably and undeniably Greek, deliberately distinguishing themselves from the rest of the city, including other South Africans and other diasporas, by using a constellation of multimodal and multisensorial signs to convey a sense of homogeneous Greekness. The types of signs that are used to inscribe Greekness are all linked to the desirability – and by extension superiority – of Greek culture, heritage, and history. Thus, the ways in which Greekness is inscribed by the diaspora in Johannesburg rely on a process of self-exoticism (cf. Iwabuchi, 1994).Item Alternative Tenure Options as a Stepping Stone for Urban Land Reform: The Case of Kwa Mai Mai Muthi Market(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024-02) Mnguni, Thobeka; Maina, Miriam M.This research uses qualitative methods to investigate the case of the Kwa Mai Mai muthi market located in the central business district of Johannesburg where over the decades informal traders have converted their trading units into residential homes. This case is used to respond to the research question, ‘To what extent is taking administrative action to improve land tenure by offering communities rights to occupy urban land feasible and necessary for advancing the urban land reform agenda?.’ The research acknowledges that popular approaches to improving tenure by converting insecure tenure rights to statutory ownership through the Deeds office has had limited success and resulted in efficiencies due to the high costs and the resources intensive nature of this approach. Instead, the research recommends a necessary transition to improving tenure in innovative, context-specific ways that work to build on existing settlements through taking low-cost and low LOE administrative action.Item Heirloom between the tracks— Revealing hybrid landscapes of rest and reflection at Langlaagte Cemetery(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024-02) Skudder, Emma Catherine; Hart, BrendanSituated in a sea of grass alongside the Johannesburg railway lines, lie rows of graves lost in an overgrown landscape. Some marked, some unmarked, all invisible to the passer-by. This landscape is rooted between multi-cultural communities with a heritage dating back to the origins of Johannesburg. Paarlshoop, Langlaagte-North, Mayfair-West and Brixton border its edges, which establishes the core of this research— the site. To understand the intricacies of the site, is to understand the project intent. Where there are graves, there is abandoned heritage, lost memory and forgotten stories. Where there are railway buildings, there is existing community claim to be enriched. Where there are grasses, shrubbery, and treelines there is connection to agricultural pasts. Heirloom between the tracks, bridges the urban lifeways of the site with a heritage-focussed centre weaving together old and new, facilitating the surrounding community and providing a space for memory. With a contextual, history-driven, and postcolonial lens, the beacon of this thesis was using methods of remembrance, acknowledging the site’s unavoidable histories, tying back into the surrounding community through revealing, engaging, and re-inscribing. Spaces of commemoration and recreational landscapes, stitch new narratives onto the site for a multifunctional, small-scale heritage hub. This hub ties together archiving, storytelling and making spaces, with spaces of skills-development and contextually functional service provision. By establishing this site-centred facility, micro-industry, heritage, and identity are re-rooted and fed back into its surrounds, nurturing the existing conditions upon which they reside, establishing an architectural tapestry, a quilt, an heirloom.Item Waste Not, Plant, Rot: A wastewater treatment centre that produces sustainable resources in Norwood, Johannesburg(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024-02) Glanville, Robyn Alice; Stone-Johnson, BrigittaThis research investigates the delivery of essential resources - water, energy, and food around Orange Grove and Norwood, Johannesburg, where all three aspects are threatened by pollution and inaccessibility. Drawing upon permaculture and biomimicry principles, the study explores localized resource management in neighbourhood nodes to address the pressing issue of sustained inequality in South Africa. Focusing on a wastewater treatment plant and an aquaponic farm in Orange Grove, Johannesburg, the project aims to generate sustainable materials, produce, clean water, and energy while fostering spatial and social justice opportunities through community engagement and learning.Item Sound Incubator: South African Music Library; Improv and Live Performance at the gateway to Alexandra, Johannesburg(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024-02) Gimpel, Ariella; Hart, BrendanSound is not just an abstract concept; it is an instrument of expression in South Africa. It serves as a means to praise or protest, to unite or disperse, to energize or to mourn. Sound is not confined to a vacuum; rather, it exists within the realm of physical space and unfolds over time. In this regard, sound and architecture share an intrinsic connection as they both occupy and shape the spaces they inhabit. This thesis embarks on a journey to unravel the intricate interplay between sound and architecture within the dynamic context of Johannesburg, South Africa. The focal point of this exploration is the ‘Sound Incubator,’ a speculative architectural intervention designed to facilitate live performances. Its purpose is to foster artistic talent by deliberately intersecting diverse artists, thereby igniting creativity and safeguarding cultural heritage. My investigation commences with South African music and live performance, recognizing their immense cultural, social, and economic potential while acknowledging the scarcity of suitable venues for these experiences. I then delve into the essential architectural considerations, encompassing acoustics, psycho-acoustics, psychogeography, the symbiotic relationship between music and architecture, and the role of improvisation as a means of creation and learning. Amidst the intricate tapestry of Alexandra township in Johannesburg, a community shaped by ongoing political struggles and rapid urbanisation, we find a resourceful, rhythmical, and diverse population deeply committed to the arts. The current and historic soundscape of Alexandra, which exists in an improvised state of survival – provides the ideal context for the Sound Incubator.