Faculty of Humanities (ETDs)

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2D Animation: The Key to Growth and Adaptation of the South African Animation Ecosystem
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Gardiner, Eric; Cloete, Stephen
This paper examines South African animation with a focus on unveiling how local animators have adapted to overcome the challenges existing in their local circumstances. This research investigates the history of different techniques used by animators in South Africa and how they have evolved or died out. The data from a collection of over 170 locally produced animations is combined with opinion data from industry professionals to paint a clearer picture of current attitudes, trends and future trajectories. The cultural significance of localised animation is emphasised, and the core rhetoric of this paper is to stimulate the creation of more such media. This paper provides the most value to startup animators in South Africa who can leverage this collection of resources and information to bridge their gap in knowledge on South African industry processes such as financing one’s first animation project and developing a low-cost pipeline. The research in this paper uncovered that 2D animation plays the most significant role out of all techniques used in South Africa. It also reveals three differing business strategies that have been employed by South African animators to successfully fund locally themed animation productions.
A Beginner’s Guide to Puzzle Design: Creating an applied guide for effective puzzle design in videogames
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-06) Prinz, Erik; Flusk, Timothy; Reid, Kieran
While a vast collection of information exploring effective puzzle design exists, it is riddled with conflicting opinions and inconsistent formats, making it arduous to engage with. This research aims to curate this collection, organizing its knowledge into an applied guide for puzzle design in videogames. This will be accomplished through an amalgamation of design principles offered by selected works of oundational literature, and the insights contained within the design philosophies of three industry professionals (Jonathan Blow, Kim Swift, and Arvi ‘Hempuli’ Teikari). The synthesis of these two families of information will be aided by the simultaneous development of a puzzle platforming videogame. Through a process of iteration and playtesting, this game will be used to assess the value and accuracy of the developing guide. With careful consideration of useful structures present in the foundational literature, the plethora of existing information can be reformatted to be user-friendly and appliable by novel puzzle designers.
A case study of homeless women living on the streets of Braamfontein, Johannesburg
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-03) Msimango, Thando Dimakatso; Gerrand, Priscilla
Homelessness is a global concern. Several factors that trigger homelessness, such as natural disasters and wars, poor education, poverty, substance abuse, domestic violence and mental illness, have frequently been identified. South Africa has seen an increase in the number of people living on the streets of its major cities. This has culminated in the initiation of different research studies looking into the phenomenon of homelessness. However, there seems to be a gap in the studies looking at the plight of homeless women within the Braamfontein area of Johannesburg. Therefore, this study explored the experiences of homeless women living on the streets of Braamfontein and is based on a constructivist paradigm. The study adopted a qualitative approach, and a single case study design was adopted. Snowball sampling was used to select 13 participants who met the selection criteria. A semi-structured interview guide was used as a research tool, and one-on-one-in-depth interviews were used to collect data. Thematic analysis was also used to analyse the data. The study can contribute to developing and enhancing gender-specific intervention programmes earmarked for women living on the streets of Braamfontein in Johannesburg. It is hoped that the study might also initiate debates around the subject matter. Recommendations are made for future research.
A comparative study of how four selected newspapers framed the coverage of the death of mthokozisi ntumba
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Magomani, Amukelani; Balliah, Dinesh
For years, traditional media such as newspapers have played a pivotal role in circulating news and information for public consumption. South Africa has recently experienced an increase in news on police brutality cases against protesters on various platforms covered by the newspapers. This study analyses the framing of media coverage by Daily Maverick, Daily Sun, Mail & Guardian, and Sowetan newspapers of the pre-and post-trial of the law enforcement officers charged with the killing of Mthokozisi Ntumba. This case was centred on forceful actions by police officials to disperse a crowd during a student protest. Although Ntumba was not amongst the protesting crowds, he was shot and killed by police officers. The study aims to discover the ways in which Ntumba’s case was reported by the four selected newspapers. The nature, aim, objectives and contextual significance of this study dictates that a qualitative research approach be used. The study was underpinned by the framing theory. Qualitative data was collected using the content analysis method, with purposive sampling used to select all textual units that contributed towards answering the study’s research questions. A sample of 83 articles was selected on the basis that the articles reported the news of the killing of Ntumba and the follow up court trial of the police officers. Qualitative framing analysis was used to study the media coverage of the killing of a bystander and police brutality in South Africa. From the study’s findings, it was revealed that different frames were used by the four selected newspapers in the coverage of Ntumba’s case. The frames used by the selected newspapers highlighted the extent to which the issue of police brutalityin the country has led to the death of people and other underlying issues that exist due to police brutality during protests.
A computational study of media bias in South African online political news reporting over the period 2021 - 2023
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Ngwenya, Nonhlanhla Nomusa; Alence, Rod
The study examined the presence of tonality bias in South African political news reporting over the period 2021 until mid-2023. The study employed the methods of the Lexicoder Sentiment Dictionary, a lexical-based method, and Latent Semantic Scaling, a semi-supervised machine learning method. Sentiment was utilised as a proxy for tonality. Online commercial media publishers were contrasted against the state-owned news publisher to ascertain how online news reporting contributed to shaping the national agenda, and the framing of political actors and their respective political parties. The Lexicoder Sentiment Dictionary and the Latent Semantic Scaling evidenced that commercial media publishers exhibited positive tonality bias for the Democratic Alliance during the 2021 Municipal Elections. South African media publishers were found to exhibit consistent negative tonality bias when reporting on protest action. The state-owned media publisher was found to drive a pro ruling party sentiment whereas commercial media publishers’ sentiment was anti- populist and agenda-setting. The congruency in political news reporting gave grounds to the call for diversity in publishing
A Contractarian Conception Of The Basic Income Grant: General And South African Considerations
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-10) Mc Lean, Jordan; Glaser, Daryl
This academic report proposes an additional moral argument for implementing a basic income grant (BIG) within the framework of the social contract in South Africa. The analysis aims to establish whether there are implicit obligations on the part of the state to provide all citizens with access to social assistance. The report ascertains what moral obligations the state has towards its citizens by exploring social contract theory. The report also analyses the South African case more closely, arguing that state obligation to provide social assistance to all citizens can be found in the Constitution and in the objectives of the social. The research report offers reflections regarding how the South African state attempts to satisfy these obligations through a discussion on some of the government’s social and economic policies. The reflections argue that while the state recognises this moral obligation, it follows the structurally unviable policy position that wage employment can satisfy the social contract for the working aged population. The report investigates the nexus between the social contract and basic income, arguing that the social contract makes the provision of social assistance a moral requirement of the state and thus a basic income grant is necessary, especially in the South Africa case where a large number of working age people have no social assistance access and face high rates of structural unemployment. The report undertakes document analysis of relevant literature, government policy proposals and development programmes to achieve this objective. Ultimately, this report contributes to the understanding of the post-Apartheid social contract, the politics of the welfare system, and the discourse surrounding basic income grants.
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.
A critical review of academic practice and integrated edtech use at a South African University: The ‘real’ level
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-06) Hoosen, Nazira; Agherdien, Najma; Abrahams, Lucienne
This study aimed to investigate and understand how academics’ digital competence and critical digital pedagogy (CDP) knowledge shaped pedagogical practice. Freire (1970), Bhaskar (1978), Archer (1995) and Shulman (1987) were the main authors drawn upon in the literature. A qualitative research paradigm and a multiple case study methodology were employed by drawing on critical realism (CR) and social realism (SR) as a theoretical analytical framework. This entailed exploring structural, cultural and agential emergent properties to examine how each construct developed over time prior to synthesis. The analysis demonstrated that the form of agential mediation to which academics were exposed explained why some of them in the same social structures and culture enacted CDP practices, while others did not. Consequently, three crucial dimensions of CDP knowledge and enactment were made visible through this study’s data and theoretical analytical framework, namely digitally-enabling structures, digitally-informed cultures and digitally-capable agency. From a pragmatic perspective, to enact CDP practice, academics need to connect the digital reality to knowledge work and epistemic practice. In this process, academic agency and digital agency would intersect, requiring reflexive and reflective practice. However, while reflection assists in recognising the need for CDP knowledge and enactment, it is insufficient on its own: embodied action and mindful critique of the world are required. From a theoretical perspective, the concept of ‘critical’, in the literature, is related mainly to the level of social relations. This study demonstrated that there is a socio-cultural stratum and a psychological-cognitive stratum. Both these strata need to be considered as mechanisms that interact with each other to produce the outcomes of CDP practice within a digital reality. Collectively, these contributions do not translate to accepting the digital reality as a predestination. Instead, it highlighted that academics functioned in a layered HE system that required, not a singular, but a unified and pluralistic (collective) vision. Individuals and institutions are limited in their capacity to respond proactively to external change and internal complexity. Therefore, the HE system requires a rerouting from the traditional path, critically reframing learning and teaching through transformative foresight, where all parts within the system work co-terminously. One significant outcome of this study is a developmental higher education systems thinking framework focusing on the promotion of CDP practices.
A Deep Divide in South African Art Music: Locating the Voice of the Performer
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-07) Nay, Malcom; Olwage, Grant
This essay traces the origins of a “deep divide” (Fokkens 2014: 8) that developed between two central figures in the South African compositional world, originally in the 1980s around accusations of the cultural appropriation of African music. The conflict became entrenched amongst composers, musicologists and performers and has pervaded much of the research and dialogue that has taken place in the intervening years. This came to a head when a selection of South African composers was selected to present works to be performed at a concert at the Juilliard School in New York in 2014. The ensuing fallout characterised the vicious nature of the musical aspersions that eventually degenerated into direct personal conflict. My role as a performer, during this time, had to take into account this unpleasant environment as I had direct interactions with many of the figures involved, often working towards performances and recordings of their music. In more recent times, support for the arts in South Africa has declined significantly serving to intensify the struggle for access to funding, resources, and performance opportunities, exacerbated by a diminishing government mandate for general arts support and the devastating impact of Covid-19. The essay recounts an in-depth personal narrative and performance analysis of my experience when preparing Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph’s Pendulum for Piano and Orchestra (2010). It finds that while an ideal philosophical approach to preparing a performance is commendable, it is not always achievable when confronted with the practical realities of a musical performance.
A Discourse Analysis of news reports on farm murders in South Africa
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Ntantala, Noxolo; Rafaely, Daniella
Farm murders in South Africa represent more than isolated incidents of violence, they are symptomatic of deeper societal issues, including socioeconomic disparities and historical injustices. Addressing farm murders requires a nuanced understanding of their broader implications and the underlying power dynamics shaping public discourse surrounding these crimes. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) offers a valuable lens through which to examine media representations of farm murders. By scrutinizing language use in media discourse, CDA enables researcher to uncover the ways in which power structures and ideological biases influence public perceptions and societal norms (Fairclough, 1995). This analytical approach is particularly apt for studying farm murders, as it allows for the exploration of how media narratives frame these crimes within the socio-political landscape of South Africa. In this research, I have conducted a Critical Discourse Analysis of media representations of farm murders, utilizing Fairclough’s three-dimensional model as my theoretical framework to analyse18 newspaper articles from prominent outlets spanning from the year 2017 to 2023, including The Citizen, Sunday Independent, Cape Argus, Pretoria News Weekend, Diamond field Advertiser and Daily News. The aim was to elucidate how these articles construct and frame the discourse surrounding farm murders. By critically analyzing the language and narratives employed in media coverage, my study sheds light on the underlying power dynamics and ideological influences shaping public perceptions of farm murders. This research unveils media portrayal of farm murders in South Africa, highlighting prevalent direct quotations and sensationalized narratives. While emphasizing farmers’ innocence and law enforcement responsiveness, media disproportionately focuses on victims over perpetrators. These portrayals evoke fear and sympathy, prompting discussions on community cohesion and broader societal impacts
A gendered inquiry into South Africa’s agrarian question and agro-food system trends
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Mabasa, Khwezi; Williams, Michelle; Cock, Jacklyn
South Africa’s agrarian question has been shaped by the evolution of racial capitalism for nearly four centuries. Dispossession, commodification, and social stratification continue to characterise the country’s agrarian system and broader social structure. However, these three structural features exist in a 21st century finance-led racial capitalist system, which has decoupled socio-economic development from rural-based agrarian livelihoods and exacerbated uneven spatial development across the country. Sixty-seven per cent of the population resides in urban areas and deagrarianisation continues to expand. The country’s agro-food system is highly industrialised, with strong upstream and downstream linkages to other economic sectors dominated by large corporates along value chains. Yet these structural shifts, created through centuries of dispossession and racially segregated industrialisation, have not totally obliterated the role of agrarian livelihood practices in households or community social reproduction. This study used a gendered lens to explore the agrarian political economy structural changes mentioned above, drawing primarily on the experiences of black African women from low-income communities. The discussions elevate gendered socio-economic and sociological impacts of structural agrarian changes in South Africa, which are often underplayed in agrarian political economy literature focusing on transforming race or class relations. More importantly, the study examined the women’s individual and communal agentic agrarian livelihood practices. The main aim was to explore significant lessons for contributing towards debates on alternative agro-food systems in South Africa. Feminist and extended case methodology framed the overall methodological approach in the study, and data was obtained from semi-structured individual and focus group interviews. I relied on Marxist feminist and black feminist political economy literature to develop the study’s theoretical framework and analytical concepts. The central argument of the study is anchored on the following three points. Firstly, South Africa’s post-apartheid agro-food system structural change logic advances narrow agrarian transformation goals, which seek to change racial ownership patterns and integrate ‘emerging’ women farmers into existing commercial agro-food system market structures. This approach has led to negative gendered socio-economic impacts because it fails to address structural social reproduction dimensions that cause gender disparities in the first place. Secondly, black African women have created dynamic agrarian subsistence practices in response to their structural socio-economic challenges, which form part of multiple livelihood and income sources. Their contribution towards local economic v development through these subsistence livelihood practices is overlooked because it takes place outside formal markets. Thus, it is imperative to examine and study these livelihood practices with the aim of obtaining key lessons on how to support marginalised black African women who view agrarian development as an importance source of social reproduction in their communities. Thirdly, black African women-led agency goes beyond orthodox productivism approaches in studying agrarian and non-agrarian livelihood strategies. This study revealed other essential elements in the women’s agentic practices such as solidarity building, experiential learning, indigenous knowledge sharing and creating spaces for formulating women-led public policy demands.
A Happier Life Through Sad Mode - Designing Automated Players for Single Player Games
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-06) Chola, Saili; Reid, Kieran; Du Preez, Kirsten
Solo games are a keystone of tabletop board gaming for players and designers alike. While they are numerous and enjoyed by many members of the community, there is a noticeable lack of clarity and exploration of what principles make these games uniquely interactive and enjoyable experiences for players. This project responds to this inadequacy through the development of a playable game and a research report. The game demonstrates and tests the virtues of solo game play mechanics while the report expands and discusses the interpretable results and qualities of said solo game mechanics.
A Narrative Inquiry into the Sense of Belonging, Alienation and Exclusion of Immigrant Students
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-03) Mpata, Sarah; Graham, Tanya
South Africa is still perceived as a critical higher education destination in Africa, as evidenced by the influx of student migration from neighbouring countries and sub-regions post-apartheid. However, despite possessing diverse knowledge and skills that have the potential to add value to the knowledge production of the country, region and around the globe, many immigrant students still face an array of psychosocial challenges when they come to South Africa to study. This study was crafted through Narrative Inquiry and Critical Race theoretical lenses to explore and understand the experiences of 6 postgraduate immigrant students from DRC, Malawi and Zimbabwe currently studying at the University of the Witwatersrand to identify how these experiences have facilitated or hindered a sense of belonging. The study intends to further contribute to the existing body of knowledge to help improve the lives and well-being of students in culturally diverse communities. A convenient purposive sample drew from a pool of immigrant students fitting the diversity and context of the study. The findings revealed a general impression of diverse experiences from immigrant students. However, many similarities identified in the elements of institutional discrimination, xenophobia and Afrophobia remain significant barriers to the success of immigrant students belonging, primarily manifesting through cultural and language barriers, individual differences in adaptation, social support and diversity inclusion initiatives, access to psychological support and counselling, Racism, Xenophobia and Afrophobia, prejudice and discrimination. Some participants also experienced language barriers and challenges related to institutional support based on how the immigrant student came into the country or was admitted into the institution vis a vis self-sponsorship, government-sponsored, or university scholarship and immigration status also revealed how individuals felt a sense of belonging or excluded. The study concludes that addressing these issues will help improve immigrant students' psychological well-being in their learning environment.
A pandemic shakes our pedagogy: Attempts to honour the integrity of a South African tertiary institution’s Applied Drama and Theatre curriculum in online learning platforms as a result of COVID-19
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-06) Mokoena, Moratoa Trinity; Janse van Vuuren, Petro
A pandemic shook our pedagogy. The arrival of COVID-19 changed the face of higher education in South Africa and in many parts of the world. As an Applied Drama and Theatre department whose work is predominantly embodied and experiential, we were faced with the question: How do we migrate our kind of work online and honour its fundamental objectives? A characteristic Applied Drama and Theatre practice is embedded in principles of participation and collaboration, reflection through praxis and immersion in social contexts. All of these are largely experienced with physically present bodies in a common space for the purposes of social transformation and education. Due to the pandemic, the effects of the digital divide were rapidly exposed and its limitations on access, connectivity and synchronicity delayed the progress of teaching and learning. Can we honour the integrity of the complete Applied Drama and Theatre pedagogy online and remotely, especially when the digital divide impacts connection with students and the marginalised communities that the pedagogy is suited for? While we acknowledged that digitising our educational practices had become a progressive necessity, would online learning alone be sufficient for the teaching and learning of embodied curricula? Through ethnographic case study and as teaching assistant, I observed University of the Witwatersrand’s Drama for Life department and their Applied Drama and Theatre educators during their encounter of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown periods of 2020 and 2021. By use of interviews, field notes and documentation, this study inquired how we reacted to the pandemic and its anticipated implications on the pedagogy and the academic programme. Furthermore, I established the evident threats that online learning poses to the pedagogy and investigated the disconcerting effects of the digital divide on student access and content delivery. Central to the study is the exploration of these educators’ practical strategies and collective approaches in maintaining the integrity of the Applied Drama and Theatre pedagogy. Through a journey of trial and error, the department and its educators were tasked to re-envision the pedagogy and negotiate appropriate multimodal online modes of delivery, in efforts to save the academic programme and achieve its pedagogical intentions. Even though the data and literature demonstrate the possibilities of migrating similar pedagogies online, remote learning has certainly compromised the practical and physical demands of a conventional Applied Drama and Theatre experience. Additionally, even though the theoretical components could be negotiated online, the findings highlighted that the pedagogical objectives as a whole were fragmented. Thus, in the case of the professionalisation of students and the provision of the full Applied Drama and Theatre pedagogy – the educators’ efforts fell short. The pedagogy, though shaken, still stands. The study concludes that the pedagogy is highly dependent on uninterrupted physical presence and even if the digital divide is managed its integrity remains tainted without connection. The findings emphasise that we cannot do away with contact teaching post-pandemic and any idea of a pedagogical utopia requires a carefully negotiated balance of appropriately designed online and offline approaches. The discussions and findings in this study do not only impact the Applied Drama and Theatre fraternity, departments and practitioners alike, but also shed light on the available possibilities for other multidimensional pedagogies. Institutions are encouraged to take the full repertoire of the pedagogy into account when designing their Learning Management Systems, to provide adequate support for staff and student training and their digital affordances. Moreover, it is noteworthy to address the feasibility and equity of online learning within a particular South African context as a whole.
A Phenomenological Analysis of the Experiences of Black Female Volunteer Lay Counsellors from Marginalised Backgrounds in Gauteng!
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-09) Naidoo, Sherwyn; Patel, Ruby
Within the South African context, Volunteer Lay Counsellors (VLCs) play a vital role in providing mental health care. Whilst Black female VLCs from marginalised backgrounds play an essential role in providing these services, there is a paucity of research in understanding their experiences. This study utilised a qualitative approach to explore the experiences of Black female VLCs from marginalised backgrounds in Gauteng. The researcher used non-probability purposive convenience sampling to recruit four participants who volunteered at a non-profit organisation (NPO) in Gauteng. The study collected data through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Insight was provided by this research into participants’ experiences of counselling from a position of their intersectionality to those who embody different intersectional identities. This was done by locating the research within the work of intersectional theorists Crenshaw (1989, 1991), McCall (2005), Tamale (2020), and Petsko and colleagues (2022). In keeping with this, the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) method allowed for an in-depth exploration of participants’ unique experiences through double hermeneutic interpretations. The themes illustrated that participants were motivated by the desperate need for access to mental healthcare in their socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. In addition, volunteering satisfied the prospects of fulfilling their career aspirations lost because of their subjection to gendered, racialised, and class oppression. Thirdly, themes highlighted how clients’ race, class, and gender impacted participants’ counselling experiences. Lastly, themes highlighted the psychological impact of counselling on participants and how helpful coping mechanisms developed from the survival of intersectional oppression and organisational training and support helped mitigate these psychological consequences. The provided understanding of participants’ experiences is essential for both praxis and policy within the area of VLC in South Africa.
A Philosophical Examination of Thomas Szasz on Mental Illness as a Myth
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Fenderico, Alex; Vice, Samantha
The field of psychiatry has encountered substantial scrutiny pertaining to its diagnostic and therapeutic modalities since the inception of the antipsychiatry movement in the 1960s. A prominent figure within this movement was Thomas Szasz, a Hungarian-American psychiatrist whose influence looms large. Szasz, inspired by the ideas of Michel Foucault, posited that psychiatry functions as a ‘locus of control’ designed to subjugate and pacify societal masses into compliance. His seminal work, "The Myth of Mental Illness," expressed the argument that the medicalisation of mental illness is inherently problematic, constituting a category error of profound significance and resulting in harmful stigmatisation. Szasz advocated for the extrication of mental illness, or as he preferred, 'problems in living,' from the view of the medical domain. Instead, he proposed a paradigm shift towards addressing these issues through social frameworks, particularly emphasizing psychotherapy or counselling as opposed to reliance on psychiatric medications. Szasz's perspectives yielded both enthusiastic support and strong criticism, and contemporary theorists, such as Gabor Maté, persist in echoing his sentiments to this day. The objective of this report is to critically examine Szasz's theoretical position, as well as to present a concerted effort to substantiate its enduring relevance in the current intellectual milieu.
A Podcast Original: Feeling out Black Contemporary Masculinity in South Africa
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-08) Mkhwanazi, Vuyiswa Samukelisiwe Nomvula; Kiguwa, Peace
This research report provides detailed account of the ways in which “Podcast and Chill with MacG” possibly surfaces affective identifications and attachments in its representations of black masculinity. The theoretical explorations are performed with the Millennial and Gen-Z aged masculine audience in mind as they would be the main consumers of this podcast. This study uses affect theory as its theoretical framework - particularly as it is offered by Sara Ahmed in conversation with Tomkins’ work. The study has taken on a qualitative approach. Data collection occurred through purposive sampling of three sixty minute [or longer] episodes of the podcast. The specific episodes feature the following people as interviewees or guests: media personality Jub Jub, comedian and actor Mpho “Popps” Modikane as well as radio personality and reality television star, Dineo Ranaka. The data is analysed and interpreted by means of critical discourse analysis which is focused on studying and analysing spoken and written texts for the purpose of revealing discursive sources of bias, inequality, dominance and power. This paper utilises a culturally responsive relational reflexive ethical framework. The key findings of this paper are that the podcast guest embody one of the following Jungian archetypes: fallen hero [Jub Jub], jester [Mpho Popps] and rebel [Dineo Ranaka]. Furthermore, the fallen hero and jester embody affects of elevation and pride, as well as anxiety respectively. The rebel subverts expectation by rejecting to embody shame and instead uses that rejection as a feminist rallying cry that works to summon a caring masculinity.
A practice based inquiry into materiality, minimalism, fantasy and actuality in animated documentary
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Pater, Dominik Łukasz
This thesis is part of a creative practice PhD that explores the creative possibilities of using animation as a documentary medium through the making of a half-hour animated documentary, titled Polonia, that takes as its subject a historical narrative focusing on the emigration of two Polish families from Poland in the early 1980s, set within the context of broader geopolitical events of that time. This written thesis contextualizes the making of the film by outlining a brief history of animated documentary and through a discussion of the key theoretical concepts that inform the discourse around this subgenre of documentary filmmaking. The thesis provides the historical context for the film’s narrative, outlines its production processes and unpacks its creative choices and iconography. The final part of the thesis discusses key theoretical insights that have emerged from the creative process and how they point towards a ways in which animation can be conceptualised as a legitimate documentary medium. The concept of constructedness as a means of self-reflexivity is identified as the key factor that grants animation this legitimacy. This leads to a discussion of the film as a spatial construct, resulting from the dual process of reconstruction and construction, and comprising both archival and cinematic spaces, as well as the liminal space that exists between fantasy and actuality. There is also a discussion of the film’s performance in and of animation, identifying the avatar as a distinct category of animated character that is granted documentary legitimacy, substance and interiority through its relationship to a real-world referent. Finally, the role of sound is addressed, as relating to the film’s self-reflexive constructedness.
A Qualitative Exploration of Teachers’ Experiences of Bullying by Learners- A Job Demands Resources Perspective
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Masoka, Petunia Ntokozo; Bernstein, Colleen
Abstract Teacher-Targeted Bullying and Harassment by learners (TTBH) has been identified as an issue in South African schools. TTBH negatively affects the psychological and physiological well- being of teachers, their willingness to stay in the profession, and the overall quality of education in South African schools. This study utilised the theoretical model of the Job Demands Resources Model and a qualitative methodology to understand teachers' experiences and perceptions of this type of workplace bullying. It further utilised the Frustration- Aggression Hypothesis, Social Learning Theory, and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory to understand possible causes of TTBH. The data was collected using semi-structured interviews and was analysed using Thematic Content Analysis. Twelve participants (9 females and 3 males) were interviewed from a number of schools within the Central Gauteng region. Eight participants identified as black (n=8), and four participants identified as coloured (n=4). All the participants in this study were from schools in Quintile four. The main themes that emerged were demands faced by teachers which include changes in curriculum, lack of resources as well as the impact of social and environmental factors that affect the process of teaching and learning. Furthermore, the effects of TTBH on teachers and schools, coping mechanisms, and how TTBH in South African schools can be mitigated were other themes that emerged from the interviews. Based on the findings of this study a number of interventions were suggested that include policies and procedures that protect teachers, counselling services for teachers and learners and greater parental involvement and support.
A relational history of space, administration and economic extractivism in the Mogalakwena Local Municipality in Limpopo, South Africa (1948-2000)
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Pearson, Joel David
This dissertation seeks to contribute to existing local government scholarship by presenting a situated and relational historical study of the Mogalakwena Local Municipality in present-day Limpopo Province of South Africa. By adapting and extending Gill Hart’s spatial-relational methodology, this study draws out key mechanics of change over time in the Mogalakwena area since the early 20 th century. This historical analysis reveals that the shifting array of power relations which together structured the field of rural local governance came to be enacted and concretised through specific and identifiable processes of spatial transformation, administrative government, and economic extractivism. While existing scholarship has elaborated on aspects of these processes, the present study insists on analysing all three together, in relation to each other, attentive to forms of both mutual constitution and contradiction, and cognisant of how these processes feed into political dynamics of varying scales – local, regional, and national. As such, the thesis argues that these three sets of processes should be understood as axes of rural local governance. This analysis draws off an empirical foundation compiled from archival and oral history sources, and which points to three broad historical conjunctures of local governance in Mogalakwena over the apartheid and early democratic eras. The first, spanning the period between the early 1950s and early 1970s, is identified as an era of state-building and remaking the countryside under the ascendant National Party (NP), one in which the white central state initiated massive and sweeping transformations of rural areas to bring to life its “Bantustan strategy”. The second conjuncture, defined as the terminal phase of apartheid from the late 1970s through to the end of the 1980s, was one in which rural local governance came to be dominated by forms of resistance, reform and repression when bottom-up political forces challenged the reach and authority of the apartheid central state in rural localities. And during the third conjuncture, the transitional period of national negotiations and democratisation between 1990 and 2000, rural local governance came to be defined by uneven and contested initiatives towards institutional amalgamation, deracialisation and redress. In considering the field of rural local governance within which the Mogalakwena Local Municipality operates today, this study concludes that the three axes together remain key determinants in structuring local and regional power relations. While dramatic new power relations have unfolded within and around the municipality since its creation in the year 2000, this study concludes that these have continued to be materialised through intertwined spatial, administrative and extractivist processes which extend back into history. As such, it suggests a new systematic approach for the study of local government institutions, histories of the state in rural areas, and studies of the state more broadly.