Faculty of Humanities (ETDs)

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    Experiences of Thabazimbi Resident Mine Employees Regarding the Perceived Effects of Mining Activities within their Community. The case of Amandelbult Mine in Limpopo, South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-09) Ditshego, Mashiatshiti Johanna; Dube, Nkosiyazi
    South Africa’s mining industry has historically been at the heart of the nation’s economy also taking into consideration the country’s high-ranking spot as one of the leading naturally rich resource countries within the world. In reality, the mining industry has played a key part in contributing to the country’s economic growth, and it remains South Africa’s most watched financial segment. However, the mining industry has experienced a major turmoil, since it also brings along socially unintended circumstances within the communities that they operate in, for example an increase of informal settlement, spontaneous mine closures, and the perpetuation of fights inside traditional houses. As much as there are several studies done within the South African mining sector, studies looking into the experiences and perceived effects of mining activities in communities where these mining companies operate are very limited within the South African literature in Occupational Social Work. Therefore, this qualitative study sought to close this gap, as it aims to explore the experiences of Thabazimbi Resident Mine Employees Regarding the Perceived Effects of Mining Activities within their Community. The study was qualitative in nature, with a case study used as the research design. The target population was mine employees residing in Thabazimbi. Purposive sampling was used to recruit (10) mine employees and (2) key informants in the community to be participants for the study, with a semi-structured interview guide employed as a research instrument. Data for the study was collected using face-to-face individual interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the findings. Findings indicate that mining activities had both positive and negative experiences for the resident employees. Thabazimbi resident employees suggested some recommendations that can be implemented to mitigate the negative effects that they raised in the findings. Recommendations are made in relation future research.
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    Pandemic parenting: Stories of ordinary experiences in an extraordinary time
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-07) Yarde-Leavett, Claire Emma; Haynes-Rolando, Hayley
    The study sought to give voice to parents of children who display ADHD traits including hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattentiveness during the covid-19 pandemic. The aim was to explore their experiences of parenting during this unprecedented time in history. Qualitative data were gathered through narrative interviews from ten parents (seven mothers and three fathers) from middle-class backgrounds, living in Johannesburg. Photo elicitation was used as a tool to gather parents’ stories and reflections of their pandemic parenting experiences in a creative, self-directed manner. The qualitative data were analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis that generated four key themes: (1) Adjusting to an upside-down world; (2) Experiences of wearing too many hats; (3) Parents’ (re)views of how their children’s ADHD traits affected their learning at home; (4) Covid, a mixed bag of losses and treasures. A social constructionist lens for data analysis allowed for the exploration of how the covid-19 pandemic disrupted discourses and systems that shape parents’ embodied experiences. Possibilities for new understandings of parents and as well as their children who display ADHD traits were considered. The findings can help to deepen our understanding of middle-class family life, challenge gendered relations, reconsider children's play and learning, transform schooling practices, foster meaningful parent-teacher interactions, encourage community-building, and prompt a re-evaluation of our understanding of "disorderly" children and their unique learning needs. By embracing these insights, we can pave the way for more inclusive and effective approaches to supporting families and children in navigating the complexities of education and well-being in times of crisis.
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    Perceptions and experiences of police officers and social workers within South African Police Service when assisting women who survived sexual violence in Mamelodi, Pretoria
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-05) Bahula, Ikageng Maphale; Nkala-Dlamini, Busisiwe
    Many women are often reluctant to disclose cases of sexual violence to healthcare workers, police officers, family members etc. mainly due to the stigma attached. Few studies have been conducted to explore the experiences and perceptions of different role players within South African Police Officers (SAPS) when assisting women who survived sexual violence. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the perceptions and experiences of police officers and social workers within SAPS when assisting women who survived sexual violence. This study adopted a qualitative research approach, specifically a multiple case study design. The feminist poststructuralist theory was employed to guide the study. Three different interview guides were used as the research instrument. Individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews were used as the method of data collection. The sample size comprised twenty-five (25) different role players within SAPS in Mamelodi, Pretoria; five (5) client service centre police officers who work at both Mamelodi east and west police stations; ten (10) police officers who work in the special unit addressing sexual violence (FCS) at Mamelodi and ten (10) social workers who assist the survivors of sexual violence at both Mamelodi east and west police stations. The data gathered from the research were analysed using thematic analysis. The perceptions around sexual violence differs. This is influenced by the roles they play, how they have been exposed sexual violence and the school of thoughts. It is important that the service providers are oriented towards the concept and the practice on what sexual violence is. The service providers experience different challenges in different ways. Some challenges can be tackled at the individual level, while other challenges are societal, systematic and structural. Knowledge, attitude and practice of service providers require attention in terms of understanding the legal policies, the protocols and the practices in the sector.
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    Experiences of Community Health Workers (CHWs) and their wellbeing: A study of CHWs in Johannesburg Townships
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-03) Mashinini, Lethiwe Yvonne; Carrasco, Lorena Nunez
    Community Health Workers (CHWs) have become important role players in the provision of health and social services in many underprivileged communities around South Africa. Despite the role and impact of these cadres in many communities, few studies have focused on the impact of their work on their wellbeing. Hence, the study's interest in expanding its inquiry on the experiences of CHWs and their impact on the cadre's wellbeing. This research further inquired about the national CHWs policy and CHWs scope of practice facilitated through the WBPHCOTs strategy that resulted from the re-engineering of the PHC model. As an observer qualitative data was collected through non-participative observation. Drawing from in-depth interviews this study further examined and describes the self-reported experiences of CHWs and NGO managers. To frame the experiences of CHWs and the impact of these experiences on their wellbeing the research findings were theorized from the perspective of social constructionism. The fundamental concern was to understand how cadres define, describe, and think about different social aspects of their life as CHWs and how these experiences influence their reality. Specifically focusing on two NGOs situated in Johannesburg townships the study participants were composed of eight CHWs (six female and two male cadres) as well as two male managers who were consulted as key informants. Concerning the national CHWs policy and the guiding scope of practice in the functioning of CHWs, the research yielded interesting findings. The managers of the NGOs were unaware of the existence of the national policy framework dubbed the Ward-based primary healthcare outreach team’s strategy (WBPHCOTs) policy framework. Hence, the organizations had not adopted or aligned the work of CHWs with the WBPHCOTs strategy policy framework. Instead, the NGOs maintained their arrangement of CHWs programmes as multi-stakeholder projects. This raises concerns about the implementation of the WBPHCOTs policy framework as a national CHWs policy, particularly in the NGO sector. The research also revealed multifaceted findings about CHW's experiences, which were largely positive and influenced by altruistic sentiments. Cadres also felt a sense of self-development and the possibility of improvement in their lives, which had a positive impact on their social wellbeing. CHWs also encountered some negative experiences such as challenging working conditions and poor remuneration and this had adverse impacts on their physical, psychological, and economic wellbeing. Therefore experiences of CHWs impacted their wellbeing both positively and negatively.
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    “Youth Enterprising”: Johannesburg Youth’s Motivation, Perceptions and Experiences Regarding Entrepreneurship and Services Provided by the Government and the Private Sector
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-06) Phofi, Caroline; Pretorius, Edmarie; Dube, Nkosiyazi
    Enterprising and entrepreneurship have become one of the solutions to addressing the challenges of the current economic state in South Africa that seem to have proven to lock some of the youth, especially the disadvantaged youth within Johannesburg, in the cycle of poverty, and unemployment. Although the largest group of youth entering the labour market have shown to be educated and suited for South Africa’s global competitiveness, jobs seem to remain competitive in the formal sector. The study aimed to explore youth enterprising, the motivating factors, perceptions, and experiences of youth towards services that the government and the private sector provides. With the significance of entrepreneurship in the South African economy, there is a need to explore and investigate the contribution of entrepreneurs in the economy of South Africa and how can government and private sector support entrepreneurial activities among the youth to curb unemployment and poverty. A qualitative approach based on the interpretive paradigm was employed to explore the topic of youth enterprising. A case study design was best suited to achieving the objectives of the study, which sought to understand youth enterprise regarding youth’s subjectively constructed reality. The selected case studies were selected from five organisations. These organisations mostly engage in youth development programmes aiming to capacitate youth with psycho-social and entrepreneurial skills, and to provide start-up funding. All the participants for the interviews (n=14), focus group discussion (n=8) and respondents of the questionnaire (16) were selected from Organisation A. The four key informants were from the other four organisations (Organisation B, C, D and E) and were only interviewed. Purposive sampling was adopted to select all the 26 research participants comprising of youth, youth workers, managers and key informants, and the 16 youth participants were selected for the structured questionnaire. The methods of data collection were semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and a structured questionnaire. Four different semi-structured interview guides were used as research instruments with all these different groups of participants. A focus group guide was adopted to facilitate the focus group discussion with eight youths. A total of 16 youths completed the hard copy of a structured questionnaire. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the national restriction, some potential participants did not want to engage in face-to-face interviews, therefore an online questionnaire was offered as an option so that the research could have more participants to validate the data collection. A structured questionnaire was employed to elicit the respondents’ responses to the four aspects related to motivation, ability, entrepreneurial opportunities, and resources associated with basic entrepreneurial success components. Results from the questionnaire were analysed using descriptive statistics. Data from the different interviews and focus group discussions were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that business and entrepreneurial skills should be integrated not only into economic sciences but also within the education sector's human sciences and social work courses. Participants mentioned that the role of the government and private sector in youth development and entrepreneurial services is vital. The study findings aided with the development of practice principles and guidelines to be used by social workers and other stakeholders in their programmatic interventions with youth entrepreneurs.