WIReDSpace

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Communities in WIReDSpace

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 19

Recent Submissions

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    Black South African professionals’ narratives of mobility: Overcoming disadvantaged education backgrounds to achieve professional success
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2025) Gwebu, Mandhlovu; Kiguwa, Peace
    The educational policies implemented during Apartheid resulted in Black people receiving inferior quality education in under resourced schools. The education inequality has continued post apartheid with learners from township and rural schools producing lower academic results than those in urban schools. Bourdieu’s Social Reproduction Theory and Garmezy’s Resilience theory were the theoretical frameworks that anchored this study. Despite the challenges faced by learners in township and rural schools, some learners manage to disrupt their anticipated trajectories. They develop resilience and work towards achieving success whilst acquiring the social capital required to become successful professionals. The aim of this study was to identify the key factors that influenced the professional success of 13 Black South Africans who attended township and rural high schools. This study was required as Black South Africans have the lowest tertiary qualification rate and account for the majority of South Africa’s unemployment rate. This was a qualitative study using a narrative thematic analysis approach to understand the lived experience of each participant. Each participant attended a rural or township school, obtained a degree or a diploma and was working as a professional earning more than R 22 000 (starting salary to be classified as middle class). Data was collected through interviews using a semi structured questionnaire. The participants narratives highlighted the challenges experienced during their schooling years, how they stayed motivated and the factors that contributed to their success. They learnt to navigate the social and cultural differences experienced when transitioning from their disadvantaged education backgrounds to tertiary institutions and then the workplace. The key themes identified were navigating education barriers with the help of protective factors (personal agency, family support and discipline), acquiring cultural capital and social mobility (including English proficiency for social mobility), dreaming beyond reality (aspirations and inspirational figures), and prioritising education equity. These themes captured how attending disadvantaged rural and township schools put the participants at a disadvantage when entering the tertiary and workplace environment. Their resilience was evident throughout the study showing how they overcame barriers which many of their peers from the same high schools did not. Their determination to succeed yielded tertiary qualifications and successful professional careers. Recommendations prioritised the intervention of micro level interventions including community empowerment, mentorship programmes, career guidance in schools, increased use of technology and involvement in extra mural activities. Macro level interventions are more resource and effort intensive however they are still critical. Initiatives such as educational content broadcasts using 8 mass media, increasing access to tertiary education and addressing structural barriers could positively contribute to learners success after high school. To develop effective interventions to improve the success rate of learners from disadvantaged education backgrounds more research is required on the lived experiences of those individuals who beat the odds and became successful.
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    Political Oversight on Service Delivery and Environmental Sustainability: A Case Study of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality’s Pikitup Waste Management System
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2025) Molopyane, Mamokgethi Ruth; Dickinson, David
    This research examines the challenges of balancing waste service delivery with environmental sustainability in the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality (hereinafter referred to as the (CoJ). To evaluate these challenges, interviews were conducted with councillors on the city’s Environmental and Infrastructure (Section 79) Committee, officials from the city’s Environment and Infrastructure Services Department (EISD), Pikitup managers, and a waste management expert. The dilemma arises from conflicting objectives: the significant initial investments required for alternative waste treatment, waste reduction, and recycling facilities clash with the need to improve waste collection and services for an increasing urban population. Moreover, in the CoJ, political dynamics influence the committee’s oversight activities: 1) short-term political priorities overshadow long-term environmental protection; 2) politicians prioritise other social needs over waste management; 3) coalition instability leads to frequent changes in leadership, disrupting the committee’s oversight of waste management; and 4) political neglect of the issue fosters a poorly managed waste cycle, resulting in inadequate services, illegal dumping, and compliance failures at landfills. The research explores how (i) decentralised waste management in CoJ, intended to create multiple reporting lines for checks and balances, has resulted in oversight paralysis, (ii) the effectiveness of the committee is constrained by insufficient oversight time in a highly technical portfolio and, (iii) there exists a knowledge gap concerning the technical aspects of waste management systems among the committee, Pikitup, and EISD. The research also finds that transitioning to a circular economy model with waste reclaimers is feasible; however, this poses challenges. The research contributes to our knowledge of the waste governance discourse and asserts that politicians must prioritise waste management to balance service delivery with environmental sustainability in urban areas.
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    Expressing Our Gender Freedom: Radio Drama as advocacy for Freedom of Expression for Lesbian Women in Lesotho
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2025) Pitso, Mahlauli; Bhebhe, Sibongile
    This study explores the use of radio drama as a tool for advocacy for lesbian women in Lesotho. It focuses on the freedom of expression for lesbian women and explores how radio drama can be used as an advocacy tool for freedom of expression. The study argues that radio drama, through its practice-based approach, can serve as a powerful medium for amplifying the voices of lesbians in Lesotho. It uses Practice as Research (PaR) as its research design with radio drama as the data collection method. PaR enabled the participants, in the research, to become co-creators and co-researchers. Radio drama was an engaging and immersive approach that presented the research process in a more relatable and humanizing way. Chapter 1 looks at the background to the study, problem statement, the aim, research question, rationale and the literature that informs it. Chapter 2 looks at the conceptual framework of advocacy for freedom of expression for lesbian women in Lesotho. Chapter 3 looks at the method used to carry out the research. Chapter 4 is the beginning of the analysis chapters where the matter of exploration of radio drama method is addressed. Chapter 5 takes closer look at techniques and styles used in the development and production of the radio drama play. Chapter 6 concludes the study. The study demonstrates that radio drama has a great potential to serve as an advocacy tool in Lesotho due to its high rate listenership and ability to reach the remote areas in Lesotho. It also raises questions about the efficacy of bringing effective social change and transformation to the kingdom nation that still abides by the kingdom laws and deeply into culture through the medium of radio. It concludes that the barriers and restrictions to freedom of expression for lesbians in Lesotho is a contentious topic that warrants further exploration and critical analysis to uncover the ways in which discriminatory laws intersect to silence lesbian voices and limit their autonomy. To promote freedom of expression and social inclusion for the lesbians, this study recommends the use of an integrated Applied Theatre to Radio Drama to further community engagement for extended social change and awareness.
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    The Battle of Indodla (social grant money)
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2025) Oliphant, Lumka; Balliah, Dinesh
    This study critically examines the impact of South Africa’s social grant system, administered by the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), in rural and township communities. It focuses on the transition from community-based to centralised grant payment systems in the last two decades, assessing how this shift influences the dignity and agency of social grant recipients. This paper is framed within the National Development Plan (NDP), which aims to foster rural economic development, financial inclusion, and social cohesion. The study explores the complex intersection between social assistance and broader socio-economic transformation. This study uses the long-form narrative format to investigate how social grants have been administered over the years by scrutinising the challenges and opportunities experienced by social grant recipients. This is done using qualitative research methods, in particular, interviews and case studies, and is presented in the long-form narrative journalism style. The findings reveal that while a centralised payment model has facilitated greater financial inclusion, it has also introduced logistical difficulties, compromising the dignity of some beneficiaries. The research contributes to ongoing debates on optimising social assistance programmes to support rural development, enhance human dignity, and align with the broader objectives of economic transformation in South Africa
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    More than just a number – The story of the “Mamelodi 10”
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2025) Selapisa, Lillian
    This research-based longform project examines and maps the ongoing struggle for healing and justice among black South African families who bore the brunt of apartheid-era violence, focusing on the families of the “Mamelodi 10” – a group of ten teenage boys who were abducted and murdered by apartheid security police in 1986. While South Africa’s transition to democracy and the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) have been internationally praised for promoting national unity, this study contends that such recognition often obscures the personal costs of reconciliation for families still seeking closure. Drawing on qualitative, narrative-based methods, the report explores how these families navigate individual and collective grief in the absence of genuine justice. It examines how they conceptualise justice and reconciliation, and how these ideas are shaped by their lived experiences in township communities. The report further seeks to humanise the “Mamelodi 10” by moving beyond their collective numerical identification and highlighting their personal stories. Ultimately, this research aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the long-term emotional, psychological, and social dimensions of post-conflict recovery in South Africa.