Theses and Dissertations (Sociology)

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An exploration of sociocultural adaptations of black students in South African private high schools
(University of Pretoria, 2024-05) Mokomane, Zitha; Bingma, Vangile; boitumelomogoboya24@gmail.com; Mogoboya, Boitumelo
This study explored the sociocultural adaptations of Black students in South African private high schools. The specific objectives of the study were to: (1) explore the positive and negative sociocultural experiences of Black students who attended private high schools in South Africa; (2) explore how Black students who attended private high schools navigate their negative experiences; (3) explore how the experiences-both negative and positive- shape young Black South Africans' sense of identity; (4) provide with recommendations for policy and practice. This study used a qualitative interpretive research paradigm to achieve its objectives. The study used data gathered from in-depth interviews conducted with 25 Black former students aged between 18 and 24 years. An interview guide was developed to collect information on the participants’ positive experiences, negative experiences, coping mechanisms, and sense of identity. The study also used media reports from online newspaper articles published since 2015. The study adopted the decolonial approach because it points to coloniality and other systems of oppression in terms of institutional practices, values, attitudes, and behavioural expectations, which have an impact on the experiences of Black students in private high schools. The salient findings that emerged were that: positive experiences in private schools included experiences of diversity, inclusive policies, and a space to build strong social network relationships. The negative experiences include experiences of racial insensitivity, privileged white standards of beauty, binary constructions of gender and sexuality, erasure of cultural significance, and cultural isolation. Based on the findings of this study in relation to institutional practices, attitudes and behavioural expectations, I argue that some features of coloniality are evident in some South African private high schools through the privileging of Western ideologies and perpetuation of ideas of whiteness which impact the ways in which Black students experience and adapt in these Westernised spaces. These experiences have a potential to impact social and cultural identity negatively. The study concluded with recommendations for policy and practice: 1) Private high schools should consider implementing anti-racist training programmes that make students and staff recognise and appreciate diversity to reinforce cultural sensitivity and inclusivity. 2) Private schools should implement programmes to encourage Black students and parents to speak out about any type of discrimination or prejudice to eradicate silencing and minimisation. 3) The government should play a proactive role in monitoring educational institutions to encourage transformation programmes. The government should not use monitoring as party political expediency.
An investigation into the changing workplace of South African auditors and their experiences of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems and the implications for the auditing profession
(University of Pretoria, 2023-12-20) BONNIN, DEBBY; NOLUTHANDO.PHASHA09@GMAIL.COM; Phasha, Noluthando Yvonne
The ongoing technological development and advancements have led to changes to the audit profession in South Africa and an alteration of the audit professionals’ work life. This dissertation investigates the impact this change has had and may still have on the auditor. The focus is mainly on the auditor’s work life and work experiences in the face of this digital transformation, considering the impact that Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, such as audit tools and audit software packages, have on the auditors’ way of work and their workflow. The investigation adopted the concept of individual unlearning to better understand how exactly this impacted the auditor, allowing for insight into behaviour and attitude, enabling the auditor to interact and work well with the new Information Technology (IT) audit tools introduced/integrated into their work processes. This dissertation adopts the qualitative thematic analysis (TA), investigating the auditor, their thoughts, and perceptions on their experiences with IT audit tools used in the audit process, the impact that these IT audit tools have, and the support that the auditors receive from their designated workplace rather than solely focusing on the technology and the benefits it yields for the company. This approach ensured an understanding of the auditors’ preconceived outlooks on AI versus what they have experienced while incorporating them into their work processes. This allowed for further insight into the implications of integrating IT audit tools on the auditor’s role. Twenty in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with South African auditors from different audit companies. The chosen participants were placed into two cohorts; each had a key informant, allowing for the recruiting of other participants. It was found that the use of IT audit tools in audit has a direct influence on the manner in which the auditor experiences their work. Furthermore, the findings indicate that the role of the auditor is changing, thus implying changes in the profession, too. There should be continuous learning initiatives and adaptive strategies within South African audit firms. This dissertation contributes to the existing literature on the impact of digitalisation on the South African audit profession and its stakeholders.
Safety and belonging : constructing a sense of belonging amongst young, middle-class, South African feminine bodies within an 'unsafe' place
(University of Pretoria, 2023-10-17) Chadwick, Rachelle Dr; u18044060@tuks.co.za; Wiele, Simone Sarah-Jane
The affective dimension of belonging is theorised to involve feelings of being valued, safety, and agency. However, when applied to the lives of young South African women this conceptualisation falters and reveals its possible patriarchal underpinnings. The lives and belonging(s) of these women are engulfed by what Gqola (2015 & 2021) has aptly conceptualised as a ‘female fear factory’. As a result, this ‘factory’ seeming has instilled a constant awareness of (gendered) unsafety, and thus has made the theorised feelings of belonging appear more as ideals rather than emotive descriptions. In this study twenty young, middle-class, South African women were interviewed (approximately 60 minutes) about how their sense of belonging was constructed and how their experiences of (un)safety have influenced this construction. The interview transcripts were put through three rounds of analysis (thematic, dialogic/performance, and interpretative phenomenological) to produce a possible ‘master narrative’ of the feminine South African sense of belonging. The narrative that was (re)produced revealed that belonging was experienced as a sense of comfort which was curated by feelings of understanding, acceptance, and familiarity/similarity. This ‘comfort-belonging’ was complicated, or rather burdened, by the participants’ race, femininity, and unique sense of (un)safety. Critically, this unique sense of (un)safety highlighted how desensitised the participants had come to (gendered) violence. In turn revealing that feeling unsafe was an integral part of being South African, and thus belonging in/to South Africa. Therefore, this study not only puts forth a possible (re)conceptualisation, and complexities, of the feminine South African sense of belonging; but also illuminates a possible (re)construction of the sense of belonging which involves an unavoidable inclusion of unsafety.
Humanising childbirth in South Africa : the role of indigenous midwives in countering obstetric violence
(University of Pretoria, 2023-11) Chadwick, Rachelle Joy; mmatshilomotsei@gmail.com; Motsei, Matshilo Tumelo Ntswatswa
Obstetric violence has increasingly become visible following research, advocacy, and activism by researchers, feminists, birth advocates, and scholars worldwide. This visibility is a result of the courage of women who have begun to speak openly about their childbirth experiences. Much of what has been written is framed within biomedical, feminist, public health, and sociological perspectives. Indigenous midwives are rarely mentioned in the literature on obstetric violence. This dissertation is an explorative and descriptive qualitative design using thematic analytical framework to explore lessons we can learn from Indigenous midwives to counter obstetric violence in South Africa. Adopting the Indigenous research methodology and Indigenous feminist theory, I undertook semi-structured in-depth individual interviews with 28 rural women sampled into three groups: 1) 10 women who gave birth in a healthcare facility assisted by biomedical healthcare practitioners, 2) 10 women who gave birth at home assisted by Indigenous midwives, and 3) eight Indigenous midwives who attend to women in their communities. I undertook the interviews using five languages i.e., Siswati, Xitsonga, Setswana, Sepedi and Sepulana. These are languages spoken across three provinces (Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and Northern Cape) in which the research was undertaken. Interviews were transcribed and translated into English. The study revealed that women who gave birth in healthcare facilities experienced dehumanised care in the form of abandonment and neglect, unconsented medical procedures, suturing of the perineum without anaesthesia, abusive care and lack of cultural safety. Women who opted for home birth under the care and supervision of elders shared positive experiences of childbirth in the form of care and support during delivery, freedom to choose birthing position, holistic care that transcends the physical as well as participation in childbirth rituals and ceremonies. Interviews with Indigenous midwives deepened an understanding of the conception of birth beyond physiology to include social, cultural, and spiritual dimensions. In their view, birth is not just a physiological phenomenon, but it is also a spiritual rite of passage. vii Research on obstetric violence often recommends solutions that seek to humanise medicalised birth without interrogating the impact of Western biomedicine which was exported to Africa during colonialism. This resulted in the suppression of knowledge and practice of Indigenous midwives. Countering obstetric violence without re-centering the knowledge and practices of Indigenous midwives constitutes a form of biomedical humanism (Gaines & Davis-Floyd, 2003) that upholds obstetric hegemony (Campo, 2014). In this thesis, I argue that responses to obstetric violence must 1) de-centre biomedical birthing as a site of obstetric violence, 2) decolonise midwifery by re-centering Indigenous model of childbirth, and 3) integrate cultural safety in the definition of safe birthing practices. I conclude that a call to counter obstetric violence is incomplete if it continues to silence the voices of Indigenous midwives and exclude their knowledge and practices.
Students’ voices in vocational education : a sociological exploration
(University of Pretoria, 2024-01-30) Molapo, Sepetla; u10480189 @tuks.co.za; Motsatsi, Patience Makgabaneng
This dissertation offers a comprehensive sociological investigation into students' perspectives in vocational education in Pretoria, South Africa. It seeks to elucidate the underlying reasons guiding students' preference for vocational education over traditional academic pathways, primarily focusing on social and educational policy and practice. Adopting a qualitative research methodology, the study explores insights from semi-structured interviews conducted with fifteen students engaged in local technical colleges. It critically analyses how students' perceptions of vocational education impact their motivation, active engagement, and overall learning experience. A detailed examination of the contributing factors that drive such educational choices is presented, emphasising the roles of familial influence, resource accessibility, and the overall quality of available academic programs. The study also probes into the intricate interactions between these elements and how they collectively inform students' decision-making processes. In addition, this research underscores the potential long-term consequences associated with the choice of vocational education. This includes implications for economic prospects, job market accessibility, and opportunities for social mobility. The study's findings highlight a significant correlation between students' sense of belonging and purpose in their education and the alignment of their vocational training with career aspirations. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of nurturing an educational environment conducive to dialogue and collaboration and one that promotes active learning and participation. This work contributes substantially to the emerging body of knowledge on the role of student voices in vocational education and implies potential implications for policy makers, educators, and stakeholders within the educational sector. It is hoped that the insights gleaned from this research will help in formulating effective strategies and policies aimed at enhancing vocational education experiences.
Beyond periphery : dynamics of indigenous social protection systems in dealing with covariate shocks in Southeastern Nigeria
(University of Pretoria, 2023-05) Mokomane, Zitha; ancientoko@gmail.com; Enworo, Oko Chima
This study illustrates how indigenous social protection systems deal with covariate shocks in Southeastern Nigeria. It emphasises the dimensions, functions, and potential of these indigenous systems in managing the risks and adverse impacts of natural covariate shocks, with emphasis on flooding, a recurring shock in the region. This is in the context of low formal social protection coverage and indigenous social protection systems as the main source of risk management for many Nigerians. Specific objectives of the study were to map the different indigenous social protection systems that exist in Nigeria with a focus on their types and dimensions; to explore the key functions of the main types of indigenous social protection systems, including the extent to which they include and exclude different vulnerable groups within communities; to examine how the most dominant indigenous social protection systems mitigate the risk and impact of flooding; to explore the opportunities that indigenous social protection systems present with regard to handling covariate shocks; and to recommend plausible models for establishing linkages between formal and indigenous social protection systems. The study drew on the social risk management framework that distinguishes between idiosyncratic and covariate risks, and that uses three main strategies to deal with risks other than simple insurance, namely risk reduction, risk mitigation, and risk coping strategies, using formal and informal arrangements, respectively. This study explored the potentials of informal arrangements in relation to covariate shocks. It further drew on data collected in two communities, namely Umueze-Anam and Nzam in Anambra state, Southeastern Nigeria, which were selected purposively because they are flood-prone. A qualitative approach was adopted, and the data were derived from four sources, namely key informant interviews with staff of relevant state ministries and entities mandated with the provision of social protection; in-depth interviews with community members; focus group discussions with community-based associations; and participant observation of activities of community-based associations. Data analysis was done using Braun et al.’s six-phase reflexive thematic analysis. A key finding that emerged was that in addition to kinship and community-based systems, indigenous religious mandates and women’s organisations constitute forms of indigenous social protection in Nigeria. In this regard, age grades are the most common arrangements because membership is based on age or age cohort, which makes it rare for an adult in the study communities not to belong to an age grade. The least common forms of social protection are accumulated savings and credit associations because of the typical long time that members need to wait before they can access their benefits, particularly in the context of widespread poverty. Contrary to widely held views that indigenous social protection systems are mostly risk coping strategies, their functions are complementary and encompass risk reduction, mitigation, and coping, which are the three dimensions of social risk management. Furthermore, although these indigenous systems are unable to prevent natural covariate shocks such as floods, they can enhance ex-ante mitigation and coping, which nullifies arguments that they are only effective in managing idiosyncratic risks and unable to withstand pressures from covariate shocks. It further emerged that unlike formal systems that ii address only the material dimensions of wellbeing, indigenous social protection systems have a dynamic character that enables them to address material and psychosocial wellbeing. The study findings also affirm previous findings on lack of linkages between formal and indigenous social protection systems and proffers plausible models for such linkages based on four preconditions, namely proper understanding of indigenous systems, compatibility of systems, retaining underlying principles of indigenous systems, and ensuring that linkages guarantee autonomy. The overall contribution of the study is that it used empirical evidence to illustrate not just how indigenous social protection systems in sub-Saharan Africa remain the major source of managing idiosyncratic risks but also how they are able to handle covariate shocks vis-à-vis formal systems because of their dynamic processes. Specifically, the ability of these indigenous systems to address risks and adverse impacts of floods, a major climate change-related adverse weather issue, as illustrated by the thesis highlights how they align with shock-responsive social protection. This validates emerging arguments that indigenous social protection systems have the potential to address covariate shocks and supports calls for linking formal and indigenous systems to extend social protection coverage and contribute to actions to combat climate change and its impacts. Based on the foregoing, the key recommendation made for policy improvement is explicit recognition of indigenous social protection systems in Nigeria’s social protection policy and its’ supporting legislative and policy instruments, acknowledging in details, what these indigenous systems entail, their potentials and how they can be linked with formal systems and not just be given a peripheral position. For practice, the study suggests collaborative ventures between the two main systems, for example, through state provision of subsidies through banks where mutual aid associations operate bank accounts and exchange of ideas on development programmes and processes between state and community groups. Finally, future research can explore indigenous social protection systems that may have emerged in response to other covariate shocks in various regions of Nigeria for a wider picture of these systems to appropriately guide social policy. Three covariate shocks in particular that are widespread are suggested, namely drought, a major natural shock; HIV/AIDS pandemics, a major health shock; and terrorism-related violence, a major social shock. This will provide wider and stronger evidence based on the potentials of these systems in relation to covariate shocks.
Sociological analysis of state capacity in the South African social security agency’s special CoVID-19 social relief of distress grant
(University of Pretoria, 2023) Mokomane, Zitha; papinkoli@gmail.com; Nkoli, Motsoakgomo Papi
South Africa’s national response to the advent of the CoVID-19 pandemic included government’s announcement of the “extraordinary coronavirus budget” of R500 billion that was aimed at cushioning society and the economy from the socio-economic hardships that accompanied the pandemic. Part of this national response included the implementation of the CoVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant by the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) for beneficiaries who were unemployed and did not receive any other form of income. Given SASSA’s previous administration of the SRD programme for citizens or permanent residents who have insufficient means of livelihood, the responsibility to implement this grant rested with this agency. However, what remains unknown is how, in the context of intense, condensed and temporal shocks such as CoVID-19, the State decisively mobilised the capacity to implement the CoVID-19 SRD grant. In order to establish this, the research delved into the “opacity of the State social world” to demonstrate how the productive processes that arise from concrete and ongoing systems of social relations contested and influenced the meanings, configurations, choices and performance of State capacity under conditions of a covariate shock. An understanding of the social construction of State capacity is relevant to the National Development Plan’s aspiration of developing and implementing critical interventions that are required to build a State that is capable of realising the vision for 2030. Theoretically, the study is important for understanding how State institution-based social processes shape a State’s capacity to implement policy decisions. The study is an invitation to theorise the State during shocks. It draws on Granovetter’s (1985) concept of embeddedness and Migdal’s (2004) State-in-society framework. Methodologically, the question of how the State capacity to implement the CoVID-19 SRD grant was approached as a case for the period May 2020 to April 2021. Within case study, process tracing and abductive inference were applied alongside the insider researcher approach. Process tracing was applied to trace institutional processes through which the State’s capacity to implement the CoVID-19 SRD grant was developed. Data were collected with two qualitative research methods: document review and key informant interviews. The former entailed a systematic review of key informant-provided documents with the view to interpret and elicit their meanings and understandings of the study phenomena. On the other hand, key informant interviews were conducted with six officials that were assigned the role of key informant by their respective institutions owing to their in-depth knowledge and understanding of the research subject matter. Consequently, empirical knowledge on how the State capacity for the implementation of the CoVID-19 SRD grant was mobilised was developed. The collected data were analysed by applying abductive inference. The objective of applying abductive inference was to identify data that were beyond the study’s conceptual framework. This enabled the development and emergence of theoretically surprising explanations from within the CoVID-19 SRD grant as a case. The study’s key findings are that, firstly, the advent of CoVID-19 found a SASSA that was in the process of self-reconfiguration with the view to improve its institutional capabilities and effectiveness. Owing to this institutional confidence, SASSA withstood and rejected all the suggestions that the private sector should perform what this agency considered to be its core functions: the implementation of a cash transfer programme. Second, SASSA’s resistance of corporate creep in the implementation of the CoVID-19 SRD grant disrupted the interests of those State actors who sought to increase the role of the private sector in this grant. Ultimately, this activated the formation of typical as well as unlikely institutional relations and coalitions in support of SASSA’s overall leadership of the CoVID-19 SRD grant. Third, the State capacity for the implementation of the CoVID-19 SRD grant would not have decisively been mobilised outside of the intense, condensed and temporal shock that is the advent of CoVID-19. Fourth, it is doubtful if the State verifiably knows its capacity to implement its responses to covariate shocks. This was evident in the absence of knowing SASSA’s implementation capacity. Therefore, the extent to which practical efforts are being taken to measure, innovate and translate Cabinet’s priority that a State that has the necessary capacity, capabilities and institutions that can meet the needs of South Africans should be developed comes to question. Based on the study’s findings the following three recommendations are made: Firstly, policy needs to be mobilised to define and regulate the State-wide data environment for it to be useful in the eventuality of covariate shocks. Secondly, noting that into the foreseeable future every South African will experience one form of covariate shock or other practitioners in, for instance, disaster management and social protection need to innovate responses to covariate shocks. Lastly, further research can be conducted on diverse factors that relate to the implementation of the CoVID-19 SRD grant over the four iterations of its implementation: 2020—2024. Similar prospects are available for quantitative analyses of the extensive data that the CoVID-19 SRD grant collected on millions of applicants. Another prospective research area is conducting research on the State during times of shock. Lastly, this research opened opportunities for methodologists to conduct research on the experiences of State-based insider researchers as well as the factors that enable and constrain them.
Constructions of women’s economic empowerment through microfinance in development discourse : a case study of World Vision’s Women’s Self Help Group programme in Eswatini
(University of Pretoria, 2022) Nilsen, Alf Gunvald; dlamini.thandwa@gmail.com; Dlamini, Thandwa Sinenhlanhla
This study focuses on the constructions of women’s economic empowerment in microfinance between World Vision, its partners, and boMake. The study adopts an ethnographic stance and examines the ideologies and governance practices of World Vision’s microfinance empowerment programmes and positions the everyday interactions of women within these programmes. This investigation draws on Foucauldian feminist theory, rooted in Foucault’s notions of governmentality. The study draws on 34 interviews with women, from 6 of World Vision’s self-help groups, 6 of World Vision’s personnel, 1 former World Vision employee and 4 of World Vision’s partners. Using thematic analysis, the dissertation presents a two-part analysis which derives themes from the narratives of World Vision, its partners, and women respectively. The study finds that World Vision seeks to construct women in its microfinance empowerment programmes as entrepreneurial subjects who are responsible for governing themselves on issues of state inflicted economic and intimate violence. However, the study finds that boMake both accept and reject these constructions, and continuously invent their own formula of empowerment, which speak to their experiences, desires, newfound interests, and aspirations. These truths present themselves as subversive strategies towards World Vision’s microfinance interventions, and Eswatini’s integration with the neoliberal global market economy. These creative strategies are based on boMake’s dynamic subjectivities as wives and mothers, who uphold both pious and cultural values of respect, virtue, gratitude, patience, and honour, which neither produce an autonomous nor subservient feminist self. This study finds that boMake’s constructions of women’s empowerment reincarnate themselves along with mutations of microfinance, functioning to shape each other in development discourse. The study highlights the limits and possibilities of feminist self-governance in Eswatini and broader studies that seek to investigate governance of women in global development industry in the global South.
The structure of township economy & development : the relationship between informal sector work and precarity in South African townships
(University of Pretoria, 2022-11-28) Nilsen, Alf Gunvald; u16348339@tuks.co.za; Mathebula, Pride
In South Africa there is a large number of unemployed people, which in no small part is due to the formal sector’s incapability to create more job opportunities. People are vulnerable to poverty, and as a result, the informal sector has become important to poor and unemployed working-class households in the country’s townships. Informal work offers employment and a source of income to shield these communities from extreme poverty. However, at the same time, work and income in the informal sector is extremely precarious. As this study shows, the informal sector exists alongside with precarity in South Africa. The research is based on data collection in the townships of Mamelodi and Diepsloot. A qualitative approach was deployed in the collection of data, and 20 participants were selected to be interviewed in order to address the research questions of this study, it included informal sector workers like street vendors, welders and carpenters from both townships. This study examines and explores the informal sector through the lens of structuralist theories of informal sector work, supplemented with theories of precarious work and precarity. What emerges from the analysis of the data and findings, is that the informal sector is characterised by an ambiguous duality: the informal sector is an important arena for poor people’s survival strategies, but at the same time, informal sector work is deeply precarious. I also show how the informal sector and informal sector work is related to the formal sector, labour restructuring, and the neo-liberal policies introduced in the South African economy in the post-apartheid era, which have caused escalating unemployment.
South African youth education and career aspirations before and after covid-19
(University of Pretoria, 2022) Mokomane, Zitha; mangwedi.p@hotmail.com; Mangwedi, Portia Aifheli
This study explored the experiences and investigated the extent to which the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the education and career aspirations of young people in South Africa, with particular focus on Soshanguve, a township north of Pretoria. Conceptually guided by the developing and achieving aspirations framework, the study specifically aimed to: – explore the education and career aspirations of young people in South Africa before the Covid 19 pandemic; – understand the main factors underlying the pre-Covid-19 education and career aspirations; – explore the extent to which the Covid-19 has changed young people’s education and career aspirations; and – recommend ways in which future youth employment interventions can incorporate youth aspirations. To achieve its objectives, the study adopted a qualitative research design and collected data from 20 young men and women who were either in high school or were transitioning to a university or tertiary institution during the height of Covid-19. The data was collected using in-depth interviews and a semi-structured interview guide. Snowball sampling was used as a sampling procedure for this study which allowed respondents to provide information not only about themselves but also give referrals about other participants who meet the requirements of the study. with the referrals from the respondents, it was easy to find subjects for the study. The overall finding and conclusion of the study is that even though the Covid-19 pandemic brought about uncertainties in young people’s lives their pre-Covid education and career aspirations remain. Most respondents still want to pursue tertiary education and embark on various careers. Respondents who want to be entrepreneurs believe they must first get academic knowledge from tertiary institutions to build a solid foundation for their businesses. While it emerged that structural constraints, family, community, and social values greatly influence young people’s education and career aspirations, the general consensus among young people is that there is a need for government to financially and practically support them to ensure that youth aspirations are attended in the post-pandemic period. Based on this overall study finding, the following recommendations were made for policy, practice, and further research. – The government should provide necessary skills, support, and funds to improve young people’s access to tertiary education including vocational education where they can learn various skills. – Skills centres should be established in resource-strained communities such as Soshanguve to enhance youth aspirations as well as to equip the youth of South Africa with important skills that are relevant in the current labour market. – There should be regular career exhibitions or workshops by government, the private sector, and community-based organisations to expose young people to different fields and to equip them with any information they might need to decide on the careers they want to pursue. – Platforms should be created to allow successful community members to regularly encourage or motivate young people through talks, or workshops which will empower young people. – Given the paucity of research on youth aspirations especially in communities of low socio-economic status, a much larger study ideally using a mixed method approach is recommended.
Revitalising biopower in the context of COVID-19 : biopolitics against a state of exception
(University of Pretoria, 2022) Reddy, Vasu; dtrevorvanwyk@gmail.com; Van Wyk, Duncan Trevor
When the World Health Organisation (WHO) first declared the Covid-19 crisis a global pandemic, an unprecedented experiment in both the management of population groups and crisis situations followed. Within their attempts at mass biosocial coordination geared towards mitigating the pandemic’s consequences, nation states around the world developed policy responses that, in many instances, reflected a shift in their particular citizen-state relationships. As nation states were forced to choose between preserving public health on the one hand and protecting their economies and democratic principles on the other hand, the question remains how to interpret these interventions and shifts in citizen-state relationships. This dissertation responds to a current in social intellectual thought that emerged at the beginning of the pandemic, and which drew on an Agambean biopolitics to frame the pandemic as a politically manufactured crisis to legitimate the institutionalisation of a ‘state of exception’ allowing for an unjust extension of state powers. Rather, this dissertation is formulated against the grain of a ‘state of exception’. It argues that any biopolitics which unequivocally assumes the function and form of state interventions prior to an analysis of its local instantiations cannot be fruitful. Contextual factors such as a country’s position in the world economy, available resources and infrastructure, internal politics, and international relations differentially shaped the biopolitical outcomes experienced by respective nation states. A conceptualisation of biopolitics sensitive to difference is needed to better theorise ‘biopolitical inclusion’ – how citizens are included in the ‘make live’ policies of the state – as well as any subsequent changes to the citizen-state relationship. Furthermore, this dissertation is written in full acknowledgement of the fact that the prevailing conceptualisations of biopolitics put forward by prominent scholars such as Michel Foucault have been largely excised from their conditions of emergence in their exclusion of the roles of colonialism and imperialism in the formation of the modern biopolitical nation state. As such, the dissertation deploys a poststructuralist method and conducts a genealogy applied to a South African biopolitics in order to ascertain conceptualisations of biopolitics better suited to local contexts and which can better understand shifts in the citizen-state relationships in particular. Keywords: Biopolitics; state of exception; South Africa; genealogy
Mapping precarity and social movements in contemporary South Africa
(University of Pretoria, 2022) Nilsen, Alf Gunvald; justinv256@gmail.com; Verity, Justin
The Global South has been a historical site for marginality and precarity, challenging the Global North’s theorisations and assumptions of precarity being a uniquely Northern phenomenon. This dissertation focuses on the continual development of precarity in the Global South with specific attention toward the Southern African context. Since the transition to democracy, a historically entrenched and divided Southern African society has remained a turbulent site of inequality and racialised capitalism. Producing forms of marginality that have broad and far-reaching consequences in political, social, and economic realms that impact labour on the macro as well as the micro-level, these forms of precarity invade and permeate the material and existential life worlds of South Africans. Therefore, the South African precariat asserts their agency through collective action to re-establish and regain the political, economic and social power that was taken from them during Apartheid and in today’s capitalistically dominated climate. Throughout the dissertation, these phenomena have been contextualized to illustrate the material and existential impact on individuals and groups who live in precarity. Furthermore, the dissertation then focuses on the development of social movements in contemporary South Africa, whilst focusing on drawing possible links to precarity. This connection helped to demonstrate how existing research illustrates ways in which we can understand the relationship between precarity and protest in South Africa’s political economy.
Enhancing active labour market programmes for improved youth livelihoods : a study of unemployed graduate youth in Botswana
(University of Pretoria, 2022-11) Mokomane, Zitha; Puttergill, Charles; thatosetambule@yahoo.com; Setambule, Thato
This thesis is based on a doctoral study that aimed to explore the livelihood challenges and strategies of unemployed graduate youth in Botswana and the extent to which current active labour market programmes in the country take these challenges into consideration. The study’s focus was informed by a wide body of existing research showing high levels of graduate youth unemployment rates in the country’s heavy investment in various types of youth-focused active labour market programmes. The main research question was: What are the livelihood challenges of unemployed graduate youth in Botswana, and to what extent do ALMPs adequately address the challenges? It specifically aimed: 1. To explore the livelihood assets that unemployed graduate youth possess in Botswana. 2. To explore the unemployment experiences of unemployed graduate youth. 3. To explore the subjective meaning the unemployed graduate youth attach to their unemployment experiences. 4. To illuminate the main livelihood challenges and strategies employed by unemployed graduate youth. 5. To explore the perceived effectiveness of current youth-oriented ALMPs in addressing graduate youth’s livelihood challenges and in improving the livelihood strategies that the young unemployed graduates adopt. 6. To make recommendations for improved livelihood and employment outcomes of unemployed graduate youth in Botswana. To achieve its objectives, the study adopted a qualitative research design. It drew data from the following three main sources: (i) A document review that entailed an in-depth review of policy and operational documents of government and other national institutions tasked with enhancing youth employment and overall youth development and empowerment in Botswana; (ii) key informant interviews with public sector stakeholders working in the broad areas of youth employment and development; and (ii) focus group discussions with unemployed and employed young people aged 20–29 years, the age bracket shown to be the most affected by unemployment among youth in the country. The focus group discussions were conducted in three geographical settings, namely an urban area (Gaborone, the capital of Botswana), an urban village (Kanye) and a peri-urban area (Oodi/Modipane). Theoretically, the study was guided by the Sustainable Livelihood Framework, which posits that there are different material, social, tangible, and intangible assets that poor and vulnerable individuals and households possess and serve as a potential capital base for various production streams to create livelihoods. The framework is used throughout the thesis and the analytical and presentation framework. The key findings of the study are as follows:  By virtue of being graduates, unemployed graduate youth are in possession of some form of human capital, with the lowest educational qualification being a post-secondary certificate. These young people are, however, constrained in terms of social, financial, natural, and physical capital. This, among other things, hampers the potential to venture into self-employment or entrepreneurship in cases where they face challenges with getting formal sector employment.  Young graduate youth’s experiences of being unemployed can be broadly expressed in terms of economic, social, and psychological points of view. In terms of the sustainable livelihood capitals, it can be concluded that most of the experiences are propelled by the young people’s limited financial and social capital.  The subjective meaning that young unemployed graduates attach to their unemployment status implicitly revolves around their limited financial capital assets and is seen as negatively straining social capital assets.  In terms of livelihood strategies, the findings suggest that while some extremes, such as involvement in transactional and often intergenerational sexual relations, were noted, unemployed graduate youth in Botswana are generally resilient and draw on their agency as well as on their human and social capital, albeit limited, to cope. Reliance on family members and members of faith-based organizations is the main social capital drawn on, while hustling, which includes engagement in low-cost, informal sector activities, is the main human capital drawn on.  The overall view among graduate youth and key informant interviews is that the country's current active labour market programmes are not adequately effective. In the view of the young unemployed graduates, while some ALMPs enhance human capital skills, some are characterised by “unreasonable” requirements, such as possessing some capital that the young people do not necessarily have, specifically financial, natural and physical capital. Other findings that were not necessarily related to the objectives but are nonetheless noteworthy are as follows:  There is limited data for facilitating a robust analysis of graduate youth unemployment.  There are no subsidised employment programmes to curb youth unemployment. The study discovered that Botswana does not have subsidised employment programmes, which is one of the four types of ALMPs. The available ALMPs only offer (i) entrepreneurship promotion, (ii) employment services and (iii) training and skills development programmes.  There is a general failure to incorporate and include youth during decision-making to design and implement policies meant to develop and empower them. The study revealed that unemployed young people are excluded from participating in policymaking.  There is limited consultation and partnership between the government and the private sector in alleviating graduate youth unemployment. The government often excludes the private sector from policies and programmes designed and implemented to curb youth unemployment. Recommendations Based on the study’s key findings, a number of recommendations for policy practice and future research are made and summarised as follows: Recommendations for policy and practice  Improve the quality and quantity of data available to drive national decision-making and resource allocation.  Consider developing and implementing a subsidised employment programme to curb graduate youth unemployment. Such type of ALMPs has been shown to be effective and reduce unemployment in some countries.  Make youth participation a central part of the design and implementation of ALMPs.  Policymakers should involve the private sector as stakeholders and implementing partners in addressing graduate youth unemployment. Recommendations for further research  A national study on corruption as an inhibiting factor for graduates to transition from school to work.  A national study on the extent of transactional sexual relations in the graduate youth unemployment arena.  A broader and national mixed-method study on the sociological aspects of graduate youth unemployment.
Young boys at play? Gender relations and township primary school learners’ construction of masculinities in South Africa
(University of Pretoria, 2021) Van der Westhuizen, Christi; chimanzilc@gmail.com; Chimanzi, Luckmore
This study explores the social construction of masculinity among young boys and its impact on gender relations at two township primary schools in South Africa. Drawing from the conceptual ideas of Critical Studies on Men and Masculinities this study explores the views and experiences of boys and girls on what it means to be a ‘real boy’. The inclusion of girls in the social construction of masculinity and the use of multi-data collection methods sets this study apart from the other studies carried out with young boys. A purposive sampling method was used in selecting the 37 boys and girls who participated in this qualitative study. Focus group discussions, diaries and detailed individual interviews were used to explore how masculinities are socially and individually constructed amongst Grade 7 peers. Focus group discussions helped in understanding the social face of male gender identity construction while the diaries gave insight into its private face. The fear of being labelled gay resulted in some boys adopting contradictory positions in the production of their public and private selves. During focus group discussions they argued against homosexuality but in diaries they refer to it in affirming ways. Various themes with violence and sexual objectification perpetrated by the boys being central were identified in this study. Failure to privilege male homosocial relations alongside hierarchical heterosexual relations results in boys being relegated to an inferior status within the gender hierarchy. Some boys in this study verified certain girls as ‘beautiful’ while feminising those boys who failed to endorse this division as ‘permanent cows with blind eyes’. Some boys also adopted bravery bravado to portray themselves as real boys to other boys and to acquire heterosexual partners. Social differences based on the binary of belonging and not belonging were also adopted to create and recreate dominant positions and inferiorise gendered ‘others’. Gender-based violence by these boys against girls reflects the violence against women in general in South Africa. However, some boys and girls deviated from the dominant positions on being a real boy by resisting the imposition of unequal and dehumanising gender and sexual designs. The views of some girls, mostly in their diaries, show that they were not passively accepting male domination as they denounced and also acted against certain practices of hegemonic masculinities.
Cross-border care practices : experiences of Zimbabwean migrant women engaged in care work in households in South Africa
(University of Pretoria, 2021) Mokomane, Zitha; preciouszhou@gmail.com; Baison, Precious
The aim of this study is to explore the cross-border migration of Zimbabwean women who undertake various types of care work within the domestic sector in South Africa. The study seeks to understand the female labour migration within the context of global care work. It utilises the global care chain concept, which describes the employment of women and men to provide care in wealthy countries while leaving a care gap in their own families. The specific objectives of the study were as follows: 1. To examine the reasons for care workers’ migration to South Africa. 2. To investigate their work experiences in relation to duties, contractual agreements, hours worked, benefits including leave entitlements, employer-employee relations, and overall working conditions. 3. To examine the perceived macro and meso benefits and costs of the cross-border migration for care workers and the extent to which these impacts affect familial relations in Zimbabwe. 4. To explore the coping mechanisms and strategies employed by migrant care workers in navigating the challenges encountered in the course of their duties. 5. To examine women’s interpretations of their work experiences in relation to their position in society (or their position as migrant care workers in society). This study drew on two theoretical concepts: social reproduction from a feminist perspective, and transnationalism. Social reproduction places an emphasis on care and describes the activities of maintaining life daily and nurturing future generations. Transnationalism involves migrants maintaining relations in both their home country and the receiving country. Data was collected through a qualitative research design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants from four domestic worker recruitment agencies and 26 domestic and care workers in two cities, Johannesburg and Pretoria. Both cities are located in Gauteng, one of the nine provinces in South Africa and the country’s economic hub. The cities were chosen based on statistics showing that migrant inflows from outside South Africa were highest in Gauteng. The leading findings were that Zimbabwean migrant care workers in South Africa faced exploitative working conditions as the majority of them were undocumented or irregular. They faced challenges in obtaining valid work visas due to the stringent immigration policies in South Africa. It emerged that without legal documentation, migrant care workers could not seek employment through formal channels such as recruitment agencies. They used informal channels such as social networks and the ‘market’. The study highlighted that these informal channels were risky and did not offer protection and safety to either the care workers or the employing families. Further, it emerged that migrant care workers were vulnerable to exploitation through poor working conditions that violated labour laws. The findings highlighted that the benefit of migration for care workers was the opportunity to find employment, which enabled them to become economically active as income earners and financial providers. Through the income they earned, migrant women were able to send remittances in the form of money, groceries, and clothing to their families in Zimbabwe, reflecting transnational care practices. The study revealed that the migration of women was associated with social costs such as the emotional strain resulting from the separation of family members and the extraction of care resources by removing carers from the family. In light of the transfer of care resources through their migration, migrant women had to make care arrangements to fill the gap. They found suitable caregivers in their extended families. They made use of the information and communication technologies of smart phones to maintain ties with their families. The overall contribution of the study is that it gathered evidence to show that migrant care workers within the Global South are more vulnerable to exploitation largely due to unregulated migration processes when compared to South-North global care chains. This evidence supports the argument that employment conditions, migration laws and policies, as well as national labour standards can intersect to shape the status and experiences of migrant domestic workers. Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations for policy, practice and future research were made: Recommendations for policy: • Introduction of less stringent and affordable visa options for care workers. • Strengthening of bi-lateral or multi-lateral agreements within Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries to allow both the sending and destination countries to establish safeguards to protect the employer and employees. • Redefinition of domestic and care duties and responsibilities. This entails a distinct classification of roles and responsibilities for workers in this sector in policies and laws to ensure that employees are remunerated accordingly. • Training of care workers to enhance their skills as well for the protection and security of care recipients and employers in general. Recommendations for practice: • There is need to ensure that migrant domestic workers enjoy same labour rights as other workers. Recommendations for future research: • Further study could explore the perceptions of employers to understand their motivations and the domestic employment relationship. • Research that focuses on the experiences of domestic workers from other countries in the SADC region. • Comparative study of migrant domestic workers and their local counterparts would be useful to understand whether the challenges they face are specific to the sector or are associated with their migrant status.
The emergence of Ina-ethe migration : Mpondo men and continued migrant labour post-apartheid
(University of Pretoria, 2021) Bezuidenhout, Andries; songezo.nomvete@yahoo.com; Nomvete, Sandla
This thesis contributes to an understanding of the continued reliance on mining migrant labour. It explores why men from Mpondoland in Flagstaff and Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape Province continue to leave their homes to settle for work in the North West Province (Rustenburg mines) even though the authoritarian structures that supported the migrant labour system have been abolished. This thesis draws its premise from an analysis of post-Marikana events that highlighted the centrality of migrant labour to industrial action. This came after some in the government and industry stated that the migrant labour system was something of our colonial and apartheid past. Using the logic of Burawoy’s extended case method and mixed methods, this research studied mine workers in two contexts: In the context of migrant households in Mpondoland and in Rustenburg, a labour receiving area, in which migrants live and work. The study found that at the centre of continued reliance on migrant labour is the improving nature of migrant work for a significant proportion of the permanently appointed segment to the labour market. It suggests that, for these workers, there has been a move from cheap labour power centred migration to what this study refers to as ina-ethe migration. This type of migration is underpinned by reciprocal relationships between male migrant workers and their wives, a phenomenon best highlighted in the interplay of masculinities and femininities in the migrant household. Within the constraints of patriarchy, the migrant labour system has transformed both femininities and masculinities in a way that continues to motivate men to take up jobs in the mining sector. Ina-ethe migration is further underscored by improved relations between migrant workers and the mines now characterised by better remuneration and improved working and living conditions. In essence, this study suggests that the social reproductive and other socio-economic roles of women in migrant households in the labour sending areas challenge hegemonic masculinities. Therefore, Mpondo men continue to rely on migrant work to meet their traditional obligation as traditional providers and heads of households. Furthermore, the rewarding nature of the current mining sector ensures migrant labour is a plausible option for Mpondo men. This is especially in view of the minimal economic activity that denotes the former labour reserves.
Enkele sosiologiese aspekte van die vryetydsbesteding van manlike kleurlinge
(University of Pretoria, 1967) Loedolff, J.F.; Botha, Adam Johannes Jacobus
No abstract available
Conditions for a Successful/Unsuccessful Reintegration Process back to High School : Former Adolescent Mothers’ Recollections/Reflections.
(University of Pretoria, 2020) Bingma, Vangile; u12325351@tuks.co.za; Mokoena, Onthatile Mmathabo
The following study explores the conditions under which former adolescent mothers were successfully or unsuccessfully reintegrated back into high school before and after giving birth. 12 semi-structured, in-depth, interviews were conducted with former adolescent mothers aged 22-23. An exploratory qualitative research approach was adopted as the study sought to acquire information that was specific to the social context and opinions of the former adolescent mothers. In addition, the study sought to explore the factors that contributed to the successful or unsuccessful reintegration of former adolescent mothers back into schools making sense of their recollections of their experiences before and after giving birth. The findings show that despite the interlinked causal factors that may have led to the unplanned pregnancies of adolescent mothers, the journey of adolescent pregnancy and motherhood worked to reinforce their motivation to complete school. Furthermore, the findings indicate that successful reintegration into high school and dealing with adolescent pregnancy and motherhood required various interventions that involved schools, families and the community to ensure the best possible chances for successful reintegration into high school. Recommendations were suggested in the study to enhance the provision of support interventions in managing adolescent pregnancy and parenthood, including, revised curriculum of sexual education, educator training and development, as well as provision of support by families and communities.
Post-war Labour Market Reconstruction : The Case of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(University of Pretoria, 2020-11) Bonnin, Debby; stjoeinaka@gmail.com; Inaka, Saint José Camille Koto Mondoko
The Democratic Republic of Congo experienced a merciless war from 1998 to 2002 that seriously affected its labour market, as it did all other aspects of society. The effects on the labour market have aroused various debates. This thesis offers a first analysis of the reconstruction process of the labour market in post-war Congo, and of the roles that key actors involved played in it. It asks the following fundamental question: what are the processes involved in the reconstruction of the post-war Congolese labour market, and how did the main actors affect these processes? The research used a constructivist methodological approach and the extended case method to collect detailed data through field interviews conducted with 109 people in Kinshasa. The data suggest that the past of the Congolese labour market is clearly visible in its post-war recovery processes (2003–2018). While the past weighed heavily on the present, from 2003 to 2011 the Congolese government nevertheless delayed the implementation of reform policies aimed at achieving a functioning labour market. Reforms introduced since then have been blunted by poor implementation processes. Moreover, the inherent weakness of Congo’s labour market institutions deepened the lack of impact of the reconstruction attempts. Likewise, the private sector did not contribute substantially to efforts at creating an effective labour market. Entering this landscape, many Congolese employees struggled to achieve integration into the formal labour market. The main argument of this thesis is that the post-war Congolese labour market has experienced an extended reconstruction due to delayed and poorly implemented labour market policies. On a more positive note, this study demonstrates the usefulness of Peck’s theory of labour market social regulation as an efficient theoretical tool in evaluating a problematic transition such as that experienced in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Search for Healing and Health in Zambian Eastern Province: A Sociological Investigation of Imbricated Health Systems
(University of Pretoria, 2019) Burns, Catherine E.; u18105093@tuks.co.za; Bwalya, Wilson
In this study, I investigated the search for health and healing in a region of modern Zambia, tracing the imbricated forms of medical knowledge and practices. Drawing on my completed original Honours research project, and enlarging the number of informants and data collection methods by including some of my new materials in this dissertation, this study sets out to ask new and deeper questions about the sociology of health and healing. Firstly, through published work (from before independence, in 1964 to the 1990s), then through primary material (archival sources; published statistical and census data; medical and public health data etc.); and finally from interviews that I recently conducted. The study addresses the following objectives: 1. To describe the complex health system of care in Zambia. 2. To describe and analyse the pattern of healthcare seeking behaviour in a complex, inequality and multi-layered healthcare system. 3. To investigate social relations of power, stigma and discrimination in a multi-layered healthcare system. 4. To explore wider considerations of how both men and women in Eastern Zambia perceive, navigate and use different forms of healthcare systems. This study shows that men and women in this region of Zambia travel a complex journey in search of their well-being necessitated by the inequalities and complexities of regional healthcare systems. The study concludes by showing that the people of this region, demonstrate agency in their health practices, and their health seeking behaviour and actions are adjusted in an effort to facilitate their wellness. Given the gendered and patriarchal context of Zambian culture, the findings of this study are perhaps surprising that birthing women reported male midwives to be more gentle, calm, and respectful than female midwives, and that nurses who work in rural health posts are perceived to be more respectful than the nurses who work at central hospitals, thus these findings may suggest more need to explore these two themes.

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