A participant-focused sociological analysis of Beedz, a Grahamstown skills training project for women
- Authors: Bobo, Azola Benita Dorothea
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Beedz (Makhanda, South Africa) , Feminist theory -- Developing countries , Training -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Occupational training -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Women -- South Africa -- Makhanda -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5686 , vital:20964
- Description: This research looked at a participant-focused sociological analysis of Beedz, a Grahamstown skills training project for women. Beedz is run by the River of Life Church and aims to equip women with the necessary skills to participate in the economy, either as entrepreneurs or as employees. Using third world feminist theory, this research explored the experiences of women who have participated in the Beedz programme, what they went through, and whether the programme benefited them or not. In particular, this research explored how the participants experienced Beedz as a programme for women without an exclusive focus on traditional feminist issues. This research was qualitative in nature; with in-depth, semi-structured interviews being used as a means of data collection. Data was analysed using key themes emerging from the interviews. The key findings of this research were that it is important to include women in training projects, as by including them you create spaces and enabling environments for women to empower themselves. Secondly, although Beedz does not deliberately work from the third world feminist theory, it could be argued that it fits in this framework as this programme facilitates skills training through looking at women as a whole, taking into account not only their gender, but also their class and race. Recommendations were made on how the Beedz programme may be improved, based on the information gathered from the participants from the interviews conducted during the research, with the key recommendation being that the organisers of the programme need to create a space for the participants’ voice to be heard, so that the programme can be relevant and beneficial to them.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Bobo, Azola Benita Dorothea
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Beedz (Makhanda, South Africa) , Feminist theory -- Developing countries , Training -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Occupational training -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Women -- South Africa -- Makhanda -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5686 , vital:20964
- Description: This research looked at a participant-focused sociological analysis of Beedz, a Grahamstown skills training project for women. Beedz is run by the River of Life Church and aims to equip women with the necessary skills to participate in the economy, either as entrepreneurs or as employees. Using third world feminist theory, this research explored the experiences of women who have participated in the Beedz programme, what they went through, and whether the programme benefited them or not. In particular, this research explored how the participants experienced Beedz as a programme for women without an exclusive focus on traditional feminist issues. This research was qualitative in nature; with in-depth, semi-structured interviews being used as a means of data collection. Data was analysed using key themes emerging from the interviews. The key findings of this research were that it is important to include women in training projects, as by including them you create spaces and enabling environments for women to empower themselves. Secondly, although Beedz does not deliberately work from the third world feminist theory, it could be argued that it fits in this framework as this programme facilitates skills training through looking at women as a whole, taking into account not only their gender, but also their class and race. Recommendations were made on how the Beedz programme may be improved, based on the information gathered from the participants from the interviews conducted during the research, with the key recommendation being that the organisers of the programme need to create a space for the participants’ voice to be heard, so that the programme can be relevant and beneficial to them.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
A sociological analysis of Rhodes University Students previously diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and prescribed psychostimulant medications
- Authors: Brasher, Chelsea Marilyn
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Stereotypes (Social psychology) , Mental illness -- Public opinion , Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder , Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder -- Treatment , Symbolic interactionism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7610 , vital:21278
- Description: Using the theoretical framework of symbolic interactionism, bringing into account the labelling theory, the stigmas attached upon mental health issues and the medicalization approach, this study sought to document and analyze the viewpoints that previously diagnosed Rhodes University students hold towards the ADHD label and the subsequent usage of psychostimulant medications. Seven respondents were involved in an in-depth interviewing process. Out of the seven respondents chosen, five of the respondents were diagnosed in their primary school years, whereas the other two respondents were diagnosed in their late teenage years or early adult years. These respondents were included to enlighten and support the narrative of the five respondents diagnosed in their youth. The findings varied, with some of the respondents feeling negatively affected by having the ADHD label attached to them, and others, positively affected by it. The findings were also diverse in terms of how the respondents experienced stimulant usage, with some believing that the benefits of usage outweigh the costs, and others, the opposite. At a general level, it was discovered that the respondents were not affected by the ADHD label in terms of their interactions with others in primary school. It was only as they got older did some become fearful of the stigma attached to the ADHD label, and that of medication.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Brasher, Chelsea Marilyn
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Stereotypes (Social psychology) , Mental illness -- Public opinion , Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder , Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder -- Treatment , Symbolic interactionism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7610 , vital:21278
- Description: Using the theoretical framework of symbolic interactionism, bringing into account the labelling theory, the stigmas attached upon mental health issues and the medicalization approach, this study sought to document and analyze the viewpoints that previously diagnosed Rhodes University students hold towards the ADHD label and the subsequent usage of psychostimulant medications. Seven respondents were involved in an in-depth interviewing process. Out of the seven respondents chosen, five of the respondents were diagnosed in their primary school years, whereas the other two respondents were diagnosed in their late teenage years or early adult years. These respondents were included to enlighten and support the narrative of the five respondents diagnosed in their youth. The findings varied, with some of the respondents feeling negatively affected by having the ADHD label attached to them, and others, positively affected by it. The findings were also diverse in terms of how the respondents experienced stimulant usage, with some believing that the benefits of usage outweigh the costs, and others, the opposite. At a general level, it was discovered that the respondents were not affected by the ADHD label in terms of their interactions with others in primary school. It was only as they got older did some become fearful of the stigma attached to the ADHD label, and that of medication.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
A sociological analysis of the lives and livelihoods of child support grant caregivers in Queenstown, South Africa
- Authors: Ntantiso, Ziyanda
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7925 , vital:21325
- Description: The post-apartheid state in South Africa has initiated and implemented a large-scale social assistance programme in the form of social grants, including the child support grant. The grant system is meant to provide recipients, who comprise mainly people from poor black households, with the capacity to reduce levels of poverty in their households. The grant with the largest number of recipients is the child support grant, and it is given to the caregiver of a child eligible to receive the grant. Though the value of the monthly grant is minimal, the prevailing literature suggests that it does contribute in some way to enhancing the welfare of the recipients. This thesis focuses on child support grant recipients in the town of Queenstown in the Eastern Cape, and particularly those recipients for whom the grant is the crucial source of income. The main objective of the thesis is to understand and analyse the lives and livelihoods of child support grant recipients (all women) in Queenstown, South Africa. In this regard, the vast majority of caregivers of grant children are women and they often rely exclusively on the grant in taking care of themselves and the children. The thesis does not seek to determine any direct causal relationship between the child grant and poverty reduction, as much of the existing literature seeks to do. It focuses instead on the lives of the grant recipients, including the many challenges they face, as well as how they use the grant to pursue livelihoods in a manner which may at least inhibit the prospects of entering into deeper levels of poverty. The thesis demonstrates that, despite their deprived conditions of material existence, the female caregivers in Queenstown display significant agency in caring for their grant children.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Ntantiso, Ziyanda
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7925 , vital:21325
- Description: The post-apartheid state in South Africa has initiated and implemented a large-scale social assistance programme in the form of social grants, including the child support grant. The grant system is meant to provide recipients, who comprise mainly people from poor black households, with the capacity to reduce levels of poverty in their households. The grant with the largest number of recipients is the child support grant, and it is given to the caregiver of a child eligible to receive the grant. Though the value of the monthly grant is minimal, the prevailing literature suggests that it does contribute in some way to enhancing the welfare of the recipients. This thesis focuses on child support grant recipients in the town of Queenstown in the Eastern Cape, and particularly those recipients for whom the grant is the crucial source of income. The main objective of the thesis is to understand and analyse the lives and livelihoods of child support grant recipients (all women) in Queenstown, South Africa. In this regard, the vast majority of caregivers of grant children are women and they often rely exclusively on the grant in taking care of themselves and the children. The thesis does not seek to determine any direct causal relationship between the child grant and poverty reduction, as much of the existing literature seeks to do. It focuses instead on the lives of the grant recipients, including the many challenges they face, as well as how they use the grant to pursue livelihoods in a manner which may at least inhibit the prospects of entering into deeper levels of poverty. The thesis demonstrates that, despite their deprived conditions of material existence, the female caregivers in Queenstown display significant agency in caring for their grant children.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Agricultural-based commodity chains and development: the case of the tobacco sector in Zimbabwe
- Authors: Thring, Stephen Richard
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5337 , vital:20814
- Description: This thesis examines the nature of governance in the Zimbabwean tobacco value chain and what upgrading implications this has for participants at the lower end of the value chain, with a particular focus on smallholder tobacco growers. The nature of governance and upgrading opportunities will provide further implications for broader economic development in Zimbabwe. Value chain analysis was the over-arching method, adopting a mixed methods approach of both quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Data attained from the Tobacco and Industry Marketing Board (TIMB) was used to construct a Zimbabwean tobacco profile. This information was used to construct a simple Global Value Chain (GVC) framework in order to obtain an understanding of the Zimbabwean tobacco value chain. Information was gathered at the top end of the value chain via documents and data from British American Tobacco (BAT) and information was gathered at the middle and lower end of the value chain through interviews. It was found that the Zimbabwean tobacco value chain is characterised by two types of governance: modular and hierarchy. Modular governance existed where the value chain was disjointed by the leaf merchant and hierarchy governance existed where cigarette manufacturers have vertically integrated themselves backwards into the tobacco growing segment. It was found that contract lines offer smallholder tobacco growers’ financial and technical support that would otherwise be difficult to attain. This increased the likelihood for smallholder tobacco growers to produce a high quality crop that met Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and other compliancy requirements; therefore achieving product and process upgrading. However, the environmental impact of tobacco growing through deforestation and the possibility of lead cigarette manufacturers relocating their operations to a different geographical location (as is the nature of GVCs) threatens the sustainability of Zimbabwe’s tobacco industry. Despite these issues it was argued that the tobacco value chain could assist Zimbabwe’s economy in diversifying away from simple tobacco production towards valueadding tobacco sectors, such as processing, by-product processing and cigarette manufacturing.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Thring, Stephen Richard
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5337 , vital:20814
- Description: This thesis examines the nature of governance in the Zimbabwean tobacco value chain and what upgrading implications this has for participants at the lower end of the value chain, with a particular focus on smallholder tobacco growers. The nature of governance and upgrading opportunities will provide further implications for broader economic development in Zimbabwe. Value chain analysis was the over-arching method, adopting a mixed methods approach of both quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Data attained from the Tobacco and Industry Marketing Board (TIMB) was used to construct a Zimbabwean tobacco profile. This information was used to construct a simple Global Value Chain (GVC) framework in order to obtain an understanding of the Zimbabwean tobacco value chain. Information was gathered at the top end of the value chain via documents and data from British American Tobacco (BAT) and information was gathered at the middle and lower end of the value chain through interviews. It was found that the Zimbabwean tobacco value chain is characterised by two types of governance: modular and hierarchy. Modular governance existed where the value chain was disjointed by the leaf merchant and hierarchy governance existed where cigarette manufacturers have vertically integrated themselves backwards into the tobacco growing segment. It was found that contract lines offer smallholder tobacco growers’ financial and technical support that would otherwise be difficult to attain. This increased the likelihood for smallholder tobacco growers to produce a high quality crop that met Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and other compliancy requirements; therefore achieving product and process upgrading. However, the environmental impact of tobacco growing through deforestation and the possibility of lead cigarette manufacturers relocating their operations to a different geographical location (as is the nature of GVCs) threatens the sustainability of Zimbabwe’s tobacco industry. Despite these issues it was argued that the tobacco value chain could assist Zimbabwe’s economy in diversifying away from simple tobacco production towards valueadding tobacco sectors, such as processing, by-product processing and cigarette manufacturing.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Between reproductive rights and access to reproductive healthcare services: narratives of reproductive rights activists in South Africa
- Authors: Jacobs, Marc
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Reproductive rights -- South Africa , Reproductive rights -- Political aspects -- South Africa , Human reproduction -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Reproductive health -- South Africa , Abortion -- Government policy -- South Africa , South Africa. Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1996
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/17707 , vital:22270
- Description: The motivation behind the research paper, “Between reproductive rights and access to reproductive healthcare services: Narratives of reproductive rights activists in South Africa” stems from the notion that civil society groups have often played a critical role in addressing social justice issues concerning women’s rights. Since 1996 after implementation of the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy (CTOP) Act, South Africa has frequently been praised for its progressive abortion laws that formally recognises women’s need for reproductive autonomy and equality. However, ineffective implementation has resulted in many women facing a combination of barriers to accessing reproductive healthcare services. Thus, resulting in some women opting for unsafe, illegal abortion services and placing their health and lives in danger. The purpose of the study, therefore, is to capture the perceptions of contemporary South African based reproductive rights activists and NGOs who engage in campaigns that seek to highlight the complex relationship between reproductive rights and access to such rights. Data for the study was collected through open-ended questionnaires in which participants provided their unique opinions as activists who regularly engage with the abortion and access issues in South Africa. Results from the study suggest that ineffective implementation of the CTOP Act can be attributed to a lack of political will to prioritise women’s sexual and reproductive rights, thereby further marginalising women in society. Results also point to the need for widespread support from civil society on women’s rights matters so that the State can more effectively be held accountable for catering to the most marginalised women in South African society.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Jacobs, Marc
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Reproductive rights -- South Africa , Reproductive rights -- Political aspects -- South Africa , Human reproduction -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Reproductive health -- South Africa , Abortion -- Government policy -- South Africa , South Africa. Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1996
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/17707 , vital:22270
- Description: The motivation behind the research paper, “Between reproductive rights and access to reproductive healthcare services: Narratives of reproductive rights activists in South Africa” stems from the notion that civil society groups have often played a critical role in addressing social justice issues concerning women’s rights. Since 1996 after implementation of the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy (CTOP) Act, South Africa has frequently been praised for its progressive abortion laws that formally recognises women’s need for reproductive autonomy and equality. However, ineffective implementation has resulted in many women facing a combination of barriers to accessing reproductive healthcare services. Thus, resulting in some women opting for unsafe, illegal abortion services and placing their health and lives in danger. The purpose of the study, therefore, is to capture the perceptions of contemporary South African based reproductive rights activists and NGOs who engage in campaigns that seek to highlight the complex relationship between reproductive rights and access to such rights. Data for the study was collected through open-ended questionnaires in which participants provided their unique opinions as activists who regularly engage with the abortion and access issues in South Africa. Results from the study suggest that ineffective implementation of the CTOP Act can be attributed to a lack of political will to prioritise women’s sexual and reproductive rights, thereby further marginalising women in society. Results also point to the need for widespread support from civil society on women’s rights matters so that the State can more effectively be held accountable for catering to the most marginalised women in South African society.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Critical analysis of landscape and belonging in Mola, Nyaminyami District, Zimbabwe
- Authors: Tombindo, Felix
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7533 , vital:21270
- Description: Land and inanimate resources constitute the most dominant theme in the history of Zimbabwe. Questions around land, the environment and natural resources in Zimbabwe have recently focused on the contentious Fast Track Land Reform Programme of the year 2000. Yet Zimbabwe’s land questions are not limited to this contentious land reform programme. Among Zimbabwe’s contentious land questions are those of the Tonga people, displaced in the 1950s to pave way for the construction of the Kariba dam. These people have faced further displacement through conservation-induced restrictions on land and environmental resource use, particularly in the Zambezi Valley and specifically in areas where they were relocated after the dam-induced displacement. This thesis examines the ways in which the Tonga people of Mola in NyamiNyami District have framed their present environment to place imprints in Mola from their Zambezi landscape and to convert Mola into a landscape of home and belonging. It looks at how the Tonga in Mola use these narratives of home and belonging to claim and contest access to environmental resources in the face of an unfettered regime of displacement and restricted environmental resource use. These narratives of home are located within the context of memories of the history of Kariba dam-induced displacement and present-day environmental conservation regime practices. The thesis frames the case study of the Tonga in Mola analytically through the use of mainly a social constructionist theory of landscape and, less so, with reference to the Bourdieusian concept of habitus. It uses qualitative research methods in doing so. The thesis reveals that, for the Tonga of Mola, the environment is a complex mix of physical space (natural environment) and non-physical entities that include ancestors. Because of this, the Mola Tongan environment is multifaceted and this entails landscape as lived reality and a sacred space. The ancestors, referred to locally as banalyo gundu (meaning ‘owners of the land’), constitute a key way in which the Tonga claim belonging to Mola, Lake Kariba and the Zambezi Valley escarpment. The thesis also identifies and highlights the phenomenon of a dual belonging (attachment to two places), namely Mola and the place from which they were displaced. This exists despite the many years since their displacement for the construction of Kariba. Based on their understandings of landscape, the Tonga of Mola construct notions of belonging and entitlement to Mola and Lake Kariba that exclude and include others at the local and national levels. Overall, belonging in Mola is presented and practised as a discursive, socially constructed phenomenon that exists at local and national levels.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Tombindo, Felix
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7533 , vital:21270
- Description: Land and inanimate resources constitute the most dominant theme in the history of Zimbabwe. Questions around land, the environment and natural resources in Zimbabwe have recently focused on the contentious Fast Track Land Reform Programme of the year 2000. Yet Zimbabwe’s land questions are not limited to this contentious land reform programme. Among Zimbabwe’s contentious land questions are those of the Tonga people, displaced in the 1950s to pave way for the construction of the Kariba dam. These people have faced further displacement through conservation-induced restrictions on land and environmental resource use, particularly in the Zambezi Valley and specifically in areas where they were relocated after the dam-induced displacement. This thesis examines the ways in which the Tonga people of Mola in NyamiNyami District have framed their present environment to place imprints in Mola from their Zambezi landscape and to convert Mola into a landscape of home and belonging. It looks at how the Tonga in Mola use these narratives of home and belonging to claim and contest access to environmental resources in the face of an unfettered regime of displacement and restricted environmental resource use. These narratives of home are located within the context of memories of the history of Kariba dam-induced displacement and present-day environmental conservation regime practices. The thesis frames the case study of the Tonga in Mola analytically through the use of mainly a social constructionist theory of landscape and, less so, with reference to the Bourdieusian concept of habitus. It uses qualitative research methods in doing so. The thesis reveals that, for the Tonga of Mola, the environment is a complex mix of physical space (natural environment) and non-physical entities that include ancestors. Because of this, the Mola Tongan environment is multifaceted and this entails landscape as lived reality and a sacred space. The ancestors, referred to locally as banalyo gundu (meaning ‘owners of the land’), constitute a key way in which the Tonga claim belonging to Mola, Lake Kariba and the Zambezi Valley escarpment. The thesis also identifies and highlights the phenomenon of a dual belonging (attachment to two places), namely Mola and the place from which they were displaced. This exists despite the many years since their displacement for the construction of Kariba. Based on their understandings of landscape, the Tonga of Mola construct notions of belonging and entitlement to Mola and Lake Kariba that exclude and include others at the local and national levels. Overall, belonging in Mola is presented and practised as a discursive, socially constructed phenomenon that exists at local and national levels.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Exploring the need for Academic Support Programmes (ASPs) for returning undergraduates at Rhodes University
- Matabane, Ramathetse Belinda
- Authors: Matabane, Ramathetse Belinda
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Compensatory education -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Rhodes University. Department of Sociology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/35094 , vital:24326
- Description: The overarching purpose of this thesis is to explore the need for Academic Support Programmes (ASPs) in higher education with specific reference to returning undergraduates in the Sociology Department at Rhodes University. The transformational agenda in higher education in post-apartheid South Africa in terms of expanding access to education, the promotion of accountability and efficiency in higher education, massification, the articulation gap between school and university, institutional culture, unpreparedness of universities and underpreparedness of students comprise the conceptual core of this study. I undertake to investigate the necessity and relevance of academic support offered to returning undergraduates at Rhodes University. I do this by exploring two main issues theoretically and in my fieldwork. The two main issues that form the basis of this research are students’ perceptions regarding availability and accessibility of academic support programmes in the Sociology Department and students’ perceived academic needs. Students’ perceptions and attitudes towards Academic Support Programmes have been uncovered through both quantitative and qualitative fieldwork to gauge the extent to which literature is applicable when it comes to the above-mentioned conceptual frameworks. The study illustrated that academic support is not exclusive to first year students. It is also clear that improved, systematic academic support gives rise to improved student academic performance. Throughout the study, students perceive availability and accessibility of ASPs as a challenge.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Matabane, Ramathetse Belinda
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Compensatory education -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Rhodes University. Department of Sociology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/35094 , vital:24326
- Description: The overarching purpose of this thesis is to explore the need for Academic Support Programmes (ASPs) in higher education with specific reference to returning undergraduates in the Sociology Department at Rhodes University. The transformational agenda in higher education in post-apartheid South Africa in terms of expanding access to education, the promotion of accountability and efficiency in higher education, massification, the articulation gap between school and university, institutional culture, unpreparedness of universities and underpreparedness of students comprise the conceptual core of this study. I undertake to investigate the necessity and relevance of academic support offered to returning undergraduates at Rhodes University. I do this by exploring two main issues theoretically and in my fieldwork. The two main issues that form the basis of this research are students’ perceptions regarding availability and accessibility of academic support programmes in the Sociology Department and students’ perceived academic needs. Students’ perceptions and attitudes towards Academic Support Programmes have been uncovered through both quantitative and qualitative fieldwork to gauge the extent to which literature is applicable when it comes to the above-mentioned conceptual frameworks. The study illustrated that academic support is not exclusive to first year students. It is also clear that improved, systematic academic support gives rise to improved student academic performance. Throughout the study, students perceive availability and accessibility of ASPs as a challenge.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Land reform and rural livelihoods of evicted farm workers: a case study of Radway Green Farm Project
- Authors: Zishiri, Kudzanai
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/44377 , vital:25402
- Description: The land issue has remained a contentious one more than two decades into a democratic South Africa. With the dispossession of the indigenous people from their land stretching back as far as 1913, eviction of farm workers and farm dwellers has increased tremendously even in the post-Apartheid era. Thus, the main goal of this study is to analyse the impact of the eviction on the Radway Green farm workers’ community and to examine the factors affecting the generation of livelihood activities in their new settlement. In doing so, I used the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods Approach (SRLA) as my theoretical framework as it conceptually grounds my area of study. It was employed to analyse data gathered from the field through in-depth interviews, focus groups, key informant interviews and descriptive observation of the case study. The centrality of the SRLA concept is on rural development, poverty eradication and the ability or sustainability of the vulnerable and poor to cope with stresses and shocks as they make a living (Scoones, 1998: 5). In that regard, the theoretical framework became an important cornerstone in analysing the impact of eviction of the Radway Green farm workers’ community and examining the factors affecting the generation of livelihoods activities in their new settlement. To analyse the research findings, various themes were utilised Forced Evictions and Resettlement; Eviction or Displacement; The Struggles of Recreating Livelihoods; The Need for Security of Land Tenure and Access to Infrastructure. Under these themes, the study revealed how the eviction was detrimental to the livelihoods of the farm workers and farm dwellers as they lost the land that was a primary source for the construction of their livelihoods. They lost employment, homes, agricultural land for food security and natural resources, social and family structures and most importantly cultural disruption. It is well documented that the rural poor who constitute the farm workers and the farm dwellers are some of the vulnerable people who need constant governmental support through the promulgation of laws that protect them and assist in livelihood construction. Thus, this study also served to examine how the evicted workers and their families have settled into their new homes and how they, in conjunction with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform and any other government agencies are faring in terms of the establishment of income generating projects for their livelihoods at the new settlement.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Land reform and rural livelihoods of evicted farm workers: a case study of Radway Green Farm Project
- Authors: Zishiri, Kudzanai
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/44377 , vital:25402
- Description: The land issue has remained a contentious one more than two decades into a democratic South Africa. With the dispossession of the indigenous people from their land stretching back as far as 1913, eviction of farm workers and farm dwellers has increased tremendously even in the post-Apartheid era. Thus, the main goal of this study is to analyse the impact of the eviction on the Radway Green farm workers’ community and to examine the factors affecting the generation of livelihood activities in their new settlement. In doing so, I used the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods Approach (SRLA) as my theoretical framework as it conceptually grounds my area of study. It was employed to analyse data gathered from the field through in-depth interviews, focus groups, key informant interviews and descriptive observation of the case study. The centrality of the SRLA concept is on rural development, poverty eradication and the ability or sustainability of the vulnerable and poor to cope with stresses and shocks as they make a living (Scoones, 1998: 5). In that regard, the theoretical framework became an important cornerstone in analysing the impact of eviction of the Radway Green farm workers’ community and examining the factors affecting the generation of livelihoods activities in their new settlement. To analyse the research findings, various themes were utilised Forced Evictions and Resettlement; Eviction or Displacement; The Struggles of Recreating Livelihoods; The Need for Security of Land Tenure and Access to Infrastructure. Under these themes, the study revealed how the eviction was detrimental to the livelihoods of the farm workers and farm dwellers as they lost the land that was a primary source for the construction of their livelihoods. They lost employment, homes, agricultural land for food security and natural resources, social and family structures and most importantly cultural disruption. It is well documented that the rural poor who constitute the farm workers and the farm dwellers are some of the vulnerable people who need constant governmental support through the promulgation of laws that protect them and assist in livelihood construction. Thus, this study also served to examine how the evicted workers and their families have settled into their new homes and how they, in conjunction with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform and any other government agencies are faring in terms of the establishment of income generating projects for their livelihoods at the new settlement.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Lived experience of positional suffering for room attendants at Rhodes University: insights for the transformation agenda
- Authors: Toli, Vuyolwethu
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7890 , vital:21320
- Description: Taking insights from the domestic work literature both locally and internationally, this study explores the lived experiences of room attendants who work as cleaners in the students’ residences at Rhodes University. The study focuses on the housekeeping division of Rhodes University. Data was generated from in-depth individual interviews and focus groups with 26 women and 3 men participants (aged between 28 and 60) who work as room attendants, and who were recruited from the residences across the university. The phenomenological approach allowed the participants to articulate in-depth, their experiences of working as room attendants in intimate spaces. This study used a triangulated conceptual framework, which amalgamated the concepts of pain, social space and intersectionality, and exploitation under the umbrella concept of positional suffering. Within a higher education transformation agenda which has marginalised the experiences of unskilled workers at the university, the study seeks to bring insights to the understanding of transformation at Rhodes University through the experiences of the being-in-the-world of room attendants.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Toli, Vuyolwethu
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7890 , vital:21320
- Description: Taking insights from the domestic work literature both locally and internationally, this study explores the lived experiences of room attendants who work as cleaners in the students’ residences at Rhodes University. The study focuses on the housekeeping division of Rhodes University. Data was generated from in-depth individual interviews and focus groups with 26 women and 3 men participants (aged between 28 and 60) who work as room attendants, and who were recruited from the residences across the university. The phenomenological approach allowed the participants to articulate in-depth, their experiences of working as room attendants in intimate spaces. This study used a triangulated conceptual framework, which amalgamated the concepts of pain, social space and intersectionality, and exploitation under the umbrella concept of positional suffering. Within a higher education transformation agenda which has marginalised the experiences of unskilled workers at the university, the study seeks to bring insights to the understanding of transformation at Rhodes University through the experiences of the being-in-the-world of room attendants.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Masculine performance and enactment in the Rhodes University Rowing Club
- Authors: Dlamini, Thobile Lungile
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Masculinity in sports -- South Africa , College sports -- South Africa , Male college athletes -- Psychology -- South Africa -- Case studies , Masculinity , Sex role , Rhodes University. Rowing Club , Rhodes University -- Students -- Psychology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4315 , vital:20647
- Description: Drawing on the interactions between gender and power in the South African context, this study explores how masculinities are produced, reproduced and contested in one particular realm of social life, namely organised university sport. The study focuses on a rowing club at a historically white South African university (RURC). The narratives of ten male participants (aged between 19 and 23) who self-identified as heterosexual and were recruited from RURC, were utilised to make meaning of the process of identity construction of young males who participate in organised sport within the higher education sphere. The ethnographic aspect of the study, which spanned over three months, provided a window into the norms, values and rituals of the club and how these variously reinforce or interrupt the prevailing gender order. Employing Connell’s typology of masculinities as a lens, the study traces the lived construction of masculinity in the individual lives of the members of RURC as one sphere of university life in which masculinities are produced and contested. Within a wider culture that has been characterised as white, heteronormative and patriarchal, the study argues that although masculinities and masculine performances in the RURC are highly contested the practices of the club ultimately perpetuate an exclusionary, orthodox masculinity.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Dlamini, Thobile Lungile
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Masculinity in sports -- South Africa , College sports -- South Africa , Male college athletes -- Psychology -- South Africa -- Case studies , Masculinity , Sex role , Rhodes University. Rowing Club , Rhodes University -- Students -- Psychology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4315 , vital:20647
- Description: Drawing on the interactions between gender and power in the South African context, this study explores how masculinities are produced, reproduced and contested in one particular realm of social life, namely organised university sport. The study focuses on a rowing club at a historically white South African university (RURC). The narratives of ten male participants (aged between 19 and 23) who self-identified as heterosexual and were recruited from RURC, were utilised to make meaning of the process of identity construction of young males who participate in organised sport within the higher education sphere. The ethnographic aspect of the study, which spanned over three months, provided a window into the norms, values and rituals of the club and how these variously reinforce or interrupt the prevailing gender order. Employing Connell’s typology of masculinities as a lens, the study traces the lived construction of masculinity in the individual lives of the members of RURC as one sphere of university life in which masculinities are produced and contested. Within a wider culture that has been characterised as white, heteronormative and patriarchal, the study argues that although masculinities and masculine performances in the RURC are highly contested the practices of the club ultimately perpetuate an exclusionary, orthodox masculinity.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
New spaces and old stories: the Luminance woman, black womanhood and the illusion of the “new” South Africa
- Alweendo, Ndapwa Magano Nelao
- Authors: Alweendo, Ndapwa Magano Nelao
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Luminance stores (South Africa) , Dhlomo, Khanyi , Dlamini, Judy , Women, Black -- South Africa -- Social life and customes , Women, Black -- South Africa -- Social conditions , Clothing trade -- South Africa , Social classes -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/42619 , vital:25220
- Description: This study examines ideas of black womanhood in post-apartheid South Africa. The opening of the Luminance boutique in 2013, previously owned by South African businesswoman and media mogul Khanyi Dhlomo in Johannesburg’s ultra-exclusive Hyde Park Corner, has been articulated as representing a rupture in the public and private performance of black womanhood. Luminance has positioned itself as a provider of world-class style and beauty and has embraced a narrative of black women’s empowerment in the process. The study is based on narrative semistructured interviews conducted Johannesburg with black women who have shopped at the boutique and women who believe themselves as having a meaningful connection to the store. The literature on black women, both internationally and in South Africa, acknowledges that black women experience multiple and intersecting oppressions of race, class and gender, among others. Located within black feminist theory, the study argues that the Luminance woman does represent some rupture in the historic understanding of black womanhood in South Africa. This woman is an elite player in both the corporate world and the world of luxury consumption, and is certainly entering spaces to which black women have historically been denied access. However, this study argues that there is a danger in reducing this woman to an oversimplified character, allowing responses to her to ignore the complexities of her reality in favour of the simplicity of her story, and ignore the structural socioeconomic challenges that continue to shape the lives of all black women in postapartheid South Africa. In this regard, the Luminance woman, while on the surface appearing to be an empowering new iteration of womanhood that should inspire other black woman, contributes to the erasure of her particular marginal experiences, and the oppression of black women in general. The story of the Luminance women contributes to a narrative of individual hard work and determination that frames her as a respectable example of what the “new” South Africa has delivered for its citizens. This woman is a model example of a South African who has succeeded because she took advantage of the opportunities supposedly afforded to all in the post-1994 era. It is therefore argued that praise of the Luminance woman serves a dual purpose: to reinforce the myth of equal opportunity in South Africa, and to lessen the legitimacy of marginalised groups’ experiences of oppression, especially black women who continue to constitute the poor majority.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Alweendo, Ndapwa Magano Nelao
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Luminance stores (South Africa) , Dhlomo, Khanyi , Dlamini, Judy , Women, Black -- South Africa -- Social life and customes , Women, Black -- South Africa -- Social conditions , Clothing trade -- South Africa , Social classes -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/42619 , vital:25220
- Description: This study examines ideas of black womanhood in post-apartheid South Africa. The opening of the Luminance boutique in 2013, previously owned by South African businesswoman and media mogul Khanyi Dhlomo in Johannesburg’s ultra-exclusive Hyde Park Corner, has been articulated as representing a rupture in the public and private performance of black womanhood. Luminance has positioned itself as a provider of world-class style and beauty and has embraced a narrative of black women’s empowerment in the process. The study is based on narrative semistructured interviews conducted Johannesburg with black women who have shopped at the boutique and women who believe themselves as having a meaningful connection to the store. The literature on black women, both internationally and in South Africa, acknowledges that black women experience multiple and intersecting oppressions of race, class and gender, among others. Located within black feminist theory, the study argues that the Luminance woman does represent some rupture in the historic understanding of black womanhood in South Africa. This woman is an elite player in both the corporate world and the world of luxury consumption, and is certainly entering spaces to which black women have historically been denied access. However, this study argues that there is a danger in reducing this woman to an oversimplified character, allowing responses to her to ignore the complexities of her reality in favour of the simplicity of her story, and ignore the structural socioeconomic challenges that continue to shape the lives of all black women in postapartheid South Africa. In this regard, the Luminance woman, while on the surface appearing to be an empowering new iteration of womanhood that should inspire other black woman, contributes to the erasure of her particular marginal experiences, and the oppression of black women in general. The story of the Luminance women contributes to a narrative of individual hard work and determination that frames her as a respectable example of what the “new” South Africa has delivered for its citizens. This woman is a model example of a South African who has succeeded because she took advantage of the opportunities supposedly afforded to all in the post-1994 era. It is therefore argued that praise of the Luminance woman serves a dual purpose: to reinforce the myth of equal opportunity in South Africa, and to lessen the legitimacy of marginalised groups’ experiences of oppression, especially black women who continue to constitute the poor majority.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Researching research culture: a case study of Rhodes University Humanities Faculty research culture
- Authors: Hwami, Rudo Fortunate
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Rhodes University. Humanities Faculty , Rhodes University -- Graduate work , Rhodes University. Humanities Faculty -- Research , Research -- South Africa -- Makhanda
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7522 , vital:21269
- Description: This thesis explores the idea of research having organisational characteristics which are affected by the institutional culture but can not be defined as a subculture of the institutional culture. In particular, it examines how research culture(s) can be exclusionary and reproduce discriminatory practices. Using quantitative data in the form of Rhodes University Annual Reports and interviews conducted with 11 participants, the thesis documents the current research practices of the Faculty of Humanities at Rhodes University. Such practices incorporate multiple dimensions, including how research is done, who does research, what research is done and research funding rituals. The purpose of this study is to reveal how research cultures are constructed through the seemingly mundane and everyday research practices within a research community. Through the analysis of these everyday practices, participants’ experiences and theoretical arguments, this thesis found that research culture and institutional culture are separate entities, and that research culture plays a vital role in the formation of research practices.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Hwami, Rudo Fortunate
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Rhodes University. Humanities Faculty , Rhodes University -- Graduate work , Rhodes University. Humanities Faculty -- Research , Research -- South Africa -- Makhanda
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7522 , vital:21269
- Description: This thesis explores the idea of research having organisational characteristics which are affected by the institutional culture but can not be defined as a subculture of the institutional culture. In particular, it examines how research culture(s) can be exclusionary and reproduce discriminatory practices. Using quantitative data in the form of Rhodes University Annual Reports and interviews conducted with 11 participants, the thesis documents the current research practices of the Faculty of Humanities at Rhodes University. Such practices incorporate multiple dimensions, including how research is done, who does research, what research is done and research funding rituals. The purpose of this study is to reveal how research cultures are constructed through the seemingly mundane and everyday research practices within a research community. Through the analysis of these everyday practices, participants’ experiences and theoretical arguments, this thesis found that research culture and institutional culture are separate entities, and that research culture plays a vital role in the formation of research practices.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
South-South labour migration complexities and shifting visa policies in South Africa: a sociological analysis of Rhodes University academic labour migrants’ perceptions
- Authors: Domboka, Edward
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Foreign workers -- South Africa , Foreign workers -- Government policy -- South Africa , College teachers, Foreign -- South Africa -- Attitudes , College teacher mobility -- Africa , Visas -- South Africa , Rhodes University -- Employees -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/46242 , vital:25593
- Description: International migration is an old phenomenon caused by many factors divided into push and pull factors. However, there is no enough coverage on the perceptions of the labour migrants. Although there is a vast body of writing on migration, this study delves into the experiential perceptions of academic labour migrants at Rhodes University. These academic labour migrants include professors, lecturers, researchers and postdoctoral research fellows. The study took a qualitative approach to document the experiential perceptions of academic labour migrants at Rhodes University. In-depth interviews were conducted with twelve respondents, to analyse how academic labour migrants perceive South Africa’s changing visa policies in the context of regional integration and development, migration networks and choice, host-migrant relations. The study is underpinned by Probsting’s (2015) concept of "spatial fix" in the context of capitalism and migration, to locate the positionality of academic labour migrants within a capitalist society. The study established that the increase in skilled labour migration is relatively linked to the expansion of capitalism. Based on the perceptions of the respondents, the study concluded that migration is inherently vital in providing cheap labour for capitalists. It established that changing visa policies is not without problems. Historical dispositions of the apartheid system, conflicting domestic versus international imperatives, neo-liberal policies and the widely condemned results of capitalism as an imperialist system and other factors influence migration management in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Domboka, Edward
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Foreign workers -- South Africa , Foreign workers -- Government policy -- South Africa , College teachers, Foreign -- South Africa -- Attitudes , College teacher mobility -- Africa , Visas -- South Africa , Rhodes University -- Employees -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/46242 , vital:25593
- Description: International migration is an old phenomenon caused by many factors divided into push and pull factors. However, there is no enough coverage on the perceptions of the labour migrants. Although there is a vast body of writing on migration, this study delves into the experiential perceptions of academic labour migrants at Rhodes University. These academic labour migrants include professors, lecturers, researchers and postdoctoral research fellows. The study took a qualitative approach to document the experiential perceptions of academic labour migrants at Rhodes University. In-depth interviews were conducted with twelve respondents, to analyse how academic labour migrants perceive South Africa’s changing visa policies in the context of regional integration and development, migration networks and choice, host-migrant relations. The study is underpinned by Probsting’s (2015) concept of "spatial fix" in the context of capitalism and migration, to locate the positionality of academic labour migrants within a capitalist society. The study established that the increase in skilled labour migration is relatively linked to the expansion of capitalism. Based on the perceptions of the respondents, the study concluded that migration is inherently vital in providing cheap labour for capitalists. It established that changing visa policies is not without problems. Historical dispositions of the apartheid system, conflicting domestic versus international imperatives, neo-liberal policies and the widely condemned results of capitalism as an imperialist system and other factors influence migration management in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
The symbolic consumption and identity construction through luxury branded clothing among Rhodes University students
- Authors: Chinomona, Perpetua
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Group identity , Peer pressure , Brand choice -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Consumer behavior -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Consumer behavior -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Luxuries -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Rhodes University -- Students -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/6853 , vital:21193
- Description: The purpose of this study is to explore how Rhodes University (RU) students construct identity through the symbolic consumption of luxury branded clothing and the role played by reference groups in the consumption behaviour. The study employed the Social Identity Theory (SIT) as a theoretical framework which explains the underpinnings of the cognitions and behaviour with the use of group processes (Trepte, 2006). The central principle of SIT lies in individuals classifying themselves and others into in-group (reference groups) and out-group social categories respectively. There has been a gap in the literature pertaining to a full understanding of the identity construction process through symbolic consumption of luxury brands in South Africa (Reed, 2002). The significance of the study is to provide a foundation for an enhanced theory of consumer behaviour in this context. This study employed a qualitative research approach. A non-probability convenience sampling technique was used, and a total of 12 undergraduate and postgraduate students were interviewed. The chosen data collection method was semi-structured in-depth interviews and data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings of the study revealed that participants consume luxury branded clothing for both functional and symbolic purposes. Various factors emerged that influence the choice of the symbolic consumption behaviour such as income, buying frequency, spending patterns, perceptions and habits around retail shopping and the shopping experience. In addition, results indicated that reference groups (celebrities, family and peers) play a significant role in the symbolic consumption and construction of identity among the participants. In addition, the results also indicated that the RU participants engaged in a ‘save to spend’ technique whereby they save their pocket money so that they spend it on their favourite luxury branded clothing when they leave for the holidays. There was a common reference group that emerged from the study, namely the peer in-group. The influence of reference groups on youth consumers in South Africa may assist with marketing strategies that can be employed when targeting the Generation Y. Additionally, results indicate that luxury branded clothing have an impact on identity construction within the South African context. The respondents tie their identity to their luxury branded clothing as an indication of ‘who they are’ and as an extension of the ‘self’.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Chinomona, Perpetua
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Group identity , Peer pressure , Brand choice -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Consumer behavior -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Consumer behavior -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Luxuries -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Rhodes University -- Students -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/6853 , vital:21193
- Description: The purpose of this study is to explore how Rhodes University (RU) students construct identity through the symbolic consumption of luxury branded clothing and the role played by reference groups in the consumption behaviour. The study employed the Social Identity Theory (SIT) as a theoretical framework which explains the underpinnings of the cognitions and behaviour with the use of group processes (Trepte, 2006). The central principle of SIT lies in individuals classifying themselves and others into in-group (reference groups) and out-group social categories respectively. There has been a gap in the literature pertaining to a full understanding of the identity construction process through symbolic consumption of luxury brands in South Africa (Reed, 2002). The significance of the study is to provide a foundation for an enhanced theory of consumer behaviour in this context. This study employed a qualitative research approach. A non-probability convenience sampling technique was used, and a total of 12 undergraduate and postgraduate students were interviewed. The chosen data collection method was semi-structured in-depth interviews and data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings of the study revealed that participants consume luxury branded clothing for both functional and symbolic purposes. Various factors emerged that influence the choice of the symbolic consumption behaviour such as income, buying frequency, spending patterns, perceptions and habits around retail shopping and the shopping experience. In addition, results indicated that reference groups (celebrities, family and peers) play a significant role in the symbolic consumption and construction of identity among the participants. In addition, the results also indicated that the RU participants engaged in a ‘save to spend’ technique whereby they save their pocket money so that they spend it on their favourite luxury branded clothing when they leave for the holidays. There was a common reference group that emerged from the study, namely the peer in-group. The influence of reference groups on youth consumers in South Africa may assist with marketing strategies that can be employed when targeting the Generation Y. Additionally, results indicate that luxury branded clothing have an impact on identity construction within the South African context. The respondents tie their identity to their luxury branded clothing as an indication of ‘who they are’ and as an extension of the ‘self’.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Understanding the contributions of the Treatment Action Campaign and Section27 to a Rights-Based Approach to HIV and AIDS in South Africa
- Authors: Dlamini, Nomalanga
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Treatment Action Campaign , SECTION27 (Braamfontein, South Africa) , AIDS (Disease) -- Prevention -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Public health laws -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Civil rights -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4690 , vital:20713
- Description: This thesis examines the link between social movements with the legal system to enforce human rights within the public health sector in regards to access to HIV and AIDS-related disease treatment. Research shows large scale incapacity for the provision of such essential medications within the public health sector; this is not merely an issue for those in the developing world. This thesis demonstrates that it is an issue that is faced by those using the public health sector services to access essential HIV and AIDS medications and it shows that certain people are unaware of their human rights to have fair and equal access to such essential medications. Although there is abundant research studies on HIV and AIDS in South Africa, there is a lack of studies that look into the impact that social movements have had in strong-arming, to a certain extent, the government in holding it accountable for infringing its constitutional promises to all citizens. This thesis is set against a backdrop where, the crisis of lack of access to essential medications in the public health sector which is closely intertwined with the collapsing health care system and it is combined with the issues of international patent policy for essential medication and developing countries like South Africa, who are trying to tackle this hurdle straight on. This thesis argues that the social injustices of rights violations integrated with the issues of international patent laws aggravate the access to essential medications in the public health sector in the country. This thesis adopts the use of a Rights-Based Approach, which is built on the foundational understanding that at the centre the focus is on human rights. In using the rights-based approach the intention is to outline ways in which to improve and further develop the ability of individuals and communities to recognize their rights. The findings show that the important factor of using a Rights- Based Approach is that it puts the pressure on the state to legitimately fulfil its obligation to its people. Thus the thesis evaluates the use of combining the legal system to enforce human rights and the role of social movements to realize the right to health for South Africans that use the public health sector to access essential HIV and AIDS antiretroviral drugs. This research paper shows that the Treatment Action Campaign and Section27 have contributed to the recent transformation of the public health sector in South Africa. They have achieved this through the implementation of rights-based education campaigns as well as HIV and AIDS education particularly geared for those that use the public health sector facilities, to attain access to essential medications; not only for HIV and AIDS but also for tuberculosis and other AIDS-related disease treatment. The thesis further highlights that the Treatment Action Campaign and Section27 have assisted in greatly improving the access to HIV and AIDS essential medications for prevention of Mother to Child Treatment Programs. The findings of the research paper outline that the main issue lies in the fact that even though essential medications for HIV and AIDS are now more available, the medical infrastructure is one of the main problems accounting for the lack of service delivery of these essential medications in the country’s public health sector.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Dlamini, Nomalanga
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Treatment Action Campaign , SECTION27 (Braamfontein, South Africa) , AIDS (Disease) -- Prevention -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Public health laws -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Civil rights -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4690 , vital:20713
- Description: This thesis examines the link between social movements with the legal system to enforce human rights within the public health sector in regards to access to HIV and AIDS-related disease treatment. Research shows large scale incapacity for the provision of such essential medications within the public health sector; this is not merely an issue for those in the developing world. This thesis demonstrates that it is an issue that is faced by those using the public health sector services to access essential HIV and AIDS medications and it shows that certain people are unaware of their human rights to have fair and equal access to such essential medications. Although there is abundant research studies on HIV and AIDS in South Africa, there is a lack of studies that look into the impact that social movements have had in strong-arming, to a certain extent, the government in holding it accountable for infringing its constitutional promises to all citizens. This thesis is set against a backdrop where, the crisis of lack of access to essential medications in the public health sector which is closely intertwined with the collapsing health care system and it is combined with the issues of international patent policy for essential medication and developing countries like South Africa, who are trying to tackle this hurdle straight on. This thesis argues that the social injustices of rights violations integrated with the issues of international patent laws aggravate the access to essential medications in the public health sector in the country. This thesis adopts the use of a Rights-Based Approach, which is built on the foundational understanding that at the centre the focus is on human rights. In using the rights-based approach the intention is to outline ways in which to improve and further develop the ability of individuals and communities to recognize their rights. The findings show that the important factor of using a Rights- Based Approach is that it puts the pressure on the state to legitimately fulfil its obligation to its people. Thus the thesis evaluates the use of combining the legal system to enforce human rights and the role of social movements to realize the right to health for South Africans that use the public health sector to access essential HIV and AIDS antiretroviral drugs. This research paper shows that the Treatment Action Campaign and Section27 have contributed to the recent transformation of the public health sector in South Africa. They have achieved this through the implementation of rights-based education campaigns as well as HIV and AIDS education particularly geared for those that use the public health sector facilities, to attain access to essential medications; not only for HIV and AIDS but also for tuberculosis and other AIDS-related disease treatment. The thesis further highlights that the Treatment Action Campaign and Section27 have assisted in greatly improving the access to HIV and AIDS essential medications for prevention of Mother to Child Treatment Programs. The findings of the research paper outline that the main issue lies in the fact that even though essential medications for HIV and AIDS are now more available, the medical infrastructure is one of the main problems accounting for the lack of service delivery of these essential medications in the country’s public health sector.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
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