Giving a voice and holding to account: a critical civic and democratic discourse analysis of The Big Debate South Africa TV show’s opportunities for ‘Political Listening’
- Authors: Mgqoboka, Banathi
- Date: 2023-10-13
- Subjects: Big Debate South Africa , Television talk shows South Africa , Citizenship in journalism South Africa , Democracy South Africa , Mass media and public opinion South Africa , Listening Political aspects South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/425245 , vital:72222
- Description: The television studio debate genre was initially inspired by the 1960s television news coverage that captured the zeitgeist of American political campaigns and elections, which featured prominent political figures. The genre has since been adapted by broadcast networks around the world to facilitate politically-charged public discussions that allow ordinary people to pose significant questions and express their concerns or cynicism to the political elites in power. The Big Debate South Africa is a popular televised town hall debate show that began airing in 2009 on eMedia Investment’s eNCA and later on the SABC. During its ninth-season run, the show attracted an audience of up to 12 million. The programme is formatted to give South African citizens a voice to hold state leaders to account. Anthea Garman and Herman Wasserman’s (2014) research on citizenship and media in a democratic society, asserts that the media’s contribution to citizenship is often a way to encourage citizens to exercise their influence over political decisions and dialogue in an overt manner. Through observations and qualitative in-depth interviews, this tightly focused study analysed the third episode of The Big Debate South Africa’s ninth season, hosted by journalist and broadcaster Redi Tlhabi. It explored the show’s format and discourse to investigate how it creates opportunities for the practice of Susan Bickford’s (1996) conception of ‘political listening’ within the confines of hierarchical binary oppositions (‘Us and Them’ and ‘lay’/‘expert’). By deconstructing how civil society organisations, activists and citizens (‘lay’) interact with the political elites (‘experts’), this study chronicled how the show mediates these binary oppositions with an anticipation for them to collectively hear each other out. In examining the show’s structure as a participative civic political broadcast talk platform that promotes democratic deliberation, this study ultimately demonstrated the capacity of The Big Debate South Africa to pluralise democratic life in its practice of ‘political listening’. While the show advances equality and amplifies marginalised voices, this research also found that these significant practices seemingly only held temporary effects once the cameras shut down. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Journalism and Media Studies, 2023
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Investigation into methods of recovering campylobacter spp. from river water samples
- Authors: Ngoni, Nandipha
- Date: 2023-10-13
- Subjects: Campylobacter jejuni , Stream chemistry , Organic water pollutants South Africa Eastern Cape , Water quality Measurement , Turbidity , Physicochemical process
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/424177 , vital:72130
- Description: Campylobacter species are slender, gram-negative, rod-shaped, spiral- or curved-shaped with single or pairs of flagella. They are the leading cause of diarrheal disease globally, consumption of and contact with water contaminated by faeces is a major risk factor for transmission of these organisms to humans. Rivers used for recreation and domestic and agricultural activities represent all the risk factors for Campylobacter spp. pollution and human exposure. Campylobacter spp. However, effective methods to recover Campylobacter spp. from river water samples are lacking, indicating the need for the development of more efficient methods of detection and isolation of these organisms from environmental water samples. Campylobacter detection in a water sample is critical to ascertain potential risks to humans. The aim of this study was to determine a suitable method for the detection of Campylobacter spp. from river water samples and the objectives were to (i) to evaluate the performance of different methods used for the recovery of Campylobacter spp. from environmental water samples based on Campylobacter colony count and PCR identification results, (ii) isolate and enumerate Campylobacter cells from river water samples, and (iii) identify Campylobacter spp. in river water samples. The Bloukrans River was chosen for this study because it is suspected to be contaminated by faecal inputs from nearby informal settlements without adequate sanitation, as well as untreated/insufficiently treated effluents from nearby wastewater treatment plants. First, the physicochemical quality of the river water and the presence of faecal contamination were assessed to confirm suitability for Campylobacter spp. survival and presence. Then different approaches to sample, concentrate and recover Campylobacter spp. from river water samples were assessed. The different methods assessed were (i) direct enrichment of water samples without prior concentration, (ii) prior concentration of water samples by centrifugation followed by membrane filtration of supernatant, and after that, pooling the residue and pellet together for enrichment, (iii) sampling by the Moore Swab technique. For all three methods, enrichment in Bolton broth supplemented with Bolton antibiotics was conducted. This was followed by plating on modified cefoperazone charcoal deoxycholate agar (mCCDA) and incubation under a microaerophilic atmosphere at 42°C for 48 h. Colony morphology, Gram staining and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to identify and characterize the microorganisms. The growth of blue colonies on the mFc agar surface confirmed presence and faecal pollution of the Bloukrans River. The physicochemical properties, based on the range of pH measured at different sites of the river (between acidic 3.45 to 6.42 and alkaline 7.2 to 8.74) indicate that Campylobacter spp. can thrive in the river. Based on the results from enumeration and sequencing of colonies recovered by each method, it was discovered that the most suitable method to recover Campylobacter spp. from river water samples is by prior centrifugation (14,000 × g for 30 minutes) followed by membrane filtration of the supernatant, and subsequent pooling of the residue and pellet. The pooled residue and pellet might have increased Campylobacter spp. concentrations aiding more growth during the enrichment of Campylobacter spp. from the river water samples. Results from enumerating Campylobacter spp. cells from river water samples indicate that Campylobacter spp. are present in Bloukrans River. The sequence obtained from the PCR product indicates that the species found were Campylobacter jejuni (96% homology as evaluated by BLAST). This study provided a procedure effective for obtaining a satisfactory quantitative recovery of Campylobacter spp. from environmental waters, a critical need for quantitative microbial risk assessment studies. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Institute for Water Research, 2023
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Enforced sojourn: Zimbabwean dispensation, special and exemption permits
- Authors: Maziyanhanga, Zvikomborero
- Date: 2023-03-30
- Subjects: Citizenship , Immigrants South Africa , Residence permit , Foreign workers, Zimbabwean South Africa , Discrimination , Emigration and immigration law South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/408913 , vital:70537
- Description: This thesis investigates Zimbabwean’s immigration to South Africa. Zimbabwean’s immigration to South Africa dates back to the early 2000s. This thesis uses a combination of theories to interrogate and discuss the Zimbabwe special permits and some of the post-apartheid government’s amendments to the South African Citizenship Act and other immigration policies. Some of the theories that theoretically underpin this research project’s methodology include Marxism, Pan-Africanism, Liberalism and culture-based theories. This thesis interrogates the discursive strategies these permits draw on to frame and understand Zimbabwean immigrants in South Africa. This study has found that these permits use similar operating logic as the White South African governments used the migrant labour system to exploit Blacks from all of Southern Africa in the 20th century. For instance, the migrant labour system used during apartheid made all Blacks in South Africa “guest workers” who could be deported at the government’s whim. The apartheid government used racist pass laws to regulate the movement of Black people in South Africa, whereas the post-apartheid government uses Zimbabwean special permits to regulate the movement of Zimbabweans in South Africa. The pass laws were fundamentally racist, and their ultimate objective was to reinforce the idea of White citizenship, whereas the Zimbabwe special permits are not racist. Their colonial similarity, however, lies in how they make Zimbabwean migrants perpetual migrants in South Africa and the various ways in which they cast Zimbabweans as not deserving of South African citizenship. These special permits force Zimbabwe migrants to become “guest workers” who build the post-apartheid economy and then return home when they are no longer “useful” to the economy. This thesis concludes that the post-apartheid Zimbabwe special permits achieve analogous objectives. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Political and International Studies, 2023
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Inadequate menstrual health management and human rights
- Authors: Hartley, Gemma-Maé
- Date: 2022-10-14
- Subjects: Menstrual hygiene management , Human rights , Political philosophy , Transgression , Women Social conditions , Economic, social and cultural rights
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/422506 , vital:71953
- Description: Various human rights bodies have suggested that Inadequate Menstrual Health Management (MHM) could contribute to violations of human rights or, at the very least, is connected to the fulfilment of human rights. Despite recognition of this, there has not been thorough analysis of whether inadequate MHM is a violation of human rights, particularly in political discussions on the philosophy of human rights. Using a liberal cosmopolitan framework, this thesis attempts to bridge this gap and, ultimately, to argue that inadequate MHM constitutes a violation of human rights. This assertion brings with it various complications due to the heavily contested nature of human rights, their correlative duties, and the requirements for a lack of fulfilment to be considered a violation. I address each complication in turn. I argue that the traditional approach to human rights violations fails to consider the various ways that human rights are violated in our contemporary, globalised world. I suggest that structural violations of human rights should not be ruled out, particularly when we consider severe poverty and its by-products. Ultimately, the question of inadequate MHM is concerned with the content of human rights. If inadequate MHM were a violation, it would be a violation of women’s socio-economic rights. However, both group rights and socio-economic rights are contested. This thesis therefore justifies these rights. Group-differentiated rights are argued to be necessary for substantive equality. This is particularly the case when we consider the various risks women face simply because they are women. Women therefore need special protections and provisions for their human rights to be fulfilled. Socio-economic rights are necessary for the well-being and dignity of individuals everywhere. We can justify them even if they are costly, vague, and demanding on states, as critics argue they are. Therefore, if we can accept socio-economic rights and women’s rights, we can argue that inadequate MHM is a structural violation of human rights. Thinking about inadequate MHM in this way means we can respond to it with a level of urgency. This has the potential to improve the well-being, development, and dignity of women. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Political and International Studies, 2023
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An interpretive analysis of the experiences of adults working as university support staff
- Authors: Zini, Thembela Nomonde
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Universities and colleges South Africa , Universities and colleges Employees , Universities and colleges Sociological aspects , Identity (Psychology) , Identity (Psychology) Social aspects , Work Psychological aspects , Work Social aspects , Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)
- Language: English
- Type: Masters theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/188888 , vital:44795
- Description: Work means different things to different people and the different meanings they make of their work has the unique ability of contributing to a sense of identity. Support staff have to negotiate their personal identities and social identities to develop a work identity in the complex South African context that has its unique challenges. Exploring how support staff make sense of their experiences, when it comes to their identities, reveals what identity work strategies they use. An interpretative phenomenological method of inquiry was employed as an initial research method to explore the aspects that impact on the identity formation of support staff at Rhodes University. The study aims to investigate how support staff have constructed a work identity through their constructions of their experiences. Six participants were recruited through a purposive sampling method and data were collected using semi-structured interviews. The study revealed that support staff use the following identity work strategies to negotiate their identities: Financial, Personality, Career mobility, Roles, Status and Esteem, Subjective wellbeing. These themes were derived from the narratives of the participants, using the emphases in the data and suggest that support staff use identity work strategies both outside and within the workplace, when constructing their work identities. The study illustrates that as people ascribe different meanings to work, they will define and negotiate their identities in the workplace based upon those meanings. Identity work is indeed challenging for support staff because they need to use identity strategies that are enhancing to their self-esteem. Identity work is a challenging task because of the many tensions and demands of modern society, as adults negotiate their needs to provide for families and to find ways to construct their job status in positive ways. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2021
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Practicing conciliation: Towards a practical application of the Equal Weight View
- Authors: Hartley, Danyel Jordan
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Knowledge, Theory of , Opinion (Philosophy) , Verbal self-defense , Epistemics , Interpersonal relations , Equal Weight View
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/188341 , vital:44745
- Description: The Equal Weight View is a frequently discussed position in the philosophy of disagreement. It holds that when someone disagrees with an epistemic peer, they should adjust their belief to be closer to their peer’s belief. While the reasons for adopting this response to disagreement have been debated, there has been less discussion about its utility as a tool for handling real-world disagreements. In this thesis I pursue a version of the Equal Weight View which is useful in practice. I argue that traditional applications of the Equal Weight View do not reflect its underlying principles when they are used to resolve real-world disagreements. I develop an idealized application of the Equal Weight View that addresses the problems traditional applications face in real-world scenarios. Unfortunately, addressing these problems results in an application that is unrealistically cognitively demanding. The application trades being insensitive to the environment it would be used in for being insensitive to the limits of its user. I suggest that we might be able to save the idealized application and work around those limits by either externalizing or simplifying the most demanding aspects of the application. Externalization is best achieved by making use of some kind of computer assistance. Simplification involves replacing taxing data tracking and computation with heuristic methods. While neither approach is ideal, I argue that both get us closer to resolving disagreements in accordance with the underlying principles of the Equal Weight View than traditional applications do. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Philosophy, 2021
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