Protecting and promoting livelihoods of the excluded through the community work programme: a comparative case study of Munsieville and Bekkersdal

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy.The idea of the government acting as an Employer of Last Resort (ELR), commonly known as ‘public works’, has become a prominent feature of the ‘impulse for social protection’ in the global South. The dissertation focuses on a long-term ELR programme in South Africa called the Community Work Programme (CWP) – a distinctively and innovatively designed component of the orthodox Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). Based on field research involving the triangulation of a survey questionnaire, in-depth semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and ethnographic non-participant observation – this study adopts the comparative case study approach, imbued in the extended case method, to investigate the CWP’s potentialities in protecting and promoting livelihoods of the excluded in Munsieville and Bekkersdal—located in the West Rand region of the Gauteng Province, South Africa The central question posed in this dissertation is whether the CWP has other transformative potentialities beyond its ameliorative role. The dissertation advances three connected arguments. First, the dissertation argues that in addition to protecting livelihoods, the CWP possesses transformative potential in fostering development from below. The CWP participants in Munsieville tended to possess greater autonomous capabilities in adapting the CWP to respond to a myriad of local social challenges. Secondly, the dissertation argues that the mainstream theoretical approaches to livelihood promotion through the ELR tend to ignore cooperative development as a potential vector for promoting livelihoods of the excluded. In this respect, the dissertation presents the case of three nascent CWP-linked cooperatives in Munsieville to illustrate this argument. Lastly, the dissertation argues that the operationalisation of the Organisation Workshop (OW) methodology in Munsieville helps clarify the significant variance in the outcomes of the CWP in the two townships. Key words: community work programme, employer of last resort, organisation workshop, protecting livelihoods and promoting livelihoods.GR201

The role of biostimulants on the physiology, nutrition, phytochemistry and endogenous phytohormone content in Ceratotheca triloba under abiotic stress conditions.

Doctor of Philosophy in Research Centre for Plant Growth and Development. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2017.Abstract available in PDF file

The lived-experiences of orphans in child-headed households in Bronkhorstspruit area: a psycho-educational approach.

M.Ed.Orphans living in child-headed households within underprivileged communities are amongst the most vulnerable children, and protection of their rights deserves to be the main focus of all individuals, governments and agencies dealing with such children. There is a need to stimulate broad-based discussion, heightened awareness of, and sensitivity to their plight, special needs and rights. This study aims to explore and describe the lived experiences of orphans in child-headed households, and to establish guidelines and recommendations in order to assist these children to deal effectively with their situation, it also aims to stimulate interest amongst other role players within government, agencies and communities to assist in addressing the situation of these learners through meaningful intervention strategies. The researcher has made use of a qualitative, phenomenological research design. All participants were residents of Bronkhorstspruit. Data were gathered through one-on-one in-depth interviews and analysed according to Tesch’s method of open coding. Guba’s model of trustworthiness was utilised, in conjunction with an independent coder, to establish validity and reliability of the data. The research has revealed that child heads of families sacrifice their education and take up increased responsibilities to take care of their siblings. They take up adult responsibilities prematurely, and face challenges of fending for their siblings on a daily basis. The study has also revealed that these children face problems such as poverty, trauma, educational failure, psychological problems, lack of information and access to social welfare services and disruption of normal childhood and adolescence. The results of the study led to the formulation of guidelines and recommendations which are hoped to heighten awareness and stimulate interest amongst role players to assist these vulnerable children.Prof. C.P.H. Myburg

Learners' identity in mathematics

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education. Johannesburg 2017The study reported in this dissertation sought to explore Grade 8 learners’ identities in mathematics. The study focused on examining learners’ interpretations of their relationships with the discipline of mathematics. The study drew on ideas from three different yet complementing theoretical perspectives as advocated by Gee (2001), Wenger (1998), and Sfard and Prusak (2005). However, Wenger’s (1998) broader social theory of learning was selected as a theoretical framework of this study to particularly connect the process of active engagement and participation in the practices of social communities and explain the construction of learners’ identity in mathematics. The study refuted a view that mathematics learners are born with special genes which drive them to succeed in doing the subject. This stance permitted the study to divert from discussing the role of models of abilities when doing mathematics or what Darragh (2016) described as a ‘performative identity’. Rather, the study was inclined to look at relationships between emotional and cognitive reactions that shift from time to time whenever mathematics is made accessible for learners through participatory pedagogy which encourages exploration, negotiation and ownership of knowledge. The study employed mixed methods research. The reasons for employing mixed methods research included the researcher’s beliefs and that the research questions were both exploratory and confirmatory type of questions. The research used a sequential mixed methods design. In the first phase, data sets were collected and analysed from an open-ended questionnaire (qualitative component). The results from the first phase were then used to develop a Likert-scale questionnaire (quantitative component) which informed the third phase (qualitative component). The third phase of the research design was semi-structured interviews. The interviews expanded the analyses of data from both initial qualitative and quantitative components. The reported findings indicated that the learners strongly needed teachers to clearly explain mathematics concepts. The learners required to understand mathematics in order to identify with the subject. The learners explained that if they understand mathematics, they become interested in learning the subject. Mathematics becomes their favourite subject. And if they do not understand, the learners expressed that they withdraw their participation in the classroom. In cases where learners shared incoherent views about how they are at learning mathematics, it was concluded from the analyses of the results that they needed to carefully listen to the teacher, ask for more examples to familiarise themselves with procedures, and then do their level best during assessments to pass the subject in order to align themselves with certain careers in the future.MT 201

The detective novel in Zulu : form and theme in C.T. Msimang's Walivuma Icala

Includes bibliographical references

Progress of an African student during COVID-19 and beyond in higher education: Re-colonisation of decolonisation?

Following the closure of educational institutions, after the outbreak of COVID-19 in December 2019, even though grossly unprepared, universities sent their students home and adopted the online teaching approach to continue with the education of their students. However, little was done to assist most African students who were living in the rural context and trying to shake off the constraints of colonisation. Using the decolonisation lens, this qualitative case study used the lecturers’ personal experiences and observations from the South African and Zimbabwean higher education context to report on the educational progress of the African student during COVID-19. Discussions of the two lecturers who communicated via WhatsApp, telephone and email were thematically analysed to generate data. Findings suggest that while the online teaching was regarded as the only way forward in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, it had remnants of colonialism that hampered the progress of the African student; thereby derailing the decolonisation project. The study suggests the employment of Umuntu Akalahlwa pedagogy as it safeguards humanisation of all students to avert the re-colonisation of the decolonised. The rationale for this article is thus to contribute towards the need for Umuntu Akalahlwa pedagogy in higher education given the background of COVID-19 and the socio-economic status of the African student

Teachers’ representation of the mitigation strategies to challenges of implementing the 2015 to 2022 Zimbabwean social studies curriculum

The impromptu launch of the 2015 to 2022 Zimbabwean social studies curriculum invited vilifications and public outcries  from parents, teachers and other key stakeholders professing numerous challenges. In this article, we report on the teachers’ representation of the mitigation strategies to abate the aforesaid challenges. This interpretive case study engrained in the qualitative approach, was drawn from interviews and focus group discussion (FGD) to establish the teachers’ representation of the mitigation strategies that could be employed to curtail challenges faced in implementing that curriculum. In the study, informed by the ubuntu philosophy, we used 12 purposively sampled teachers from Zimbabwean primary schools located in different contexts to generate data. The findings show that implementers of policies are too often not consulted during the policy development process leading to challenges which could be mollified by listening to the advice from the implementers, adopting the bottom-up approach and promoting good relations among educators. Considering these findings it was concluded that, for effective policy development, there must be wide consultation and involvement of all stakeholders in the planning, designing and articulation of policies before proper implementation can take place

Smoke–water stimulates secondary metabolites during in vitro seedling development in Tulbaghia species

AbstractTulbaghia species (Alliaceae) are well-known for their medicinal, horticultural and ornamental potential. The current study investigated the effect of varying smoke–water (SW) dilutions on in vitro germination, seedling growth and phytochemical content in Tulbaghia ludwigiana and Tulbaghia violacea. The mean germination time (MGT) was considerably reduced by approximately 2-fold in SW (1:500) treatment when compared to the control. High germination (≥80%) percentage was observed in all cases; however, there was no significant difference in germination (%) with and without SW. At post-germination stage, previous treatment with SW (1:500) produced more roots in T. ludwigiana seedlings. There was no significant improvement in growth parameters in SW-treated T. violacea seedlings. T. ludwigiana treated with SW (1:500) had significantly higher phenolic, flavonoid and condensed tannin contents when compared to the control. However, SW had no stimulatory effect in the level of phenolic, flavonoid and condensed tannin observed in T. violacea seedlings. These findings suggest the potential of SW treatment in enhancing the aforementioned phytochemical content in in vitro T. ludwigiana plants, which could be important during ex vitro growth and resultant biological efficacy of this widely used plant

Worker participation in workplace restructuring in the automotive industry : a comparative study of German and South African Volkswagen plants, 1970-2009.

This research report comparatively investigates labour‘s responses to work restructuring at the Volkswagen (VW) plants in Germany (Kassel) and South Africa (Uitenhage). Since the advent of industrial revolution, the automotive industry has experienced rapid changes in work organisation and production systems. This report discusses work restructuring in the industry from the 1970s to 2009, and examines labour‘s engagement with it at the two Volkswagen plants. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with Works Council members at the Kassel plant and shop stewards at the Uitenhage plant. The report concludes that VW workers at the Kassel plant are more proactive and effective in their engagement with workplace restructuring than their counterparts at the Uitenhage plant. The report proposes two factors to explain this variation. Firstly, the report argues that the German industrial relations system enables workers at the Kassel plant to influence and shape work restructuring through institutionalised participation. Secondly, the inability of workers at the Uitenhage plant to influence restructuring of work is worsened by the fact that their plant is controlled by VW headquarters in Germany. The concept of imperial restructuring is developed to highlight difficulties faced by labour at the Uitenhage plant to influence work restructuring processes. It is further argued that Marxist literature on worker participation ignores that workers are sometimes interested in participating in decision making when confronted by uncertainty about their jobs, just as employers are interested in worker participation when their authority and legitimacy is threatened

The protection of shareholders and creditors in the context of takeovers and reorganisations under the Companies Act 71 of 2008

Empirical research in the previous years has shown the history and the evolution of takeovers and mergers in South Africa. Many theories have emerged to show the advancement in the Companies Act 71 of 2008 (the new Act) from the old Companies Act 61 of 1973 especially on issues relating to takeovers and reorganisations. These include measures in the new Act that are designed to protect shareholders and creditors in the context of takeovers. Cassim and several other writers have provided insight into the changes brought about by the new Act with regards to the protection of shareholders and creditors. This research identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the measures introduced in the new Companies Act 71 of 2008 which protect the shareholders and creditors in the context of mergers and takeovers. This will be done through a critical analysis of the shareholder and creditor protective measures contained in the new Act and a comparative analysis of the takeover regulations in South Africa, the United States of America and the United Kingdom.Mini Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2018.Mercantile LawLLMUnrestricte