Labour market inequality at the post-secondary level in South Africa: understanding employment and earning outcomes among graduates and diplomates

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the academic requirements for the degree of Masters in Development Theory and Policy, School of Economics and Business Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, March 2017This study explores labour market inequality amongst those with post-secondary education in South Africa. The need to invest in higher education has been emphasised as the gateway to facilitating equal opportunities in the labour market, with the view of bridging inequality in employment and incomes. Nevertheless, South Africa’s labour market remains highly unequal, despite higher rates of enrolment and completion in higher education. The existing body of literature suggests that labour market outcomes amongst those with post-secondary education are not equal, consequently widening the level of inequality within the economy. Using the Quarterly Labour Force Survey 2014 annual dataset a combination of descriptive statistics and econometric tools are employed to investigate employment and earnings outcomes between graduates and diplomates. The findings indicate that graduates are more successful in obtaining employment relative to diplomates even once demographic and geographic characteristics and field of study are controlled for. Moreover, graduates obtain a substantial earnings premium relative to diplomates even when controlling for job characteristicsXL201

Parenting their children : the experiences of young women at Kwa-Makhutha township in Kwazulu-Natal.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Globally, studies have shown higher fertility rate amongst young women compared to other age groups. The challenges of early parenthood often have negative consequences for young women, including disappointment from parents, financial challenges and having to negotiate life tasks with a young dependent. The aim of this study was to understand the factors influencing parenting among young women in KwaMakhutha Township. The study used a social constructivism approach to understand the meaning participants attach to their experiences of early motherhood. This qualitative study included 21 young mothers selected through a snowball sampling technique. Data were collected through individual interviews, and permission was obtained from participants to record these interviews, which were later transcribed and translated from IsiZulu into English. I used thematic data analysis and the findings of the study showed that young mothers face many challenges, but these also helped the participants to grow and be responsible for their children. Some participants reported undesirable experiences including financial challenges, rejection by family and fathers of the children and the need to earn a living in order to support themselves and their children. Those who had some positive experience expressed personal growth and an increased sense of responsibility. The absence of fathers in the care of children was a conspicuous outcome as these young fathers either reported to have denied responsibility for the parenting or being incapable of financially supporting their children. As a result, young mothers were left to take full responsibility for the financial, physical and emotional needs of their children. None of the participants would recommend early motherhood to other young women. This insight can be considered by government and other relevant stakeholders to develop youth-friendly healthcare facilities, specifically in the provision of reproductive health and rights services to adolescent girls and young women. This study therefore concludes that it is challenging for young women to raise their child without full support of their partners or primary care givers. Although the child support grant is financially helpful, this study identified a great need for psychosocial support services in the prevention of early parenthood amongst adolescent girls and young women, support to young mothers and their families, and the implementation of policies and programs that support young mothers who bear the burden of raising the children alone

Ethel Dlamini (Born Gule) v Prince Chief GasawaNgwane (93/2018B) [2019] SZSC 40 (Judgment 8 October 2019)

The significance of the case of Ethel Dlamini is found in the Supreme Court’s progressive interpretation of the chain of events that were being inflicted to Mrs Dlamini as a violation of her dignity. The court could have looked into the requirements of an interdict to see if Mrs Dlamini’s case was in line with them or not. These are whether the applicant has a prima facie right; apprehension of irreparable injury, and that there is no other satisfactory remedy. Instead, the Court observed that Mrs Dlamini was deprived arbitrarily of the field given to her by her father-in-law and that she was being forced to live in unsanitary and degrading conditions while the decision of the Regional Administrator was pending. It then ruled that her right to dignity was being violated

Ethel Dlamini (Born Gule) v Prince Chief GasawaNgwane (93/2018B) [2019] SZSC 40 (Judgment 8 October 2019)

The significance of the case of Ethel Dlamini is found in the Supreme Court’s progressive interpretation of the chain of events that were being inflicted to Mrs Dlamini as a violation of her dignity. The court could have looked into the requirements of an interdict to see if Mrs Dlamini’s case was in line with them or not. These are whether the applicant has a prima facie right; apprehension of irreparable injury, and that there is no other satisfactory remedy. Instead, the Court observed that Mrs Dlamini was deprived arbitrarily of the field given to her by her father-in-law and that she was being forced to live in unsanitary and degrading conditions while the decision of the Regional Administrator was pending. It then ruled that her right to dignity was being violated

Swazi men’s perception of the protective effect of male circumcision and its implications for HIV prevention strategy

Background: For years, male circumcision (MC) has been known to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Of late, MC has been recognised and recommended as a complementary HIV preventive measure in high prevalent areas. The objective of this study was to to assess the perceptions of Swazi men about the protective effect of circumcision against STIs including HIV, and its implication to the mass MC strategy for HIV prevention.Methods: An explorative qualitative study was conducted targeting men aged ≥18 years seeking services at Family Life Association of Swaziland clinic in Mbabane, Swaziland. Unstructured individual face-to-face interviews were conducted for 17 men.Results: Results showed that Swazi men perceived the protective effect of MC differently, ranging from perceptions of ineffectiveness and unworthy, especially against HIV, to perceptions of total protection and a solution to all STIs. Perceptions were influenced by the ongoing circumcision campaigns, individual knowledge of biological sciences, misconceptions as well as life experiences. Promiscuous men were more likely to have a positive perception and acceptance of the procedure than their non-promiscuous counterparts.Conclusion: Swazi men hold mixed perceptions about MC, accounting for its relatively low uptake. The relatively low uptake of circumcision does not necessarily imply failure of the strategy but rather a natural selection of the most relevant and at-risk portion of the population. It is recommended that more effort be put towards correcting misconceptions and convincing those who still hold a negative perception about the procedure

Evaluation of malaria treatment practice of health extension workers (community health workers): a qualitative study conducted in Damot Gale district, Southern Ethiopia

Background: The Ethiopian government introduced the Health Extension Program which is a community-based health care delivery system aimed at accessing essential health services such as malaria diagnosis and treatment through health extension workers (HEWs). Involvement of HEWs in prescribing and dispensing antimalarial drugs improved community access to antimalarial drugs. However, the HEWs compliance to malaria treatment guidelines was not evaluated. Aims and Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the HEWs malaria treatment practice based on malaria treatment guidelines. Material and Methods: In-depth interview to 20 HEWs, seven focus discussion with malaria treated patients, and 400 malaria patients medical records review were conducted. Results: The majority of HEWs correctly responded how to diagnose malaria patients using signs and symptoms, and rapid diagnostic test (RDT). Most of malaria-treated patients indicated that they prefer HEWs to other health workers for malaria treatment. Patient record data from patient registration books indicated that about 92%(368) of patients received appropriate drugs in appropriate dose and duration. But some patients (8%, 32) were prescribed with drugs not in line with the guideline. The two main reasons indicated by the HEWs for inappropriate prescription are: the shortage of chloroquine, and patient pressure to take coartem. About 8% (32) and 11% (44) of patients do not know the consequences of not completing antimalarial drugs and what to do after vomiting respectively. Conclusion:The most of HEWs adequately treat malaria patients and the communication with patients is adequate. Improving resource availability, patient education and in-service training are needed to improve malaria treatment practice of the HEWs

Perceived influence of value systems on the uptake of voluntary medical male circumcision among men in Kweneng East, Botswana

© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Botswana is one of the countries in Eastern and Southern Africa significantly impacted by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). To control the spread of HIV, the government in 2009 rolled out the voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) programme as an additional HIV prevention strategy with the goal of circumcising 80% of HIV negative men by 2016. However, the country failed to achieve this goal as less than 30% of the targeted men were circumcised by 2016. A study was therefore conducted to explore and describe the factors that are perceived by men in Botswana to influence the uptake of VMMC in order to inform future policymaking and programming on VMMC. An exploratory descriptive, qualitative design was utilised to investigate perceived factors influencing the uptake of VMMC among men. Data were collected from 38 men, aged 18–49 years in Kweneng East, Botswana using semi-structured individual interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs). Tesch\u27s method of qualitative data analysis was used to code and categorise transcribed data into meaningful themes. Upon analysis, three themes emerged as influencing the uptake of VMMC: (a) the influence of value systems associated with stakeholder consultation in the community; (b) the influence of value systems associated with cultural beliefs and (c) the influence of value systems associated with religious beliefs. The influence of value systems associated with stakeholder consultation in the community was found to manifest in the form of the lack of consultation with men at the inception of the VMMC; the lack of involvement of village elders during the service delivery process and the lack of involvement of women in VMMC. In addition, the influence of value systems associated with cultural beliefs was found to manifest in the form of the lack of openness between parents and children on sexual matters and the lack of traditional leadership support in VMMC. Lastly, the influence of value systems associated with religious beliefs was found to manifest in the form of religious views not in support of the VMMC and religious views in support of the VMMC. It is concluded that value systems associated with stakeholder consultation, cultural beliefs and religious beliefs were the factors influencing the uptake of VMMC among men in Kweneng East, Botswana, and these factors to a larger extent deterred men from using VMMC services. Based on these findings, it is therefore concluded that government and other providers of VMMC should consider the influence of value systems on the uptake of VMMC in order to provide culturally congruent VMMC services and boost of the uptake of VMMC among men in Kweneng East, Botswana

One-Dimensional nanostructured polymeric materials for solar cell applications

Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThis work entails the preparation of various polyanilines with different morphologies and their application in photovoltaic solar cells. Zinc oxide (ZnO) with one-dimensional and flower-like morphology was also prepared by microwave irradiation and used as electron acceptors in photovoltaics devices. The morphological, structural, spectroscopic and electrochemical characteristics of these materials were determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), photoluminescence(PL), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) experiments. Devices fabricated from these materials were characterized under simulated AM 1.5 at 800 mW.South Afric

Women's employment equity in South African local government : a study of senior managers

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94).Includes abstract.This is an analytical as well as evaluative study which uses qualitative methods. The focus of the study is the local government sphere and its subjects are district municipalities and metros as administrative entities. The study seeks to understand whether local government has succeeded in meeting the objective of gender parity in senior management positions. The study draws extensively on the literature covering the historical evolution of women’s movements and feminists theories. It reviews empirical evidence on the implementation of gender equality initiatives in South Africa. A data set on employment statistics of local government is utilised. As an analytical device, the data for local government is compared with national and provincial governments

The motives behind students pursuing postgraduate studies in the Humanities: a case study of the postgraduate students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Through the development process, higher education provides the necessary tools and skills for individuals to access employment opportunities and improve human development. Global statistical evidence shows that those with higher education qualifications are more likely to be employed than those with lower-level education or no education at all. This has subsequently led to the growth in the enrollment of postgraduate students as a permanent feature in institutions of higher education across the globe. South Africa is not an exception to this trend because its National Development Plan views education as an essential element to the country’s developmental needs and foundation to alleviate poverty, unemployment, and inequalities. With the increasing enrollment of students into postgraduate studies, it becomes crucial to understand the main drivers of this phenomenon. This study is geared towards exploring the motives connected to pursuing postgraduate studies in the South African context. The study was conducted at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Howard College Campus in the School of Humanities). Methodologically, the study employed a qualitative approach that involved semi-structured interviews with ten participants that were selected within the institution. The study showed that many participants attach several motives to pursuing higher education, with the need to access further employment and financial opportunities to better their livelihoods being the main drivers. Other participants were found to be driven by the need for self-development, their role models, and the need to improve their communities. While there has been a rapid increase in postgraduate intake, the lack of funding for postgraduate studies was a leading barrier and contributed to excessive financial exclusion. The study recommends that the government finds other proactive measures of developing a funding model that is explicitly targeting postgraduate students