Submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the Masters of Art (Community Work) in the Department of Social Work University of Zululand, South Africa, 2012. / The researcher in this study wanted to get a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding orphans in Ulundi Local Municipality. It was found that there were more paternal/maternal orphans rather than double orphans. The findings also revealed that most orphans were living with grandparents and were well taken care of as a result a majority of orphans’ school performance was not disturbed after their parents passed away. This research also revealed that most orphans were still grieving the death of their parents. The results of this study also revealed that there were no Non-Profit Organisations that offered grief counselling and built resilience in orphans. As a result of these findings the researcher recommended that the Municipalities should have a department that will employ community workers who will organise communities in order to form Non-Profit-Organisations (NPOs) that will focus on a holistic approach in meeting the needs of orphans. This means these NPOs should use programs that will meet the needs of orphans physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Mater of Arts in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 1995. / The police role appears to be a controversial issue since the evolution of modem policing in Great Britain with the establishment of the Metropolitan Police under the leadership of Sir Robert Peel in 1829. The South African Police Service. and in particular the erstwhile Venda police. are no exceptions to the rule. The primary aim of this investigation revolves around the statistical measurement of the perceptions and attitudes of respondents pertaining to the role and functions of the Venda police. For this purpose. a sample group of 406 respondents. arbitrarily selected from four areas. namely : Thohoyandou, Makwarela, Sibasa and Shayandirna, were subjected to a closed. structured questionnaire regarding various aspects of the role and operational function of this independent police force. Statistical tests, such as the F-test, were implemented to test for significance and reliability of data obtained from questionnaires. The statistical results only represent the perceptions and attitudes of the research group towards the Venda police. The findings indicate: • that the majority of the respondents perceive the role and function of the Venda police as an important social service; • that both male and female respondents have significant different perceptions of the police role as it relates to the operational rendering of this social service function; •. insignificant differences between the various educational qualification groups pertaining to police partiality. abuse of power and authority, lack of knowledge and imperiousness on the part of the police are observed; • an unwillingness among the sample group to report crime to the police due to, inter alia. the inability of the police to effectively solve criminal cases, an arrogant attitude among police officials. etc.; and • that in general. the global image of the Venda police is somewhat negatively evaluated by the total research group. Recommendations are as follows: • the cultivation of a better understanding of the police role by means of facilitating closer contact and co-operation with the public; • to provide an improved social service to the public by means of rapid responses to calls for assistance and complaints; • establishing a police-citizen partnership in crime prevention by means of implementing a community style of policing; • improving the educational qualifications and training procedures of policemen.

Submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Sociology in the Department of Sociology at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2001. / My decision to research the youth unemployment is the high rate of unemployment that is increasing among black youths in South Africa. It has been seen that the problem of unemployment emerged long time ago. This is an important study where I have reviewed many factors responsible for high rate of unemployment. The purpose of this study was to find out the possible ways which can be applied to reduce this high rate of unemployment among black youths in KwaZulu Natal province of South Africa. In this study, two methods of data gathering were used. The primary source of data which consists of unemployed youths, employers, employees, and workers of the ministry of labour whom I interviewed with the aid of questionnaires and oral interview; and the secondary source of data which consists of data from ministry of labour, and library materials. The following findings emerged from this study: • Individuals who have a low standard of education are likely to be more unemployed. • Lack of government training schemes is responsible for the high rate of unemployment. • Nature and extent of the labour market is responsible for the high rate of unemployment. • Apartheid policy is responsible for high rate of unemployment. • The use of advanced technology like computer in all work environment in recent time is likely to contribute to the high rate of unemployment among the black rural youth. Since the issue of unemployment is a progressing problem, it is recommended that efforts must be made to reduce this high rate of unemployment. The government need to implement changes that will reduce this critical problem e.g. South Africa need to develop more training schemes as it is done in our neighbouring countries. The study does not claim to offer definitive answers about rate of unemployment, but it does seek to bring up possible ways or methods that can be applied in South Africa.

Adissertation of limited scope submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the course-work degree of Masters of Recreation and Tourism in the Centre for Recreation and Tourism at the University of Zululand, 2006. / The study on tourism promotion and development of the previously disadvantaged communities in Umkhanyakude District Municipality was conducted against the background that, the area has got all it takes to be considered a well developed tourist destination. It was surprising to see that the majority of school leavers in the area are loitering around the streets and eventually caught up in drug addiction. In most families, the head and bread winners are women and relatively unemployed. Women and men are also caught up in liquor consumption. Very few or none of these communities in the study area conceive of tourism as salvation industry that would create employment opportunities for them. The study had specific objectives, some of which are: (a) To established the level of tourism understanding and awareness among the Umkhanyakude communities. (b) To investigate the adequacy and provision of the tourism infrastructure in the study area. (c) To find out whether the previously disadvantaged communities in the study area participate in tourism activities. (d) To determine the perceptions of previously disadvantaged communities towards tourism and tourism opportunities in the study area. (e) To ascertain the strategies used by the Umkhanyakude Municipality to encourage local communities to participate in tourism. A number of hypotheses directly related to the objectives of the study were postulated and assessed towards finding answers to the research question, undergoing a series of analyses and interpretation of research data collected. The findings of the study were considered to be constructive, despite shedding substantial negative viewpoints on aspect of tourism understanding and awareness, provision of the tourism infrastructure, participation in tourism activities, availability of tourism business opportunities in the study area as well as the role of Umkhanyakude District Municipality in improving the situation. The study is concluded by recommending the intensive participation of the local Municipalities in providing funds; training and development of the local communities.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (Clinical Psychology) in the Department of Psychology University of Zululand, South Africa, 2011. / While care-giving is a common topic, very few studies have been done on the experiences of caregivers in caring for the elderly in South Africa. This study focused on the subjective experiences of the caregivers caring for the elderly in one of the old age homes called La Gratitude in KwaZulu-Natal in a town called Newcastle, just under Km 400 north of the University of Zululand. This research study adopted qualitative research methods, although it also integrated elements of a quantitative approach. The study used non-random sampling techniques, in particular purposive sampling. The purposive sample of eight caregivers was selected from the old age home caregiver population. These caregivers’ ages ranged from age 28 to 39 years. The General Health Questionnaire and structured interviews were the tools used for the purpose of collecting the data. Content analysis was used for analyzing data in the present study. The research finding of this study indicated that even though there are challenges in the caregiving job; however the majority of the caregivers experienced the job of caring for the elderly as rewarding and enjoyable. / National Research Foundation (NRF)

Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Library and Information Science Honours at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 1991. / The underlying problem in this study is to look into the career preferences of library science students as related to university and public libraries. Career preferences will be judged by various factors which include the students' needs, professional education and social background. Prospective librarians, of course, have career preferences but should be reminded of the profound transformation of the public library in South Africa due to political and social-economic factors.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2015. / The word apartheid refers to the racist belief that certain people are less human than others. In South Africa, the system technically began with the 1913 Land Act which set aside eighty-seven per cent (87%) of the most fertile land for white South Africans, leaving behind only thirteen per cent (13%) to be shared by the majority black Africans. This unequivocally generated a socio-political crisis in the country. Despite a plethora of literature on apartheid as such, there seems to have been some paucity of empirical studies on apartheid’s compulsion, its demise and the rise of a new political era during the period from 1948 to 1994. Puzzlement and curiosity within the public mind in South Africa and the world, about the gross violation of civil liberties perpetrated by the apartheid regime, prompted a scientific study of this nature. This study does not argue that the year 1948 marked the beginning of compulsive policies in South Africa On the contrary; there were various forms of compulsions that existed in South Africa prior to the period in question. The year 1948, however, serves as the point of departure for the study. The year 1948 ushered in the adoption and implementation of apartheid’s -social engineering by the ruling National Party- as an official State ideology. Between 1948 and 1988, a series of compulsive racial laws, which violated fundamental civil liberties, were passed by the South African parliament. Compulsive structures and strategies were devised and refined by the apartheid regime on the assumption of power in 1948 to safeguard and perpetuate the power in the face of a hostile and non-compliant majority. This led to a gradual, peaceful protest which later metamorphosed into various forms of political struggle. It was these forms of struggle that ensured the demise of apartheid and witnessed the advent of a new political dispensation in South Africa. From 1988 various political prisoners embarked on a hunger strike as a form of resistance to demonstrate their anger and rejection of apartheid compulsion. The hunger strike attracted the attention of the international community. This eventually led to more criticism and put pressure on the apartheid regime. As such, diplomatic and economic embargoes were placed on South Africa which greatly undermined its political and economic interests. What followed was mass disobedience and violent protests from different racial groups against the apartheid regime, thereby leading to the deaths of thousands of people, particularly those who vehemently opposed the compulsive racial laws. The victims that survived were either injured, imprisoned or forced to go into exile. Thus, the period between 1988 and 1990 was marked by intense resistance. In addition, the period in question destabilised the very foundation of 'apartheism' as an ideology in South Africa. It also signalled the demise of the compulsive segregationist policies in the country. The years between 1990 and 1994 played a vital role in the history and historiography of South Africa. They witnessed the release of the long-awaited political prisoner, Nelson Mandela, who championed the remaining campaigns against the compulsive apartheid tendencies. He was officially and unconditionally released from prison after spending about 10,000 days behind bars. The period in question was characterised by various apartheid strategies aimed at destabilising the liberation movement. The regime introduced improved survival strategies in arming the police and other security agents with more power to crush all forms of insurrection against it. In the space of four years, thousands of people lost their lives in regime-sponsored and politically related violence. South Africa was thrown into a state of anarchy characterised by, among other things, intense rivalry among political formations. The year 1994, however, witnessed a departure from apartheid to democracy. It paved the way for the emergence of Nelson Mandela as the first democratically elected president of South Africa. The period between 1994 and 1996 played a vital role towards consolidating a popular democratic political system in South Africa. The emerging government was faced with a plethora of administrative, social, economic and political challenges. In 1996, the Government of National Unity (GNU), as part of its policy for national reconciliation, established a commission of enquiry known as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The commission’s mandate was to investigate various crimes committed by both the regime and other opposition political organisations, including the liberation movement. The findings of the commission revealed that the apartheid regime and its agencies, the Inkatha Freedom Party, IFP, the African National Congress, ANC, and other political groupings had committed varying degrees of abuses on fundamental civil liberties in South Africa. It could be argued that South Africa’s democratic elections produced an outcome which closely paralleled the Namibian experience and not that of Angola. The advent of a new political dispensation was welcomed and accepted beyond the borders of South Africa. The tri-cameral parliament with its dominant white house, token houses for ‘Coloured’ and ‘Indian’ populations and total exclusion of African blacks, disappeared and was superseded by a democratically elected non-racial parliament. The homeland or Bantustan structures, i.e. the four (4) ‘independent’ and the six (6) ‘self-governing’ homelands melted away, capitulated or were deposed in the headlong and non-compulsive run-up to South Africa’s first democratic elections. Although the structures disappeared, their legacy lingered on in the form of a multiplicity of effects with which South Africa has had to grapple for years to come. Nominally the architects of apartheid’s compulsion survived the transfer of power to a majority government. Given their past record, they were extremely fortunate not to have been summarily banished to the political wilderness. This could be attributed either to the generosity of spirit displayed by the majority or to the good sense of the majority in pursuit of a compromise path to limit the possibility of violent conflict, or perhaps a mixture of both. A democracy, given the seminal role played by the security establishment as the instrument of compulsion and destabilisation, required security institutions for its continued well-being. Thus, the transformation of these institutions from instruments of compulsion to friendly protectors of civil liberties was crucial. Thus, from 1996 onwards, the new South Africa was substantially free from the kind of political violence which had resulted in deaths on an on-going basis.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Library and Information Science at the Department of Library and Information Science at the University Of Zululand, South Africa, 2015 / The present study aims to create awareness of infopreneurship practice amongst LIS graduates and to train LIS students to acquire all necessary skills for effective infoprenuership practice in this present ICT proliferated society. The study will also help to save graduates from extraordinary increases in the rate of unemployment and the high rate of poverty in our present economy. Infopreneurship practice is linked to entrepreneurship as it describes individuals that sell and market information products and services mostly through the internet and other traditional mediums with the intention of making profits as a means of livelihood. Infopreneurs are experts in the information field/discipline that provide specialized information services in exchange for money. Infopreneurship is an information-based business practice, by information specialists and professionals, as a way of providing specialized information products and services to satisfy customers’ needs, in exchange for money. Studies of Ocholla (1999); David and Dube (2013); Allen (2001); Chandler (2007); and Mason and Dobson (2008) have identified the challenge of increased rates of unemployment of Library and Information Sciences (LIS) graduates. This is due, in part, to the limited availability of library jobs. The poor level of adequate planed awareness programme of infopreneurship and the changes of technology is alarming. The purpose of this study is to investigate the status and development of infopreneurship in Nigeria and South Africa. Therefore, it is important to understand the level of awareness of infopreneurship practices among LIS graduates and to ensure LIS students acquire all necessary skills for effective infopreneurship in the present day ICT community. The study focused on information-based businesses owned by LIS graduates and other graduates of related fields, in selected cities from the two countries. The objectives of this study are: To describe and explain the concepts infopreneurship in the informal sector. To establish the level of those graduates involved in infopreneurship from the eight (8) cluster information fields/disciplines. To investigate and describe the areas and/or types of infopreneurship.  To investigate the impact infopreneurship has on information entrepreneurers and societal development. To find out what challenges infopreneurers encounter. To find solutions that will help to improve infopreneurship practice in Nigeria South Africa. A Case study/qualitative content analysis research methodology was applied for this study. The interview was the major instrument used to gather responses from information-based business owners. It was supported by data gathered from the observation method. A combination of purposive and snowball sampling techniques of non-probability sampling methods were used to generate the sample size, and frame, from the eight clustered information business categories of respondents for this study. The target population for this study was chosen from the lists of all registered information-based businesses as well as LIS graduates practicing infopreneurship in Nigeria and South Africa. The sample size of 160 information-based business owners, LIS graduates and others related information discipline was picked from eight (8) clustered business areas and/or discipline,which include information communication technology (ICTs), mass media/communication, telecommunication, libraries, archive and records management centers, publishing and printing sectors, computer science, and LIS education. The findings show that infopreneurship is a growing practice in both countries, although a majority of those individuals practicing infopreneurship are not familiar with the term infopreneurship. The study also revealed the numbers of LIS graduates involves in the infopreneurship practice, despite the increase growth in this field that few LIS graduates are involved in infopreneurship practice in both countries. However, infopreneurship in recent times, has added more new area/types to the practice such as, internet blogging, software and hardware installation, tracking services, trouble shooting, web designing, programming, CCTV installation, online TV, amongst others. Infopreneurship practice has served as an eye opener to LIS graduates and other related fields of studies for job opportunity and self-dependency. The majority of graduates that joined the information-based business sector joined because of the need for money to survive and escape the high rate of poverty in society. Infopreneurers are faced with different challenges such as insufficient funding, equipment, and infrastructure. An additional issue is the difficulty in licensing of businesses, due to the high cost and the unnecessary requirement for registration of businesses and the tax imposed on smaller infopreneurs is outrageous. The study recommends that LIS schools create more awareness of infopreneurship practice among students, and also review the infopreneurship courses, or include learning content that focuses on business skills acquisition and practical vocational skills acquisition programs. The study also recommends that governments provide a positive support plan by creating a good business atmosphere for young graduates who want to start their personal business.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Zululand in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy: Community Psychology in the Department of Psychology, 2008. / Increasing amounts of scientific evidence has suggested mat a mind-body exercise, such as Tai Chi, is related to improvements in mental health, emotional well-being and stress reduction. No prior study has examined the effect of Tai Chi exercise amongst street children. Working within the context of community health psychology, the present study evaluated a Tai Chi program with street children within the South African context. The research design was quasi-experimental with the participants from places of safety within the surrounds of Durban attending Tai Chi exercise sessions twice per week for 16 weeks. This programme was pre- and post-tested with a focus group interview and Carol Ryff s standardized psychological well-being scale. Statistically significant improvements in the following measures of psychological well-being were found: autonomy, personal growth, environmental mastery, purpose in life, positive relations with others and total psychological well-being. Qualitative findings revealed an increase in positive feelings, improved physical fitness and mental health, and stress reduction. Further outcome evaluations by stakeholders (child care worker, Department of Health Officials, Tai Chi teacher) supported the qualitative findings, as well as indicating increased self-confidence and a positive synergy within the group. / The South African National Research Foundation (NRF)

A dissertation of limited scope submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Masters of Recreation and Tourism in the Centre for Recreation and Tourism at the University of Zululand, 2007. / Recreation as a profession is new in South Africa. In the past not much concern was given to the provision and utilisation of recreation facilities for the previously disadvantaged communities. Recreation has not been taken as a significant component of life for Blacks because of the apartheid system that existed. In the recent history of South Africa, recreation facilities were mainly made available to the White population areas, with Black areas and being neglected. Recent years have seen the expansion of recreation services throughout the country. Since the 1994 election a new trend for recreation participation has emerged. This has increased the demand for provision of recreation facilities. This trend has caused the authorities, nationally, provincially and locally, to extend facility provision for all the communities and age groups of South Africa. The government, through the Department of Sport and Recreation (DSR), is becoming involved in the development of recreation infrastructure and facilities. The focus of this study is to investigate the provision and utilisation of recreation facilities for youth in Ngwelezane. Every person has a right to recreation facilities as well as a right to participate in them, therefore it was the main aim of this study to find out if these rights were honoured. The research problem was formulated within the framework of demand and supply model. There is a great backlog that exists in the provision of recreation facilities in the previously disadvantaged areas. Thus there is a need to address the imbalances and remaining injustices of the past as far as the provision of recreation facilities, especially in Black townships. Data was collected by means of interviews and questionnaires that were administered to 128 youth of Ngwelezane Township to establish if they have enough recreation facilities and if these facilities are available and accessible. Data analysis was accomplished through using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS). The method used for analysing information appeared to be effective because clear outcomes of the finding were achieved. The most important findings were that, there is a relatively low provision and participation in recreation activities among the Black youth in the study area. The latter suggests the existence of a great demand for recreation facilities, with the exception of soccer and netball facilities. It was further discovered that a large percentage of youth would like to be provided with recreation facilities. A greater segment of youth would like to be provided with recreation facilities. If there is shortage of recreation facilities something needs to be done to provide these facilities. It was also discovered that the local municipality should play a major role in the provision of recreation facilities compared to other organizations. This is the big challenge that the local government is facing. Since local municipality is the government that is closest to the people and represents the interests of the residents, it is responsible for fulfilling the developmental role (DLG; 1998). Recreation plays an important role in the lives of individuals, the local community and the nation at large. There is a great responsibility on stakeholders, including all spheres of government, to actively contribute towards raising the levels provision and participation in organised sport and recreation in the country. The government, through the Department of Sport and Recreation (DSR), may be on the right track encouraging the development of recreation infrastructure and facilities, through the programme "Getting the Nation to Play". Therefore, it is clear that recreation facilities need to be provided for youth in the study area, so that they are able to participate in recreation activities. Further that the local government needs to play a leading role to ensure adequate provision of recreation facilities at Ngwelezane Township.