History / M.A. (History)

The backlog in foster care applications has been an issue in the Department of Health and Social Development, Johannesburg office, for the last number of years, resulting in foster care placement applications accumulating and families’ quality of life being affected and compromised. The service providers are inundated with high caseloads. Foster care applications could take up to a year or longer before they are processed and finalised at the Children’s Court. The aim of the study was to explore and describe the factors contributing to the foster care backlog from the service providers’ perspective and to provide suggestions to address this continuing backlog. The researcher employed a qualitative research approach and an explorative, descriptive and contextual research design. Factors such as high caseloads, lack of resources and lack of support and training from management were identified as contributing to the backlog. Recommendations made are the immediate filling of vacant posts, induction of new social workers, provision of adequate resources and infrastructure as well as the division of foster care services. / Social Work / M.A. (Mental Health)

The Indigency Policy / Programme was introduced by the Tshwane Municipality in 2000 to alleviate poverty by assisting the poor with subsidized limited basic municipal services. The goal of this study was to explore the experiences and views of indigent older persons in Atteridgeville of the Indigency Policy / Programme of the Tshwane Municipality. Limited literature was available on the topic and hence the researcher undertook a qualitative study that was exploratory and descriptive in nature to explore this unknown area. The key recommendations were: There is a need for active involvement and availability of municipal social workers; continuous monitoring, education and evaluation by the municipality for the communities. It was recommended that the Municipality conduct a full scale research on indigents` experience and perceptions/ views of their Indigency Policy / Programme in Tshwane. / Social Work / M. A. (Mental Health)

This study sets out to analyse the relevance of cultural values and perceptions, which form the basis of the "local knowledge" of grassroots people, in the natural resource management of the Laka of Mapela who live in the former Lebowa homeland in the Northern Province of South Africa. Due to the fact that political transitions affect the traditional authority system, it further explores the role of traditional leaders regarding control and decision-making over natural resources as well as the activities of oppositional groups at local level, and their attitudes towards land tenure issues. Natural resource management is approached holistically because, in grassroots perceptions, the natural world does not "stand on its own" and is not dissected into manageable units but forms part of a wider cosmos which is made up of human beings, nature and the supernatural. A happy life of people, fertile soils and rich botanical resources are inseparable from harmony in the cosmos. Misfortune, natural resource degradation and scarcity are consequently explained with a state of flux, or imbalance, in these cosmic relationships which have to be restored by people in order to survive. The general conclusions suggest that these local perceptions of natural resource management cannot be ignored from the development arena as well as by outside scientists and practitioners. Rather, in order to develop more progressive approaches for sustainable management in the former homelands, policies and plans have to be compatible with the worldview of local people to enhance their acceptance and implementation. / Anthropology and Archaeology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Anthropology)

The need to carry out an analysis of gender issues in development stems from a concern about the persistent inequalities surrounding African rural women. Women assume social and economic roles inside and outside the household but their contribution does not receive due recognition. Having being excluded from crucial decision making processes, their productive roles have been secondary to their reproductive responsibilities. The purpose of this study was to highlight the negative impact imposed by gender oppression on women's economic and social progress. This necessitated an in-depth review of literature that included journals, books, newspaper articles and general publications. The review reflected that women have undisputedly faced social, cultural, economic, political and educational barriers and that simple rhetoric has not done much to alleviate women's subordinate position and dependency on men. Finally a suggested plan- of action followed to provide an axis around which gender issues in development should revolve. / Development Studies / M. Admin. (Development Administration)

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Design in the Faculty of Informatics and Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2012 / Home-Based Health Care (HBHC) is the provision of health services and social assistance to individuals in their homes. It is an indispensable service to communities in need; presently in South Africa, these health care services are provided by local non-profit and non-governmental organizations. It is mainly targeted at poverty-stricken and under resourced communities and is an important aspect of healthcare in South Africa. A lot of communities in South Africa are still under-resourced and live in impoverished conditions. This is reflected in poor living standards characterized by unemployment, uneasy access to basic amenities, unequal distribution of wealth, poor medical facilities in rural communities, etc. The prevalence of the HIV/AIDS endemic has also worsened the situation. However, the South African government has constantly supported initiatives to enhance better healthcare in rural communities. This research presents a case study of caregivers working in Du Noon, an informal settlement in Western Cape, South Africa. Du Noon is overpopulated and home to lots of foreigners who have migrated in search of better living standards thus stretching an already over-burdened community. Naturally, this development supports poor health practices which encourage the spread of diseases within the community. Health facilities do not sufficiently cater for the ever-increasing healthcare demands and as such lots of people depend on NGOs such as SALT (Sharing Abundant Life Together) who through the help of caregivers and community workers have been providing for some of the healthcare needs of the Du Noon community since 2000. Findings reveal that although caregivers in this community have lots of stories to share about their work practices, they do not have a platform to share these stories. This research focuses on identifying processes involved in capturing these stories and moderating them into educative and entertaining visual contents for the purpose of sharing the stories within the community. Using qualitative research methods, empirical and field study provides the needed data as well as understanding of the multi-dynamism of this community. Data analysis is done through interpretive methods for the purpose of understanding the data collected and analysed during the research process. Finally, as a possible research contribution, the research concludes by examining how other technology can enhance the storytelling experience using interaction design methods that enables caregivers participate in the entire design process. Suggestions are also given as to direction for further research within the subject area.

M.Litt. et Phil. (Anthropology) / On the far eastern border of the Mhala district of Gazankulu there is a village called Dixie. The residents of this village and their conditions of living formed the setting for my research. The research was strictly ethnographic, and so is this thesis, given the dire shortage of in-depth ethnographic information particularly on the experiences of teenage girls. The research revealed various facets of the lives of these people. Whilst the research included all the teenage girls of the village, and most of the teenage boys, information on only four girls was singled out for the thesis, because of the diversity in their experiences and to demonstrate the impact of unique circumstances on the experience of violence. To the case material of these four girls, was added that of a teenage boy to highlight the contrast between the lives of girls and boys in this social setting. The events that formed a significant part in the daily lives of the girls and the boy were diarised in detail so as not to tamper with the information as far as possible. It emerged that girls were consistently subjected to violence by those persons with whom they were closely involved. Poverty contributes largely to the amount and intensity of violence on female persons, and it is thus violence which dominates social life in the village for these people. The result is a chain of events that is shocking and deeply disturbing. The information reveals very clearly the extent of male domination which is still prevalent in our society and it exposes the continual subjugation women experience daily in the struggle against men and poverty. This thesis wishes to challenge social scientists of our time to focus their attention on violence in much more detail than has been the case until now.

This thesis examines the structure and flow of public funding between the public and private sectors in the South African health system and the consequences thereof for the achievement of equity. The conceptual framework used to undertake the analysis derives from Richard Titmuss’ core theoretical framework, the Social Division of Welfare. The application of the Social Division of Welfare applied to the South African health care context demonstrates how state resources end up benefitting the non-poor and, as a result, reproduce inequality. Those who access public institutions such as public health care are assumed to be ‘dependent’ on the state, whilst those who access private health facilities claim to be ‘independent’ of the state. However, this thesis shows that these assumptions are flawed. Access to the formal labour market, and subsequently the paying of taxes, authorises one to access state subsidies not available to those who do not. The application of the Social Division of Welfare shows that tax-paying private health care patients benefit considerably from state resources. This thesis argues that due to cost escalation in the private health sector, a consequence of the commodification of health care, these private health care ‘consumers’ as well as the private health industry in general are dependent upon state resources. This thesis analyses the role played by the profit motive present in the private health industry and the consequences for equity, quality, access and efficiency in health care provision

Throughout South Africa’s post-Apartheid history, the ANC-led government has undertaken a distinct nation-building program in pursuit of “a truly united, democratic and prosperous South Africa” (ANC, 2007). This is reflected in a two-pronged approach, coupling political and socioeconomic transformation with the social-psychological aspect of forging a broad and inclusive national consciousness. The ANC’s “rainbow nation” approach embraces cultural diversity through what I shall call the practice of “interculturalism”. Interculturalism is a way of recognizing commonalities, reducing tensions and promoting the formation of social partnerships among different cultural groups. The ANC has also promoted a civic culture based on the principles of liberal democracy, non-racism, equality and the protection of individual rights. Interculturalism and civic nationalism are critically important factors to South African nation-building since together they foster a shared public culture and support meaningful participation in the creation of a truly just and democratic South Africa. Unfortunately, in many ways South African society remains deeply divided by race, ethnicity and economic inequality. This thesis analyses various theoretical approaches to national identity and nationbuilding with the aim of identifying several concepts which arguably throw light on the problems of South African nation-building and national identity formation. It is argued that interculturalism and civic nationalism are context appropriate approaches which have been adopted by the ANC to further an inclusive sense of shared public culture and promote participation in the creation of a shared public future. These approaches have led to the limited emergence of a broad South African national identity. However, South Africa’s commitment to socio-economic transformation has been less successful in generating widespread support for a broad national identity. While some of those previously disadvantaged under Apartheid have benefited from poverty alleviation schemes, service delivery initiatives and black economic empowerment programs, many continue to suffer from homelessness, unemployment and worsening economic conditions. Increasing economic marginalization has caused growing discontent among South Africa’s poor and constitutes the biggest threat to the formation of a cohesive national identity in South African society. Ultimately, it is argued that while interculturalism and civic nationalism have played an important role in fostering the growth of a broad national identity, true South African social cohesion will fail to emerge without a massive and sustained commitment to wide-ranging socio-economic transformation.

M.A. / South Africa has thousands of destitute children without families to care for them. The bulk of such children are, at this time, born to impoverished and destitute African women. Many such children have been abandoned. In the years to come we must in addition expect a huge influx of children whose parents have died from or become incapacitated by Aids. These children will also need families to care for them. Adoption is an effective way of creating permanent homes for these children. However, there is currently a dearth of prospective African adopters in the Gauteng Province. Numerous assumptions have been put forward to explain this problemsituation. Some people think that it may be related to traditional norms of the African culture which emphasize the importance of blood ties when it comes to family building. In traditional African culture it was inconceivable that blood ties could be extinguished, or that someone totally strange, let alone someone from a different clan, could parent your child. The majority of modern, western adoptions, involve the legal adoption of children who are not related in any way to the people adopting them. An adoption order vests the parental rights and duties in the adopters and is irrevocable. The adoption order extinguishes natural parental rights with respect to any other person vis-a'-vis the child. Mother cause for concern, is the fact that when African adopters legally adopt children, the majority tend to very secretative about the whole affair. They usually do not acknowledge the adopted child's biological origins because they wish to protect the child and themselves from a negative response by the general community. It is important to tell children they are adopted because children have a right to the truth about themselves. Enduring relationships are built on honesty, not deception. When there has been secrecy in a family about adoption, everyone suffers. The community has a responsibility to provide support and resources to families formed by adoption. Recognizing that support from the community for an adoption service will not be forthcoming unless the community is positively oriented towards such a service, this study seeks to explore and describe the contemporary attitudes of an African community towards the concept of modern, western adoption. The Soweto community is the largest African community in South African. In order to explore the attitudes of people in this community towards the concept of modern, western adoption, a descriptive survey has been conducted. A sample of 163 people was drawn from the Vista University and the Soweto Home for the Aged. A selfadministered questionnaire was used as the method for data collection. Although generalizations to the greater African population cannot be made because a non-probability sampling method was used in this study, findings indicate that the majority of community members in Soweto probably have a positive attitude towards the concept of modern, western adoption. It is hoped that this attitude will have a directive influence on their future behaviour. There must thus be an ongoing effort to expand adoption opportunities for African children in need of permanent homes and members of the community must be directly involved in these efforts.