Thesis (MTech (Construction Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / The study investigates the effectiveness of quality assurance systems in the delivery of low-cost houses in Cape Town South Africa. As an endeavor to deliver adequate social housing in Cape Town‟s disadvantaged and underdeveloped communities, the study is aimed at ensuring that National Housing Code as set by Department of Human Settlement concerning the overall resultant quality of houses constructed is adhered to. There are several studies on resultant quality and quality assurance of low-cost houses (LCH) in the entire country, of which skill inadequacy has been highlighted as the major concern. This is because of the sluggish improvement in quality of the low-cost houses constructed. However, skill inadequacy of construction workers has been reported in developed and developing countries, and consequently poorly impacts on the delivery of low-cost house construction projects. The human resource (labour) is the significant tool to adequate use of materials and plant for the achievement of the project objectives. The study identified six objectives directed towards establishing an instrument that will ensure appropriate application of quality assurance systems in the delivery of low-cost house construction, hence improving the resultant quality of low-cost houses being constructed. The first objective identifies the existence, prevalence and depth of the poor resultant quality in low-cost housing areas; the second objective identifies the quality assurance systems in current use in construction of low-cost housing; the third objective evaluates the extent to which the existing quality assurance systems used assist in current low-cost housing construction; the fourth objective evaluates the effectiveness of quality assurance systems in current use; and fifth objective determines whether the poor resultant quality is the consequence of poor application of the system or the lack of knowledge from the professionals involved. Finally, the last objective is to establish the mechanism to ensure the effective use of quality assurance systems in the construction of low-cost houses. The research adopted a mixed methodological approach, with a use of quantitative questionnaires completed by beneficiaries and structured qualitative interviews conducted with the building inspectors, contractor and designer. The research questionnaires were designed to understand the perceptions of beneficiaries on the day to day structural performance of their houses. The structured interviews were designed to understand the knowledge of building inspectors, the contractor and the designer about the quality assurance systems and their applications in the delivery of low-cost houses, In the main study, one hundred (100) questionnaires were administered and hand- delivered to all three areas identified as Delft, Khayelitsha and Langa. Seventy three (73) questionnaires (73%) were duly completed, returned and analysed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. The key findings included the use of unskilled workmanship, limited knowledge of quality assurance systems by the building inspector, contractor and designer, and inappropriate procurement systems as well as benchmarking used. This thesis is both theoretical and practical research and is limited to books relevant to quality assurance and quality of low-cost houses and data retrieved from interviews and questionnaire surveys. The selection criteria for inspectors should incorporate skill in quality assurance. The National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) criteria for appointment of contractors to carry on works should not be just a saying but also be put into practice. It should also at least refer to three previous completed projects to ensure the profile of the contractor is in accordance with the statutory requirements of NHBRC.

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration (Entrepreneurship)))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / Graduates face challenges to secure relevant employment; even worse, obtaining a qualification does not guarantee employment or employability. The labour market no longer only searches for a qualification but also for a set of skills. Graduates are required to improve upon proficiencies that would qualify for positive performance and would benefit the employer to use for business purposes. In addition, scarcities of expertise, besides working environment knowledge, indicate that businesses are unwilling to employ graduates, hiring more experienced people as an option. This research has studied the developing concept of social entrepreneurship; but principally examined the context in which social entrepreneurship can be used to improve graduate employability. A quantitative method was used with the help of a structured questionnaire in order to achieve a high level of reliability in relation to data analysis. The subjects for this research comprised 187 social entrepreneurs who are formally registered as non-profit organisations within Cape Town, and are registered on the Western Cape Charity South Africa database. The data collected for this study were analysed and illustrated using tables, bars and pie charts. It is hoped that this study will not merely add to the knowledge of social business enterprise, but also disclose the likely roles that social entrepreneurs can play to improve graduate employability. / National Research Foundation(NRF)

Thesis (MTech (Public Relations Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / This research analysed the use of interpretation services to address the communication challenges faced by Congolese asylum seekers at the refugee reception office in Cape Town. It examined the language challenges of Congolese asylum seekers, the role of the interpreters in addressing these challenges and the perceptions of refugees and home affairs officials about the quality of services provided by interpreters. It also discussed the implications for the outcome of Congolese applications for asylum. This project was framed around Bell and Reiss’s theories of translation and the general communication model. Community interpreting and interpreting studies complimented these theories because all of them focus on the intricacies of interpreting messages and the implications for meaning making, especially in the case of oral accounts. The research design was a case study and its unit of analysis was a company called Zeenab, Remy, Gerald, and Buba (ZRGB) Interpretation, Translation and Social Services, which has for years been the main provider of interpretation services to the department of home affairs in Cape Town. Since this project was a case study, it adopted a qualitative approach and used qualitative methods such as interviews, observations, focus group discussions and document analysis to collect data from respondents. These methods were suitable for this project because they provided unrestricted space for Congolese refugees and home affairs officials to express their views about the interpretation services and the implications thereof. All interviews took place in Cape Town between June and July 2016. The duration of interviews ranged from 25-65 minutes and the total number of respondents was 18. The researcher used a thematic analysis approach to organise, analyse and interpret the data collected from participants. This process involved coding, defining and naming and penetrating themes, searching for multiple meanings embedded in the data. After interpreting the data, this research revealed firstly that the main challenge of Congolese asylum seekers was to communicate their experiences consistently and accurately in English language. Secondly, asylum seekers blamed the rejection of their applications for asylum on the poor quality of interpretation services provided by ZRGB. Thirdly, asylum seekers had different impressions of the role of interpreters in the refugee determination process. In terms of scholarly contributions, this study hopes to shed light on the communication challenges that francophone asylum seekers and refugees face during the application and interviewing process. In addition, it can contribute to the existing body of knowledge on the politics of asylum and the acquisition of refugee identity in post-apartheid South Africa.

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / A highly uneven income distribution and South Africa’s economic structure has over the years produced a larger number of the so called ‘unbankable’ families or households that are not served by the commercial retail-banking sector. Microfinance institutions (MFIs) emerged as an important tool for poverty alleviation and as a substitute in providing access to credit facilities to those individuals. However, many MFIs have failed to sustain and grow their business due to malpractices and poor implementation of sound corporate governance mechanisms. This study aims to identify the impact of corporate governance mechanisms on sustainability at selected MFIs in Cape Town. The study was undertaken in order to bridge the information gap and increase the knowledge base on the issues of corporate governance and sustainability of MFIs as this lack of information may be due to insufficient research in the sector. A survey research design by employing the triangulation method was used to gather data from selected MFIs (n=15) in Cape Town. Quantitative, qualitative and secondary data instruments were used for data collection. Participants for this study were selected through the use of purposive sampling. Data were analysed through SPSS V24 to generate descriptive and statistical results. Cronbach’s alpha value was employed to determine the reliability of the dataset. The study found that most MFIs have no governance mechanisms in place that act as a blue print to address governance issues. Only a few MFIs distinguish the positions of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman. In addition, this research showed that MFIs are struggling to be profitable as most of them continuously record lower levels of operational self-sufficiency and return on assets. The study recommends the ideal board size of MFIs, board diversity, separation on the positions of CEO and the Chairman, the use of the King IV report, and strategies for sustainability.

Aquatic weeds transform and degrade the ecosystems which they invade, impacting various aspects of their surroundings ranging from the community level to disrupting important processes affecting ecosystem services. All of the major aquatic weeds of South Africa are found in the Cape Town Metropolitan Area. Landowners, whether private or public, are legally obliged to manage the listed invasive species through applying environmentally acceptable methodologies. This thesis provides an overview of the strategic management options, prevention, early detection, rapid response and eradication of new invasions, and containment and control species of established species. It discusses the different control methods available for managing aquatic weeds, namely mechanical, manual, chemical and biological, and the integration of different methods to improve their effectiveness. Although various studies have shown that biological control is the most cost–effective, environmentally-friendly and sustainable method, it is not yet fully integrated into weed management programmes in South Africa. In addition, the successes achieved in other parts of the world with the control of water hyacinth through biological control have not been repeated in the urban environment, despite the fact that South Africa has the highest number of biological control agents available for the weed. Urbanisation puts pressure on the natural environment and ecosystem functioning. Nutrient-enriched waters support aquatic weed growth and pose a challenge to the management thereof, in particular with regard to integrating biological control into management programmes. The aims of this study were to determine the reasons for the lack of integration of biological control into weed management programmes in South Africa, to determine the feasibility of integrating biological control in aquatic weed management programmes in a complex urban environmental and socio-political landscape by means of three case studies in the Cape Town Metropolitan Area, which showed that biological control is feasible in urban environments and should be considered. Two surveys were conducted to determine the reasons for the lack of integration of biological control into weed management programmes. The surveys showed that there is a gap between research and implementation as a result of poor communication, non-supporting institutional arrangements and a lack of appropriate capacity and skills at the implementation level. Recommendations were offered to address these issues.

D.Litt. et Phil. / The Western Cape and the UniCity of Cape Town are the only remaining province and metropolitan municipality that have not been won by the ANC since the advent of democratic elections in 1994. The ANC won the Cape Town substructure, one out of six former sub-councils of the Cape Metropolitan Area (CMA) in the 1996. It is the Cape Metropolitan Municipality (i.e. former CMA) which is referred to as the UniCity of Cape Town in this research. The first and only time the ANC controlled the UniCity of Cape Town was between 2002 and 2006. This was as a result of the floor-crossing and the coalition between the NNP and ANC in 2002. The Western Cape is also the only province in which the NNP, DA1, ANC and the DA2 have alternated between 1994 and 2008. These two factors make the Western Cape and the UniCity of Cape Town the most hotly contested areas in South Africa. This political competition has led to accusations and counter-accusations among political parties that parties that have governed the Western Cape and the UniCity of Cape Town have used the allocation of housing services with the intention of achieving personal or party-political interests. The objective of this research has been to apply a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate whether there is evidence to suggest that those political parties that governed the Western Cape and the UniCity of Cape Town between 1994 and 2008 have used the allocation of housing services to further party-political interests. The two leading questions were whether the political parties that governed the UniCity of Cape Town between 1994 and 2008 skewed the allocation of low-cost housing in favour of their supporters, and, if so, how political-party affiliation has affected the access to the housing services of voters in the Western Cape and the UniCity of Cape Town. The methodology used by the researcher is mainly a combination of the analysis of all available electronic and printed material and extensive interviews with the residents of Joe Slovo and Delft areas. In-depth interviews have also been conducted with leaders of community-based organisations, unions, academics and leaders of political parties. The analysis shows that all political parties that governed the Western Cape and the UniCity of Cape Town between 1994 and 2008 have deliberately targeted those suburbs in which their supporters are in the majority and in which the supporters of their rival parties are in the minority. The analysis in this research also shows that affiliation to political party has affected respondents’ access to housing services. The main recommendation is that political parties should be encouraged not to use party affiliation to determine who get goods/services provided by government in a democratic society.

Magister Artium - MA / The notion of what constitutes a nation has been a subject of many debates. The nation, like individual is the culmination of a long past of endeavours, sacrifice and devotion. The post aprtheid project of reconciliation in South Africa is part of this desire to live together as citizens of one country irrespective of past differences. This desire transforms itself to cultural institutions like museums or rather cultural institutions represents this desire in a more systematic way in the post apartheid South Africa as they seek to transform. / South Africa

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This thesis seeks to examine the making of official policies on street trading in Cape Town’s city centre and the impact of such policies. It covers an extensive period from colonial times to the Union era and from apartheid to democracy. The local government and its role in controlling the trade is the centre of focus but the thesis also explores how the oral testimonies of street traders in the city centre contribute to our understanding of the activity as well as the impact of policy. This thesis poses several questions. What influences policy? What is the impact of policy? Are there continuities or discontinuities in policy? How does one understand street trading and the impact of policy from the perspectives of street traders themselves? Given that there are significant studies of street trading in other municipalities, how does a history of street trading in Cape Town compare? Is there anything distinctive about Cape Town?` Several factors have influenced policy. These have been similar to other local authorities. These have been the desire to raise revenue for the city, to protect the interest of established businesses who feared competition from street traders, the city’s desire to maintain a clean, beautiful and orderly city, as well as traffic and sanitation considerations. Like other local authorities, strategies have included: issuing licenses to street traders and the development and implementation of street trading regulations which either restricted or prohibited street trading. In contrast to studies of other cities, this thesis explores the practice of registration as a measure of control which nonetheless confers rights. This thesis marks the 1980s as representing a decisive shift in policy from one characterized by the prosecution of street traders to a more sympathetic and supportive approach towards street traders. The post-apartheid context saw significant changes in policy motivated by the desire to seek solutions to unemployment and poverty alleviation. Thus permanent stands for street traders in the city centre have been provided, traders have been involved in decision making and power has been devolved to associations. The latter practice has been significant in Cape Town. This thesis has also found that out of the major South African cities, Cape Town comes after Johannesburg in having progressive street trader policies. This measure of progressive is seen in the number of street traders, in the provision of infrastructure such as stands and the encouragement of the sector. While the Cape Town city council has a developmental continuum plan which sees street trading leading to formal businesses, it has yet to put resources to further this. Oral histories have been particularly useful in highlighting that street trading is not only the occupation of the urban poor. This thesis highlights individuals with skills and education and who see the sector as bearing many advantages. The thesis points to the sector as being differentiated. Further, the distinction between the formal and informal gets blurred in the contemporary era. This thesis highlights the hereditary nature of street trading in Cape Town thus challenging ideas of street trading as a transitory occupation. With regard to policy, interviews highlighted the negative impact of policy during apartheid. While traders see the advantages of the democratic era, they nonetheless argue too that the encouragement of the sector has seen an increase in the number of street traders but no significant increase in a customer base. There is thus some nostalgia for the pre-1994 years. This study has allowed one to track continuity and discontinuity and to explore the idea of a progressive policy and to make comparisons with other cities drawing from official and oral sources.

Magister Artium - MA / Dawes (2011) claims that there are more than 5.2 million children who were in both institutional and foster care in South Africa by 2011, which was increasing by 6.2% every year due to the HIV epidemic and high levels of poverty affecting the community. In the light of the large number of children in foster care, this study investigates the family-like roles displayed by caregivers and experienced by children within three selected Children's homes in Cape Town, South Africa. In this study, the term "family-like roles" was used interchangeably with "family values" displayed or instilled by caregivers within the children's home. Relatively a number of studies in child care have advocated for the benefit of family-like roles in children’s homes. The study established the importance of family-like roles, and it is evident that children's homes with a large group of children often prevent the creation of a nurturing environment with the characteristics of a family. The study employed interviews and observations to collect data, which were analysed according to the research questions by making codes and themes. The study involved the caregivers, children and managers of the three selected children's homes from Khayelitsha Township, Sothern and Northern suburbs of Cape Town. Furthermore, data were examined from both structural functionalism and eco cultural perspective, which helped to understand that caregivers display or instill the family values in a formal rather than in an informal way. This is because of the structure and functioning of the institutions of care, which makes the caregivers not to act naturally when taking care or displaying the family-like roles for vulnerable children to experience. Despite the negative declarations made in various scholars' studies about children’s homes, this study confirms the opinion of the caregivers that if the children living in the children's homes are shown respect, love, care, trust and kind treatment, they are able to extend these values to other people around them. Yet, this is not realised should the houses-units/cluster or cottages be overcrowded. In addition, the family-like roles displayed by caregivers in these particular children's homes may lead the children to develop a certain kind of phobia. This is a situation where the vulnerable children may develop a total fear and anxiety of certain social conditions in the communities

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The publication A South African Boxer in Britain contains the unique aesthetic of the Cape Town born boxer Andrew Jeptha, the first black fighter to win a British welterweight title in 1907. The booklet was published in 1910 to offer pecuniary relief to the blinded author (Jeptha) who incurred the affliction during the very match that secured him the title. Thus, although masquerading as a ‘light read’ of sporting achievements and memories from abroad, I argue the booklet authorises a complex thinking on text, disability and boxing. The thesis takes care to present the publication as a crucial historical work that offers a level of psychic and racial strategy not naturally thought to exist in the genesis of a turn-of-the-century boxer. The textual ideation manifest in Jeptha’s booklet is mooted within the thesis as distinctive in its accommodation of both desire and difference, rendering a calculation that sees the text not as the deserted boundary where ‘mind’ and ‘flesh’ depart, but rather as a particular bibliographic configuration where both these worlds meet in a moment that remands reductive views of the gladiator and his words of care. / 2020-01-01