People living with HIV/AIDS have the right to be employed as long as they are physically fit to do the work. The unfortunate situation now is that in many South African workplaces employees who disclose their HIV/AIDS status or who are suspected of living with the disease face backlashes from fellow employees and sometimes even from employers. No one should be discriminated against or be prevented from being employed or dismissed from employment purely on the basis of having HIV or AIDS. Any form of discrimination against employees living with HIV/AIDS constitutes a violation of their constitutional rights to among others human dignity, equality and fair labour practices. Discrimination may take the form of pre-employment HIV testing or a dismissal due to HIV positive status. This research looks at the protection given to employees living with HIV/AIDS in the South African workplaces and whether the protection is adequate or not. / Mercantile Law / LL. M.

MGS / Institute for Gender and Youth Studies / Institutions of higher learning continue to reflect gender biases in their endeavor to create an egalitarian atmosphere in their learning environments. These institutions serve to equip people with the intellectual capacities needed to pursue national and regional development advancements. However, gender inequality persists within them. Women continue to be underrepresented at all levels. Women have proven to be productive, more committed, more focused, more competent in executing whatever roles they are given. This study focused on the experiences of academic employees‟ in relation to gender equality in leadership positions at a semi-urban University in Limpopo province. The main aim of the study was to probe the experiences of academic employees‟ in relation to gender equality in leadership positions at this university. The research design was qualitative in approach. This study was conducted at the University of Venda which is situated in Thohoyandou in the Thulamela Local Municipality under the Vhembe District in the Limpopo province, South Africa. The study used purposive sampling to collect data from the participants. Academic employees were the interviewees. The findings of the study are as follows: Institution should encourage the formation of academic and leadership support networks for women; Deans of faculties should support women who aspire to move up the academic ladder instead of frustrating them; Institutions should formulate policies geared at fast-tracking women with leadership potential; Employment equity policies should be fairly implemented so as not to advantage one ethnic or racial group over another, a larger scale study is needed that will cover a considerable number of institutions to gain deeper insight into the problem. / NRF

The plight of women who reside around the mining communities has not received the necessary attention from a research perspective. This concern prompted the researcher to compose a qualitative research aimed at exploring the experiences and challenges faced by these women. This was a case study research which was conducted among women who reside around the Driekop mining community in Limpopo province and designed from exploratory, descriptive, contextual and phenomenological in designs. The study was guided by the two theories: the feminist theory and the coping theory of Lazarus and Folkman. Relevant research ethical principles were upheld during the plenary phase wherein the research proposal was subjected to review by the Higher Degrees Committee of the UNISA’s Social Work Departmental Research and Ethics Committee and throughout the duration of the study. The data which was collected through the semi-structured interviews was analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six steps of data analysis, gave rise to several experiences and challenges which are presented in a form of nine themes and 13 subthemes. In striving to assure research quality, Guba and Lincoln’s trustworthiness principles were adopted. Some conclusions are drawn from the process of qualitative research as an approach adopted to guide the study as well as the findings based on the collected and analysed data. Based on the conclusions of the research process and the research findings, the reader’s attention is drawn to some recommendations which are proposed to inform practice, training and policy development. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

This study explored both the relationship between coping resources (as measured by the Coping Resources Inventory) and psychological career resources (as measured by the Psychological Career Resources Inventory) and also whether individuals from different gender and employment status groups (part-time work experience versus no work experience) differ significantly regarding their coping resources and psychological career resources. A cross-sectional survey design and quantitative statistical procedures were used to analyse the data which was obtained from a purposive non-probability sample of N = 197 early career unemployed, black graduates. The results showed significant positive associations between psychological career resources and coping resources. It also emerged that the male and female participants differed significantly with regard to their emotional, spiritual and physical coping resources and the psychological career resources of career harmonisers and career drivers. In addition, it was found that those participants who had part-time work experience displayed a significantly higher need for career venturing and also manifested higher behavioural adaptability than those who had no work experience. Recommendations for future research and practice were made. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The Transvaal Colony experienced a huge problem with the scarcity of African labour for the mines and for the farms after the South African War. From 1901 to 1906 African labourers displayed great reluctance to meet the labour demands of the Transvaal colony. Both black and white witnesses to the Transvaal Labour Commission (TLC) and the South African Native Affairs Commission (SANAC) gave their views regarding the reasons why African labourers were unavailable for wage labour. The Chamber of Mines dominated the proceedings of the TLC so that in the end very little objective information could be gained from the TLC. Africans themselves, testifying before SANAC stated a number of grievances which might have been responsible for the widespread withdrawal from employment on the mines. It became clear that Africans preferred to work independently rather than to provide labour for whites who ill-treated them. This they could only do if land was available to them. / History / M.A. (History)

Social Work / M.A. Social Science (Mental Health)

The Employment Equity Act, No 55 of 1998 forms part of the transformation legislation aimed at promoting equity and eliminating discriminatory and unfair treatment in the workplace. This Act was promulgated more than ten years ago, and its positive impact has to be measured in terms of its contribution to the conduciveness of the work environment. The aim of this study is to enhance measures for effective implementation of an Employment Equity Programme (EEP) in the Public Service, with specific reference to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. The ultimate aim is to identify Employment Equity (EE) measures that will benefit management and employees in enhancing individual performance and productivity. The study focuses on perceptions of employees on how they perceive EEP. As the study progressed it became equally important to determine the alignment and contribution of EEP on Departmental strategic objectives. The results and recommendations will be shared with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development with a view to ensuring that its EEP is aligned to its strategic objectives, and adds value to service delivery. / Public Administration & Management / M.P.A.

Until recently, the legal position of domestic workers in South Africa could be described as a relic of the nineteenth century, when the contract of employment and the common law defined the employer-employee relationship. The legal rules which regulate the relationship between the domestic worker and her employer are examined. International labour standards and the legal position of domestic workers in other countries are considered. Cognisance is taken of the social phenomenon which finds domestic workers at the convergence of three lines along which inequality is generated, namely gender, race and class. Furthermore, the unique economic forces at play in this sector are examined. The law will be stretched to its limits when attempting to resolve what is, essentially, a socio-economic problem. However, the working lives of a million people are at stake. The legislature has a constitutional, political and moral responsibility to attend to reform in this sector as a matter of urgency. / Private Law / LL.M.

The Transvaal Colony experienced a huge problem with the scarcity of African labour for the mines and for the farms after the South African War. From 1901 to 1906 African labourers displayed great reluctance to meet the labour demands of the Transvaal colony. Both black and white witnesses to the Transvaal Labour Commission (TLC) and the South African Native Affairs Commission (SANAC) gave their views regarding the reasons why African labourers were unavailable for wage labour. The Chamber of Mines dominated the proceedings of the TLC so that in the end very little objective information could be gained from the TLC. Africans themselves, testifying before SANAC stated a number of grievances which might have been responsible for the widespread withdrawal from employment on the mines. It became clear that Africans preferred to work independently rather than to provide labour for whites who ill-treated them. This they could only do if land was available to them. / History / M. A. (History)

In modern South African society, many women have overcome traditional notions of gender by becoming breadwinners in their homes and providing primary financial support for their families. Employing a Phenomenological Feminist viewpoint, this dissertation contextualises the meaning that South African female breadwinners (FBW) ascribe to their experiences within their lived environment, utilising data collected from in-depth, unstructured interviews with FBW from the Mpumalanga and Gauteng provinces. While taking into consideration their intersectional experiences of gender, race, as well as cultural and traditional societal pressures, this study represents these womens’ voices in order to understand how they make meaning of and negotiate their spaces and roles as breadwinners. In the course of interviews and analysis, the realities faced by FBW revealed experiences, individual and communal, shared and unique, which expose archaic divisions of gender within our society, which have been hiding behind constructions of reform advocating equality among the sexes. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)