Thesis (MA (African Languages))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / This study deals with the analysis of accounts of marriages in isiXhosa. Gergen (1994) proposes the following aspects that such narratives should cover: structure of narrative account; narrative form; self-narrative: process; pragmatics of self-narrative, interknitting of narratives, and emotion. Each of the listed aspects has its own variants. The variants will be dealt with in Chapter four, where Gergen’s theory is being summarised. The proposals Gergen (1994) made are central and significant in this research, since the narratives that have been given by five Xhosa-speaking married persons will be analysed according to his theory on self-narratives. This research seeks to verify the validity of Gergen’s (1994) theory of narratives in the Xhosa context. The research has been conducted by involving five Xhosaspeaking married persons. Each person had to give his or her account of marriage in line with the topic of this research, namely, the analysis of accounts of marriage in Xhosa. After narratives had been collected, an analysis of each narrative has been done in Chapter five of this research. The analysis reveals how each narrative reflects the following: the structure of the narrative account, narrative form, selfnarrative: process, pragmatics of self-narrative, practices of self-narratives, and emotions, as suggested by Gergen (1994). Analyses vary from one narrative to another because an account of married life varies from one person to another. Bakhtin (1981) suggest that the words that narrators use are inter-individual. The understanding of social morals, values, norms, justice, and the history of the community by the narrators enables them to be intelligible in their narratives. It is therefore crucial that this study be pursued in the Xhosa language because narratives are socially embedded. The narratives in this study could assist people to think correctly about the marriages in the Xhosa context. The issue of marriage affects all people, despite language diversity, and it is therefore proper that this study be conducted in all languages. If this is not done, others may think that the findings from this research is applicable to the Xhosa-speaking community only. The analytic part of this research would help communication practitioners and language practitioners to analyse narratives in their languages in the same manner as they have been analysed from Xhosa narratives. This research analysis would assist developing communicators to grow into competent communicators.

The research interest is the field of Christianity and culture with specific focus on the interface between the indigenous practice of ilobolo and the Christian faith in South Africa. Comparison and contrasts with other African peoples, especially in the subcontinent, is made. The research is located in Edendale, an urban township of Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. Common wisdom distinguishes between urban and rural Africans whereas under the veneer of urbanisation, the religio-cultural beliefs of Africans on ilobolo remain ingrained almost defying the influence of Westernisation. In the post-apartheid era, ilobolo has become a highly contested issue, strong arguments for and against its retention have been advanced. It is in the light of those complexities that the continued practice of ukulobola and the rituals associated with it are examined. The thesis is partly descriptive but mainly analytical. Consequently, a brief historical background and current practice of ilobolo in an urban setting is offered. The social and religious role played by ilobolo cattle, collectively known as amabheka, is analysed. The central thesis of this work is that ukulobola has continued to be practised among adherents of traditional religions and African Christians. To both it is regarded as a means of establishing and maintaining family ties and, among the former, it is also the accepted means of uniting the respective ancestors From the study it will be apparent that the misuse of ilobolo by those people who make impossible demands on the groom with the consequent commodification of women is due to the fact that such people have a jaundiced understanding of the original purpose and intent of the practice. The study consists of six chapters and a conclusion. Chapter one serves as an introduction to the study. It focuses on technical aspects such as the problem statement, motivation, hypotheses to be tested, theoretical tools used, methodology and a description of the primary site of the research. This leads to a historical chapter based on oral as well as written sources on the origins, purpose and changes that have happened in the practice of ukulobola among AmaZulu. The survey leads to a theological reflection on factors yielded by the historical survey of the evolution of ilobolo. A third chapter is a social and theological critique of the various positions advanced for its continuation or suggestions on why it should be abolished. Chapter four is an assessment of contemporary people's views on ilobolo. The fifth chapter demonstrates how anthropological and theological underpinnings of ilobolo, especially the pivotal role played by cattle, have sustained the practice from pre-colonial times to the present time. Chapter six is the major theological treatise of this study. It looks at issues that emerge when the gospel encounters culture, with ilobolo chosen as a case study. The concluding chapter makes recommendations and gives pointers to future research. I also suggest a liturgy for marriage taking into account ilobolo negotiations. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

Text in Afrikaans / Indigenous literature about the experience of a couple, where one of the spouses experiences a spinal cord injury, is scarce in the frame of social work. The experience of 5 couples (10 participants), after a spinal cord injury of one of the spouses was researched in this qualitative study. The aim of this research study is: • to reconnoiter participants’ experience of a spinal cord injury of a spouse, through semi-structured interviews with a purposeful chosen sample • to subject the research findings to a literature control • to make recommendations about how spouses can support each other, as well as how professional people can support client systems, where one of the spouses experience a spinal cord injury From the data it was determined that a spinal cord injury had significantly influenced the couples: - emotions - needs - perceptions (origination of experiences) Recommendations to couples as well as to professional people have been made. / Social Work / Thesis (M. Diac.)

Text in Afrikaans / Indigenous literature about the experience of a couple, where one of the spouses experiences a spinal cord injury, is scarce in the frame of social work. The experience of 5 couples (10 participants), after a spinal cord injury of one of the spouses was researched in this qualitative study. The aim of this research study is: • to reconnoiter participants’ experience of a spinal cord injury of a spouse, through semi-structured interviews with a purposeful chosen sample • to subject the research findings to a literature control • to make recommendations about how spouses can support each other, as well as how professional people can support client systems, where one of the spouses experience a spinal cord injury From the data it was determined that a spinal cord injury had significantly influenced the couples: - emotions - needs - perceptions (origination of experiences) Recommendations to couples as well as to professional people have been made. / Social Work / Thesis (M. Diac.)

The phenomenon of interracial couples who are also parents is on the increase in South Africa, since one in every four marriages is interracial. An empirical study was undertaken to conduct applied, exploratory, descriptive, evidence-based research to describe the perspectives of interracial parents as related to Gestalt Theory, parenting challenges and strategies towards a sense of self and cultural identity of their children. A qualitative approach utilizing an open ended questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with six interracial parent couples was transcribed and analysed. The study concluded that interracial parent couples’, in respect of dealing with societal-non-acceptance of themselves and their “mixed” children, utilize several strategies including avoidance and focusing on the positive; that certain aspects play a vital role in the formation of their children’s sense of self and cultural identity such as religion or faith and both parental identities.The implication of this research is that despite the challenges there are no marked effects on their children’s identity and that interracial parenting strategies must be sound. / Social Work / M.A. Diac. (Play Therapy)

The phenomenon of interracial couples who are also parents is on the increase in South Africa, since one in every four marriages is interracial. An empirical study was undertaken to conduct applied, exploratory, descriptive, evidence-based research to describe the perspectives of interracial parents as related to Gestalt Theory, parenting challenges and strategies towards a sense of self and cultural identity of their children. A qualitative approach utilizing an open ended questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with six interracial parent couples was transcribed and analysed. The study concluded that interracial parent couples’, in respect of dealing with societal-non-acceptance of themselves and their “mixed” children, utilize several strategies including avoidance and focusing on the positive; that certain aspects play a vital role in the formation of their children’s sense of self and cultural identity such as religion or faith and both parental identities.The implication of this research is that despite the challenges there are no marked effects on their children’s identity and that interracial parenting strategies must be sound. / Social Work / M.A. Diac. (Play Therapy)

Statistics for sexually abused children are high. When children do not receive therapy, they may develop marital problems later in life. Survivors of sexual abused have difficulty letting other people come close to them. Because emotional and sexual intimacy is important components of a marital relationship, survivors of sexual abused experience conflict within their marriages. Intimacy in the marital relationship reminds them of the abuse situation and they would try to escape from it. If couples do not go through therapeutic intervention, they would have difficulty understanding the changes in their relationship after the marriage. Within a therapeutic environment partners are able to recognise the effects of abuse and are able to learn how to handle it in order to achieve a successful marriage. The changes in intimacy levels after marriage will be investigated in this study. The study will make recommendations towards professional principles for social workers in practice. / Social Work / M. A. (Social Sciences)

The study sought to determine, first, what the rules of the Hananwa family law were and, second, whether those rules were compatible with the Constitution. First, it documented the rules of the official family law. The problem that the study countenanced is that customary law is "corrupted, inauthentic and lacking authority".1 Second, it established and documented the rules of the Hananwa family law. The problem that the study countenanced in respect of Hananwa law was that it was difficult to ascertain the content of the rules of the "living" Hananwa law in order to determine their compatibility with the provisions of the Bill of Rights. Moreover, the traditional Hananwa community is inegalitarian and patriarchal. Section 9 of the Constitution provides that everyone is equal before the law and enjoys equal and full protection and benefit of the law. The study found that the Hananwas still observe their system of customary law. However, there are visible changes. For instance, nowadays the spousal consent is a validity requirement for all customary marriages. A parent or legal guardian must consent to a customary marriage of a minor. The individual spouses, not their families, are parties to their own customary marriages. African women enjoy equal status. This development is consistent with section 9 of the Constitution read with section 6 of the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act 120 of 1998. According to the Constitutional Court, in MM v MN and Another 2013 4 SA 415 (CC), the first wife must consent to her husband's customary marriage to another woman in addition to her customary marriage to him. However, some rules of the Hananwa law do not comply with the provisions of the Bill of Rights. For instance, according to the Hananwa law, extramarital children do not enjoy equal inheritance rights and maintenance rights yet. This discrimination is inconsistent with the constitutional right to equality and the provisions of the Reform of Customary Laws of Succession and Regulations of Related Matters Act 11 of 2009.The Constitution puts common law and customary law on a par. However, the courts have often replaced customary law dispute resolution rules with the common law rules. For instance, the Constitutional Court in Bhe and Others v Magistrate, Khayelitsha and Others; Shibi v Sithole and South African Human Rights Commission and Another v President of the Republic of South Africa and Another 2005 1 SA 580 (CC) and the High Court in Maluleke v Minister of Home Affairs 2008 JDR 0426 (W) substituted the rules of common law for those of customary law in order to resolve customary law disputes. The legislature could not be outdone. A meticulous study of the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act 120 of 1998 and the Reform of Customary Laws of Succession and Regulations of Related Matters Act 11 of 2009 reveals that their provisions almost appropriately reflect the common law marriage and intestate succession rules respectively. The Recognition of Customary Marriages Act has, furthermore, adopted the provisions of the Divorce Act of 1979. Section 28 of the Constitution read with the Children's Act 38 of 2005 has generally substituted the fundamental human rights for the unequal rights provided by the customary law of parent and child. The Maintenance Act 99 of 1998 has substituted the communal form of maintenance under customary law. / Public, Constitutional, & International Law / LLD (International and Constitutional Law)

Statistics for sexually abused children are high. When children do not receive therapy, they may develop marital problems later in life. Survivors of sexual abused have difficulty letting other people come close to them. Because emotional and sexual intimacy is important components of a marital relationship, survivors of sexual abused experience conflict within their marriages. Intimacy in the marital relationship reminds them of the abuse situation and they would try to escape from it. If couples do not go through therapeutic intervention, they would have difficulty understanding the changes in their relationship after the marriage. Within a therapeutic environment partners are able to recognise the effects of abuse and are able to learn how to handle it in order to achieve a successful marriage. The changes in intimacy levels after marriage will be investigated in this study. The study will make recommendations towards professional principles for social workers in practice. / Social Work / M. A. (Social Sciences)