Thesis (M.A. (Organisational Psychology))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, School of Human and Community Development / Abstract The following research report aimed to determine how the South African print media socially constructs minibus taxi drivers. In order to achieve this aim, a media survey of South African newspaper articles reporting on minibus taxi drivers in the year 2014 was conducted. The collected articles revealed the print media’s social constructions of minibus taxi drivers. The media is a very powerful entity which has the ability to create and shift the perceptions of those who read their reports. It is through this ability, that the media portray the current social relations existing in post-Apartheid South Africa. The researcher was able to determine these different social constructions through the use of a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) methodology. This methodology allowed the reader to look beyond the words the journalists used, and rather to focus on the implications of these words as well as what had not been explicitly mentioned. This research found that the minibus taxi driver was socially constructed using three discourses: ‘The Bad Citizen’, ‘The Victim’ and ‘The Good Citizen’. This research provides the platform for future research into the perceptions of the minibus taxi and the minibus taxi industry. Understanding these perceptions is vital in transforming the transportation industry of South Africa. Key words: Minibus taxi drivers; Minibus taxi industry; Social constructions, South African print media; Newspaper articles, 2014. / GR2016

This study examines the extent to which feminism has been appropriated by the consumer culture. As the relationship between consumerism and patriarchy continues to dominate global economic and social practices, this appropriation points to a denial of the social and political importance of the feminist movement. An acknowledgement of our own complicity in the perpetuation of a sexist, racist and classist ideology – along with an understanding of the complicity of the media – is crucial in explaining relations of domination within our society (Thompson 1990). A study of television advertising practice allows us to “explore meaning as a social product, enmeshed in webs of power” (Jordan and Wheedon 1995:543). Consumer ‘freedom’ is the compulsory freedom (Slater 1997), as we buy as many symbols as products. This study shows that for all the ‘strides’ feminism has made, media images of women are largely traditional, prescriptive (although an ironic distance is often implied) or overtly sexualised. Feminism is never mentioned, as women’s gains are presented as ahistorical in a ‘post-feminist’ world. Third wave feminism is an attempt to embrace all feminisms and feminists, working to inject some substance and truth behind advertising’s feminist veneer.

Development in South Africa at present is at a crossroads; it could become injected with new energy or it could collapse. The presence of foreigners, especially those from Africa is in contention. Some argue that they help the economy whilst others argue they are a hindrance to locals and their employment worth. The “truth” regarding these may not be immediately recognisable and thus open to questioning depending on perception. The press plays a large role in these perceptions and has been criticised for the way it covers issues of public interest. it is envisaged that this study will be a useful contribution to the limited body of literature on xenophobia and media. The purpose of the study is to give foundation to the assumption that the media's constantly negative coverage of foreigner poses a very real threat to human rights as purported in South Africa‟s constitution, in addition to the economic significance, whether positive or not. This study highlights the perception that Nelson Mandela Bay residents have of foreign nationals, and whether negative reporting in the media has influenced residents' views of foreign nationals.

In this study the theatre as staged performance and as text was used as exploratory and discursive tools to investigate the negotiation of identities. The aim was to explore this theme by examining the responses to four popular Coloured identity-related staged performances / Marc Lottering's &quot / Crash&quot / and &quot / From the Cape Flats with Love&quot / , as well as Petersen, Isaacs and Reisenhoffer's &quot / Joe Barber&quot / and &quot / Suip&quot / . These works, both as performance and as text, was used to investigate the way stereotypical representations of Coloured identities are played with, subverted or negotiated in performance.

Thesis (M.A. (Media Studies)) --University of Limpopo, 2014 / The purpose of this study was to explore if new media have redefined Vodacom SA‟s advertising and if so to what extent. The research employed Vodacom SA as its case study. Quantitative and qualitative descriptive and explorative research was conducted to determine whether the new media had redefined advertising culture and if so to what extent. Data collection was collected through structured questionnaires, the administration of an intensive interview and secondary data. The structured questionnaires were filled in by 200 conveniently randomly selected University of Limpopo students who represented media audiences and their perceptions. The intensive interview was carried out with Vodacom SA‟s Senior Communications officer Ashleigh Dubbelman. The secondary data was collected from Vodacom SA‟s official documents. The research findings revealed that audience interactivity, due to the new media, has become an important aspect of Vodacom SA‟s advertising process. The uses and gratifications theory proved relevant as the research showed that it is not always how the media influences an audience but what the audience responds to media content or messages. Audience preferences and medium selection proved decisive. Social networks, proved to be the new dominant platform for new media advertising. Furthermore, the findings showed that traditional media TV still possess great influence. The digital divide amongst and within audiences were influential in the limited usage of new media in advertising in the Vodacom SA context. In terms of legislation; no explicit laws on new media and advertising have been enacted yet. On advertising expenditure, budgets have remained largely unchanged but allocation increases tilted towards new media. Conclusively; the research observed that new media has redefined Vodacom SA‟s adverting culture, though the redefinition is still minute and is to a small extent. Key Words New media, Vodacom SA, advertising culture, interactivity, digital divide, audience, social networking sites, redefinition, traditional media, uses and gratifications.

Although radio drama is a very popular form of the media, it is largely neglected in scholarship. As a result of this, it has been pushed into the periphery of research, thereby diminishing its value in society at large. The present study attempts to unearth the importance and value of the genre and its role in society, particularly during the apartheid era in South Africa. In this regard, the splendid work done by, among others, K. Tomaselli, R. Teer-Tomaselli, R. Fardon and G. Furniss, L. Gunner, D.A. Spitulnik, D. Sibiya, M. Maphumulo, N.E. Makhosana, N. Satyo and M. Jadezweni is acknowledged and commendable. In my view, its ‘omission’ in scholarship does not mean that the genre played a minimal role in educating and enlightening society. In the study I propose that radio drama was more constrained compared to other media genres, even though it was the most accessible. However, its accessibility had both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it informed and entertained audiences, while on the other it could be and was used for propaganda purposes. It is generally this paradox that the study will probe. My premise is that radio was primarily used by the apartheid government to disseminate propaganda. In order to ensure that the audiences were not exposed to what was happening ‘out there’, programmes were created to present a falsehood about the country, thereby depriving audiences of reliable information. It is not surprising, then, that there was some confrontation between the managers and playwrights at the Xhosa language radio station. While the managers tried to influence programmes to propagate government policy, playwrights used the same communicative space to educate as well as to entertain the audience. The audience actively extracted information they needed from the plays. In other words, they played an active role in meaning-making. Throughout the study I will claim that there was a rapport between playwrights and the audience. Among other things, that relationship illustrated the role that the audience played in constituting the plays. Themes such as ‘tradition’ and ‘romance’ were used to connect the plays with the audiences’ everyday lives. These themes were acceptable at the stations even though they could be manipulated to serve different purposes. Some of the plays that I will examine in the study are Buzani Kubawo (1981), Nakuba Intliziyo Ithatha Ibeka: Undoqo Sisibindi (1987), USomagqabi (1986), UHlohlesakhe (1979), UThuthula (1970) and Apho Sikhala Khona Isakhwatsha (1981). These plays will be examined to, among other things, establish the nature of the relationship between the managers and playwrights. The study will contend that there was a contestation between managers and playwrights. I will also claim that some of the plays were based on real political and social issues that plagued the period in question. In this regard plays such as Apho Sikhala Khona Isakhwatsha will be used to demonstrate that some playwrights dealt with political issues. I will also explore how women were represented in the plays. In this regard, I will argue that women were depicted as inferior to men. To illustrate this I will discuss plays such as USomagqabi, Lunjalo ke Uthando and others. I will also deal with the critical issue of the ‘voice’. As a blind medium, radio relies on the voice and as such playwrights had to work hard to make their plays not only relevant but also believable to the audiences. The connection between the voice on radio and the ancestral voice will be examined. Lastly, the study will suggest that radio plays are still relevant in the present dispensation even though they play a different role compared to the apartheid era. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

This research presents a reception analysis of LoveLife's 'HIV: face it' billboards by youth aged 12 - 17 years old, LoveLife's target audience for the campaign under scrutiny. The study sought to find out whether the intended audience derived the same meanings from the billboards as they were initially intended by LoveLife; whether the target youth regard themselves as audience of the communicated campaign; and to assess whether LoveLife billboard producers have succeeded in communicating the intended message to the readers of the billboards. To achieve this, the study adopted a qualitative method of data collection by conducting two focus group discussions. One focus group was selected from a rural school in KwaZulu Natal and another one from an urban school of the same province. Participants were all youth between the ages 12 - 17 years old. The circuit of culture was used as the theoretical framework. The circuit of culture is a composition of certain moments in the communication process namely: representation, identity, production, consumption and regulation [see diagram. 1]. For the purpose of this research only one moment of the circuit, namely representation was adopted. Representation is an essential part of the process through which meaning is produced and exchanged between members of a culture. It involves the use of language, signs and images that stand for or represent things. Findings from the study show that respondents assigned different meanings to LoveLife billboards. LoveLife's messages are not being decoded by the target audience in the initially intended manner. A majority of the respondents negotiated meaning in an attempt to understand what LoveLife is trying to communicate because the billboards' objectives are not straightforward. The study also found that urban dwellers identified more closely as audiences for the LoveLife billboards than rural dwellers. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

The under-representation of women in the media has been contested by gender activists the world over. Studies have indicated that women are more likely to be portrayed as models on advertising bill-boards than as serious news sources. Why are women continually portrayed in a narrow range of roles? If visual representation is a means of how we make sense of the world and women are continually portrayed in a narrow range of roles and particularly as second-class citizens, does that not shape our understanding of the world? One of the critical areas of concern of the study was the construction, selection and production of gender images in the print media. In the case of Post newspaper, it is the media workers who, in order to boost the sales of the newspaper, select a model with a “pretty face” for their front pages. Surely there is more to these women than their physical beauty? According to the findings, models are selected for their attractive features. Photographs are carefully composed, enhancing the model?s appealing attributes. Thereafter the selection of photographs is done by the photographer, sub-editor and editor and produced in weekly editions of Post. At the time of the interview, the team of selectors was entirely male. Does this have a bearing on the selection of photographs? According to the findings, it does! When women journalists offer their suggestions during the selection process, they are completely disregarded. Based on the findings regarding the selection of photographs, it is evident that there is a bias towards the opinions of the males in the newsroom, in particular the editor. It is evident that the Post does not reflect Indian women on the cover of Post, instead it contributes to the gender stereotype of women depicted as models rather than news sources. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

This dissertation provides an analysis of the Agenda construction of South African Feminism(s). Agenda is a feminist, peer-reviewed SAPSE journal that was launched as a publication in 1987 in South Africa. The Journal provides a forum for a number of issues: the most important being the representation of women's voices towards transforming unequal gender relations; and women's unequal position in society, their visibility, struggles and problems in relation to gender inequalities. The Journal also uses a format that encompasses creative writing and original research that is intended to be accessible to a broad readership. Over the years, the Journal has published broadly on issues ranging from health, violence, sexuality, the media, poverty, labour, HIV/AIDS, rights, sustainable development, citizenship, etc. This dissertation analyses how some of these themes have been addressed by Agenda in terms of editorial content and the subsequent impact these choices have had on creating a uniquely South African Feminism. To determine the 'impact', the study adopts a content analysis of the Journal, (Neuman, 1997). The content of the Journals, especially during Apartheid (pre-1994) reflects a focus on the lived experiences of South African women. It is hypothesised that Agenda has shifted its focus since Issue 20 (the first Issue of 1994 aptly titled "Politics, Power and Democracy"). The argument in the dissertation demonstrates that with the inclusion of South African women, Agenda has steadily and consistently developed a discourse that is collaborative and participatory, reflecting a hybrid of various earlier strands of Western originating feminisms (such as radical, liberal, Marxist, socialist). This new discourse could be labelled South African Feminism(s), and such a conclusion is investigated through close analyses of selected themes and issues covered by the Journal copy. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

In this study the theatre as staged performance and as text was used as exploratory and discursive tools to investigate the negotiation of identities. The aim was to explore this theme by examining the responses to four popular Coloured identity-related staged performances / Marc Lottering's &quot / Crash&quot / and &quot / From the Cape Flats with Love&quot / , as well as Petersen, Isaacs and Reisenhoffer's &quot / Joe Barber&quot / and &quot / Suip&quot / . These works, both as performance and as text, was used to investigate the way stereotypical representations of Coloured identities are played with, subverted or negotiated in performance.