Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Tourism and Hospitality Management in the Faculty of Business at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2013 / This thesis is concerned with the service delivery received by pilgrims based in South Africa, especially with regards to services and amenities that were paid for and promised in the contract, but which may not have materialized. The focus on Hajj travelling can be viewed as an aspect of religious tourism (so to speak). Currently there is a dearth of research on this particular spiritual journey in South Africa. For this reason, this research aims to elucidate the service delivery components, processes and challenges. The researcher finds it necessary to research this topic because pilgrimage constitutes part of religious tourism and the policies governing the Hajj industry, as well as the operational aspects of the Hajj industry are unclear. Problems such as poor service standards, lack of business ethics and malpractice exist in the Hajj industry. The main challenges in the South African Hajj industry are: a) Lack of mainstream travel and tourism practices in the South African Hajj industry. b) Absence of a service and quality driven industry. c) Difficulty in acquisition of travel documentation for pilgrims. d) Lack of business ethics and malpractice by service providers. e) Limitations on travel through the newly introduced quota system by the Hajj Ministry of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). In 1994 the South African Government formed the South African Hajj and Umrah Council, (SAHUC) and is a nationally based constituted organisation. This organisation is officially recognised by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the official structure responsible and accountable for facilitating the affairs of the South African pilgrims within South Africa and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (SAHUC, 2005). The researcher intends on addressing the above-mentioned challenges through developing a service delivery framework that will help alleviate the problems in the industry between South African Hajj role players. The framework is aimed at identifying current gaps between supply and demand in the Hajj industry as well as providing recommendations for the future.

PhD (African Studies) / Centre for African Studies / Sacred sites are the preferred space for ritual performances and identity construction from which the issue of sensitive structures, distinctive features, individual interpretations, and symbol and meaning emanates. The history and importance of Motouleng, Mautse and Mantsopa caves (Eastern Free State, SA) for different religious persuasions, indigenous knowledge and ancestral veneration of Africans and traditional healers, were investigated apropos of the following: namely, how sacred sites are exemplifications of African indigenous religion; why they form locations of cultural and spiritual expression, and why they may be regarded as pertinent nodes of identity construction in a vibrant, changing, South African society. This study explored the way in which interpersonal experiences of the cave dwellers shape their sense of self, and the conflict they encounter in the context of interaction, in which identities are constructed and deconstructed in various ways. African religion, landscape and social identity theories are the basis of all theoretical claims utilised here. An interpretative phenomenological analysis research method was explored, to provide a detailed personal experience and examination of the participant’s life world on various issues pertaining to contestation and identity construction at the sacred space of the Eastern Free State. The existence of these sites poses a number of challenges to cave dwellers, land owners, heritage practitioners, and to continued preservation, management and restoration of the said sites. Crucial to this debate is how these sites may be protected both physically and legally. The study used qualitative findings to discover new ideas on identity construction and adjunct belief systems. The study also used thematic analysis to evaluate the research findings and make predictions on the effects on protest and contestation by cave dwellers around sacred spaces. / NRF