This study is done on Somali migrants participating In the informal economy of Durban. The aim of the study is to explore their socio-economic participation, their experiences and the prospects available to them in the informal economy of the city. By using the ethnographic approach, the study attempts to explore the study group's experiences as migrants in the informal economy. Findings of this research indicate that most Somalis in Durban engage in street-trade. Following these findings, the street-trade of Durban and Somali migrants' participation in this sector of the informal economy, became the centre of attention in this dissertation. The study also attempts to explore the impact of the policy environment on the Somali migrants' participation in the informal economy of the city. The findings of this research suggest that conditions of migration, legislative and policy environment, and the prospect for growth, drive Somali migrants in Durban to participate in the informal economy. Following the findings, this study also challenges the general perception that informal economy is a survivalist strategy, which undermines the pull-factors, such as prospects for growth and a means of avoiding the costs of formality. This study suggests that Somali migrants perceive their engagement in the street-trade as a means of accumulating capital in order to move up to bigger businesses. Social capital and networks are valuable elements often used by these migrant traders in advancing their business and sharing information about business matters. The study also explores the existence of symbiotic and conflictual relationships between the locals and Somali street-traders. This relationship is noted to be one of tension, yet with some degree of understanding which emanates from sharing a common experience as street-traders. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

Domestic workers in South Africa have historically endured a great deal of inequalities, as a direct result of their role as woman within the traditional patriarchal family structure and as a result of their socialisation process. This dissertation sets out to understand the socialisation process that young girls undergo within a traditional African family that leads them to domestic employment. The aim is to conduct a sociological analysis of domestic workers. This study seeks to understand the impact of the socialisation process on the African female in society. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.

The advent of participatory democracy in South Africa has brought about new forms of governance and introduced new approaches to development planning. Since 1994, the functions of local government have expanded to include social and economic development of communities, sustainable service delivery and the promotion of a safe and healthy environment. A new culture of local government has had to be nurtured in order to fulfill this role. Integrated Development Planning was introduced in 1996 as a form of strategic planning for local government throughout South Africa. The IDP has met with many challenges and problems in its implementation and this of course is to be expected of any new system in its implementation stages. Most of the critics of the IDP have raised concerns as to whether the IDP is a relevant tool to bring about change in the lives of the people. This paper has through empirical research explored those challenges and established that in spite of many challenges and stumbling blocks the IDP has been able to bring about significant economic and social development in the KZN KwaXimba municipality. There is however a lot that still needs to be done for the process to be deemed entirely successful, especially in areas such as transparency of funding and improving community involvement. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

This study focuses on teaching and learning in a multicultural school. It investigates the influence of the development of the self during social interaction of culturally diverse learners at Forest Haven Secondary School. Furthermore, the social environment and parental involvement are also analysed in order to reveal their effectiveness in bringing about a favourable social condition for education in a multicultural school. This study further investigates the teaching strategies and teaching resources that are currently used by educators in a culturally diverse classroom. A combination of sociological theories has been used interchangeably since they are interrelated. The main theory is symbolic interactionism, including the views of Mead (1934) and Berger and Luckmann (1967). For data collection questionnaires, non-participant observation and unstructured interviews with the school principal, educators and learners were engaged in. Data was then analysed, qualitatively and quantitatively, to determine the cause of cultural conflict at the school. The findings of this analysis form the basis for the recommendations made. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2000.

Engineers have throughout history performed an important role in the technical advancement of mankind. The record of development in the less developed countries of the world, however, has been less than successful. These countries are littered with monuments to failed development programmes that have incurred immense financial, economic and social costs. Among the primary causes of failure are the inadequate attention to the details of the social and political dimensions of development, and a tendency by engineers to presume that their common sense view of the world is sufficient. This situation is exacerbated by the fact that frequently engineers have found themselves to be in the position of sole arbiters of development projects. For most of the latter half of the twentieth century engineers have been constrained by the complexities of their technology to confine themselves to providing technical solutions to the needs of society. In the 1980s however society, at least in the First World, started to become increasingly concerned with environmental degradation and perceptions of diminishing resources. These concerns and the economic and financial costs of failed development, have led to concerted efforts to reexamine the processes of development. Successful development is driven by social and political understanding and commitment combined with innovative and appropriate technology. These require knowledge of the historical context of each society, an understanding of the concept of community, and an ability to recognise the requirement for interdisciplinary relationships. In South Africa in the 1990s there is strong political commitment towards the elimination of poverty and to development in rural areas. This has been translated into action through the Reconstruction and Development Programme. Much of the responsibility for its implementation falls on civil engineers. It is important therefore that engineers gain a better understanding of development theory, and of the complexities and diversity of development action. This study briefly examines development theory and the role of engineers as development practitioners, and considers two examples of rural development. The study concludes that engineers perform a pivotal role, and that a co-ordinated multidisciplinary approach with improved capacity, responsibility and accountability in local government are key ingredients for a successful development programme. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1988.

The study scientifically and empirically evaluates the social and economic impact of ecotourism, as well as its relationship with the tourism policy. The primary focus is on the displacement of communities, the effect it brought to cultural needs of the communities as well as an escalating poverty rate. The South African tourism policy is the primary document underlying the development and promotion of tourism in the country for sustainable economic development. Supporting this is the South African constitution where it promotes the protection of the environment for the benefit of present and future generations through reasonable legislative and other measures that: prevent pollution and ecological degradation; promote conservation; and secure ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development. The research then looks at how the lives of the affected communities are incorporated into these objectives without affecting social and cultural lives of the people. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2000.

The political, historical and legal changes, which have taken place in our country since 1994, have challenged men and women to learn anew, to readjust and embrace change. Men and women have been forced to reexamine gender relationships and to embrace a new culture of 'gender equality' , which is enshrined in the Constitution. However, the idea seems to have taken some men by surprise, especially those who are comfortable in their hetero-patriarchal masculinity, which dominates and oppresses women and children. For this reason, these men have not only shown disappointment at this apparent loss of privilege, but they are also becoming confused about their masculine identity. In their attempt to try and hold on to hetero-patriarchal culture and to keep women in their 'rightful' place, they appeal for the restoration of the by-gone traditional values of ubuntu, which are largely informed by the same hetero-patriarchal culture. Above all, in their frustration and anger, these men have resorted to violence in which they abuse and rape women and children, whom they apparently blame for their loss of patriarchal masculinity. However, despite the fact that not all men are heterosexual, men as a group have been blamed for the prevailing violence and the attitudes which foster it. My research conducted for the purpose of resolving gender-based violence and finding an alternative masculinity among black men in the Midlands, KwaZulu-Natal, demonstrates that, despite their collective socialisation in the patriarchal culture of aggression, abuse and violence, some gay men tend to choose different values and forms of masculinity that depart from the 'normal ' culture , by embracing values of love, nurturing, and care for others. Unfortunately, South African communities have not always been able to appreciate gay masculinities and their contribution, but instead, they have condemned and ostracised them as un-African and traitors to ubuntu values . Thus, in my analysis of the life-histories of a group of ten black heterosexual and gay men, I highlight the positive contribution of some marginalised gay men, who are forging what I believe is a more egalitarian masculinity, characterised by qualities opposed to the aggressive, dominant and potentially violent nature of patriarchal masculinities. In brief, I argue that, in striving for gender equality and an end to violence against women and children in South Africa , heterosexual men must be challenged to focus on themselves and learn new ways of behaviour from the kind of egalitarian masculinity constructed by the group of gay men studied. / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002. / Funding from the NRF.

The aim of my study was to investigate the nature of possible conflicts between Grade nine learners. Focus group discussions were conducted with about forty learners; boys and girls, Black and Indian, aged between fourteen and sixteen at a formerly Indian school near Durban. In these, I started by asking very general questions and then picked up on what the young people said, asking them to elaborate and illustrate. In this way, I tried to put the onus on young people themselves to set the agenda. I am interested in investigating whether learners will talk differently about conflict depending on whether they were in different kinds of groups marked by 'race' and gender. Therefore, I divided the participants into mono-racial single sex as well as mixed gender and mixed 'race' groups. According to all the participants in the focus group discussions, conflicts between pupils were very common at Grade nine levels. However, what sort of conflicts they spoke about and how these were spoken about, and especially those that related to gender and 'race', differed significantly between the various kinds of focus groups mentioned above. This paper reports on these conflicts and compares the kinds of conflicts spoken about in the different kinds of groups. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.