Scholars confirm that a huge proportion of black South African men are not participating in their children's upbringing, as a result, children face various challenges that impede their wellbeing. This study is of the view that there is still a need for further investigations to explore the effects of fatherlessness on children's wellbeing and to gain new perspectives on father absence within the context of black societies in South Africa. With that in mind, this study aimed to explore the impact of fatherlessness on the psychosocial wellbeing of young black South African men. The objectives of this study included investigating the following: (1) young men's experiences of growing up without their biological fathers; (2) the psychosocial effects of growing up without a biological father on young black men; (3) the ways in which fatherlessness shapes the development of a gendered (masculine) identity among young black men; and (4) to understand the ways in which fatherlessness shapes young men's participation in cultural practices that facilitate their transition to manhood (e.g. ulwaluko). A qualitative approach research approach was adopted for this study. Semi-structured interviews (face to face) were used for data collection, and both purposive sampling and snowball sampling methods were used to recruit participants for this study. The interviews were conducted with twenty-four (24) young black men (participants) who shared their experiences of growing up without the presence of their biological fathers. These participants resided in Langa township (Western Cape). The interviews were conducted during the third wave of Covid-19, so all the protocols to safeguard the spread of Covid-19 were observed. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. It further drew on the psychosocial developmental theory by Erik Erickson (1963) as a lens through which it reflects on young men's developmental processes and the ways in which such development is shaped by the absence of biological fathers. The findings suggest that many of the participants' conceptions of the roles of fathers were in line with the traditional views of fathers as financial providers, protectors, and disciplinarians. The results of this study also gave insight into challenges faced by young black men who grew up without their biological fathers. These challenges were related to their cultural identity, which then affected their capacity to build intimate relationships, affected them when they were undergoing ulwaluko, and affected their constructions of masculinity. Fatherlessness was also shown to have a negative impact on the education and psychosocial wellbeing of the young black men in the study.

South Africa has the biggest HIV epidemic in the world and the HIV rates among youth are especially alarming. In 2016 there were 110 000 new cases of HIV among 15 to 24-year-olds. The aim of this study is to describe and analyse perceptions of HIV and HIV prevention among Xhosa youth in the township of Langa, Cape Town. In order to study this, I focus on the organisation loveLife and their employed peer educators called groundBREAKERs (gBs). To gain knowledge on what fuels the HIV epidemic in this setting I will examine their thoughts and notions of HIV/AIDS, sexuality and sexual behaviour in relation to the information that is available to them. Examining the socio-cultural context of HIV/AIDS is important to understand the spread and why HIV is not declining sufficiently in response to HIV preventative efforts. This thesis is based on ten weeks of fieldwork at loveLife’s Y-Centre in Langa. The material was gathered through semi-structured interviews and participant observation. To analyse the drivers for the spread of HIV among Xhosa youth an analytical tool of gender roles, with a main focus on masculinity, has been utilized.

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / Ulwaluko is a Xhosa word that refers to male circumcision, an initiation ritual performed to transform boys into men. The ritual is supposed to instill good moral and social values. Research has demonstrated that, the practice of Ulwaluko has undergone many changes primarily because of urbanization, acculturation and the emergence of back-door circumcision schools amongst other things. This has culminated in instances of moral decline such as criminal activity, drug abuse, risky sexual behaviour and inhumane behaviour among some of the initiates. There has been a recent upsurge in research on Ulwaluko in South Africa. However, lacking in this body of scholarship is a focus on how Ulwaluko constructs masculinities. This served as the motivation for my study. Given the above, my study explored the role of Ulwaluko in the construction of masculinity in men at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). Hegemonic masculinity (Connell, 1994; Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005) was used as a theoretical framework conceptualizing this study. The study utilised a qualitative framework and data was collected using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Seven participants aged from 19 to 32, consented to be part of the study. These were recruited using purposive sampling. The ethical considerations of the study adhered to the guidelines stipulated by UWC. Data was transcribed, and analysed using thematic decomposition analysis. The findings of this study indicate that Ulwaluko constructs masculinity in hegemonic ways. Through hegemony it establishes, maintains and retains control over young men, boys and women. It constructs an idealised masculine identity that is morally upright, faced with ritual challenges and burdened by a prescriptive set of masculine role expectations. This study also shows the self-reflexive, critical and imaginative engagement by men as they negotiated Ulwaluko‟s ideal masculinity. Such contestations resulted in the creation of rival masculinities. It also demonstrates how subject position(s) impact understandings and constructions of masculinities. This study provided a richer and more nuanced contextual understanding of the psychosocial realities of men who underwent Ulwaluko