Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Management Sciences(Peace-building), Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015. / This study examines gender based violence in a mining community and uses the case study of Trojan Nickel Mine in Mashonaland Central Province of Zimbabwe. Studies have shown that Mashonaland Central has the highest incidence rate of gender based violence in Zimbabwe. Mining communities are more susceptible to incidences of gender based violence because of their cultural heterogeneity which engender and generate conflict. The research examines gender based violence within the confines of several theories and conceptual frameworks such as social-learning theory, sex-role theory and ecological framework. It reveals that no factor can be singled out as the cause of gender based violence, but argues that patriarchy whose norms are embedded through culture contributes the most in constructing attitudes and perceptions which legitimize gender based violence. The study also identifies religious practices and the environment as playing key roles in encouraging gender based violence. The study in the end constructs an intervention model based on the ‘catch them young theory’ where young boys were trained on non-violent strategies of reducing gender based violence. This is against the background that men play an influential role in communities as decision makers and policy makers. This intervention targeted changing the behavior and attitude of boys over women and girls.

The need to carry out an analysis of gender issues in development stems from a concern about the persistent inequalities surrounding African rural women. Women assume social and economic roles inside and outside the household but their contribution does not receive due recognition. Having being excluded from crucial decision making processes, their productive roles have been secondary to their reproductive responsibilities. The purpose of this study was to highlight the negative impact imposed by gender oppression on women's economic and social progress. This necessitated an in-depth review of literature that included journals, books, newspaper articles and general publications. The review reflected that women have undisputedly faced social, cultural, economic, political and educational barriers and that simple rhetoric has not done much to alleviate women's subordinate position and dependency on men. Finally a suggested plan- of action followed to provide an axis around which gender issues in development should revolve. / Development Studies / M. Admin. (Development Administration)

The need to carry out an analysis of gender issues in development stems from a concern about the persistent inequalities surrounding African rural women. Women assume social and economic roles inside and outside the household but their contribution does not receive due recognition. Having being excluded from crucial decision making processes, their productive roles have been secondary to their reproductive responsibilities. The purpose of this study was to highlight the negative impact imposed by gender oppression on women's economic and social progress. This necessitated an in-depth review of literature that included journals, books, newspaper articles and general publications. The review reflected that women have undisputedly faced social, cultural, economic, political and educational barriers and that simple rhetoric has not done much to alleviate women's subordinate position and dependency on men. Finally a suggested plan- of action followed to provide an axis around which gender issues in development should revolve. / Development Studies / M. Admin. (Development Administration)

M.A. / South Africa has thousands of destitute children without families to care for them. The bulk of such children are, at this time, born to impoverished and destitute African women. Many such children have been abandoned. In the years to come we must in addition expect a huge influx of children whose parents have died from or become incapacitated by Aids. These children will also need families to care for them. Adoption is an effective way of creating permanent homes for these children. However, there is currently a dearth of prospective African adopters in the Gauteng Province. Numerous assumptions have been put forward to explain this problemsituation. Some people think that it may be related to traditional norms of the African culture which emphasize the importance of blood ties when it comes to family building. In traditional African culture it was inconceivable that blood ties could be extinguished, or that someone totally strange, let alone someone from a different clan, could parent your child. The majority of modern, western adoptions, involve the legal adoption of children who are not related in any way to the people adopting them. An adoption order vests the parental rights and duties in the adopters and is irrevocable. The adoption order extinguishes natural parental rights with respect to any other person vis-a'-vis the child. Mother cause for concern, is the fact that when African adopters legally adopt children, the majority tend to very secretative about the whole affair. They usually do not acknowledge the adopted child's biological origins because they wish to protect the child and themselves from a negative response by the general community. It is important to tell children they are adopted because children have a right to the truth about themselves. Enduring relationships are built on honesty, not deception. When there has been secrecy in a family about adoption, everyone suffers. The community has a responsibility to provide support and resources to families formed by adoption. Recognizing that support from the community for an adoption service will not be forthcoming unless the community is positively oriented towards such a service, this study seeks to explore and describe the contemporary attitudes of an African community towards the concept of modern, western adoption. The Soweto community is the largest African community in South African. In order to explore the attitudes of people in this community towards the concept of modern, western adoption, a descriptive survey has been conducted. A sample of 163 people was drawn from the Vista University and the Soweto Home for the Aged. A selfadministered questionnaire was used as the method for data collection. Although generalizations to the greater African population cannot be made because a non-probability sampling method was used in this study, findings indicate that the majority of community members in Soweto probably have a positive attitude towards the concept of modern, western adoption. It is hoped that this attitude will have a directive influence on their future behaviour. There must thus be an ongoing effort to expand adoption opportunities for African children in need of permanent homes and members of the community must be directly involved in these efforts.

This study is designed to assess the causes and the effects of poverty and HIV/AIDS on women's spirituality. A case study of Mpererwe Township in Kampala, Uganda was chosen because this researcher has been staying in this township now for 7 years; and has seen most women experiencing difficulties in their daily lives. Poverty and HIV/AIDS among women of Mpererwe Township is a much-needed area of study because the majority of women's lives and their contribution to development have been hampered by economic, religious, political, social and cultural structures. However, all in all, the purpose of this social analysis was first, to identify the factors that render Mpererwe women to be vulnerable to ill situations that pave the way to poverty and HIV/AIDS conditions. Then thereafter, to suggest strategies that may transform the physical, political, religious, economic and social life of women in Mpererwe Township. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

This study is about refugee women from the Great Lakes Region, who are living in Pietermaritzburg and face many challenges that contribute to their vulnerability to HIV and AIDS. These include the challenges of language barriers, lack of communication, gender based violence, and other socio-economic problems. This dissertation seeks to investigate critically some of the gender-based challenges that the refugee women from Great Lakes Region face in Pietermaritzburg which can make them vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. Though there is much literature written on the challenges of women refugees in Africa, there is not much written on the challenges of refugee women who live in cities. This study was involved to eight women and two male church leaders of the French-Swahili church in Pietermaritzburg where these refugee women fellowship. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.