Magister Artium - MA / Migration has become very prominent in South Africa, and unlike most countries on the continent, it is an extremely prominent destinations for migrants. The country attracts migrants because there is a common perception that there are better economic opportunities, jobs and living conditions within South Africa. Countries like Zimbabwe, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Senegal, Mozambique and Nigeria are statistically high ranking in migrants entering South Africa on a daily basis (Stats SA, 2011). Most forced migration research seeks to explain the behaviour, impact, and challenges faced by the displaced with the intention of influencing agencies and governments to develop more effective responses to address the challenges. As a case study focusing on women, gender and migration at the micro-level, this study deals with the gendered and classed experiences and struggles of women migrants working as hairdressers in street salons in Bellville, Cape Town. The study explores how women who are socially marked as “other” in terms of gender, class, space, identity and nationality navigate an environment in which social worth and belonging is constantly defined by physical appearance and the environment in which the body is physically located. Through a feminist qualitative research method, the study focuses mainly on women’s experiences through interviews and participant observation. The research is therefore deeply grounded and rooted in feminist theoretical perspective and feminist methodological approaches in order to understand women’s lives and gender roles, their body politics and working lives. One of the major findings of this study is that the lack of a gendered analysis of migration has perpetuated stereotypes about who “migrants” are, what access they can have in a foreign country, in what ways they are considered “other”, and, most importantly, how they respond to their experiences of “othering” and political marginalization. It is argued that migration has been constantly changing: many contemporary migrant women are driven by adventure, desire and spirit, and not by famine, war, spouses and poverty. This study therefore develops recommendations for future researchers and policy makers in considering gender and the dynamic changes surrounding migration.

Magister Artium - MA / There is a widely held assumption that immigrants have difficulties in accessing public health care services in South Africa. This assumption derives from the experiences of some immigrants in accessing public health care services at some public health care facilities which are all required by law and policy to provide such services. The main aim of the study was to investigate the experiences of Zimbabwean immigrants in accessing public health care services at some public clinics and hospitals in Cape Town. Foucault’s theory on power was used to unpack the experiences of Zimbabwean immigrants at these public health care centers. Zimbabwean immigrant participants were all purposively sampled for the study and medical personnel were randomly sampled. The Zimbabwean immigrants sampled had used public health care facilities in Cape Town. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from the Zimbabwean immigrants which were qualitatively analysed using content analysis. Questionnaires were also used to collect data from both the Zimbabwean immigrants and medical personnel and subsequently open-ended questions from the questionnaires were also analysed using content analysis and closed questions were analysed using the Micro-soft excel package of data assessment and statistically presented using pie, bar and line graphs. Themes that were recurring from the semi-structured interviews and responses from questionnaires suggested that immigrants in their experiences at public health care facilities encountered barriers that included communication problems, negative attitudes and xenophobia from medical staff, policy and practice problems and preferential treatment offered to citizens over non-citizens. Recommendations of what needs to be done to reduce barriers to health care for immigrants were made to all involved in the provision of health care. The study contributed to our understanding of barriers that immigrants encounter in accessing public health care in South Africa as well as the role of citizens in this process.

The Farming of Bones is Edwidge Danticat’s novel about Amabelle Desir, a Haitian migrant in the Dominican Republic during the 1937 Haitian massacre. The Massacre is a historical fact presented through a fictional text that acts as a testimonial. The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate how Danticat, in her role as an activist, urges readers to become social justice seekers and enter the discourse of race. Through an examination of Carl Jung’s and Vodou’s shadow theories in regards to the construction of a racial identity by Haitians and Dominicans, I uncover the racial narratives in place from Haiti’s colonization and independence to our current time. Danticat, through the novel, moves the reigning racial paradigm out of the shadow and thus allows readers to reflect on its effects. Thus it is not only the characters in the novel that must confront the shadow, but the readers themselves.

With a number of international and intranational conflicts still unresolved and new ones arising, refugees will continue to be in need of protection. South Africa, known for its tolerant constitution, is likely to receive more asylum seekers in the future. This research seeks to investigate the experiences of refugees in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, as reported by practitioners assisting refugees in the area. The explorative study aims at examining the issues refugees commonly find challenging, describing positive and negative developments in the experience of refugees and discussing how their experience can be improved. An analysis of basic human needs theory serves as a framework for the study. The researcher conducted face-to-face interviews with the participants. The analysis of the data gathered emphasised the challenges refugees face in seeking to satisfy their needs. The main themes that were identified from the data include: a lack of knowledge and awareness about refugee issues and a misconceptions regarding different groups of migrants; current socioeconomic challenges in South Africa; xenophobia; refugees as a heterogeneous group; and refugee access to services. The challenges faced by refugees in Port Elizabeth were identified as access to justice and correct documentation, access to healthcare, housing and education, as well as xenophobia, police protection and crime. Recommendations were made regarding the improvement of the refugees’ experience, including educating public sector employees and government officials about refugee rights, sensitising communities about refugee issues, offering refugees language courses and providing them with an induction into their rights and employing translators in health clinics to improve access to healthcare.

South Africa’s borders were opened up in 1994 after Nelson Mandela became president. Since then South Africa has been battling xenophobia as immigrants from African nations started to come to the rainbow nation for a better life away from persecution, civil wars, and extreme poverty. Still, up until 2008 when massive riots broke out in Alexandria Township in Gauteng, xenophobia was an unknown word to most people outside academic, social work, and government circles. This has all changed now as 2008 will in all likelihood be remembered as the year when xenophobic violence erupted in South Africa and became a general feature in our daily media bulletins, prime time television broadcasts, and in our society as a whole. The South African university where the current study took place was also affected by xenophobia although without any displays of public violence. The current study sought to understand and describe the lived experience of xenophobia by individual, international, African students at a South African university. The study adopted a qualitative approach and the methodology used was multiple case studies employing Tesch’s model of content analysis. The findings of the study showed that the research participants, as a combined group, have lived through a wide range of xenophobic experiences excluding physical violence and that the research participants’ personal characteristics influenced their exposure to and experience of xenophobia. The study contributed to the understanding of the lived experience of xenophobia within a South African university by international, African students.

Xenophobia became known as manifest of relations and perceptions of an "in–group" towards an "out-group", including a fear of losing identity, suspicion of its activities, aggressions, and desire to eliminate its presence to secure a presumed purity. This study aims to address the socio-economic impacts of xenophobia in South Africa. As a matter of fact, the 2008 xenophobia attacks amongst others were violent and acted as visible wake-up call to the country to focus attention on the reality of human migration. South African democratic constitution recognises immigration, and gives multiple reasons why nationals from other countries have to migrate to settle in South Africa. This study was grounded within the field of Development studies and undertook a case study of investigating the socio- economic impacts of xenophobia in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole (NMBM) as a case study. The study employed the use of semi- structured interviews whereby a questionnaire was used to guide the researcher in the interview process. A total of 40 officials were interviewed, ranging from governmental department through to civil societies to private immigration consultants and immigrants in South Africa, in order to avoid the generation of biases. The data obtained from respondents were presented, analysed, and discussed. From the data collected, it was possible to single out the impacts of xenophobia in NMBM. Some of the consequences generated from the fact that the community need more awareness programs, the local and national government need to capacitate the citizens to create sustainable jobs and the DoHA‟s activities greatly relegate immigrants to the backyard. Based on the study findings, the main recommendations offered to NMBM was to create a forum to advice the DoHA to channel efforts into managing migration issues sustainably rather than "stopping" it. Furthermore to catalyse Civil Society and NGOs to initiate support mechanisms to hold government accountable. This will greatly provide a perfect platform for development.

M.A. / This study emerged out of the understanding that xenophobia has become a contentious issue in South Africa. International migrants have increasingly become victims of xenophobia at the hands of South African citizens. It was anchored by a commitment to shed some light on the nature of xenophobia in South Africa by examining the experiences of international students in Johannesburg. There is, indeed, evidence of some tension between a fraction of the South African population and international migrants from other African countries. In examining the experiences of international students and their views about xenophobia, the study concluded that the country’s segregated history was a contributing factor to the negative behaviour of citizens towards non-citizens. Although international students have the potential to strengthen both the development of South African institutions of higher learning and the economy at large, they are, instead sometimes regarded as being here to disrupt the social order. Even though all international students share the same sense of need to meet and get along with others in the new country, African students endure special difficulties. For, whatever unfortunate reasons, some universities seem not to be doing much to enlighten their local students about other African countries, cultures and histories. Students from elsewhere in Africa often find their South African classmates to be rather uninformed when it comes to appreciating their heritage. This lack of knowledge often sets the stage for xenophobic sentiments between the locals, international migrants in general, and international students in particular. / Prof. P. Alexander

This research attempts to explore how African immigrant teachers in South African schools reconstructed their professional identities. In this study African immigrant teachers are those teachers who have undergone teacher professional training in an African country other than South Africa. The study was qualitative in nature and utilized narrative inquiry and the case study approach. Data-gathering techniques included a mix of semi-structured interviews, observations, focus group interviews, field notes and a researcher’s journal (multiple variable sampling of five different South African public schools- one African immigrant teacher per school; school principals and focus group interviews of learners who were students of the immigrant teachers). Data analysis made use of grounded theory and content analysis. Findings from the study were fourfold: First, African immigrant teachers in South African schools cultivated good relationships with colleagues and administrators in order to reconstruct their professional identities. Second, they developed special traits such as perseverance and resilience. Third, access to opportunities, resources and materials in their schools were useful. Fourth, immediate employment on arrival in South Africa was available. Apart from factors that promoted the reconstruction of African immigrant teachers’ professional identities, there are also factors that opposed the reconstruction of their professional identities, namely their immigration status, their employment status and the attitudes of indigenous learners towards them. The new knowledge that was generated indicated that African immigrant teachers in South African schools are considered desirable and indispensable partners by employers, colleagues, administrators and learners. This is in contrast to the general perception in the literature that immigrant teachers are mere work seekers; opportunists and desperate individuals who are not an asset to the host country. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Humanities Education / MEd / Unrestricted

MA (Northern Sotho) / Senthara ya M. E. R. Mathivha Dipolelong tsa Afrika, Bokgabo le Setso Karolog ya Sesotho sa Leboa / See the attached abstract below

Hate Crimes Abstract The author of this thesis discusses the issue of hate crimes according to the Act No. 40/2009 Coll., The Criminal Code, as amended, and related case law. The thesis is divided into several parts. The first part is devoted to the definition of hate crime and related terms such as extremism, prejudice, race, anti-Semitism, nationalism and xenophobia. These concepts are important for the following interpretation and for the understanding of the existence of special protection in the context of hate crimes. The second part is devoted to the international regulation of hate crimes. Emphasis is places on the analysis of the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. The third and fundamental part of this master thesis analyzes hate crimes in the Czech Republic in the context of settled and current case law. In addition, examples of statements fulfilling the facts of individual crimes from practice are given. The fourth part analyzes the basic issues of hate speech and hate crimes in the United States legislation and case law. It also includes comparison of individual approaches with ideas of possible inspiration. The fifth part is devoted to reflections de lege ferenda on the topic, especially with regard to different concepts in the Czech Republic and the United States. The last part...