This thesis examines the discourse strategies used to construct initiation schools in online media and message boards. The focus is on understanding the tensions that come with enacting traditional practices in the face of modernity and its associated cultural expectations. The thesis describes the manner in which these tensions are constructed in text by the media in news reports and participants in discussion forums. While there is still debate around whether the internet will revolutionise public participation and create a digital utopia; the internet is acknowledged as one of the widest reaching sources of information and entertainment. Specifically, the internet provides a platform to challenge the traditionally top-down communication between the elite, who have privileged access to the media, and the general public, who were previously constructed as passive recipients of information. Using the male circumcision initiation rite, this thesis examines how the South African public discursively constructs the epistemic location of African traditions in South Africa. The study drew on a sample of news articles from the News24 site, the largest news site in South Africa, ranging from January 2008 to December 2013. A corpus of 62 articles were analysed using the Critical Discourse Analysis technique described by Teun van Dijk. The findings of the thesis were that the initiation rite is used as a rhetorical tool to argue for the abandonment of African cultural practices in favour of modern, Western influenced beliefs and values. The findings also indicate that the initiation rite is reduced to the act of circumcision in the media by focusing on the injury and deaths of the initiates and excluding the meaning of the rite as a meaningful cultural practice. The conclusion of the thesis challenges the epistemicide committed against the male circumcision initiation rite from within the Decolonial school of thought, which critically examines everyday interaction for universalising, normative language that aims to commit cultural epistemicide to reinforce the white, male, European, Christian traditions of masculinity. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

Social Work / D.Phil. (Social Work)

Text in Afrikaans / Hierdie studie ondersoek die behoeftes van Afrikaanse televisiekykers aan Afrikaanse televisieprogramme te midde van die veranderinge wat sedert demokratisering aan die Suid-Afrikaanse medialandskap plaasvind. Hierdie behoeftes word ondersoek by wyse van 'n gevallestudie ender graad 10-leerders in Pretoria. Die gebruike- en bevredigingsbenadering dien as teoretiese onderbou vir die studie en die invloed van 'n aantal veranderlikes word ondersoek. Hierdie veranderlikes is televisiegerig (inhoud, aanbod en struktuur van Afrikaanse programme), tegnologiegerig (nuwe mediategnologiee socs satelliettelevisie en die Internet) en kykergerig (sosio-kulturele, persoonlike en demografiese faktore). Die studie bevind dat daar 'n verband is tussen hierdie veranderlikes en respondente se behoeftes aan Afrikaanse televisieprogramme. Die studie bevind dat Afrikaanse programme nie respondente se behoeftes bevredig nie. Nuwe mediategnologiee verbreed respondente se sosio-kulturele horlE;onne sodat hulle gemaklik met programme in Engels omgaan. Te midde van die toenemende aanbod van oorsese programme in Engels, neem die behoefte aan Afrikaanse programme af. / This study investigates the need for Afrikaans television programmes among Afrikaans viewers in the changing media environment in South Africa. Needs are studied by means of a case study among grade 10 learners in Pretoria. The uses and gratifications approach serves as the theoretical framework of the study and a number of variables are investigated. These variables are television driven (supply, content and structure), technology driven (new media technologies such as satellite television and the Internet) and viewer driven (socio-cultural, personal and demographic factors). The study finds that there is a connection between these variables and the need for Afrikaans programmes among respondents. The supply, content and structure of Afrikaans programmes do not gratify respondents' needs. New media technologies broaden respondents' socio-cultural horizons, enabling them to comfortably watch English programmes. Amidst the increasing supply of overseas programmes in English, the need for Afrikaans programmes is diminishing / Communication Science / M. A. (Kommunikasiekunde)

The abuse of and addiction to substances by parents of adolescents, especially in rural areas, is recognised as a major national and international social concern. South African legislation and policy documents provide a framework that emphasises the need to protect and care for children of addicted parents. Literature and recent studies, however, do not focus on how adolescents in rural communities experience dealing with an addicted parent. For this reason, this research study explored and described the experiences and coping strategies of adolescents in rural communities regarding the parents’ addiction. The study was based on a qualitative research approach and made use of the contextual, explorative, descriptive and narrative research designs. The findings illustrate the descriptions of participants’ perceptions and experiences related to living in a farming community, the nature of parental substance addiction, how it affects them, how they deal with it and their perceptions of support needed by them. Recommendations in terms of the micro, mezzo and macro levels serves as guidelines for social workers to assist adolescents of substance-addicted parents with the needed support, protection and care. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

This thesis examines the role of Melodi Ya Tshwane Christian Youth Ministry (MyT CYM) in the context of what is increasingly observable environmental crisis with a view of developing a contextual approach to ecological mission. The research does not focus primarily on the environmental crisis itself except to note that its scope incorporates not only environmental issues, but has some important implications for social justice as well. The research recognises the role that MyT CYM must play as part of their contribution towards addressing the environmental crisis. Such a role is based not on a pragmatic response to the situation, but flows from the missional nature and theology of the church. Therefore, the missional church has an obligation to address this issue, through Christian mission that takes seriously the biblical call to care and preserve the integrity of creation. Finally, this research aims to assist MyT CYM to understand the theological basis for contextual action towards developing an appropriate ecological mission. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology with Specialisation in Urban Ministry)

Youth unemployment is one of the key global challenges facing the world today. Statistically, the global youth unemployment rate is 13.1%. Youth entrepreneurship is viewed as a possible solution to youth unemployment. Interestingly, the world has adopted entrepreneurship as a strategic approach to facilitate economic participation among the youth. Youth entrepreneurship has gained importance in recent years in many countries, as a way of fostering employment opportunities, boosting economic competitiveness, and promoting local and regional development. Youth involvement in entrepreneurship assists in boosting their confidence, achieving economic independence, and alleviating poverty. Some researchers describe entrepreneurial orientation as innovativeness, pro-activeness, risk taking, and competitive aggressiveness. Other researchers see entrepreneurial orientation as being pushed or pulled into entrepreneurship. In this study, push and pull factors to become entrepreneurs were used to determine the entrepreneurial orientation of the respondents. The objectives of the study were to investigate whether there is a relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and the business performance of youth entrepreneurs in the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. A descriptive research design within a quantitative research approach was adopted using online surveys and physical administration of questionnaires. The study used a census method to sample 555 youth entrepreneurs in the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. A low response rate was achieved as only 96 respondents fully completed the questionnaires, which were used in the analysis. The collected data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The findings of this study revealed that push factors had a significant influence on the business performance of youth businesses in the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality; whereas there was no statistical evidence to suggest that pull factors predicted the business performance of youth businesses in the study area. The research found that entrepreneurship among young individuals is essential to enhancing young people’s economic development. The study discovered that most TMM youths were pulled in to starting their own businesses. The research also suggested that, EO could encourage TMM youth entrepreneurs to continue to become innovative, take- risk, be pro-active and competive aggressive in the businesses. / Business Management / M.A (Business Management)

PhDPH / Department of Public Health / Substance use/abuse is a persistent public health problem in tertiary institutions around South Africa. Alcohol and illegal drugs are the most commonly-used substances by youths in tertiary institutions, including student nurses at the Limpopo College of Nursing (LCN). This study sought to develop a model to prevent substance use/abuse by student nurses at the LCN, South Africa. A convergent parallel mixed-method was used to collect and interpret the data. A phenomenological research approach was utilized for gathering data from the lecturers, student affairs officers and student nurses in the qualitative design which was explorative and descriptive in nature. The population comprised of student nurses, lecturers and student affairs officials who were purposefully selected. Data were collected through unstructured in-depth interviews and analyzed through Tesch’s open-coding steps for qualitative empirical research to develop themes and categories. Data generated the following themes: The Consequences of Socialization Factors on the Incidence of Substance Use/Abuse by Student Nurses and The Effect of Environmental Factors on the Incidence of Substance Use/Abuse by Student Nurses. Within each theme, sub-themes emerged. Trustworthiness of the collected data were ensured. A quantitative design was employed to collect data from all student nurses in five campuses of LCN. A stratified sampling technique was used to select respondents and structured questionnaires were used to collect data. A total of 445 questionnaires were collected. Quantitative data were analyzed numerically and through descriptive and correlation statistics using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24. The results showed that substance use/abuse is more prevalent among students of the age group of between 21 and 24 years that represented the majority in LCN. Data were analyzed independently for which a convergent analytic approach was used to merge the data sets. Validity and reliability were ensured. Ethical considerations were adhered to. The overall findings highlighted that substance use/abuse by the student nurses was widespread. Various factors, including behavioural, environmental and student earning stipend, have contributed to the problem. The concept “prevention” was analyzed using Walker & Avant’s (2014) steps. The results of both the empirical study and concept analysis formed the basis for model development. The framework of Dickoff, James and Wiedenbach (1963) was used to develop a model. The developed model was validated by the group using a close-ended checklist, analyzed using simple descriptive statistics. The model was in accordance with the legislative provisions of the LCN lease agreement, Higher Education Act as well as the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA, 2003). / NRF

MA (Sociology) / Department of Sociology / This study aims to investigate the socio-cultural influence towards the risky sexual behaviour of adolescents in eSikhaleni, in context of the prevalence of HIV/AIDS epidemic. The study will adapt a qualitative approach. It is an explanatory study goes beyond simple description to model empirically the phenomenon under study. The participants were drawn from two categories. The participants for the key informant interviews were selected purposively and they include community leaders, high schools principals and life orientation teachers. The adolescent’s learners were selected using a snowball sampling technique. Data was analysed thematically, matrices were created using to content thematic analysis. The responses were grouped thematically. Broad categories were then generated to differentiate and explain the thoughts expressed by the respondents. Invitations to participate on the study were sent to respondents by submitting informed consent electronically and in person. When participants completed the structured interview they were not required to reveal their personal or contact details. The findings of the study reveals that risky sexual behavior amongst adolescents learners is as a result of a number of factors which include the diminishing role of parenting, death of morality in society, poverty and deprivation just to name a few. The recommendations advanced speak to the need for government to have a multipronged strategy of resolving the problem.

MPH / Department of Public Health / Background: Young people in sub-Saharan Africa are most-at risk of HIV infection. This elevated risk in the young black population may be explained by the lack of HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes towards the epidemic and risky sexual behaviours. Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and behaviour among youth towards HIV infection and to explore the possible aetiological factors associated with the youth’s vulnerability to HIV infection. Methods and materials: This survey adopted a descriptive, cross-sectional design and a quantitative approach.The survey population comprised of all youth aged 15-24 years visiting two Namakgale clinics. An expected sample of (n=152) youths was recruited through convenience sampling. Pretesting of the questionnaire was conducted on 15 youths at Mashishimale Clinic. Data was collected using self-completed questionnaire. The data was captured using Microsoft Excel and then analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 22. Results: Knowledge on HIV: The majority (77%) of the respondents could distinguish HIV and AIDS and had knowledge that HIV could cause AIDS. The majority of respondents (80%) had knowledge of how HIV was transmitted. The majority of the respondents, (84.9%) knew that HIV/AIDS could not be cured. However, misconceptions about HIV transmission still exist for example, 13.2 % of youth stated that mosquito bites could transmit HIV and whilst 22.4% believed that witchcraft could cause HIV. The main source of HIV information was television (89%). Attitudes towards PLHIV: About 82.9% disagreed that all PLHIV should live away from Namakgale while 72. 4% stated that if their relative had HIV they would care for them. Overall, Namakgale youth held positive attitudes towards PLHIV. Risky sexual behaviours: About 61.8% of females, compared to their male counterparts (38.2%) ever had sex. 61.8% of females compared to 50.0% of males have had sex before their 15th birthday. 36.5% have had 3-5 lifetime sexual partners in comparison to 29.6% of their female counterparts. 44.2% of males did not use condoms at last sex compared to their female counterparts (33.3%). iv Recommendations: There is an urgent need for intensifying awareness campaigns on HIV and AIDS as well as school-based interventions for youths who still harbour myths and misconceptions about HIV transmission. Policy makers and the media should focus more on late adolescents (15- 19 years) risky sexual practices such as intergeneration sex (age group between sexual partners is 10 years or more), transactional sex etc.

PhD (African Studies) / Department of African Studies / Literature and media reports constantly show increased incidences of ill-discipline and lawlessness amongst the youth. These misdemeanours adversely affect communities and the behaviour of the youth as active, responsible and proactive members of the society and community members. Unfortunately, there are insufficient conversations about morality across social strata. The elders often seem disenfranchised by the popularity of the rights-based approach and modernity. In addition, communities are not proactive in coming up with initiatives that encourage on-going nyambedzano between the elders and the youth on issues around morals and discipline. Nyambedzano is a Venda concept that does not seem to have the exact English translation, so in this study I will use the concepts communication, conversation and dialogue interchangeably. Furthermore, there is a continuous blame game in the community about who should lead effective conversations that should buttress the development of responsible youth citizens. The purpose of this study was to explore the relevance of nyambedzano between the youth and elders about African morality among the youth. The study also aimed to investigate factors that were hindering nyambedzano to take place. I conducted qualitative appreciative focus group discussions with the elders and youth (who were in and out of school) that were purposively selected. Data was analysed thematically in relation to the stages of an Appreciative Inquiry approach. Findings revealed that nyambedzano between the elders and the youth about youth morality is relevant; however, its application is complicated by several factors which include the changing family structure, the changing parenting age, media and technology influences, a rightsbased approach to child rearing, and the denigration of cultural values at home, school and in the community. These findings were synthesised to develop a facilitative nyambedzano programme. Contrary to Vhavenda cultural practices, nyambedzano would have to be a two-way communication process between the elders and the youth. It would take place at different contexts, the home being the starting point. There would have to be some compromise between the rights- based contemporary approaches and traditional cultural ways of dealing with morality. This study makes methodological, empirical and theoretical contributions. An Appreciative Inquiry approach was applied to the Vhavenda ethnic group to explore the possibility of Nyambedzano between the youth and elders. The empirical contribution is that this study is the first to address nyambedzano as a process for promoting morality among the youth, within the context of the Tshivenda culture. The theoretical contribution of this study lies in the development of the facilitative nyambedzano programme that describes how nyambedzano between the elders and the youth should take place, taking into consideration the cultural values of the Vhavenda people. The recommendations are based on the creation of supportive parents, families, teachers, schools, churches, community members and policy makers. / NRF