Text in English / This study explored the lived experiences of black African men who grew up in absent-father homes. A phenomenological approach and qualitative exploratory design were used. The research participants were recruited in the Pretoria, South Africa through purposive sampling. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyse the information. The findings of this study indicate the following: the participants experienced various challenges in growing up in absent father homes. These included financial challenges, feelings of rejection, lack of guidance and protection. They had to rely on their single mothers for provision as well as the extended family and the community for support. These men were self-reliant, persevered and worked hard to achieve their goals in life. Resilience also played a role in making them thrive. They in turn wanted to be good fathers and husbands to their wives and children. Further research on resilient men who grew up in absent-father homes is recommended. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

This study on “Some Gendered Practices in a Zulu Family: A Feminist Perspective” investigated gender bias, gender inequality, and gender stereotypes as seen in daily gendered practices happening within the Zulu family. The practises examined are confined to the domain of the Zulu culture, particularly the Zulu marriage. The four main research questions put surveillance on how married women are restricted to move freely on the premises of their own homes; how women can unhappily find themselves in a polygamous marriage; how a wife’s dignity can be denigrated due to a man’s lack of understanding of her body anatomy; how she can be denied equal status with her husband due to certain cultural beliefs and conceptions. In the face of inevitable change that influences human behaviour, this study sought to show that the Zulu nation, particularly men, find it difficult to easily and speedily accept that culture and tradition are subject to change. The study attempted to establish whether there is any improvement on gender transformation or not, especially within the context of the current endeavours by the South African government to ensure that there is no gender discrimination by having female representativeness in all spheres of government. Progress has been made with regard to fair representation of women in political and decision-making positions in all spheres of government. The country is currently rated 7th in the world in terms of representation of women in legislature. http://www.buanews.gov.za/rss/08/08120715451006-5/11/2012 Throughout the analysis and interpretation of both the statistical and qualitative data, I critiqued the data to establish whether the gender transformation ideal is being achieved in the Zulu family or not. Radical feminism, the theory through which this study was conducted, has helped to show that Zulu women are still disadvantaged and oppressed due to social machinations that are essentially invented by patriarchal men. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

Migration has always been part of South African history, both in the collective and as individuals. Under apartheid, children were separated from their fathers and sometimes mothers for long periods of time, and as a coping strategy, foster care was introduced. This trend is still noticeable as we continue to find both men and women moving from rural households in pursuit of employment. In countries where gender roles are still very inflexible and the mother’s main role is perceived as that of raising children and the father’s as providing for the family, migration of mothers is perceived as a much larger disruption in a child’s life than is the father’s absence. Drawing from critical feminist theory, which pays particular attention to issues of discrimination and oppression against women, my study aimed at exploring the perceptions Madelakufa community women have about migrant women labourers who leave their children. A qualitative approach was employed, and data were collected through conducting three focus groups. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology: Research Consultation)

In this thesis, I examine a critical procedure appropriate to Black South African autobiography of the 1950s and early 1960s. In particular, I examine these autobiographies as examples of counterhegemonic writing in which the self counters the hegemonic apartheid notion of identity, based on racial and cultural purity, and I propose that the hybrid selves encoded in these narratives have the capacity to inform a new South African nationhood. Chapter One necessitates an autocritique, in which I locate my own discourse within the intersecting discursive strands of Western and local theory, an effort that is guided by the imperatives that emerge from the autobiographies themselves. In Chapter Two, I suggest that the postcolonial autos displaces Humanist, and appropriates postmodernist, conceptions of the "I". Rewriting the terms of the autobiographical pact, the authority of grapos is re-instated in counternarratives that give privileged status to the bios - to lives that claim "I AM!" and selves that reconstruct identity. A related concern is the relationship between autobiographical criticism in South Africa and hegemony. In the chapters that follow, I examine the various ways in which counterhegemonic selves are constructed in Tell freedom, Down Second Avenue, Drawn in colour: African Contrasts and The Ochre People. Peter Abrahams's autobiography is discussed largely in terms of Frantz Fanon's insights on identity construction and the notion of a "hybrid I". Es'kia Mphahlek's (re)writing of the self - whose main feature is ambivalence - forms the focus of Chapter Four. These notions are developed in the final chapter, which focuses on Noni Jabavu's narratives that encode an "in-between" cultural identity and, as in the autobiographies of Abrahams and Mphahlele, a metonymic "I". / English Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (English)

In this thesis, I examine a critical procedure appropriate to Black South African autobiography of the 1950s and early 1960s. In particular, I examine these autobiographies as examples of counterhegemonic writing in which the self counters the hegemonic apartheid notion of identity, based on racial and cultural purity, and I propose that the hybrid selves encoded in these narratives have the capacity to inform a new South African nationhood. Chapter One necessitates an autocritique, in which I locate my own discourse within the intersecting discursive strands of Western and local theory, an effort that is guided by the imperatives that emerge from the autobiographies themselves. In Chapter Two, I suggest that the postcolonial autos displaces Humanist, and appropriates postmodernist, conceptions of the "I". Rewriting the terms of the autobiographical pact, the authority of grapos is re-instated in counternarratives that give privileged status to the bios - to lives that claim "I AM!" and selves that reconstruct identity. A related concern is the relationship between autobiographical criticism in South Africa and hegemony. In the chapters that follow, I examine the various ways in which counterhegemonic selves are constructed in Tell freedom, Down Second Avenue, Drawn in colour: African Contrasts and The Ochre People. Peter Abrahams's autobiography is discussed largely in terms of Frantz Fanon's insights on identity construction and the notion of a "hybrid I". Es'kia Mphahlek's (re)writing of the self - whose main feature is ambivalence - forms the focus of Chapter Four. These notions are developed in the final chapter, which focuses on Noni Jabavu's narratives that encode an "in-between" cultural identity and, as in the autobiographies of Abrahams and Mphahlele, a metonymic "I". / English Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (English)

In this dissertation on Nat Nakasa I argue, in Chapter 1, that he is one of South Africa's first literary flaneurs. Walking the city as an urban spectator, part journalist, part sociologist, his modernist writings of the metropolis celebrate Johannesburg and also place him in a broad international context. His `tactics of the habitat', in Foucault's phrase, become subversive ruses, a navigation through the cultural seam of South Africa in the 1960s, and this approach offers an alternative to a reductionist anti-apartheid critique. Chapter 2 analyses the excavation of his memory and subsequent elevation to media icon, with the naming of the SANEF Award for Media Integrity after him. Chapter 3 discusses how his auto/biographical writings and representation of self and other contribute to `making history's silences speak'. Finally in chapter 4, I discuss his elusive identity as part of the Drum generation, an insider/outsider, and his exile and suicide in America. / English Studies / M.A. (English)

This study investigates the application of conventional marketing tactics of 93 hawkers in the East London Central Business District (CBD). Its focus is on what is being practiced in this informal trading environment from a marketing point of view. To this end the primary objective was to determine the extent of the use of generally accepted principles of common (conventional) marketing in primarily black owned or managed hawker businesses in the East London CBD area. Secondary objectives centred around the degree to which new or unknown marketing tactics were implemented and to identify any influencing factors and the relevance of these to marketing. An in-depth analysis of the marketing environment of the hawker and East London region is depicted and the literature review of the relevant theory relating to the marketing of small businesses is covered and debated thoroughly. A three section questionnaire covering demographic information (Section A), the extent of the use of researcher-identified generally accepted marketing tactics (Section B), and an open ended question identifying which marketing tactics and their ranking the hawkers used in order to achieve marketing success (Section C) was implemented through interviews with 93 hawkers in the East London CBD. Although many of the individual questions results produced interesting statistics, conclusions from analysis of the composite results indicate a fair application of the marketing concept (29%) a slightly higher percentage applying the societal marketing concept (51,6%) and 38,6% of hawkers in the East London CBD applying the marketing mix. The top 3 of 7 marketing tactics identified as being used to achieve good marketing performance were customer service, stall/product presentation and the offering of a discount or discounted pricing. No significant correlations existed between the demographic statistics and the application of any particular marketing tactic. The significant influencing factors noted were the hawkers zero tolerance for competition, the lack of any long term planning, no delayed gratification or building of capital and the strong need to belong to a group or association. It was concluded that much needs to be done to investigate methods of improving the application of marketing tactics but more importantly to analyse the reason for many of their actions. Special attention is recommended to be placed on obtaining further insight and support for the observed influencing factors in order to be able to state them as fact. / Business Management / M.Comm.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine sociopoli tical factors related to students' attitude towards school. A questionnaire was compiled based on the literature study and was completed by 306 students doing standards eight, nine and ten at a secondary school in Benoni. Five socio-political factors were identified, namely: school experience, extrinsic motivation, pedagogical deprivation, political socialisation and school administration. The empirical study revealed: * A positive attitude towards school by the research group. * Significant correlations between attitude towards school and the five independent variables. * No significant difference in attitude towards school of: boys and girls, standard eight, nine and ten students and students staying with parents or with guardians. * The maximum variance in attitude towards school explained by a combination of variables is 43.2%. Recommendations are made for the enrichment of the family and school environments and areas of possible future research postulated. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Dissertation submitted in compliance with the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology: Business Administration, Durban University of Technology, 2012. / The aim of this research project was to study the basic understanding the decision makers of construction companies in KwaZulu-Natal had of the Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) initiative. This initiative has evolved from its origins as a form of affirmative action in the early 1990s into the broad-based initiative embodied in the Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment Act promulgated in 2003 and gazetted in 2007. Research was conducted using a questionnaire to assess the targeted population’s understanding of BBBEE. A census of the 259 construction companies affiliated with the KwaZulu-Natal Master Builders Association (NMBA) at the time of the research was used. The questionnaire was distributed primarily by email and the returns were assessed using statistical methods. The results were also tested as a cross-tabulation based on the demographics and the BBBEE rating of the respondents. The findings showed that although most of the respondents knew about the BBBEE initiative and indicated a level of understanding of this policy, certain of their perceived understandings were misguided. The way in which the Act was intended to be implemented and was intended to benefit those who were previously disadvantaged had been misread by all parties. The way in which the government has rolled out its BBBEE initiative has not been effective. This needs to be addressed by both training and partnering with those SMMEs that can most effect change to implement the Act. This study only scratched the surface of the effects the BBBEE legislation will have on small to medium-sized businesses. It has highlighted the need for further research into both the trickle-down effect of this initiative and into the availability of skilled personnel to grow the economy in the way the BBBEE Act intended.

South Africa is a country of diversity, culture and various identities; and beneath this diversity, lays the complexity of defining and owning a space for oneself. This study was motivated with the intention to understand Black women’s representations in South Africa as well as the social interactions evident in the relationship between a Black woman and her hair. Literature elucidates on the historical richness of representation for Black people as well as the contemporary relevance of representation for Black women in particular. Furthermore, beauty discourse extends beyond the merely corporeal and finds meaning in historical, political, and circumstantial frames of thought. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with Black women. These interviews generated three discursive themes – hair and politics, hair and media and finally, circumstantial self-representation. Exploring these themes revealed that hair, as a projection of the self, is constantly redefining itself and its meaning in a progressive social culture. Furthermore, women assume agency and a degree of importance and identity from the hairstyles they choose to wear on a daily basis. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology-Research Consultation)