The plight of women who reside around the mining communities has not received the necessary attention from a research perspective. This concern prompted the researcher to compose a qualitative research aimed at exploring the experiences and challenges faced by these women. This was a case study research which was conducted among women who reside around the Driekop mining community in Limpopo province and designed from exploratory, descriptive, contextual and phenomenological in designs. The study was guided by the two theories: the feminist theory and the coping theory of Lazarus and Folkman. Relevant research ethical principles were upheld during the plenary phase wherein the research proposal was subjected to review by the Higher Degrees Committee of the UNISA’s Social Work Departmental Research and Ethics Committee and throughout the duration of the study. The data which was collected through the semi-structured interviews was analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six steps of data analysis, gave rise to several experiences and challenges which are presented in a form of nine themes and 13 subthemes. In striving to assure research quality, Guba and Lincoln’s trustworthiness principles were adopted. Some conclusions are drawn from the process of qualitative research as an approach adopted to guide the study as well as the findings based on the collected and analysed data. Based on the conclusions of the research process and the research findings, the reader’s attention is drawn to some recommendations which are proposed to inform practice, training and policy development. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

This study focuses on the use of the Athrixia phylicoides plant in Tshwane, Gauteng, South Africa. The plant is used within the domestic domain as a beverage, for medicinal purposes, as well as for the manufacturing of domestic brooms. The aim of the study was to investigate the use and market of Athrixia phylicoides in two of the Tshwane markets, namely; Denneboom and Marabastad. Case study design, participant observation and interviews were employed to collect data. A literature review was conducted to construct a theoretical framework. The study reveals that traditional healers, broom makers and customers have a remarkable knowledge about Athrixia phylicoides, which has been untapped thus far. In addition, the study indicates that possible extinction of the Athrixia phylicoides plant, due to over-harvesting and lack of conservation, will pose a challenge to the market. / Anthropology / M.A. (Anthropology)

Mining as a historical male-dominated space is confronted by various transformational structural changes. While the racial composition of mining boards has improved, gender representation of women in boards is problematic. Owing to our historical legacy of apartheid and decades of colonialism, South Africa became a victim of an unequal society. The new political dispensation under the leadership of Nelson Mandela sought to redress those inequalities after the fall of apartheid in 1994. However, gender inequalities and the gender subject remain contentious issues, particularly in historically male-dominated sectors such as mining. With legislation enforcement, only a few mining companies have improved the representation of women on boards (WoB), while some companies remain with no women or only one woman on board. However, despite the atrocities of apartheid, South African mining sector is relatively performing better in terms of WoB than countries that were not exposed to such a discriminatory dispensation. Yet still, mining lags far behind compared to other industries in South Africa. This outlook led me to conduct a multiple cross-case analysis research study to explore how women were integrated into mining by reviewing talent management practices used to appoint women (and men) by exploring recruitment, development and retention practices. I adopted an emancipatory critical research approach, a feminist epistemological paradigm, and I considered African feminism a suitable research approach given the unique context of South African mining history. The results showed that the industry still faces gender structural inequalities guided by an indoctrinated mindset of the sector, and that it is still to a great extent racially biased. While most focus of talent management is directed at recruiting more women, men still control recruitment, which is biased and informal, and different or stringent recruitment criteria are applied for women. Even though women occupy a few board seats and exceed the critical mass in some boards, they still face change-resistant attitudes and stereotypes and a double glass ceiling in terms of who has a right of voice, which disregarded their talent. All women regardless of race, were subject to stereotypes, but dealt with them differently. I found that black women are more affected than any other racial group due to their social identities, facing triple oppression due to their gender and race, but also class, which affects their confidence and their talent offering to board responsibilities. In fear of marginalisation, the black women in my study felt that they needed to earn the trust of men, especially those of white men. White, Indian and 1coloured women who were affected by gender stereotypes were silent about those prejudices, but were also still discriminated against with fewer board opportunities. The effectiveness of training and development of directors and retention was hindered by the culture in mining, individual constructed identities and societal gender constructions of roles and responsibilities. These constructions undermined the talent of women in boards and constructed the talent of men as superior. / Thesisi ye e fa tlhahlobo ye e tseneletšego ya ditirišo tša taolo ya talente ka dikhamphaning tše tshela tša meepo tša go ngwadišwa le JSE ka Afrika Borwa. E nyakišiša gobaneng talente ya mosadi e hlokomologilwe, le gore gobaneng basadi ba tšwela pele go ba palo ye nnyane mo dibotong le ge e le gore molao wa Afrika Borwa o thekga tekatekano ya bong le gore tokafatšo ya taba (business case) e hlatsetšwe go ya ka tirišo. Mokgwatlwaelo wa basadi wa Afrika o šomišwa ka go kopantšha mokgwa wa maemo a magareng woo o lebantšhago go kopano ya morafe le bong. Tšhomišo ya mokgwatlwaelo wa basadi wa Afrika gape e dira teori seemo sa go ithuta bong go ya ka mabaka a moswananoši gomme mo tabeng ye, intasteri ye e tletšego ka banna ka nageng ya morago ga kgatelelo le morago ga kgethollo. Dipoelo di bontšhitše gore intasteri e lebana le diphapano tša sebopego tša bong tše di hlahlwago ke maikutlo ao a tsentšwego a lekala, le le sa ntšego le tšea lehlakore go ya ka morafe. Komiti ya ditšhišinyo e tletše ka thwalo ya taolo ya banna, yeo e tšeago lehlakore ebile e se ya semmušo, gomme dikriteria tša go fapana tša thwalo di a šomišwa go basadi. Basadi ka moka go sa šetšwe morafe, ba be ba lebana le ditlwaedi, eupša ba be ba šogana le tšona ka go fapana. Basadi ba bathobaso ba sa ntše ba lebana le kgatelelo ya go menagana gararo ya go amana le bong bja bona, morafe, le boemo. Ka go tšhoga nyenyefatšo, basadi ba Bathobaso ba be ba nyaka tumelelo go banna, kudu ya banna ba Bathobašweu. Basadi ba Bathobašweu, Bathobaso, Maindia le Bammala ba be ba sa bolele ka dikgethollo, eupša gape ba be ba sa ntše ba gatelelwa kgahlanong le menyetla e se mekae ya boto. Katlego ya tlhahlo le tlhabollo ya balaodibagolo le kganetšo di šitišitšwe ke setšo sa meepo, maitšhupo ao a bopilwego a go ikgetha le dibopego tša bong tša setšhaba tša dikarolo le maikarabelo. Dibopego tše di nyaditše talente ya basadi ka dibotong gomme di bopile talente ya banna go ba ya maemo a godimo. Nyakišišo ye e kgatha tema go dingwalo tša tirišo tša basadi mo dibotong ka go nyakišiša mašomelo a taolo ya talente – a selo se se hlokomologilwego basading mo dinyakišišong tša diboto. E hlaloša ka fao basadi ba thwalwago, hlahlelwago maemo a boto le go hlaloša hlokomologo ya go tsenela taolo ya talente. / Business Management / Ph. D. (Management Studies)

MESMEG / Department of Mining and Environmental Geology / Although clay brick manufacturing has been going on for many years in South Africa, informal small-scale clay brick manufacturing enterprises are not officially regulated. Consequently, informal brick makers in the study area do not adhere to the demanding requirements of the South African National Standards for burnt clay masonry. Therefore, their clay bricks lack uniformity in terms of quality. Preliminary work revealed that over time, buildings constructed with these bricks develop cracks, thereby compromising safety. The importance of product quality management is not well understood in the informal brick manufacturing enterprises. As a result, they do not have any product quality management guidelines. The main purpose of this research was to develop the product quality management guidelines for ensuring quality in small-scale brick making enterprises in Dididi area. The specific objectives were to characterize the raw materials for clay brick manufacturing, identify and assess the technical problems of clay brick production, analyse the process of clay brick production and determine areas where product quality improvement is warranted. The research involved fieldwork which included soil sampling, analysis of clay brick production through the use of questionnaires and onsite observation of the production process, collection of samples of burnt bricks which were examined for compressive strength, water absorption as well as dimension measurements. These were then compared with the prescribed quality standards. Laboratory analyses of samples of raw materials were conducted and these included sieve analysis which was conducted in order to establish the particle size distribution of the raw materials; Atterberg limit tests were conducted in order to establish the physical characteristics of the soil. Chemical and mineralogical analyses were carried out to determine the chemical and mineralogical composition of the soil using XRF and XRD respectively. The textural characterisation of the material revealed abundance of sand sized particles and significantly low amounts of clay and silt. The plasticity of the soil used for bricks manufacturing in the study area was found to be ranging from slight to medium plasticity. Chemical analysis showed elevated silica contents with minor amounts of alumina and iron oxide. XRD analysis revealed the dominance of non-clay minerals with the highest concentration of quartz. The average compressive strengths of the tested brick samples for site A was 3.8, and 2.9 and 3.8 MPa for sites B and C respectively. The water absorption of the bricks was 13.5, 15.0 and 16.1% for samples from Site A, B and C respectively. The bricks dimensions met the recommended standards although their sizes were not uniform. v The survey conducted on brick manufacturing process revealed that the technical inefficiencies were mostly influenced by human and mechanical factors as well as the material inappropriateness. The production process was found to be too manual and labour intensive. Selection of the raw materials for brick manufacturing was based on indigenous knowledge and experience and most of the brick manufacturers lacked the prerequisite experience for making quality bricks. On the basis of the results of this research, it can be concluded that the materials used for manufacturing of clay bricks in Dididi are not well suited for making good quality bricks due to the reduced plasticity of the soil and the high concentration of quartz. These render the bricks brittle. It was also concluded that the production process also contributes to the poor quality of the bricks as the nature of the process was too manual. Selection of materials based merely on knowledge and experience and no scientific tests resulted in selection of inadequate materials which in turn affect the quality of the final bricks. It is therefore recommended that plastic clays be added to the raw clay materials to enhance its moulding property. In addition, materials such as internal fuels and anti-shrinkage materials should be incorporated into the process cycle to prevent cracking during drying and firing. Based on the findings of the analysis of the production process, it is recommended that mechanized techniques be employed in the operation and awareness training conducted to improve the understanding and skills of the brick manufacturers and to ensure production of good quality bricks. / NRF

The de-industrialisation process that was a common feature of North America and Western Europe in the 1970s, through into the 1980s has become an observable feature in African countries and South Africa in particular in the last two decades. Globally, hard hit areas include those associated with the early Industrial Revolution characterised by mass production and the agglomeration of iron and steel, coal and textile industries. General changes in the global market, especially the falling demand for extractive heavy minerals like coal and gold have also affected many countries region and localities. In the case of South Mrica, the previous high economic dependence on mined minerals like coal and gold has resulted in many once prosperous mining regions of the country being reduced to a shadow of their former selves. The worst affected areas in South Africa are those of the Klerksdorp Goldfields in the North West Province and Free State Goldfields, with the latter alone losing 100,000 jobs during the 1990s. This trend has also been acute in the coal-mining industry of the KwaZulu-Natal province since the late 1970s. The firms that had grown in the shadow of the major mining company supplyipg machinery, or who processed the semi-manufactured product are also severely affected by the closing down and restructuring in the mining and iron industries. These industries have often been forced to close down because of a break in the vital connections they developed with these mining industries. Such localised economic crisis has encouraged the universal trend towards the devolution of developmental responsibilities to the local governments and other local stakeholders to - empower them to respond to these changes. This study investigated the local economic initiatives which have been undertaken in the three municipalities of north-western KwaZulu Natal i.e. Utrecht, Dundee and Dannhauser to respond to the closures which have taken place in the mining industry of this region, which used to be among the most prosperous coal mining regions of South Africa. Using their new developmental mandate the local governments, in partnership with the communities and other external interveners have tried to respond to these localised economic crisis and also indirectly to the general poverty and underdevelopment, which characterises this region of KwaZulu-Natal. The effects of apartheid policies, and previous discriminatory rural development policies in, particular, and the Regional Industrial Development policy, which was intensively applied in the 1980s by the pre-1994 government regime, have further compounded the magnitude of the challenge. The lack of capacity in some municipalities has constrained successful implementation of Local Economic Development has led to some communities acting alone to face their situation with or without external intervention.