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The private collection: aura, the cult of celebrity and, the construct of value in saleable works of art
Get PDFA tenet of the twenty-first century is the monetisation of everything due to commercialisation. The effects of this commercialisation have crept into every aspect of our lives, and although in the art world it has mostly been underhanded in its adoption, the traces of commercialisations touch are still evident in its functioning. Due to this underhandedness there hasn't been much thought put into what 'the monetisation of everything' truly implies for the industry, or how the value of the art object devoted to commercialisation may look like. The Private Collection (exhibition title of the practical component for submission in MFA completion) addresses the concept of object value and, more specifically, how that value is created within the art world through mechanisms of commercialisation that include celebrity cult, functioning of possession (through collecting), and taste. Research into Walter Benjamin's theory of the authenticity of the work of art, and in particular his concept of "aura," has helped inform the creation of a marketing strategy propelled by value driven mechanisms found within the Art Market for The Private Collection. Particular emphasis is placed on how brand value drives sales in this thesis. Thus, The Private Collection: Aura, the Cult of Celebrity, and the Construct of Value in Saleable Works of Art, defines The Private Collection as a tailored system built expressly for engagement with economic forces inside the art industry. As a result, the position of this study is based on the marketability of the object through particular driving forces that have seeped into the value system of the saleable work of art. The position of this thesis is that in this commercialist system, driving forces of value can be sustained within instances of the multiple. The project additionally supports this in maintaining that interaction from a fine art perspective would be limited if restricted to orthodox approaches (a gallery showing, and one print works), which is why a more economically interactive approach (e-commerce) was decided on for the exhibition component. The Private Collection offers an observation that the worth of a saleable work of art has become a warped representation of the commercial context we find ourselves in and that value is only awarded through particular kingmakers of the system. The practical component of this submission can be viewed online by clicking the image below. Please note that the website is not optimised for phone or tablet use, please instead view it on a computer (preferably a desktop) in full screen mode.Thesis (MFA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Fine Art, 202
The number of independent subsets and the energy of caterpillars under degree restriction
Get PDFThe energy En(G) of a graph G is defined as the sum of the absolute values of its eigenvalues. The Hosoya index Z(G) of a graph G is the number of independent edge subsets of G, including the empty set. And, the Merrifield-Simmons index σ(G) of a graph G is the number of independent vertex subsets of G, including the empty set. The studies of these three graph invariants are motivated by their application in chemistry, combined with pure mathematical interests. In particular, they can be used to predict boiling points of saturated hydrocarbons and estimate the total π-electron energy. For ℓ ≥ 1, let a1, a2, . . . , aℓ be non-negative integers, such that a1 and aℓ are positive. The tree obtained from the path graph of vertices v1, v2, . . . , vℓ, by attaching ai new leaves to vi, for 1 ≤ i ≤ ℓ, is called a (a1, a2, . . . , aℓ)-caterpillar and denoted by C(a1 + 1, a2 + 2, . . . , aℓ−1 + 2, aℓ +1). In this thesis, we characterize extremal caterpillars relative to the energy, the Hosoya index and the Merrifield-Simmons index. We first study caterpillars with the same degree sequence, then compare caterpillars of the same size, same order, and different degree sequence. For any given degree sequence D, we characterize the caterpillar X(D) that maximizes Z and En. In X(D), as we move along the internal path towards the center, the degrees are in a nondecreasing order. Characterization of the caterpillar S(D) that has the minimum Z and En and maximum σ is also provided. In S(D), large and small degrees alternate.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Mathematics, 202
HI analysis of resolved galaxies in the MeerKAT Absorption Line Survey
Get PDFThis doctoral thesis examines two galaxy groups, Klemola 31 and UGC439, leveraging the observational capabilities of the MeerKAT Absorption Line Survey (MALS). The focus was on studying the interstellar medium, specifically the neutral hydrogen (H i) content, distribution, density, and dynamics, through high spatial resolution observations of these groups, and therefore offering insights into the complex processes affecting galaxy evolution in different environments. To make use of an additional tool, the absorption line characteristics of Hi in the two observed systems were analysed and compared with the kinematics and the morphology as induced by the observation of the Hi emission line in the same systems. For Klemola 31, this thesis identifies significant Hi deficiencies and interactions between member galaxies, with notable evidence of tidal interactions between Klemola 31 A and Klemola 31 B as well as ESO400-11 and LEDA2807038; and possible ram-pressure stripping in ESO400-13. The combined analysis of the Hi in emission and absorption indicates the presence of an extraplanar and potential intra-group medium in the group. The UGC439 group was observed in the commissioning phase of the MeerKAT array, revealing contrasting Hi distributions, with the central three galaxies indicating Hi excess while the peripheral galaxies indicating Hi deficiencies. There are two Hi clouds, one close to the central three galaxies and the other to the north. In this case, the observations are consistent with an Hi absorption system from within the disk of a galaxy. This thesis also highlights the necessity for further high spatial and spectral resolution observations to further reveal the intricacies of gas dynamics and its critical role in the life-cycle of galaxies. It serves as an outlook for further studies of the Hi environment of galaxies by combining absorption and emission line studies as first provided by MALS and ultimately by deep Hi surveys with the Square Kilometre Array. This thesis is organised into four chapters. The first chapter details a few concepts and background information about the physics of galaxy evolution. Chapter two talks about Klemola 31 galaxy group, where we start by describing our observation, data reduction and source finding. Thereafter, we explore the Hi morphology and kinematics of this group. In Chapter Three, we turn our attention to UGC439 galaxy group and organise it in a similar manner. A summary and comparison of the two groups is presented in Chapter 4.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Physics and Electronics, 202
Optimising Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA) on a South African abalone farm
Get PDFThe efficiency of fed nutrient utilisation in integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) system was evaluated on a South African abalone farm. On many commercial abalone farms in South Africa, Haliotis midae are fed a combination of pelleted feed and live macroalgae cultured downstream in abalone effluent. This production technique reduces the discharge of dissolved nutrients into the environment and improves farm productivity as unquantified proportion of the waste metabolites is captured as macroalgal biomass. However, the solid waste from abalone culture tanks remains unutilised and discharged to the coastal environments. Thus, there is scope to improve the dissolved nutrients removal efficiency of the macroalgae and to reduce the discharge of particulate nutrients using detritus waste extractive organisms. The present study aimed at the production and environmental performance of a shore-based abalone/macroalgae IMTA improving farm in South Africa by improving the nutrient utilisation efficiency of farmed abalone and seaweed and testing the waste solids removal potential of a sea cucumber species. Monoculture systems, where abalone and seaweed were cultured separately, both in fresh seawater (salinity: 35 g/L), were compared with an integrated culture system where the seaweed (Ulva lacinulata) was cultured downstream in the wastewater flowing from abalone tanks that were up-channel. Based on the findings from quantifying the performance of these production systems, methods to improve the nutrient utilisation and production efficiencies of the production systems were explored. These assessed methods included (1) the removal of abalone biodeposits by detritus extractive sea cucumber production, (2) evaluating the potential of farmed macroalgae as supplement in formulated diet, and (3) replacing mineral fertilisers with eco-friendly live microbial fertilisers for seaweed farming. Furthermore, the overall environmental performance of the two farm systems was quantified using a life cycle analysis methodology. Monitoring of the nutrient flows through the monoculture and IMTA systems revealed that the highest inputs of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) into the abalone and seaweed culture tanks of the two production systems were abalone feed pellet (70-81%) and mineral fertilisers respectively (63-93%). About 48-51% of the nitrogen supplied from the feed was utilised by abalone in the IMTA and monoculture systems, while the remaining portion was lost as organic waste nitrogen on the production tank floor (20-30%) and as dissolved nitrogen in post-abalone tank effluent (30-36%). In the seaweed tanks receiving abalone effluent (IMTA), 69% of the dissolved nitrogen input was absorbed by cultured Ulva while 25% of the nitrogen was lost to the post-seaweed effluent which returned to the environment. However, in the monoculture system, 52% of the nitrogen from supplemented inorganic fertiliser was absorbed by cultured Ulva while ca. 46% of the nutrient was lost to coastal waters through the post-seaweed effluent. Moreover, while the feed accounted for ca. 74-78% input of the phosphorus in abalone of the two production systems, not more than 19% and 13% of this phosphorus was utilised by H. midae in the IMTA and monoculture systems respectively, while the largest portions were lost as organic waste in the sediment (34-45%) and dissolved waste phosphorus in the effluent (33-54%). In the seaweed tanks, a small portion (11-15%) of supplied phosphorus was removed by farmed Ulva while 77-89% was lost in the post-seaweed effluent discharged to coastal environment. The substitution of 50% mineral fertilisers with live microbial fertilisers during seaweed production significantly reduced the discharge of dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus from macroalgae raceways to coastal environment by 55 and 45% respectively, without impacting their growth, yield and nutrient compositions. A life cycle analysis of the measured energy and nutrients utilisation efficiency of these production systems was compiled, and the impacts of the inputs and outputs from each production system on the environment was assessed. The electrical energy input to abalone and seaweed tanks constituted the highest contribution to all assessed environmental impact categories for the two production systems, followed by the contributions from the nutrients supplied to farmed abalone (formulated diet) and seaweed (mineral fertilisers). The impact of these inputs on the environment was most evident on marine aquatic ecotoxicity being 2.11E+03 kg 1.4-DB eq and 4.43E+03 kg 1.4-DB eq for IMTA and monoculture systems respectively. The measured impact of seaweed aquaculture on the environment was reduced by 50-52% when Ulva was cultured in abalone effluent (IMTA) compared to culture in fresh seawater (monoculture). However, the input of chemical fertilisers in the two systems of cultivation resulted in similar eutrophication potentials (8.09 - 8.41E-02 kg PO4--- eq). To reduce the solid waste discharge from abalone tanks, and create an additional high-value crop, an endemic sea cucumber species (Neostichopus grammatus) was introduced on the floor of the abalone culture tanks in a pilot abalone/detritivore/macroalgae IMTA system. The sea cucumber utilised the biodeposits in abalone tanks as food which reduced organic solid discharge to the environment by 11%. However, the sea cucumbers displayed poor nutrient utilisation, a negative growth rate (- 0.59% day-1) and 49% weight loss by the end of the trial that was probably due to sub-optimal habitat conditions (lack of a sand substrate). The potential of including farmed Ulva (IMTA and monoculture) meal in pelleted feed for H. midae was evaluated as a means of improving farming efficiency and reducing the levels of fishmeal and soya in the pellet. In an initial trial, Ulva was included at 12% dry weight in commercial diet and fed to farmed H. midae for 244 d. The 12% inclusion of IMTA and monoculture Ulva resulted in poor feed conversion and nutrient utilisation by H. midae. In a follow-up trial which tested graded inclusion levels of Ulva meal (0.75, 1.50, 3.00, 6.00 and 12.00%), the growth rate and feed utilisation of H. midae was enhanced at a 0.75-6.00% inclusion level of the seaweed in the diet, while at a 6.00-12.00% inclusion level growth rates and feed conversion efficiencies decreased. Therefore, it is recommended that for sub-adult South African abalone, up to 6.00% IMTA Ulva meal can be included in the diet formulation without impacting their growth performance and nutrient utilisation efficiency negatively. This present study contributes to the understanding of the nutrient utilisation dynamics on integrated abalone farms in South Africa. The evidence from the different trials suggests the IMTA techniques tested could be adopted to improve the production performance and reduce the impact of abalone farming on the environment.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, 202
Protecting and organising the apartheid and post-apartheid precarious municipal workforce: the Cape Town Municipal Workers Association and the South African Municipal Workers Union in Cape Town
Get PDFThe contemporary, global expansion of precarious employment poses key challenges for unions based on workers in full-time, stable employment (i.e. workers in the so-called “Standard Employment Relationship” – SER). South African unions and federations like the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), have resolved to organise these workers for decades. Most unions have, however done little to put these intentions into effect, even though precarity threatens union survival. A notable exception amongst unions in both the state and private sectors is COSATU’s South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU). SAMWU has a long history of consistently acting to protect and organise precarious workers. This is the puzzle with which this thesis grapples: why has SAMWU been different? This question is examined through a focus on Cape Town, the city in which the union has the deepest roots: its main, immediate predecessor, the Cape Town Municipal Workers Association (CTMWA), was founded in Cape Town in 1918. Answering the question posed above requires examining the record: how has SAMWU – and before it, the CTMWA – protected and organise precarious workers in the municipal sector over time? And further, why did CTMWA and SAMWU act this way, when many others have not? The answers lie in the distinctive character of the organisation’s trade union identity, drawing on Richard Hyman’s work, which moves beyond broad labels (business unionism, political unionism, etc.) and normative prescriptions (what unions should, ideally, do) to develop a nuanced model of what predisposes, and enables, certain union choices, actions, and responses union. The popular power resources approach (PRA) to unions helps map the resources available to unions but cannot explain why unions use power resources in specific ways. The thesis argues that the evolving union identity of the CTMWA and SAMWU predisposed it to organising workers, and that this evolving identity has been shaped by the distinctive features of the Western Cape and its political traditions, a long history of multiple municipal labour markets in Cape Town, and the specificities of that city, including the black African / Coloured division, its independent left traditions, the relative weakness of the COSATU’s allies, the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African Communist Party (SACP), in local government, and the peculiar dynamics of municipal restructuring. This thesis draws on both labour history and industrial Sociology, arguing that a dialogue between these two disciplines enriches labour studies. This thesis draws on a wide range of primary sources, both historical and contemporary, examines historical processes and change, and engages in a dialogue between historical and sociological work. It argues for the need to historicise precarity, avoiding a “year zero” approach that treats it as a novel challenge for unions, and as reducible to neo-liberalism. It insists that labour responses are shaped by place and time, and so, for the need to balance macro-level discussions of trends with local specificities. It argues that notion of a sharp rupture between the surging new wave of unionism that started in South Africa in 1973, from which COSATU emerged, and the older traditions of registered unionism has been overstated. More attention needs to be paid to the imprint of the more radical registered unions, like CTMWA, on the new unionism. Rejecting pessimistic accounts that see unions as doomed by precarity, it draws attention to long histories of relatively successful and sustained union responses, like those of CTMWA/ SAMWU. However, it questions prescriptive approaches that centre on what unions should do, highlighting how evolving union identity shapes what unions can do.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, Sociology, 202
“I pulled it out”: a discursive exploration of narrated accounts on decision-making and power differentials in the prescription and use of long-acting reversible contraceptives
Get PDFLong-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC), viz., intrauterine devices, subdermal implants, and injectable contraceptives, are highly effective, long-term birth control methods that limit user action. Alongside the decrease in fertility rates achieved through their mass provision has been their coerced or non-consented administration to marginalised women. These highly effective yet provider-controlled and thus imposable contraceptives have been associated with problematic classed, raced, ageist, and ableist promotions. A critical lens that inquires into their endorsement within clinical practice is thus necessary. The bulk of literature evidencing reproductive injustices in relation to fertility control through LARC technologies emanates from the US and UK contexts. Not much research on the South African context has explored how contraceptive decision-making within clinical interactions shapes LARC uptake despite usage increasing through the years. Using a poststructural, postcolonial feminist framework alongside a reproductive justice stance, this study explores health providers’ and contraceptive users’ narrations of the prescription and usage of LARC technologies alongside how such talk emplots women who use, continue, or discontinue using these contraceptive technologies. In addition, the power relations (re)produced in the participants’ talk that maintain or constrain coloniality and reproductive justice with implications for certain people’s reproductive choices/rights were explored. To do so, I used data from 72 semi-structured interviews with contraceptive users (51) and healthcare providers (21). A combination of stratified purposive, convenient, and snowball sampling was used to sample the providers and users of LARC recruited within a city, town, and village. To elicit stories about healthcare providers’ and LARC users’ narrative emplotments in the prescription and usage decisions about LARC, semi-structured interviewing was used. The questions asked were open-ended and loosely structured around LARC technologies, the decisions that cohere around them, and the makers of those decisions. In analysing the data, I fused Parker's (1992) criteria for locating discourses with Barker’s (2017) method for determining the potential for emplotment into narratives. Findings suggest that participants framed contraceptive usage as either a personal, imposed, or shared decision. In personal decisions, the feminisation of contraceptive use emerged, with study, work, and relationship stability statuses requiring participants to solely and prudently self-discipline towards contraceptive uptake so as to match usage with reproduction desire. When decisions were imposed (subtly or openly), a passive role was assumed as female guardians (mothers, grandmothers, or aunts) recommended, pushed, and coerced health users (particularly young women) towards uptake. While the contraceptive users themselves were placed on the margins in decision-making, resisting the imposed decisions was difficult since participants’ “risk” of pregnancy was reportedly foregrounded. Shared decisions pointed to less one-sided accounts of decision-making. These decisions were enacted in relationships and were neither siloed nor imposed. Here, sexual partners, parents, or healthcare providers dialogically negotiated contraceptive uptake, and the possibilities for non-use were availed. Data from healthcare providers showed that non-use for young and postpartum women was not an option. In addition, healthcare providers either formed alliances with the LARC users themselves or concerned parents to support or push for contraceptive provision. Supportive alliances enabled secret uptake or ongoing contraceptive usage among some contraceptive users, thus resisting pronatalism or one-sided intentions for childbearing within intimate partnerships. These healthcare providers emplotted themselves as empowering contraceptive users. Alliances that pushed for contraceptive uptake were formed with guardians/parents upon menarche or in case the of rape. In overriding consent within these alliances, healthcare providers avoided being rendered responsible or blameworthy for early pregnancies in the face of the constructed risk used to emplot young women. This over-commitment to providing contraceptives has differing implications for women’s sexual agency and sexual health interventions. The data also describe decisions to use contraception as expert-led, patient-led, or collaborative decisions between health users and healthcare providers. Through the information and decision-making was expert-led micro-narrative, a medical discourse constituting use as a necessity and non-use as a risk emerged. A patient autonomy and a my body, my choice discourse informed the information and decision-making was patient-led micro-narrative; here, healthcare providers were either detached or excluded from decision-making as health users assumed more active roles in their own contraceptive care decisions. In collaborative decisions, both parties negotiated (non)use, with LARC users providing their embodied experiences and healthcare providers availing medical knowledge in reaching decisions. The study argues for a reproductive justice framework to underpin the signifier “fertility control”, showing how the threat of degeneration informs responses to reproduction by iii identifying and amplifying deficiency and negative outcomes while masking positive outcomes among certain women. It then creates a fertile ground for the re-engineering and recentring of colonialist thinking and its product, the restraining of the agency of fertile beings it renders “less developed”.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 202
Analyzing Microsporidia sp. MB from sequence to biology: comprehensive exploration of the genome, protein structures, and functions through extensive bioinformatics analysis
No full textMicrosporidia are spore-forming intracellular organisms classified as the earliest divergent group within the Fungi kingdom. Microsporidia have been found widely affecting different hosts, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. The pathogenicity of microsporidia depends on their species and the host species they infect. Due to their obligate intracellular nature, microsporidia have extensively evolved. This is illustrated by their highly variable genome sizes and gene content. Being minimalist eukaryotes, the microsporidia genome is often associated with extreme gene reduction and compaction. However, these interesting microorganisms retain particular genes that help them acquire specific host nutrients, thereby relying heavily on their host for survival and proliferation. The mode of sexual reproduction of microsporidia has not been well-studied. Harnessing microsporidia in the laboratory is often a challenge, however, the advances in computational tools have made it cheaper and quicker to accurately predict and annotate these organisms to understand their mechanism of infection. Understanding the protein structure and function of these unique organisms is the baseline for providing insights into their biology and survival in their respective hosts. Microsporidia genomes contain a large proportion of hypothetical proteins of which their functions are not described. Vittaforma corneae ATCC 50505 was used as a model to highlight the functions and structure of these otherwise unknown proteins. A systematic annotation pipeline employing exhaustive computational tools was devised to carefully annotate the hypothetical proteins of V. corneae, aiming to characterize their structure and function.The genome of the novel microsporidian, Microsporidia sp. MB, a Plasmodium-transmission-blocking symbiont isolated from Anopheles mosquitoes in Sub-Saharan Africa, was sequenced, assembled, and annotated. The genome was found to contain over 2000 putative genes spanning its 5.9 Mb size and contained minimal repeats. Comparative phylogenomic analysis of Microsporidia sp. MB grouped this symbiont within the Enterocytozoonida (clade IV) microsporidia, clustering with its closest relative – V. corneae. Using robust computational techniques, prediction and characterization of the putative proteins of Microsporidia sp. MB was conducted. The decay of several proteins in the glycolytic pathway is one unique characteristic associated with microsporidia. The proteins retained or lost often vary across the microsporidian taxon. This study highlights the retention of most of the proteins involved in the glycolytic pathway in Microsporidia sp. MB. The available genome dataset of Microsporidia sp. MB was further used to infer its mode of sexual reproduction. The symbiont appears to have several meiotic-related gene orthologs, suggesting that it is capable of sexual reproduction. These findings describe the basic biology of Microsporidia sp. MB and provide a basis for future Next-Generation Sequencing, RNA sequencing experiments ultimately informing the application of this microorganism as a biological malaria control tool.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bioinformatics, 202
Realist evaluation cases of the uptake and use of citizen science tools for water quality management: Vaal-Triangle public primary schools teachers and Mpophomeni enviro-champs
Get PDFThis study employs a theory-based approach to evaluate citizen science (CS) interventions in two distinct cases: the Mpophomeni enviro-champs and the Vaal-Triangle primary school teachers. These interventions were designed to foster social learning, enhance education or participants' understanding of water quality impacts, and promote community or public participation for improved water management. GroundTruth, a multidisciplinary consulting company with expertise in water resources and environmental engineering, collaborated as partners in these CS projects. Utilizing qualitative realist evaluation theory, the study delves into the intricate context-mechanismoutcome (CMO) configurations for each case, seeking depth insight into the outcomes of these citizen science initiatives. Data collection involved interviews, document analysis, and participant observations to construct a comprehensive understanding of the interventions' impact. In the case of the Vaal-Triangle primary school teachers, the CS intervention yielded positive results, significantly influencing teaching practices and instilling shared values for sustainable water quality management in both classrooms and the surrounding communities. However, the study revealed the need for continued evaluation and comprehensive dialogue among stakeholders, including teachers, school governing bodies, local municipalities, the Department of Basic Education, and the broader community to ensure the effectiveness, sustainability, and transformative potential of these interventions. In contrast, the Mpophomeni enviro-champs experienced a different set of outcomes. The CS intervention catalyzed numerous opportunities for the volunteers, forging a collaborative relationship between citizens and the government. Despite their socio-ecological vulnerability, these volunteers exhibited remarkable resilience and willingness to contribute, calling for formalization mechanisms such as remuneration and skill recognition to sustain and enhance their participation. This study provides insights into citizen science interventions, foregrounding volunteerism as a means of fostering fair and inclusive participation. It emphasizes the significance of combining social and classroom learning in achieving sustainable water quality management objectives. Furthermore, the research highlights the pivotal role of informed citizenship, which necessitates an understanding not only of environmental activism but also of effective political engagement to influence decision-making processes effectively. By challenging historical barriers and revealing new perspectives, this study offers a reflective thinking tool to advance transformative policy development in South Africa and beyond, promoting informed and responsible public participation in water quality management and fostering the sustainability of precious water resources.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Secondary and Post-School Education, 202
Platform food delivery: a study on the labour process and emotional labour experienced by gig workers in the Eastern Cape food delivery sector
Get PDFAs central to the gig economy, digital platforms are transforming the character of the modern economy. South Africa has seen the increased use of technology and the integration of technological changes into the labour market and labour process, including via digital platforms. The gig economy has entered a range of economic sectors in South Africa and elsewhere, including the service sector. Examples of digital platforms in this specific sector include Uber and Bolt for transportation, Sweep South for domestic help, and Mr D Food for food delivery. Undoubtedly, by inhibiting and sanctioning movements globally and locally, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the expansion of the gig economy in the service sector, as it restricted walk-in customers. The digital platform mediates the relationship between service sector workers and their clients and between workers and the companies operating the platforms. In this way, these technological platforms act as an ‘extra hand’ by, for example, hiring delivery workers in the first instance and then facilitating the delivery of products to customers. This thesis examines the food delivery sector in the gig economy in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The digital platforms in the food sector allow consumers to place food orders at a restaurant of choice and deliver them to their doorstep in less than an hour, ensuring convenience, reliability and efficiency for restaurants and customers. However, understanding the gig economy involves identifying and unpacking the experiences and perspectives of the gig workers. In doing so, this thesis examines food delivery workers labouring for two different companies (Uber East and Mr D Foods) in two sites (Makhanda and Gqeberha). The main aim is to analyse how the digital platforms restructure the labour process in the gig economy and the emotional labour enacted by the delivery workers. The thesis draws upon labour process and emotional labour theory to pursue this primary aim. Research findings highlight a high level of precariousness and stress amongst food delivery workers as they work under algorithmic systems of labour control marked by surveillance and are constantly required to perform emotionally to maximise income.Thesis (MSocSci) -- Faculty of Humanities, Sociology, 202
An exploration of the influence of gender dynamics on the experience of NGO staff members in Makhanda
Get PDFThis research explores gender dynamics within non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and examines whether, and to what extent women in the NGO sector perceive gender dynamics as playing instrumental roles in NGO organisational processes and structures. In conjunction with this, this research aims to explore the relationship between gender stereotypes and career progression. Black feminism and postcolonial feminism will be implemented as theoretical frameworks to explore how social or gender, age, race, and class interact with the organisational process of NGOs. The concepts of intersectionality and subjectivity are useful in understanding how interactions between race, class, and gender play a role in the subjective experiences of women of all backgrounds in post-apartheid South Africa. A postcolonial feminist approach focuses on the representation of African women, and allows an exploration of the knowledge of South African women within NGOs that will provide more perspectives to organisational studies. Traditional perspectives of gender stereotypes are widespread, but several respondents are indifferent to gender stereotypes while some of them feel that they are non-existent. The findings indicate that gender stereotypes continue to exist with forward movements in social progress, where progress might be stalled because of ingrained patriarchal norms, making it difficult to eradicate gender inequality. The findings from the research also suggest that there are tensions and contradictions involved when it comes to how female NGO staff members perceive gender discrimination, providing nuance to existing research. This research acknowledges the period of transition that society is in and recognises how complexities emerge. The findings capture the present state of gender identity, and applying an intersectional approach has indicated that other factors such as race, ethnicity and age take precedence. The research also recognises the importance of tracking and responding to changing societal attitudes in times of transition. Finally, the research also contributes to a broader understanding of the perceptions of gender identity and equality and ensures that discussions on patriarchy do not depend on established discussions that present reality in a stark way that does not leave space for nuance.Thesis (MSocSci) -- Faculty of Humanities, Sociology, 202