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Doctoral Journey

South African literature indicates that LGBTIQ+ people continue to encounter discrimination and oppression in various social spaces due to heteronormative ideologies that create barriers to acceptance and tolerance of sexual diversity. While much of the literature examines spaces such as schools, universities, churches, family settings, and both rural and urban communities, limited attention has been given to gay identities within traditional male-dominated workplaces.

We are currently in the midst of a memoir boom characterised by an increase in the production and promotion of memoirs by public figures. For example, in 2023, Britney Spears’ memoir, The Woman in Me sold 1,1 million copies in the first week of its release. A few months before that, Spare, a memoir by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, set a Guinness World Record for the fastest-selling non-fiction book (1.43 million copies on the first day). The proliferation of memoirs and/or autobiography has led to renewed interest in its study.

This study investigated the livelihood challenges faced by informal waste pickers in Mahikeng, South Africa and developed intervention guidelines to enhance their socioeconomic conditions. Despite their significant contribution to environmental sustainability and resource recovery, informal waste pickers operate under precarious conditions characterised by economic vulnerability, health risks, and social marginalisation.

The area of Error Analysis (EA) has extensively been researched for the past 40+ years through Second Language (L2) learning, but adequate attention has not been given to First Language (L1) learning. Although few researchers have covered some of the L1 grounds in other African languages, this area, especially on morphological and phonological components is relatively new in Northern Sotho.

Low organ donor rates are a concern worldwide, specifically in South Africa, where only 0,2% -0,3 % of the population are registered as organ donors. Organ donation is a medical treatment for end-stage organ failures like the heart, liver, lung, and kidneys. In the exploration to understand the reasons behind low transplantation rates, it is suggested that knowledge on the topic of organ donation and people’s values and belief systems can influence their acceptance or rejection of organ donation practices.

The effectiveness of protests and mobilization for social justice and representation for the marginalised is undermined by the violence often portrayed in protests. While there has been extensive research on the phenomenon of violent protests, this study focused on exploring students' first encounters and conditioning regarding violent protesting. The theoretical framework also interrogates the concept of emancipatory violence postulated by Frantz Fanon as a pathway to understanding the dynamics of violent protesting.

Despite more than two decades of democratic rule in South Africa, the country's agricultural industry is essentially unchanged, consisting of two distinct sectors: large-scale commercial white farmers and small-scale or emerging black farmers. This dual agrarian economy consists of thousands of emerging farmers who are typified by inadequate and inefficient on-farm infrastructure, a lack of arable land, uncoordinated production, and large-scale commercial farmers who produce nearly 95 per cent of agricultural products.

Endometriosis is a complex, poorly understood disease that affects approximately 2% to 10% of women globally. Persistent fatigue renders many endometriosis patients unable to engage in daily life, yet has not received much attention in the academic literature and treatment protocols are almost non-existent. Persistent fatigue is a common symptom of other long-term diseases and the evidence for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)-based treatment is strong.