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KwaZulu-Natal Doctoral School

‘Smoking Hot’: The Use of Ntsu as a Vaginal Sexual Stimulant among Women at KwaDabeka Township (Durban, South Africa)

This study probed the cultural influences on how women construct their femininity in society and examined sexuality through women’s perceptions of their body, sex, and sexual pleasure using an African Feminist lens. The complexities of women’s desire to assert an identity combined with the contestation of normative femininity, sex, gender, and power relations in a culturally saturated township community were unbundled.

Exemplifying South African Indianness through a Bolly-World Experience: Writing, Directing, and Staging Bollywood Theatre in Durban, South Africa

The history of South African Indian theatre coincides with the arrival of indentured labourers from India in 1860. This type of theatre has evolved and changed with South Africa’s shifting political terrain, moving from ritual theatre to realism and protest theatre during apartheid. These ongoing changes now include Bollywood theatre, an adaptation of Bollywood cinema, which resonates strongly within the South African Indian diaspora (Desai, 2004). The aim of this research is to describe the writing, directing, and staging of this type of theatre in the city of Durban in South Africa.

Physical well-being of four-year-old learners and their readiness for grade R

Early childhood is a formative period during which distinguishable development has projections of bearing desirable outcomes within an individual. This critical period requires interventions that have ramifications for later life. This research study aimed at exploring physical well-being of four-year-old learners in relation to their readiness for Grade R. The study was particularly interested in their level of independence when carrying out certain physical activities.

The BRICS new development bank as alternative to the World bank and IMF: a better economic balance and Sustainable development for African region

The BRICS economies—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—represent the vanguard of emerging economies. Over the past 20 years, they have benefited from both the benefits and drawbacks of globalisation, impressing with quick, accelerated growth rates. Hence the need to study the BRICS New Development Bank As Alternative To The World Bank And IMF: A Better Economic Balance And Sustainable Development For African Region.” In recent decades, the BRICS have garnered a lot of attention on the international relations and economic scenes.

Unpacking the social constructions of motherhood: Exploring mother presence among young African women

experience of pregnancy and childbirth are life changing for women. In most African societies, childcare is often a woman’s responsibility. The motherhood journey of a young woman may be significantly impacted by the presence and/or absence of a biological mother. The presence of a biological mother is regarded as important in all stages of development, particularly for female children. However, mothers are absent for a number of reasons including their death.

The development of social work intervention guidelines for victims of gender-based violence in uMhlathuze municipality, Kwazulu-Natal

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a pervasive and alarming violation of human rights, reaching epidemic proportions in South Africa with a prevalence rate exceeding 50%. This study addresses the urgent need for effective social work interventions by developing comprehensive guidelines tailored to the unique challenges faced by GBV victims in Umhlathuze, KwaZulu-Natal. Resilience theory was used as the study's theoretical framework, the research unfolds through a phenomenological design involving social workers as purposively selected participants for this study.

The influence of corporate social responsibility on business performance of a medium-sized manufacturing enterprise in eThekwini municipal area

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an organisation's ongoing commitment to ethical behaviour and economic development, as well as improving the quality of life for its employees and their families, the local community, and society at large. It is an unavoidable requirement for long-term development, particularly in developing countries. Although there has been some focus on CSR and business performance in large corporations, research on CSR in SMEs, particularly in economically depressed African countries is becoming increasingly important.

Improving the administration of disability grants in South Africa’s social security agency

Improving the administration of disability grants in South Africa’s Social Security Agency was the primary focus of the study. Although the South African social security grant categories include the child support grant, older age persons’ grant, disability grant, grant-in-aid, care dependency grant, war veterans grant and the foster child grants, this study only focused on disability grants. In South Africa, fraud and maladministration are among the challenges impacting the quality of public service delivery. In terms of the study, the impact of this amongst other issues were investigated.

Reconceptualising academics’ experiences of using digitalised learning environments to teach agricultural sciences at a South African university

In the ever-changing landscape of higher education, the acceptance, use, and integration of digitalised learning environments have become a crucial transformation, giving another shape to knowledge dissemination. South Africa, as with any other country in the global community, has a complex higher education system coupled with diverse digital practices and experiences that are informed by the divided institutional contexts.

Police culture of isolation, solidarity and cynicism: an African criminological perspective on early career police officers

Police culture plays a crucial role in shaping law enforcement practices and the overall functioning of police organisations. In Africa, the study of police culture holds particular importance due to the unique historical, social, and political contexts that influence policing in the region. Academic research on police organisational culture has been one of the most robust and productive areas in the study of policing, uncovering many of the day-to-day realities, lived experiences and cultural meanings of police work.