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The transformative journey of ukuthwasa: Exploring the process of ukuthwasa and its impact on the lives, identities and careers of young women
(University of the Western Cape, 2025) Lalala, Limpho Faith
Ukuthwasa is a profound journey rooted in African cultures and represents a deeply rooted cultural and spiritual practice for people called to be traditional healers. This ethnographic study explored the experiences of young women who have undergone ukuthwasa and how they navigate their ancestral dependencies in relation to their everyday lives. The study also explored how these young women embrace their spirituality and how this process contributes to the broader decolonial project of reclaiming African spirituality. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 young women who had undergone ukuthwasa, and they were recruited through the snowballing method. The data was recorded and manually transcribed and analysed through thematic analysis. The study was guided by the ritual theory and the concept of the rite of passage and used these two theories to contextualise the study. The findings of this study demonstrate that the journey of ukuthwasa is more than just a “fashion trend”; it is a deeply rooted journey that transforms individuals' lives from their identity, choices, and beliefs to their modes of practice. The findings also show how ukuthwasa impacts the lives of young women and how they navigate their calling demands within their contemporary lives.
Rethinking the biographic performance, rebranding and re-symbolisation of Prince
(University of the Western Cape, 2025) Stephanus Dean E.; Rassool Ciraj
Most biographic treatments of Prince agree on the basic components of his chronological life. I will provide a précis of the biographic information that has become instrumental when discussing Prince as a subject. Where I disagree with this conventional field of Prince biography and the works that have relied on this method of making Prince knowable is that up until now these have not treated Prince Rogers Nelson as the biological and ontological body separate from Prince the artist and the staged personae through which he wrote songs, and created and performed music. It is through these staged personae, that were also turned into brands, that Prince produced an empire of music performances, recordings and artistic meanings, and also through which he became known for his creative work. Prince the artist was made knowable in a highly mediated environment of audiovisual reproduction of music performance, initially mostly analogue but later fully part of the digital world. This thesis is about questions of cultural production, biographic performance, and biographic maintenance. Not only was Prince’s music authored and produced as recordings and live stage performances, but the very idea of Prince as an artist was also the subject of constant production. And once Prince was produced, its existence required maintenance, both as consistency and as reworking. These are the features of my study of Prince Rogers Nelson as he performed through the produced persona of Prince and later as and then once again as Prince. This distinction should not be understood through a lens of the idea of an authentic self and a musical alias. Rather these processes of artistic production were geared towards music enhancement and promotion, and perhaps branding, in a domain of heightened aural and visual performativity. Prince was made knowable through sound and visuality. Sometimes maintenance took the form of the defence of intellectual property, for music became property through the rituals and procedures of commerce. At times, these conditions saw the need for the ongoing production of Prince and at others, the performed music required a new persona and brand, such as
An analysis of the meaning of section 24(a) of the South African Constitution in the context of correctional centres
(Universty of the Western Cape, 2026) Ntamnani, Akhona
The history of prisons in South Africa is important not only to determine how far we have come in aligning the correctional system to constitutional and human rights standards, but also to understand how the past system has impacted upon the current context. The history of prisons (now called correctional centres) began with the Cape prison system. Singh explains that when Jan van Riebeeck invaded the Cape colony, he introduced the 17th-century Dutch form of punishment.1 This manner of punishment was public and brutal. Despite its violent nature, this system influenced the administration of justice and the penal system in South Africa.2 Public crucifixion and firing squads were used to punish offenders.3 Convicted offenders were sometimes held in chains and kept in the Dutch East India Company’s slave lodge and forced to do public labour. Some offenders were deported to Robben Island to remove them from the public. The system, according to Van Zyl Smit, had no concern for the well-being of its subjects.
Developing guidelines to strengthen the human capabilities of parents with children with developmental disabilities using an Interdisciplinary team approach
(University of the Western Cape, 2025) Magidigidi-Mathiso, Lumka
A diagnosis of developmental disability (DD) in a child initiates a lifelong journey for parents, often marked by emotional, physical, and logistical challenges. While caring for a child with DD can be deeply meaningful, parents frequently assume multiple roles such as coordinator, caregiver, and advocate within a complex and fragmented support system. This study explores the role of interdisciplinary team collaboration in strengthening the human capabilities of parents of children with DD, particularly in primary health care settings. Despite the involvement of various professionals such as physiotherapists, occupational and speech therapists, social workers, and paediatricians, coordination across services remains inconsistent. Parents are often left to navigate disjointed systems, juggling services across public, private, and school-based sectors with limited formal communication between providers. Drawing on Martha Nussbaum’s Human Capabilities Approach, which emphasises dignity and well-being, this study aimed to develop evidence-based guidelines for supporting parents through a cohesive interdisciplinary model. A mixed-methods design was employed, combining a systematic review of international interventions with qualitative data gathered from parents, health professionals, and community stakeholders in three historically disadvantaged communities in the Western Cape. Purposive sampling yielded 13–23 parents and 12 professionals, all of whom consented to voluntary participation under strict ethical protocols (Ethics clearance: BM23/1/10, University of the Western Cape).
Impacts of land use land cover changes in Mountainous Catchments – A case study of Klaserie Catchment, Mariepskop Mountain
(Universty of the Western Cape, 2026) Yono, Anothando
Land use and land cover (LULC) change remains a central driver of ecological transformation, particularly in semi-arid mountainous catchments where terrain complexity, limited data availability, and climate variability intersect with increasing human population and activity. This study examines the drivers, spatial–temporal patterns, and hydrological implications of LULC change in the Klaserie Catchment, located in the semi-arid eastern region of South Africa, over a 34-year period (1990–2024). The study employed a remote sensing–based methodological framework integrating Landsat and Sentinel-2 imagery with machine learning algorithms, specifically Simple Non-Iterative Clustering (SNIC) and the Random Forest classifier, processed within Google Earth Engine (GEE). This approach was used to detect and delineate spatiotemporal changes across four major LULC categories: vegetation, bare land, built-up areas, and water bodies. Classification accuracies averaged (91–97%) with Kappa values of 0.84–0.94. Built-up areas increased by 199%, bare land declined by 30%, vegetation expanded slightly, and water bodies remained stable. The detected shifts in vegetation, bare land, and built-up areas further imply potential disruptions to hydrological processes in this mountainous catchment. Increased open surfaces and vegetation change may alter runoff generation, reduce infiltration, and affect baseflow regulation, with implications for streamflow variability, sediment transport, and water availability downstream. These findings underscore the urgent need for integrated land use planning, sustainable resource management, and climate-resilient policies to balance development pressures with the conservation of ecosystems and water security in semi-arid catchments.