UWCScholar

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Invisible struggles: the reality of food insecurity among students at the University of the Western Cape
(Frontiers Media SA, 2026) Archer, Elizabeth
Food insecurity is a student-success, equity and well-being concern in South African higher education. At historically disadvantaged institutions, the issue is shaped by national patterns of inequality, the transition from school-based nutrition support to more fragmented post-school support, and the limits of using income or funding status alone as a proxy for basic needs. This study examines the prevalence and severity of food insecurity among students at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and explores demographic and socio-economic patterns associated with vulnerability. An anonymous online census survey was administered to registered UWC students between March and September 2023. The survey combined demographic questions with the eight-item Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES). Responses were analysed descriptively and through Rasch-based FIES procedures to examine prevalence, item severity, residual correlations and comparability with the global reference scale. Among 655 valid FIES cases, 66% of respondents were classified as experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity; 49% were classified as severely food insecure. The item hierarchy indicated a progression from anxiety about food access and limited dietary variety to skipped meals, hunger and going a whole day without eating. Descriptive subgroup patterns showed higher mean food insecurity scores among students with no formal income and those relying on government grants, and higher mean scores among African and Coloured students than among Indian and White students. Here, ‘Coloured’ is capitalised and used in its specific South African context to denote a recognised population group and social identity, not in the derogatory sense the word may carry elsewhere. Food insecurity at UWC is not a marginal welfare issue but a basic-needs constraint on learning and participation. Institutional responses should therefore connect food relief, financial aid advising, psychosocial support, data-informed referral systems, and sustainable campus food initiatives, while recognising the structural limits of what a single university can resolve on its own.
African languages in the digital AI era: reimagining communication, access, policy, and participation
(University of the Western Cape, 2026) Harun, Ibrahim
Language remains a central marker of identity, culture, and power in South Africa, and in the digital and AI era, longstanding debates about linguistic inclusion and equity have intensified. Although the Constitution affirms multilingualism, English continues to dominate institutional and technological domains, thereby limiting the visibility, accessibility, and functionality of African languages. This study examines the integration, representation, and transformation of African languages within digital and AI-mediated environments in South Africa. Using a systematic literature review guided by PRISMA and a Virtual Linguistic Landscape (VLL) approach, the study synthesises recent scholarship, policy documents, and digital language initiatives to assess current developments. The review analyses emerging digital tools, online linguistic resources, and the evolving roles of African languages in education, governance, and public communication. The VLL method further illustrates how African languages circulate and acquire symbolic presence across selected digital spaces. Findings indicate a steady growth in digitisation efforts, the expansion of language technology projects, and increased institutional attention to linguistic diversity. However, progress remains uneven across languages, with persistent gaps in funding, standardisation, and technological capacity. Overall, the study demonstrates that while digital platforms and AI systems offer significant opportunities to advance linguistic justice, meaningful transformation requires sustained policy commitment and long-term investment of resources.
'n Gevallestudie van hoe twee beheerliggame deur die desentralisasieproses van die nuwe Suid-Afrikaanse Skolewet Nr. 84 van 1996 beinvloed word.
(University of the Western Cape, 2008) Arendse, Stephen James; Kalaway
Die onderwys word gedurig gekonfronteer met veranderinge. Desentraliseerde onderwys of selfbestuur van skole is 'n belangrike intemasionale ontwikkeling. 'n Afwenteling van gesag vind vanaf 'n hoer onderwys beheerliggaam na plaaslike bestuur of skoolvlak plaas. Die studie stel vera I ondersoek in hoe beheerliggame deur die nuwe Suid-Afrikaanse Skolewet Nr. 84 van 1996 beinvloed word en die rol van ouer betrokkenheid. Aile betrokkenisse moes 'n demokratiese aktiewe rol speel by die besluitnemings proses in skole. Die doel van gedesentraliseerde opvoedkundige bestuur is om ouer betrokkenheid in die besluitneming in skole te bevorder. Die fokus van die studie was om ondersoek in te stel na probleme en die funksionering wat beheerliggame ervaar. Die studie het bevind dat die aard van die funksies en skoolbeheer word hoofsaaklik bepaal deur die Suid-Afrikaanse Skolewet Nr. 84 van 1996. Die navorsing is gedoen van twee skole wat in verskillende sosio-ekonomiese omstandighede fungeer. Daar was onderhoude gevoer met die lede op die twee beheerliggame. Die teenwoordigheid van ouers in skool vergaderings van middel sosio- ekonomiese skole is byna honderd persent. Die teenwoordigheid van ouers in skool vergaderings van laer sosio - ekonomiese agtergronde was baie swak. Die studie bevind ook dat ouers van middel sosioekonomiese agtergronde dee I neem in aile besluite of beleide wat by die skool geformuleer word, wat in lyn moet wees met WKOD se beleidsdokumente. Ouers in lae sosio-ekonomiese omgewing was baie passief as dit by besluite kom wat die skool raak. Die studie het bevind dat aile ouers nog nie volmag het om aile besluite rakende die skool te kan deur voer nie.Sekere besluite word nog steeds deur die Departement van Onderwys gemaak, ongeag wat die Suid-Afrikaanse Skolewet Nr. 84: 1996 se riglyne voorskryf. Sommige ouers weet nog steeds nie wat hulle pligte is ten opsigte van skoolbestuur nie. Skoolbeheerliggame in sekere skole is meestal betrokke by fondsinsameling en handhawing van dissipline. Ouers speel nie oor die algemeen 'n aktiewe rol by die samestelling van die kurrikulum en aspekte van skool bestuur nie. Tydens die instelling van die nuwe beheerliggame was beheerliggame alreeds gekonfontreer met swak infrastrukture, 'n tekort aan hulpbronne, opleiding ontbreek, swak kommunikasie en swak bestuur van beheerliggame deur sekere ouers.
A comparative study of analogue and digital impression techniques for maxillary edentulous ridges
(University of the Western Cape, 2025) Putuma-Gqalangile, Yonela Zintle; Maart, Ronel; Haffajee, Ridhwaan; Ahmed, Rukshana
Background Digital dentistry has been widely used in dentistry mainly for single-unit crowns. With ongoing technological advancements, digital dentistry is expanding and is gradually being integrated into conventional clinical workflows. Limited evidence or clinical studies exist to support the use of digital impressions for edentulous ridges.
“Underkingdom”, enslavement simulation, and the normalization of human trafficking and scam compound culture in southeast Asia
(Routledge, 2026) Lazarus, Suleman
This paper argues that Scam Center Simulator: UnderKingdom trivializes victim harm and dehumanizes trafficked persons. It normalizes offender identity within a documented and ongoing crisis. I examine these design features against Southeast Asia’s scam compound phenomenon. I adopt a viewpoint approach. The primary source is the developer’s public representation of game mechanics on Steam. This is supplemented by firsthand observation of available gameplay material. This constitutes a structural analysis of design intent, not a study of individual player outcomes. Theoretical analysis draws on Bandura’s moral disengagement theory and Sykes and Matza’s neutralization techniques. Evidence from the scam compound and online fraud literature anchors the argument throughout. The game’s design architecture reproduces the cognitive and moral architecture of scam compound operations. Its mechanics are directly mapped onto documented compound practices. Crucially, the simulator literalizes the emic offender argot “the game,” documented in the criminological literature. This renders a criminal self-concept as a commercially distributed entertainment product. This is the first critical examination of this game as a cultural artifact. I identify the literalization of offender argot as a structurally novel contribution to harm. My analysis has implications for trafficking research, media literacy, and platform regulation in Southeast Asia.