UWCScholar :: Browsing by Author "Ruiters, Greg"

Browsing by Author "Ruiters, Greg"

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Assessing sick leave absenteeism among public sector workers: a case study of nurses at Groote Schuur Hospital: 2012 and 2013
(University of the Western Cape, 2015) Lees, Samii Carl; Ruiters, Greg
Nursing is a vital part of the health care delivery system, but managers of health care facilities worldwide are increasingly asked to “do more with less”. Nurses are under increasing work pressure and this often manifests in stress and conflict at work and possible absenteeism. Very few researchers have focused on the patterns of absenteeism among different demographics, length of service and occupational strata. The main question this research seeks to answer is: what is the extent and costs of absenteeism amongst nurses and do seniority, length of service and demographic factors matter at Groote Schuur hospital (GSH). Confined to a period of two years, 2012 to 2013, this study draws on a data set of about 1,635 nurses in order to provide a more accurate analysis of sick leave trends showing occupational levels, gender, age, and race. Nurses at GSH are predominantly female and almost 55% of the workforce is classified as “Coloured”. African nurses in general are younger than the Coloured, White and Indian nurses. The research shows that the nurses in age category 60-66 in fact have a better attendance record; but the data shows there is no overall correlation between years of service and absenteeism. The study suggests that contrary to assumed views, absenteeism is well managed at GSH.
Changing people, changing lives through public participation and social transformation: A south African case study of a rural development programme
(Routledge, 2020) Roman, Allan; Ruiters, Greg
During 2009, in what seemed to be a return to RDP-style thinking, the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) was adopted nationally to tackle not only underdevelopment, poverty, unemployment, and other social ills, but also to enable ‘rural people to take control of their destiny’ with the support of ‘well-structured community organisations’ called Council of Stakeholders (CoS). Most existing studies, however, tend to devalue the CRDP, describing it as ill-conceived. This study investigated three Western Cape wards in South Africa, finding that both governmental and non-governmental actors had a less negative view and were actively trying to pursue a new form of co-operation. It is the only programme that attempts to be truly intergovernmental and community-based. The study’s results suggest that the CRDP can contribute to a deep process of change and empowerment. This change, in turn, could contribute to desired larger-scale changes and concerted collective action to drive development in locally appropriate ways.
Discretion among street level bureaucrats: A case study of nurses in a public hospital in Cape Town
(University of the Western Cape, 2014) Dzambo, Timalizge; Ruiters, Greg
There are often noted gaps and tensions arise between official government policies and what is implemented on the ground. The two theories that consistently argue antagonistically about the policy processes are the rational bureaucratic model also called the "top-down approach" as opposed to the incremental or bottom-up approach. This research was inspired by a bottom-up perspective and involves a detailed investigation of Lipsky's street level bureaucracy (SLB) theory. Over the years since Lipsky's research much international work has be done on the subject of discretion among policy implementers but in the South the focus has been more on top-down ideas such as increasing state capacity and monitoring workers and not on the Lipsky problematic. Hence, this study specifically focuses on studying the extent, intentions and uses of discretion. Intentions are look e at in a threefold manner: good, bad and conflicting, among nurses as SLBs in a public hospital in Cape Town, in view of the t wo conflicting approaches to policy implementation. I found that the discretion practices among nurses do 'more good than harm' as opposed to the view held by the top down approach. The study further revealed that discretion is also often conflicted or ambivalent. Moreover, it is often based on tacit collective understandings and practices among groups of nurses. This is one element that needs to be explored further in future studies in order to contribute to the body of knowledge. Notably, there appears to be a gap in South African literature on this vital subject area. 111
Environmental projects in schools in South Africa : a case study of an environmental educational project at a working class school on the Cape Flats
(University of the Western Cape, 2015) King, Audrey Eleanor; Ruiters, Greg
This research identifies the challenges of a three-year environmental education project in a primary school in Cape Town. The project, an indigenous fynbos garden, was located at a school in a working class area in Cape Town’s south eastern areas, also known as the “Cape Flats”. The garden at the school was initiated as a formal partnership project with Kirstenbosch Gardens in 2006 and the partnership ended in 2009. The research sought answers to the following questions: to what extent and how have the goals/guidelines as stipulated in the Kirstenbosch Outreach Greening Project (KOGP) partnership been understood and implemented by the educators; what have been the kinds of support from school management for the project; what factors might increase the sustainability of the KOGP at Stephen Road Primary School? The research drew on policy implementation literature, in-depth interviews and personal observations. The findings were that while the project was doable, it was not in line with the declining human resources available and added to stresses experienced by teachers who were trying to perform basic tasks related to classroom teaching and getting learners to pass basic subjects. Also the school saw a dramatic decline in learner and educators numbers from 2006 onwards. Although all educators were involved in environmental activities at the school, none of them was fulltime in Environmental Education (EE) and had many other areas to teach or administer. The success of the KOGP also depended on the active participation of the school’s management and the School Governing Body (SGB) and this also seemed to be lacking.
The moving line between state benevolence and control: Municipal indigent programmes in South Africa
(SAGE, 2018) Ruiters, Greg
free in South Africa. Having registered as municipal indigents, the poor not only gain access to free basic services but also embark upon a voyage into a bureaucratic underworld where policies are changed and eligibility criteria and sanctions are unevenly applied. Various preconditions and limits on services, as well as social surveillance of indigent households, has turned indigency programmes into a ‘regime’. The policy has swung from hard cost recovery (mass disconnections) during the period 1994–2000 to ‘free’ basic services and, more recently, to social-shaming and criminalisation. This paper provides a thematic account of recent municipal indigent processes in order to explore the ‘moving boundary’ between benevolence and control regarding this crucial citizen–state interface. Based on recent interviews with government officials, a review of relevant government documents, and describing the administrative complexities, the paper reveals aspects of what the poor confront in day-to-day experiences of the state. It is argued that there are lessons for all municipalities seeking a more sustainable and democratic path to citizenship rather than an ongoing low-level war with poor citizens.
Organising Somalian, Congolese and Rwandan migrants in a time of xenophobia in South Africa: empirical and methodological reflections
(Springer, 2018) Uwimpuhwe, Denys; Ruiters, Greg
Xenophobic practices pervade civil society and the state in South Africa. But its victims are not passive. Academic scholarship has not sufficiently recognised the multiple roles of refugees and asylum seekers migrant organisations in a context where refugees are required to "self-settle”. The dominant methodological focus of existing research has been on the migrant as the individual. This paper’s main research objectives are to question this focus and examine evidence of the collective responses to struggles faced by foreign African migrants and refugee groups in Cape Town. Eleven refugee and asylum seeker associations formed by Somalians, Congolese and Rwandan asylum seekers and refugees were investigated, based on extensive interviews with 11 leaders of refugee organisations. These organisations not only strongly defend migrant interests but also project a long-term view of integration into South African society. In addition, the paper concludes by arguing for a shift in the focus of research in order to show that migrant organisations are crucial in an individual’s collective security concerns, in advocacy with government institutions and in initiatives to build relationships with South Africans.
Social capital and developmental outcomes : a case study of black communities in Cederberg and Matzikama municipalities in the mid-2000s
(University of the Western Cape, 2015) Bayat, Amiena; May, Julian; Ruiters, Greg; Marysse, Stefaan
Transforming economic growth into tangible benefits for poor communities appears to have frustrated development practitioners and policy makers. Despite the net positive growth achieved between 1994 and 2014 the face of poverty and inequality remains largely unchanged in South Africa. In such circumstances there is a pressing need for scholars to rethink the social foundations of economic activity and policy (Chang, 2006; Fine, 2001, 2005). One specific line of enquiry that has attracted attention among economists (Stiglitz, 2000; Woolcock, 2001; Fine, 2001) is that of social capital. This thesis seeks understanding of the relationship between social capital and the socioeconomic advancement of poor African/Black residents, particularly those in rural municipalities where there is a lack of financial and other resources. With this in mind, Robert Putnam’s path-breaking theory will be reformulated to explore the relationship during the mid-2000s between social capital, trust, political participation and socioeconomic outcomes in two rural municipalities in the Western Cape province of South Africa, namely Cederberg and Matzikama. The research questions the adequacy of Putnam’s theory of social capital, arguing that it is conceptually simple and inadequate as a description of how membership in social groups (networks) lead to better socioeconomic outcomes in the context of marginal, rural African/Black communities residing in under-capacitated municipalities. The thesis argues that an alternative conceptual framework is required, capable of depicting the complexity of the social processes required to translate social group membership into tangible benefits for poor households, as an explanation of why African/Blacks in Cederberg experienced better socioeconomic outcomes than their counterparts in Matzikama.
Social media, protest and citizen participation in local government: A comparison between the City of Cape Town and Johannesburg metropolitan municipalities: 2010 to 2017
(University of Western Cape, 2022) Maseko, Maxwell Makhangala; Ruiters, Greg
This study’s central focus is to assess how various classes of people in in distinct localities across Cape Town and Johannesburg use social media in citizen participation concerning municipal governance processes. While largely drawing on interviews, the study also uses quantitative descriptive data. While some scholars believe that social media use will contribute to civic decline, others think that it has a role to play in re-invigorating civic life. This study has found that there is a gap in understanding important differences in the ways various classes in different contexts mobilise and adapt social media and that the capacity of the “poor” and their social movements to engage as collective citizens using social media has been understated. The wealthy social movements rely more on litigation and money power. Each social group adapts social media to suit its socio-political imperatives and context. South Africa’s major municipalities still lean towards traditional spaces of citizen participation and bureaucratic insulation.
‘This land is not for sale’: Post-1994 resistance art and interventionism in Cape Town’s precarious publics
(Elsevier, 2021) Makhubu, Nomusa; Ruiters, Greg
The control, regulation and commodification of space has been fundamental in reinforcing structural racism and social identities. In a city such as Cape Town, where colonial architecture and heritage as well as apartheid racial zoning forms part of the spectacularisation of the city, racial conflict seems to have deepened. Through dis- cussing public protest, artistic public interventions and live art, we argue that young black artists in South Africa are heralding a new phase of post-1994 resistance art which exposes conflictual cultural politics of public space in Cape Town rather than a healing democracy and multi-culturalism. As protesters and activists, artists deface the myth of a reconciled non-racial post-Apartheid society by targeting officially sanctioned art. Drawing from Faranak Miraftab’s notion of ‘invited’ and ‘invented’ spaces as well as Chris Dixon and Angela Davis’ concept of prefigurative politics, we argue that precarious South African publics are experienced as a ‘battleground’ rather than a space for liberal deliberation and democracy. New resistance art, therefore, tends to be protest-centred in engaging with the conflictual nature of the city.
Transformational leadership and health related NGOs in Ethiopia: Members' perspectives of their leaders - A case study of Addis Ababa Network of PLHIV Associations (ANOPA+)
(University of the Western cape, 2016) Dinbabo, Berhane Tessema; Ruiters, Greg
Clarifying the nexus between leadership and organisational effectiveness across the world remains a significant challenge that has raised robust scholarly debate. A wide range of conceptual models have been provided on effective leadership. But, at the global level few empirical studies have been done to examine transformational leadership in the context of Non-Government Organisations (NGOs). In line with the leadership theory and conceptual framework, this study sought to analyse members' perception of their leaders, using a case study NGO in Addis Ababa. The researcher employed both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Quantitative methodology used questionnaire surveys based on the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire to assess the dominant leadership style within ANOPA+. Qualitative methodology was applied through semi-structured interviews, in order to deepen the understanding of the existing leadership style based on the members' perception of the organisation. The results of the study indicated that transformational leadership motivated followers to attain more than they thought possible, by appealing to followers self-esteem and inspiring them to go beyond self-centered interests. In addition, the research process identified five important gaps that impede the successful implementation of ANOPA+'s programme. First, this study revealed that ANOPA+ leaders failed to use, or lacked a proper understanding of, transformational leadership skills. Second, this empirical research, discovered that the dominant leadership style within ANOPA+ was transactional leadership. Third, this research confirmed that there was no statistically significant difference between the perception of staff and volunteers regarding the leadership style within ANOPA+. Fourth, the field data assessment showed that HIV/AIDS status is the crucial criterion for appointment as a leader in ANOPA+. However, ANOPA+ members believed that effective leaders should have a combination of the knowledge, skills and competencies that followers can use to perform their day-to-day work. Fifth, the study identified that the appointment of women in leadership positions within ANOPA+ is very low. Within the context of the above mentioned analysis, the study finally brings into focus general observations gained from the investigation and provides recommendations to policy makers and other stakeholders.
Uneven development and scale politics in Southern Africa: what we learn from Neil Smith
(Wiley, 2016) Bond, Patrick; Ruiters, Greg
Southern Africa is probably the most unevenly developed region on earth, combining the most modern technologies and an advanced working class with the world’s extremes of inequality and social militancy. The two most extreme countries, both with settler–colonial populations and accumulation processes that created durable class/race/gender distortions and extreme environmental degradation, are South Africa and Zimbabwe—both of which Neil Smith visited in 1995. His contribution to our understanding of political economy, before and after, was exemplary. We consider in this article how Smith’s theory assisted in the understanding of crisis-ridden financial markets within the framework of capital overaccumulation and intensified spatial unevenness; the politics of scale, difference and community; and the ways that class apartheid and durable racism in the two countries together fit within contemporary geopolitical economy.
Xenophobia and the role of immigrant organizations in the City of Cape Town
(University of the Western Cape, 2015) Uwimpuhwe, Denys; Ruiters, Greg
The aim of this study is to develop an understanding of Cape Town's foreign African immigrants by looking at the profile, character and role of immigrant associations and how they shape survival strategies as well as possible paths to the integration of African immigrants. The thesis seeks to develop an understanding of the mediating role played by Cape Town's African foreign immigrant organisations. I also look at the transnational activities of these organizations. I selected Cape Town because it prides itself on liberal values of toleration, diversity and non-racialism while at the same time branding itself as an African City. The City of Cape Town has no comprehensive policy that protects or promotes the immigrants’ interests. The study of the agency and organisations of foreign African immigrants has been singularly neglected by scholars who have been mostly concerned with understanding why South Africans are xenophobic. This study is largely qualitative with life stories interviews that shed light on the context of exit and reception of African immigrants in Cape Town and reveals the hardship immigrants endure and the problems they face in their efforts to integrate into South African society. The thesis shows the different kinds of exclusions African immigrants face in both private and public spaces and highlights also the role of immigrant's organizations in negotiating space and dealing with xenophobic attacks on their community members. My findings concur with the work of key scholars such Alejandro Portes. Immigrant organisations have a variety of activities and sub-organisations that promote both transnational and local collective action. The thesis documents types of immigrant organisations, their characteristics, location, membership, objectives, activities and their efforts in assisting their members in cases of xenophobic attacks. In Cape Town, immigrants have formed organizations that help them to network with one another in order to negotiate space in this hostile environment.

Browsing by Author "Ruiters, Greg"

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