Promoted to Senior Lecturer, in the Department of Sociology: University of South Africa; previously worked as a lecturer obtained twelve (12) years’ experience from University of South Africa; Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute at University of South Africa; Monash South Africa; and University of KwaZulu Natal (Westville campus)
South Africa has an urban youthful population. Its National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 as a poli... more South Africa has an urban youthful population. Its National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 as a policy aims at improving the education system by increasing student retention rates to 90 percent, increase enrolment at universities to 70
Ilobolo, an age-old practice among black South Africans, is the bride price paid by the bridegroo... more Ilobolo, an age-old practice among black South Africans, is the bride price paid by the bridegroom and his family for his wife. It serves as exchange between two families to legitimise a relationship skewed towards 'relocating the woman to a new household'. The ilobolo is usually paid in the form of cattle, cash, or both, before the marriage ceremony. While this 'mark of honour' is every woman's dream, it sits at the core of what has often been described as 'the culture of violence' in many South African homes. How does this ancient practice instigate or promote violence, and how does the society perceive the gender violence resulting from ilobolo? Employing qualitative data in its analysis, this paper examines these questions in the light of this form of violence that has made South Africa one of the countries with the highest rate of femicide in the world.
The ideas of ‘ownership’, ‘control’ and ‘love’ among people in intimate relationships, are often ... more The ideas of ‘ownership’, ‘control’ and ‘love’ among people in intimate relationships, are often weaved into the discourse of power relations. In this culture, a man owns his family and this sense of ownership results in control – erroneously seen as love for family. For those who subscribe to this notion of relationship, the concept of partner-abuse hardly exists – in fact; it is constructed within the gamut of discipline, love and care. This article explores the concept of power – ‘residual’ and ‘active’ power – and examines how exercise or non-exercise of these forms of power structures affects intimate relationships. It draws on a large study of domestic violence in Mamelodi Township, a black neighbourhood in Pretoria in Gauteng Province, South Africa. It aims at unravelling the central place of power relations in the commission of domestic violence – a scourge in South Africa. This article asks: how do women understand and mediate power and control between themselves and within their relationship with their partners? The study situates individual women’s experiences as a central point. Data was collected through in-depth interviews and observation. The article employs qualitative data in its analysis.
Domestic violence against women is a serious health and safety problem facing women around the wo... more Domestic violence against women is a serious health and safety problem facing women around the world. Scholars of domestic violence have identified demographic factors such as age, number of children, family type, unemployment, substance abuse, stress factors within the family, husband’s educational attainment and poverty as closely associated with domestic violence. While these factors have gained scholarly recognition, there is a dominant narrative among victims of domestic violence that alcohol is responsible for abusive relationships in Mamelodi, a black township in Pretoria, South Africa. Using the empirical data from Mamelodi, this article probes the narratives of female victims of domestic violence. The paper uses qualitative data in its analysis. Keywords: Mamelodi, domestic violence, helplessness theory, women, power and control
The popular discourse on domestic violence in South Africa highlights the preponderance of domest... more The popular discourse on domestic violence in South Africa highlights the preponderance of domestic violence among low income earners, living mainly in black townships. To illustrate the trajectory of this view, it is estimated that one in every four women is assaulted by their partners every week, and one woman is killed every six hours by her partner. Another strand of this discourse is that domestic violence is steeped in the inherent patriarchal nature of the South African society – in which women are denied basic rights by their male dominant society. While these views explain the basic ideas of the discourse on domestic violence, it is framed around the entrenched normative notion of poverty-violence nexus. It does not explain, for example, violence among the middle class and powerful households in the South African society. Using the empirical data from Mamelodi, a black township in Pretoria, this paper probes the poverty-violence discourse on domestic violence in South Africa. The paper uses qualitative data in its analysis
South Africa has an urban youthful population. Its National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 as a poli... more South Africa has an urban youthful population. Its National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 as a policy aims at improving the education system by increasing student retention rates to 90 percent, increase enrolment at universities to 70
Ilobolo, an age-old practice among black South Africans, is the bride price paid by the bridegroo... more Ilobolo, an age-old practice among black South Africans, is the bride price paid by the bridegroom and his family for his wife. It serves as exchange between two families to legitimise a relationship skewed towards 'relocating the woman to a new household'. The ilobolo is usually paid in the form of cattle, cash, or both, before the marriage ceremony. While this 'mark of honour' is every woman's dream, it sits at the core of what has often been described as 'the culture of violence' in many South African homes. How does this ancient practice instigate or promote violence, and how does the society perceive the gender violence resulting from ilobolo? Employing qualitative data in its analysis, this paper examines these questions in the light of this form of violence that has made South Africa one of the countries with the highest rate of femicide in the world.
The ideas of ‘ownership’, ‘control’ and ‘love’ among people in intimate relationships, are often ... more The ideas of ‘ownership’, ‘control’ and ‘love’ among people in intimate relationships, are often weaved into the discourse of power relations. In this culture, a man owns his family and this sense of ownership results in control – erroneously seen as love for family. For those who subscribe to this notion of relationship, the concept of partner-abuse hardly exists – in fact; it is constructed within the gamut of discipline, love and care. This article explores the concept of power – ‘residual’ and ‘active’ power – and examines how exercise or non-exercise of these forms of power structures affects intimate relationships. It draws on a large study of domestic violence in Mamelodi Township, a black neighbourhood in Pretoria in Gauteng Province, South Africa. It aims at unravelling the central place of power relations in the commission of domestic violence – a scourge in South Africa. This article asks: how do women understand and mediate power and control between themselves and within their relationship with their partners? The study situates individual women’s experiences as a central point. Data was collected through in-depth interviews and observation. The article employs qualitative data in its analysis.
Domestic violence against women is a serious health and safety problem facing women around the wo... more Domestic violence against women is a serious health and safety problem facing women around the world. Scholars of domestic violence have identified demographic factors such as age, number of children, family type, unemployment, substance abuse, stress factors within the family, husband’s educational attainment and poverty as closely associated with domestic violence. While these factors have gained scholarly recognition, there is a dominant narrative among victims of domestic violence that alcohol is responsible for abusive relationships in Mamelodi, a black township in Pretoria, South Africa. Using the empirical data from Mamelodi, this article probes the narratives of female victims of domestic violence. The paper uses qualitative data in its analysis. Keywords: Mamelodi, domestic violence, helplessness theory, women, power and control
The popular discourse on domestic violence in South Africa highlights the preponderance of domest... more The popular discourse on domestic violence in South Africa highlights the preponderance of domestic violence among low income earners, living mainly in black townships. To illustrate the trajectory of this view, it is estimated that one in every four women is assaulted by their partners every week, and one woman is killed every six hours by her partner. Another strand of this discourse is that domestic violence is steeped in the inherent patriarchal nature of the South African society – in which women are denied basic rights by their male dominant society. While these views explain the basic ideas of the discourse on domestic violence, it is framed around the entrenched normative notion of poverty-violence nexus. It does not explain, for example, violence among the middle class and powerful households in the South African society. Using the empirical data from Mamelodi, a black township in Pretoria, this paper probes the poverty-violence discourse on domestic violence in South Africa. The paper uses qualitative data in its analysis
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Keywords: Mamelodi, domestic violence, helplessness theory, women, power and control
not explain, for example, violence among the middle class and powerful households in the South African society. Using the empirical data from Mamelodi, a black township in Pretoria, this paper probes the poverty-violence discourse on domestic
violence in South Africa. The paper uses qualitative data in its analysis
Keywords: Mamelodi, domestic violence, helplessness theory, women, power and control
not explain, for example, violence among the middle class and powerful households in the South African society. Using the empirical data from Mamelodi, a black township in Pretoria, this paper probes the poverty-violence discourse on domestic
violence in South Africa. The paper uses qualitative data in its analysis