OpenUCT is the open access institutional repository of the University of Cape Town (UCT). It preserves and makes UCT scholarly outputs digitally and freely available, including theses and dissertations, journal articles, book chapters, technical and research reports, as well as open educational resources.
Recent Submissions
Item
Open Access
Weak Nets, Strong Currents: Analysing the Regulation of Social Media Disinformation in Kenya and South Africa
(2026) Itumbiri, Grace; Chuma, Wallace
The integration of digital media into everyday life has created new opportunities for information sharing while amplifying challenges such as disinformation. Efforts to regulate disinformation remain complex for both state and non-state actors globally. This study examines regulatory regimes addressing social media disinformation in Kenya and South Africa, contextualised within Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, which advocates for freedom of expression and the right to receive information. Through document analysis and expert interviews, the study interrogates the compatibility of existing regulations in both countries with democratic norms, focusing on challenges posed by social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter). By analysing policy papers, constitutions, acts of parliament, regional declarations, and court rulings, the study maps the current legal frameworks and critiques their adaptability to evolving technologies, including the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to disseminate falsehood on social media. Kenya and South Africa, often lauded as progressive democracies and digital innovation leaders in Africa, offer instructive case studies for broader continental policy development. The research is justified by the historical and ongoing impact of disinformation in Kenya's electoral processes and the rapid growth of social media usage in both countries. Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative approach, combining document analysis with expert interviews to offer nuanced insights into regulatory practices and their effects on freedom of expression and the right to access truthful information. Findings suggest that while both countries have made significant strides, existing regulatory measures often struggle to balance combating disinformation with protecting constitutional freedoms. The study concludes by offering policy recommendations aimed at developing adaptive, rights-respecting regulatory frameworks suitable for Africa's dynamic digital environment.
Item
Open Access
HIV/AIDS-related funding to faith-based organizations in sub-Saharan Africa: qualitative systematic review
(2026) Inghepa, Klaudia; Olivier, Jill
Introduction: HIV/AIDS remains a global crisis, with 84.2 million infections and 40.1 million deaths since 1996. Despite initiatives like the UNAIDS's 95-95-95 strategy to end AIDS by 2030, sub-Saharan Africa bears two-thirds of the global burden. Effective HIV prevention requires integrating biomedical, behavioural, and structural approaches. Faith-Based Organizations play a pivotal role in delivering affordable, community-accepted health promotion services. However, challenges such as inadequate funding and technical capacity limit their ability to conduct awareness campaigns, distribute educational materials, and provide HIV testing and counselling. This study explores how Faith based organisations in subSaharan Africa accessed global and local HIV/AIDS funding from 2000 to 2024. Methods: A qualitative systematic review as conducted in two phases, first phase consisted of a scoping review (Phase 1) which then informed the qualitative systematic review (Phase 2). Qualitative and quantitative data was extracted from primary studies to identify funding mechanisms of Faith Based Organizations in HIV/AIDS engagement, barriers and facilitators over two decades. Grey literature, such as case studies and government reports, supplemented this review. Searches conducted in databases like PubMed and EMBASE focused on English-language studies from 2000–2024. Screening included titles, abstracts, and full texts, with data analysed using descriptive and thematic synthesis. Findings: Nineteen records, including primary studies and reviews, were included. Most studies reported on Christian Faith Based Organizations, primarily Catholic churches, offering services spanning education, health, psychosocial support, and economic empowerment. The review highlights that faith-based organizations in sub-Saharan Africa are not receiving sufficient HIV/AIDS-related funding, despite their critical role in healthcare delivery, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Structural and administrative barriers limit their ability to access and manage funds effectively, including capacity constraints in financial management and compliance with donor requirements. Furthermore, the finding raises concerns about the potential complete withdrawal of United States government funding following policy shifts under President Donald Trump's administration. This anticipated funding cut threatens to further weaken the already limited financial support for Faith based organisations-led HIV interventions, potentially disrupting essential services such as HIV prevention, treatment, and care programs. These findings underline the urgent need for capacity-building efforts to enhance Faith Based Organizations' financial and administrative capabilities, as well as the importance of diversifying funding sources to reduce reliance on a single donor, ensuring the sustainability of HIV/AIDS interventions in the region. Conclusion: This review highlights the significant funding challenges faced by faith-based organizations in sub-Saharan Africa in their efforts to combat HIV/AIDS. Despite their crucial role in healthcare, Faith Based Organizations remain underfunded and lack financial management capacity. In addition, the potential withdrawal of U.S.A government funding further threatens their sustainability. To address this, urgent action is needed to strengthen these organization's financial and administrative capacity and explore alternative funding mechanisms. Policymakers and donors must recognize their role and support a more sustainable funding framework to prevent disruptions in HIV/AIDS services, particularly in communities dependent on faith-based healthcare.
Item
Open Access
Chasing the Future: South Africa's Race to Electrify the Automotive Industry
(2026) Hlela, Ntuthuko; Smith, Michael; Black, Anthony
The automotive industry, one of the biggest contributors to climate change, has been tasked to transition from producing ICEVs to producing Electric Vehicles (EVs) as the latter is relatively more environmentally friendly. Given the technical distinctions between ICEVs and EVs, this transition bears significant implications for the automotive industry GVC. The fundamental purpose of this paper is to understand, using the GVC methodology, how South Africa can accelerate the production and consumption of EVs. The paper found that to navigate the EV transition successfully, the South African government needs to make legally binding commitments to the transition. More specifically, on the supply side, the government needs to offer significant tax breaks and subsidies that will make establishing businesses in South Africa attractive for investors, especially Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). South Africa already has a geographical disadvantage coupled with a relatively small domestic and regional market; therefore, it is paramount for the government to use all available tools in its arsenal to make the country a viable option for investors. On the demand side, the government should provide financial incentives to prospective EV buyers. The price differential between ICEVs and EVs is the main hurdle to a mass adoption of the latter, hence tax incentives and subsidies will play an important role in accelerating the adoption of EVs in the country.
Item
Open Access
A Love Letter to the Queer Community of Cape Town: Mapping Queer Space in The Pink City
(2026) Hesseling, Mira; Macdonald, Helen
The introductory chapter provides background information pertaining to the research interest, details about the research questions, an overview of the literature used to formulate the theoretical framework of the dissertation, and a discussion of the methodology used to conduct the dissertation, as well as ethical considerations. In The Old and The New: Dissecting the Development of Queer Visibilities in Cape Town, I primarily discuss how the queer landscape of Cape Town has changed over time – focusing specifically on the effects of colonialism and apartheid in the past; and commodification, tourism and capitalism in the present. This chapter focuses on the geography of Cape Town and its relationship to queer space, as well as engagement with concepts such as hetero- and homonormativity, and the history of inequality within queer spaces through the lens of ‘visibility'. The next chapter, Drinking, Dancing, DOGs and Identity: Rejecting Binaries in Queer Nightlife Spaces, is an in-depth exploration of various nightlife spaces in Cape Town frequented by participants and an analysis of the tensions within these spaces. This chapter primarily discusses the distinction between queer spaces and so-called ‘safe' spaces, and how issues of different queer identities, race, class, financial accessibility and disability manifest within these spaces. Finally, this chapter shows the strides being made for more inclusive nightlife spaces in Cape Town, driven by the queer youth of the city. The Great (Queer) Outdoors: Creating Inclusive Queer Space in Hetero-Masculine Sports outlines the progress that is being made in creating more diverse day-time activity-based spaces for the queer community. Through interviews with members of the Queer Surf and Queer Skate clubs in Cape Town, this chapter reveals the latent hetero-sexism within surf and skate culture and argues for access to diverse and accessible queer spaces in the same way that cisgender and heterosexual people have easy and unquestioned access to these types of activity-based spaces. The concluding chapter summarises the key research findings and introduces a concept of ‘queer home'.
Item
Open Access
Factors influencing the decision-making process of the South African judicial system when dealing with false sexual abuse allegations in parental responsibilities and rights disputes
(2026) Hermann, Janette; Holtzhausen, Leon
Judicial decision-making in high-conflict matters concerning parental responsibilities and rights is a complex process within the South African and international judicial systems alike, with a significant impact on families, especially when false sexual abuse allegations emerge during the proceedings. While limited South African research on this subject exists, international studies, drawing on legal case law, scholarly literature, and judicial guidelines, offer insight into the topic (Ferguson, Wright, Death, Burgess & Malouff, 2018; Death, Ferguson & Burgess, 2019; Moloney, 2008; Lowenstein, 2012; Shapiro & Sanchez-Rivero, 2017). This study implements a multi-theoretical approach, utilising heuristics and biases theory, the theory of reasoned action, and attribution theory to explore the issue. The study utilised an exploratory qualitative research methodology with participants consisting of professionals in family law, including judges and senior advocates, all of whom possessed knowledge of the complexities involved in judicial decision-making, particularly in cases involving sexual abuse allegations. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews to collect the data, which were analysed thematically using Atlas.ti. An explicit audit trail, coding memos, and peer debriefing with the academic supervisor were maintained to enhance transparency, dependability, and credibility. The findings of this research indicate four interrelated themes: (1) the role of judicial biases and the influence of parental conflict dynamics on case outcomes; (2) the absence of clear criteria and reliance on testimonial, medical, and expert evidence; (3) the emotional and developmental impact on children caught in prolonged disputes; and (4) gaps in judicial qualifications and the urgent need for specialised training on high-conflict personalities and false sexual abuse allegations. These results confirm that judges and magistrates within the South African judicial system often lack the necessary knowledge and skills to manage such cases effectively, leading to procedural delays, reliance on multiple experts, and outcomes that may not uphold the best interests of the child. This study contributes empirically by capturing rarely accessed elite perspectives from judges and senior advocates, theoretically by extending decision-making models into the South African context, and practically by proposing a prioritised, feasible roadmap of reforms. Recommendations include specialised judicial training, the appointment of a single expert, safeguards for the child's voice, and the introduction of structured guidelines to support consistency in judicial practice. Given the lack of published scientific research on this particular topic in South Africa, this study also serves as a foundation for future research and guideline development, offering evidence-based support to improve judicial responses to false sexual abuse allegations in parental responsibilities and rights disputes.