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.
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Coming into sexuality: pleasure narratives and the sexual subjectivities of women in Cape Town, South Africa
(2026) Marais, Kylie Eve; Ross, Fiona; Moolman, Benita
Sex in South Africa has historically been shaped by race, class, and gender. Black women's bodies were eroticised, exoticised, and exploited, while representations of their (sexual) subjectivities were erased and silenced. These histories continue to haunt national discourses of sex and individual subjectivities. In educational curricula and public discussions, sex is framed around health and violence, neglecting sexual pleasure. Racialised women are portrayed as sexual objects, problems, and victims, rarely as sexual subjects. Shame and respectability further impact these women. Little is therefore known about women's sexualities and pleasure, including how “culture” shapes how they see themselves as sexual beings. This dissertation focuses on pleasure to critically examine how the sexual subjectivities of women racialised as coloured are constructed and constrained by historical and sociocultural factors over time. This qualitative study draws upon feminist narrative research and ethnography. To challenge dominant discourses of sexual risk and shame, the study introduces “pleasure narratives,” which emphasise sexual pleasure while acknowledging its complex connection to sexual health, violence, and subjectification. Interviews were conducted with fifteen (self-identified) coloured cisgender women aged 22-40 from working- to middle-class backgrounds in Cape Town. These interviews provided intimate insights into the women's subjective meanings and lived experiences of sex and sexuality. Autoethnography was incorporated and the researcher was included as a participant. Participant observation at sex-related events was also conducted to interrogate representations of pleasure in local contexts. The pleasure narratives revealed that women's sexualities are influenced by several factors: conservative and patriarchal cultural ideologies that perpetuate shame, silence, and violence; conflicting sex discourses and privileged access to pleasure-based discourses; and unequal sexual exploration. These factors constrained women's sexual subjectivities, leading to emotional struggles and disconnection from their bodies, sexualities, and partners. To assert their sexual agency, women learned to (cautiously and critically) navigate and negotiate these factors. This research challenges existing narratives of sex in South Africa and expands our perceptions of pleasure. It unveils the complexities of women's unspoken sexual realities and the possibilities of pleasure in empowering and reframing racialised women as sexual beings. The dissertation ultimately argues that pleasure matters, demonstrating its liberating potential.
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Open Access
Analysis of language policy implementation in higher education: a case of the University of Cape Town
(2026) Maponopono, Naledi; Possa, Rethabile
This study investigates the implementation of language policies in South African higher education, focusing on the University of Cape Town (UCT) as a case study. The research is driven by the historical inequalities between English, Afrikaans, and indigenous African languages, which persist despite political changes following the advent of democracy in South Africa. Although the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996) granted equal status to eleven official languages, African languages continue to struggle for full recognition in higher education (Nomlomo, 2019). The study examines the language policy planning process through the lens of Ruiz's (1984) three orientations to language planning: language as a problem, a resource, and a right. It also applies Barkenbus's model of policy analysis to explore the policy-making process in South Africa. The research utilizes qualitative methods, observing language practices at UCT to identify patterns of implementation and challenges faced during this process. Key findings reveal that African languages remain marginalized, and the study suggests the need for more robust monitoring and evaluation systems to address these issues. The research aims to contribute to the development of a language policy framework for higher education, which supports the effective implementation of multilingual policies and promotes the equitable treatment of all official languages. By addressing gaps in policy implementation, this study contributes to broader scholarly debates on language policy in post-apartheid South Africa, offering insights relevant to language planners and policymakers.
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Open Access
A comparison of fundamental indexation and cap-weighted indexing in the South African equity market
(2026) Mapetla, Rethabile; Majoni, Akios
Traditional capitalisation-weighted indices have been used widely by both active and passive investors. However, researchers and academics have criticised the index construction methodology based on shortfalls such as overweighting overvalued stocks, which can lead to concentration risks. To address these shortfalls, indices such as the fundamental-weighted indices have been introduced. This index weights stocks based on price-insensitive measures such as sales, book values, cash flows, and dividends. This study aims to analyse and compare the performance of capitalisation and fundamental indices within the context of South Africa as an emerging market. This analysis covers the entire period from 2007 - 2022 to determine whether fundamental indices outperform capitalisation-weighted indices. These indices are further assessed in different market conditions, mainly the Global Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the study compares the performance of non-crisis periods with crisis periods. These subperiods are analysed to determine which index performs better during times of financial stress. This study employs risk-adjusted performance measures, namely, the Sharpe ratio, the Treynor ratio, the Sortino ratio, and the Omega ratio, to compare the performance of the two indices. Furthermore, a statistical analysis is conducted to determine whether the difference in the Sharpe ratios is statistically significant. The results of the study show that the fundamental index outperformed the capitalisation-weighted index during the non-crisis period (2010 - 2019) and the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings show that the results were statistically significant for both periods. In contrast, the capitalisationweighted index had higher risk-adjusted returns than the fundamental index during the entire period and the Global Financial Crisis. However, these results were not statistically significant. This suggests that fundamental indices may generate excess returns during non-crisis periods but fail to provide diversification and downside protection benefits during crisis periods such as the Global Financial Crisis.
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Open Access
The South African experience: A multicentre 10-year retrospective review of the incidence and characteristics of extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma
(2026) Mankgele, Mahlatse; Verburgh, Estelle; Louw, Vernon
Background: Extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL) is an aggressive and rapidly progressive Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) with an incidence that varies greatly in geographic distribution. This lymphoma appears to be more common in Eastern Asia and Latin America, and there is very limited data on the incidence and prevalence of ENKTL in South Africa (SA), and Africa. It most commonly affects the nasal cavity and has peculiar histopathological and immunophenotypic characteristics. Various advances have been made globally in the treatment of ENKTL, that have resulted in improved survival in patients with this lymphoma. This is the first study of the frequency, clinicopathological characteristics, prognostication and treatment of ENKTL in SA. Furthermore, as far as could be ascertained, this is likely the biggest study of ENKTL to date from Africa. Results: A total of 12 ENKTL cases were identified over a ten-year period from three of the largest public academic adult Haematology centres in SA. This constituted 0.003% of all NHL (excluding Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL)) seen. There was a strong male predominance with an 11:1 male to female ratio. All our patients (100%) identified as African Black. The median age of the patients was 36 years. 91.7% of the patients had nasal involvement. There was 100% Epstein-Barr encoding region in situ hybridization (EBER-ISH) positivity. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated 91.7% positivity for CD3 and 90.9% for CD56. There was heterogeneity in treatment received for both chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The median survival was five months. Most patients had died (58.3%) and three (25.0%) patients were still alive at 94.2, 62.4 and 55 months. Two patients were lost to follow up. Conclusions: The proportional incidence of ENKTL to other NHL is extremely low in the South African setting. The demographic characteristics in terms of age of presentation and race/ethnicity differed from global data, with our cohort being younger in age and the patients being of African Black race/ethnicity respectively. The clinicopathological features were comparable with global data. Outcomes were dismal, in contrast to the improved survival globally. The study has established the foundational knowledge of this rare lymphoma in the South African setting. There is an opportunity for larger collaborations to study this lymphoma further in our populations.
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Open Access
Evaluating the economic feasibility of using excess energy from photovoltaic (PV) solar plants to mine cryptocurrencies that employ the Proof-of-Work consensus mechanism
(2026) Mandlate, Helda; Abrahams, Kyle; Kanjere, Julian
Bitcoin mining is the process by which new Bitcoin transactions are added to the Bitcoin blockchain and the total supply of Bitcoin in circulation is increased. Successful Bitcoin mining heavily depends on the hardware used; older hardware models are generally less efficient, consume more energy and make mining less economical, thereby necessitating frequent hardware upgrades to maintain profitability. In addition, Bitcoin is a Proof-of-Work (PoW) based cryptocurrency, and it is widely accepted that there is an urgent need to reduce the electricity costs and carbon footprint associated with mining cryptocurrencies that rely on the PoW consensus mechanism. While some countries are building renewable energy facilities specifically for cryptocurrency mining, there remains potential to explore the use of surplus energy produced by existing renewable energy sources for this purpose. This study investigates and demonstrates the potential of reducing waste excess energy from solar photovoltaic (PV) plants and redirecting it towards Bitcoin mining, paving the way for more sustainable and profitable mining. This study presents a case study where a 500 MW solar PV plant in South Africa is coupled with a cryptocurrency mine. Here, Bitcoin sales generate $25 million in annual revenue, with a minimum payback period of two years to recoup the investment in Bitcoin ASIC mining hardware. The primary contribution of this research is to highlight the economic benefits of utilising excess solar PV energy for cryptocurrency mining, and possibly removing the need for constant hardware upgrades. A Python-based model is employed to conduct sensitivity analyses on the profitability impacts of various factors, including mining rig types, solar PV plant locations, Bitcoin prices, and energy allocations for cooling; demonstrating the economic feasibility of mining Bitcoin from surplus solar PV energy.