OpenUCT :: Browsing by Author "Hall, Martin"

Browsing by Author "Hall, Martin"

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Open Access
Academic freedom and the university: Fifty years of debate
(Stellenbosch University, 2006) Hall, Martin
Contemporary debates about academic freedom and institutional autonomy in South Africa's 'liberal' universities began in the 1950s, stimulated by the policies and legislation for racial segregation. While the form that these debates had taken has differed from university to university, the University of Cape Town stands as a good case study for the arguments and counterarguments that have been made through the years. In this essay, I trace these arguments from the middle of the last century through to the present, and show that different positions remain unreconciled, suggesting in turn a lack of consensus about the role of the university in contemporary South African society.
Open Access
Agricultural commercialisation through innovation platforms: a case for goat production
(2020) Modiba, Mothupi; Hall, Martin
Empirical evidence has shown that goats are of significance in marginalised, poor, and rural economies and this information has been well documented in scholarly research. Despite its importance and potential contribution, goat farming remains underutilised and undeveloped in the rural economy - particularly in South Africa. Developmental intervention has focused on improving productivity with minimal effort aimed at the integration of key role players in the value chain, and even less emphasis on improving farmers' attitudes. The largest goat population in South Africa is found in the Northern Cape where there is great potential to be realised for goat farming. The main objective of this study was to identify supply side (production) factors constraining subsistence goat production in South Africa, with the view of identifying key actors to establish an innovation platform through vertical integration. By transforming the subsistence farming orientation of goat farmers into a commercial (market) orientation, the welfare of communities can be improved through the commercialisation of smallscale goat farmers. Studies highlight the need to enhance goat production beyond subsistence goat rearing and towards commercialisation through access to markets, veterinary services, credit facilities, and government support. Furthermore, a focus on market development, value chain integration and innovation platforms can improve the efficiency of the goat farming sector. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on goat farming in South Africa and offers an innovation platform to foster partnerships among the actors along the value chain, creating an enabling environment for the easy flow of market information and infrastructure development. A praxis model is incorporated into this research. This takes the form of a business model and is provided in Appendix B as a practical way of applying the knowledge gathered in this research.
Open Access
An exploration of gamification as a teaching method for entrepreneurship education amongst black youth entrepreneurs in townships and periurban areas
(2023) Mkuzo, Anele; Hall, Martin
Due to the increase in youth unemployment, one of the suggestions has been a move to encourage young people to pursue entrepreneurship. But entrepreneurship requires certain skills and knowledge that some individuals might not possess. This sequential embedded mixed method research investigated the purposeful sampling of entrepreneurs, ED practitioners and serious game founders and developers, in an effort to discover whether gamification can be used as a teaching method for entrepreneurship education amongst black youth in the township and peri-urban areas. This was done through qualitative methods, which were individual interviews and focused groups and quantitative method, which was in the form of a serious game prototype. The primary question was whether gamification could become a teaching method for entrepreneurship education among black youth entrepreneurs in townships and peri-urban areas. The three secondary questions were: • How do ED programmes address youth unemployment? And what are the expectations of these programmes? • How do youth entrepreneurs in the township and peri-urban areas find and learn new information? • What does gamification data reveal about learning and development for youth entrepreneurs in the township and peri-urban areas? The research findings from the study were that the pre-gamification phase revealed the lack of skills and experience, inadequate big-picture thinking and achievement mindset, lack of openness to be taught, new entrants' issues into the space, and being stretched beyond the comfort zone were some of the factors that are contributing towards the challenges that are faced by the youth entrepreneur. This implies that any intervention, such as the focus of this study, which is gamification, should be looked at through the lenses of these challenges and needs of the young entrepreneurs. What was also evident from the findings was that the young entrepreneurs had expectations of inclusive and continual development, skills development and mentorship but at the same time had business-specific expectations such as assistance with access to funding, market access, networking with their peers and industry players, despite the fact that several gaps were highlighted in the ED programme by both the young entrepreneurs and ED practitioners. These were unintended disempowerment, lack of followthrough and incompleteness, inadequate breakthrough with new solutions and multiple ineffective ED programmes. These entrepreneurs indicated that they learn by experience, use internet searches and online learning, and prefer creative and fun learning as well as group learning with family, which are good attributes for gamification as a learning tool. The findings for the second research question indicated that there were multiple groups; some only had theoretical knowledge of gaming, though they did not have practical knowledge. They were more positive towards their use as a learning tool than were other groups of entrepreneurs who had experience in gamification as well as ED practitioners. Some were still using the game for recreation, but it helps to de-stress and refocus, and for others, it helps to improve their propensity to use the technology. Despite recreation, de-stress, refocus and improving technology use behaviour are not the core of gamification; these are critical for building a young entrepreneur for success. The findings for the third question revealed that the gamification results were inconclusive on whether the application was an effective learning vehicle in this instance, given the average outcomes of quizzes. Although the quizzes produced middling results, these materials were still interesting for all audiences. Despite this, the post-gamification interviews based on their experience confirm that gamification has become a teaching method for black youth entrepreneurs in townships and peri-urban areas
Open Access
Analysis of ceramic assemblages from four Cape historical sites dating from the late seventeenth century to the mid-nineteenth century
(1997) Klose, Jane Elizabeth; Hall, Martin
This dissertation sets up a standardised system for analysing mid-seventeenth to mid- nineteenth century Cape colonial ceramic assemblages and then applies it to a number of Dutch and British historical sites in the south-western Cape region of South Africa in order to trace patterns of change in the availability and use of domestic ceramics in the colony. The system accommodates the wide range of African, Asian and European ceramics used during the period of Dutch East India rule from 1652 to 1795, the following Transitional years when the Cape was governed for short periods by both the British and Dutch governments and the period from 1815 onwards when the Cape became a British Crown Colony. A systematic ceramic classificatory system was required to form a framework for the first stage of a proposed study of the role of Asian porcelain in the Cape during the 17th and 18th centuries. The resulting Cape Classificatory System has five sections. (i) Ware Table, a ware based classification, records ceramics by sherd count and minimum number of vessels, and acts as a check list for Cape colonial sites. (ii) Date Table provides the accepted dates of production and references for all ceramics excavated in the Cape. (iii) Form and Function Table lists excavated ceramics by vessel form within functional categories. (iv) The Site Catalogue accessions and references (where possible) all the ceramics in an assemblage. (v) A catalogue of previously unreferenced Asian market ware (coarse porcelain) excavated from 17th to 19th century colonial sites in the south-western Cape. Thirty ceramic assemblages from Cape colonial sites and four assemblages from shipwrecks in Cape waters were analysed or examined. The Cape Classificatory System was applied in full to the ceramics from four sites: the Granary, a late seventeenth century Dutch East India site; Elsenburg, an elite mid-eighteenth century farmstead; Sea Street, Cape Town, a town midden in use from the last quarter of the eighteenth century to ca. 1830; and a well in Barrack Street, Cape Town, that was open from ca. 1775 till the late nineteenth century. The results clearly demonstrated changes in ceramic availability, usage and discard in the Cape over a two hundred year period, differences in refuse disposal practices and the dependence of the colony on Asian porcelain, including Asian market coarse porcelain, during the late seventeenth century and eighteenth century.
Open Access
An analysis of students' experiences during their acquisition of academic literacy, based on their consultations with the UCT Writing Centre : looking towards improving the feasibility of academic mentorship within higher education
(2002) Hutchings, Catherine Mary; Hall, Martin
In this dissertation I investigate students' experiences during their acquisition of academic literacy skills, evident in their use of a support service at a higher educational institution. The focus of study is the University of Cape Town's (UCT's) Writing Centre, where students are able to discuss drafts of their written assignments with consultants. Through a detailed analysis of a large set of consultation records, I explore whether students' experiences and use of the Writing Centre vary according to language, gender and degree level. And based on this analysis, I discuss more generally the role that the UCT Writing Centre has played. Arguing that the type of relationships developed between students and consultants in the Writing Centre can be regarded as a form of mentorship, and taking into account such experiences from the Writing Centre, I look towards the feasibility of a model of academic mentorship forming part of a necessary wider institutional developmental endeavour aimed at catering adequately for a diverse student population, such as that of UCT's today.
Open Access
Archaeology and education in South Africa : towards a People's Archaeology
(1994) Nackerdien, Rushdi; Hall, Martin
The topic of this dissertation developed out of the 1980s era of resistance to Apartheid. At that time, mass-campaigns produced the concept of People's Education, which challenged established State-structures. People's Education was based on participatory democracy and drew on communities' knowledge rather than state-sanctioned knowledge. The concept of People's Archaeology is a product of that time-period. It focuses on involving communities in the practice of archaeology, beyond the stage of consultation. Within the forthcoming election process, Black communities are to be empowered politically and this empowerment has, in other countries seen an accompanying growth in concerns about identity, cultural property and ownership. I argue that identity politics will be crucial in the future South African society and that archaeology will play an important role in this debate. The discipline faces transformation in the coming decade and education will be critical in this change. In this dissertation I contend that past attempts at popular education in archaeology have had very limited success. Archaeology still remains a discipline unknown to the majority of South Africans. This dissertation explores the reasons for the limited success of these attempts by critically examining the structure of the discipline in South Africa, and the perception that it creates to the public. It also goes further by exploring an alternative to these efforts at popular education through the use of principles and methods developed in People's Education. This project takes the debate about People's Archaeology beyond theory and attempts to implement some of the ideas through two projects, one dealing with an excavation, the other focusing on the production of a popular resource. I explore the pitfalls and benefits of these projects and make recommendations concerning the future of the discipline.
Open Access
Archaeology and post-colonialism in South Africa : the theory, practice and politics of archaeology after apartheid
(1998) Shepherd, Nick; Hall, Martin
I take my lead from a paper by Bruce Trigger (1984) in which he divides the disciplinary field into three modes or forms of archaeology: a colonialist archaeology, a nationalist archaeology and an imperialist archaeology. He goes on to suggest (1990) that South African archaeology is the most colonialist archaeology of all. Trigger was writing at a point before the current political transformation in South Africa had emerged over the horizon of visibility. Writing somewhat later, and from the point of view of a Third World archaeologist, I ask: What would a post-colonial archaeology look like? In particular, what would it look like from the point of view of South Africa in the late 1990s?
Open Access
Archaeology education in South Africa : developing curriculum programmes in three Cape Town schools
(2002) Sealy, Emma Georgina; Siebörger, Rob; Hall, Martin
The history of educational archaeology in South Africa and the intersection of the discipline and the South African school curriculum informed the choice of the research question for this project. This question is "What happens when an archaeologist develops educational programmes and curriculum materials for schools in order that the teachers' and learners have access to the archaeological knowledge and archaeological research skills?" The following assumptions were made at the beginning of the project and it was investigated whether they were valid or not, during the research process: 1. That the curriculum materials produced for an archaeological education programme should be able to be used by teachers without the intervention of an archaeologist. 2. That the teachers could be relied on to develop assessment exercises, which would satisfactorily test whether the learners had achieved the outcomes of the particular programme. 3. That the teachers would be willing to participate as critical partners throughout the research process by providing evaluations of the educational material and the particular programme in general. Three Cape Town schools were selected to participate in the project, which follows an action research paradigm, with each programme at each school being one action research cycle. Reﬂections on each programme informed the decisions made in the following one. Educational materials were developed for each school, with the assistance of educational editors and trialled in schools with assistance of teachers. Attention was paid to lesson structure, the pitching of questions and the sources of information used. The materials and the three programmes in general were evaluated with the use of questionnaires, which comprised open-ended and direct questions, formal interviews with teachers, which were recorded and transcribed, observation of classes and detailed note taking. The knowledge and skills learners developed as a result of their participation in the programmes was assessed in a variety of ways. Personal Meaning Maps (PMMs) were used by the researcher at Schools B and C in order to develop an understanding of the breadth of the learners' knowledge and opinion on the subjects of slavery and history. The teachers designed assessment exercises in the form of creative writing essays, a comprehension test and an assessment essay. It was found that the teachers at the three schools needed guidance in order to use the curriculum materials in their classrooms for the main aim of this research project to be achieved. The teachers understood the archaeological knowledge but not the archaeological research methods that were used to produce it, because of this it was also found that the teachers could not be relied on to produce satisfactory methods of assessment. In the process of undertaking research in the three schools in question, the teachers were willing to participate as critical partners if they felt that they were well informed enough about the discipline of archaeology.
Open Access
Archaeology, museology and education : a case-study at Vergelegen
(1993) Pastor, Juanita; Morphet, Tony; Hall, Martin
The following thesis focuses on the relationship between archaeologists, museologists and the broader community, in terms of educational programmes. It consists of a case-study comprising an educational project based on theoretical ideas of People's Archaeology as influenced by theories of Freirean education. The process of the educational project is illustrated through the description of interviews and workshops. The case-study indicates that there is a gap between academic and community percpetions of the role of archaeology and museums. Results from interpretations indicate that much more research emphasising the constitution, situation and perceptions of specific communities, especially those which have previously been marginalised by broader society, is needed in order to improve the educational services which museums and archaeologists offer to the community.
Open Access
The assessment of undergraduate final year projects : a study of academic professional judgment
(2003) Shay, Suellen; McCormick, Kay; Hall, Martin
The premise of this study is that the assessment of student performance is an interpretive process. This raises a fundamental validity question: on what basis do academic communities evaluate the soundness of their interpretations? The central problem which this study explores is how academic assessors validate their interpretations of student performance on complex tasks. I explore this problem by focusing specifically on the assessment of final year undergraduate projects through two case studies of disciplinary communities of practice, one in the Humanities faculty and the other in the Engineering faculty of a South African university. Drawing on Bourdieu's theory of social practice on the one hand, and the methods of critical discourse analysis and ethnography on the other, I construct a theory and method of inquiry which illumines aspects of assessment as an interpretive process, aspects which have been obscured by traditional approaches to assessment. This analysis privileges the context of assessment, the inevitability of difference in assessment interpretations and the equally inevitable effects of power. My methodological approach identifies four elements which constitute social practice- social structure, conjuncture. event and text. These constitutive elements operationalize into a series of analytical stages which expose different aspects of social practice. My approach is consistent with Fairclough's method of critical discourse analysis, although I also include ethnographic methods.
Open Access
Bo-Kaap architecture : a critique of structuralist theory
(1991) Behrens, Joanna; Hall, Martin
Within the last decade, the study of vernacular architecture has expanded dramatically. The built environment has been recognized as the conversion of ideas into architectural space and the durable and stationary nature of construction has facilitated the development of a broad data base complementing more traditional historical sources. Much interpretation has been orientated within a structuralist framework of analysis and the validity of such an approach is questioned by a critical examination of two structuralist interpretation - Henry Glassie's Folk Housing in Middle Virginia and John Gribble's analysis of sandveld vernacular. A comparative data base is provided by a sample of houses from Bo-Kaap. Interpretation suggests the inadquacies and limitations of a structuralist understanding and recommends the need for new direction.
Open Access
The British military occupation of the Cape 1795-1815 : the case of York Redoubt
(2001) Seemann, Ute A; Hall, Martin
Includes bibliographical references.
Open Access
Burrows and bedding : site taphonomy and spatial archeaology at Tortoise cave
(1984) Robey, Timothy Stephen; Hall, Martin
Excavations at the Late Stone Age site of Tortoise Cave, a shell midden accumulation in the Western Cape, South Africa, were carried out from 1978 to 1983. The author supervised this project from 1981 onwards with the aim of expanding the cultural sample and defining more clearly the stratigraphic sequence, at the same time, to increase the objectivity of the written record, some improvements to the normal recording techniques were tested. These included the use of context sheets and a stratigraphic matrix. Methods often used elsewhere but very common in South Africa, It was felt that archaeologists had been ignoring the vital difference between stratigraphy that is observed and excavated and the actual sequence and circumstances of deposition. For this latter, the term 'Site Taphonomy' has been coined, to end the confusion that has existed concerning the meaning and correct application of the words 'Stratigraphy' and 'Stratification'. These terms should now be restricted to refer to the archaeological constructs alone, The amount of disturbance at the site led to an investigation of the processes and effects of disturbance, the implications of which are outlined here, It is thought that Tortoise Cave is not an isolated case and that considerable artefact displacement may be a common feature of local sites. Despite this, an attempt was made to find and use appropriate statistical methods of spatial analysis, It was found that some positive results, if somewhat generalised, could be obtained. The major theme of the thesis is, however, neither a description of the finds and findings from the site not simply a spatial analysis of the deposits and their contents. It attempts instead to illustrate how the understanding of the central concept of site taphonomy is essential to every aspect of the interpretation of a site and the assessment of the results.
Open Access
Combatting Intimate Partner Violence Modelling Scalable Pathways for Sustainable Interventions in South Africa: The private sector as a critical ally to promote women's well-being, economic empowerment, and inclusion in the advancement of gender equity
(2022) Farhana Parker; Hall, Martin; Bonnici, Francois; Nilsson, Warren
Intimate partner violence (a subset of violence against women) is a large-scale and complex social, public health, and economic problem that has existed for many decades, primarily enabled by systemic gender inequality and rooted in patriarchal gender norms. This study focuses on the design and scalability of interventions that address intimate partner violence targeted at mothers. The emphasis on mothers was chosen given the high prevalence of intimate partner violence perpetrated by men against women across the social spectrum and the more significant impact and sustainability intervening at this level presents to advance social and economic progress in South Africa. The existing interventions and funding to address violence against women are predominantly directed to post-violence responses related to the effects of violence. Despite these efforts to tackle violence against women in South Africa, the challenge persists, and many gaps remain, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The equal demand, importance, and effectiveness of pre-violence prevention interventions were evident in this study. However, the demand for and the dominance of the post-violence position underscores prevention as a critical priority. The study, therefore, revealed a limitation in the thought processes that inform the design, sustainability, and scalability, of prevention interventions which impedes the capability to bring about the large-scale systemic improvements and changes to combat violence against women in the medium to longer term. There has been minimal evidence of strategic, innovative, sustainable, long-term, and workable prevention pathways. This has made evident the significant need for alternative pathways and innovative business models to build additional designs and scalability pathways to address the problem. Therefore, the study endeavoured to identify alternative scalable pathways to prevent violence against mothers in Cape Town. In the context of this study, social and inclusive innovation principles and practices have been used to foreground this study to inform a new narrative to address the challenge more efficiently and effectively. Social innovation has been used as a lens to inform scalability and sustainability as well as inform the building of new innovative pathways and business models in the violence against women prevention ecosystem. The study adopted a qualitative research approach. Data was collected via semi-structured expert interviews and meetings on the topic area and analysed using content analysis. The study's findings revealed two fundamental priorities that include seven key practices. They are integral to influencing the design and scalability of interventions to catalyse large-scale change and bring about substantial systemic improvements in this ecosystem. These priorities encourage a new narrative to approach intimate partner violence and are indicative that violence against women can be changed if we approach it with a new intelligence. The fundamental priorities outlined in the findings include: (i) Reframing mental models to address violence against women. (ii) Developing scalable pathways and business models to influence systems change and combat violence against women. The two fundamental priorities outlined in the study's findings point to the need for a necessary social innovative legislative change in the private sector's role in supporting sustainable and scalable pathways to combat intimate partner violence and advance social and economic progress
Open Access
Dig the herders, display the Hottentots : the production and presentation of knowledge about the past
(1990) Ritchie, Gabrielle; Hall, Martin
Knowledge and History have for many years been sites of struggle in South Africa and academic versions of the past are being challenged with commitment by oppressed communities all over the world. Archaeologists, as producers of information about the past, are necessarily involved in such struggles. The aim of this research project has been to demonstrate that our constructions of the past are deeply embedded in the politics of production and presentation of knowledge. The manner in which information is presented to the public is integrally linked to the manner in which knowledge about the past is produced. These politics form a particular dynamic with the way people perceive themselves and others. By examining the specifics of the construction of a Hottentot icon, and its links with constructions of gatherer-hunter histories, I have also tackled issues such as the contingency of research interpretations, the subjectivity of researchers, the myth of "scientific objectivity", and knowledge as a site of struggle in South Africa. I have also examined the links between writing, description, sexism, racism and colonialism, and educational methods and the authority of the expert. It is in the use of authoritative techniques in the production of knowledge and in the presentation of research interpretations that the problem lies. Authoritative techniques are pervasive and powerful, and function to inhibit public challenges to academic knowledge. The weight of notions such as science, objectivity and truth - which back up most presentations of academic knowledge - disallow the empowerment of communities towards participation in the processes of producing knowledge. I advocate a shift towards production and presentation that uses instead methods that encourage traditionally powerless communities to play an active role in the construction of their histories. I have focussed on the construction of authoritative herder histories, in both museums and other public media, in order to examine the role of archaeologists in struggles around the past. Whether we are conscious participants in these struggles, or whether we adopt a stance of objective neutrality, the information we produce has a powerful and important effect on the way in which people make sense of ourselves. A People's Archaeology - an archaeology dependent on community participation in research, interpretation and presentation - will require the development of democratic research methods. And this necessitates the initial steps of demystifying the process whereby academic knowledge is produced, and the development of an understanding of the origins of historical symbols. This project is a contribution to these debates, and will hopefully be, in some way, a contribution to the process of formulating different research methods towards the development of a People's Archaeology.
Open Access
Does capability measurement enable aspiration during emergent adulthood? Examining 'Poverty Stoplight' as a poverty measurement and capability building instrument for youth in South Africa
(2019) Newell, Ashley Michelle; Hall, Martin
In South Africa, the majority of youth entering emerging adulthood find themselves in a protracted struggle to access further education, training or to secure their first decent job. The purpose of this multi-case study is to deepen the understanding of how capability measurement approaches and tools can empower marginalized youth to better understand their aspirations and map their way through emerging adulthood and out of poverty. This research aims to deepen the understanding of youth's experience utilizing 'Poverty Stoplight'; a poverty measurement and capability building instrument that utilizes a self-assessment survey and mentorship methodology. The researcher utilized a youth-focused participatory approach in conducting focus groups and in-depth one-on-one interviews across five marginalized communities in the Western Cape to gain insight into their experience using the tool, their ability to envision their future selves and develop their aspirations. What emerged from the data were insights into the youth's aspirations, the perceived enabling factors and impediments towards their aspirations and their experiences utilizing Poverty Stoplight. This process enabled youth to genuinely reflect and assess their situation, and have the opportunity to define their aspirations. Overall the Poverty Stoplight programme was experienced as empowering by participants, with several implications for the programme pertaining to data accessibility, communication, mentorship and solution sharing, as well as the importance of youth-specific participatory approaches. Aligned to this, the findings yielded several recommendations pertaining to providing support and enabling opportunities for emerging adults to realise their aspirations. Despite the limitations of this research, this study is relevant for stakeholders in South Africa and globally as it examines the critical issue of youth development, with a focus on the ability of young people to attain their aspirations. Further, it analyses the capability measurement approach as a means to ensuring young people can better understand and plot their way out of poverty, making the most of their individual capabilities and attributes within the broader structural and systemic challenges they face. This exploration of practical tools and methodologies being developed and utilized by pioneering organisations in the South African context provides empirical evidence of the merit of such approaches, with recommendations on how tools and approaches can even better serve the needs of youth. Further, longitudinal research is merited into the use of such capability measurement approaches to empower youth and the further use of participatory methodologies.
Open Access
Experiences of older beneficiaries of private medical aid schemes and retirement annuities for the development of healthy ageing models
(2018) Benzimra, Alison; Hall, Martin
This study explores the experiences and perceptions of older beneficiaries of private medical aid schemes and retirement annuities. Its main research question is: What motivates, challenges and concerns older research participants when it comes to maintaining their good health and financial well-being? Its research objective is to place these lived experiences within the context of the private health and finance sectors of South Africa in order to develop healthy ageing models. It arises out of the increase in longevity and the potential increase of healthcare expenses in old age. The key concepts in this study are ageing frameworks and whealthcare: the relationship between the financial services industry and healthcare sector. A qualitative approach is used with semi-structured interviews with professionals in the healthcare and finance sectors and individuals in the retirement phase of their lives. The study is significant as it gives a deeper understanding of the realities of older people who access private sector services and it provides a framework for greater synergy between the finance and health sectors to promote healthy ageing and prepare individuals for the financial implications of healthcare costs in later age.
Open Access
Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on private sector SMME incubation support in South Africa
(2024) De Waal, Anelia; Hall, Martin
The COVID-19 pandemic had globally disruptive repercussions, resulting in the resiliency of numerous support systems being tested, including the support ecosystem for small, micro, and medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs). Small business development initiatives, such as incubation and acceleration programmes, ostensibly provide a supportive environment for SMMEs to overcome economic pressures and market failures. They provide a critical role in the development of SMMEs and, by extension, healthy, inclusive economies. Given the catastrophic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of SMMEs closing down, particularly in South Africa, ensuring that future support mechanisms are geared towards adaptability and resiliency is imperative. In pursuit of this, efforts to understand how enterprise support organisations involved in incubation-style small business development programmes experienced the COVID-19 pandemic is a critical step in developing frameworks for future crisis responses. In aid of this goal, the research project focused on the experiences of 12 practitioners representing enterprise support organisations, using qualitative research methods to code and compare emerging experiences. The research found a correlation between the influence of power and agency on multi-level decision-making, and how this determines capacity to adapt and respond in inclusive and meaningful ways. It is the recommendation of this study that small business development organisations develop adaptive support practices that centre inclusivity and leverage micro-agency. Key mechanisms found in the study include the adoption of limited hierarchical operation practices, open dialogue that prioritises collaboration, and continuous learning and improvement initiatives. Future research needs to be conducted from the perspective of SMMEs within development programmes during COVID-19, to bolster the study findings, and aid in determining the degrees to which support initiatives were effective.
Open Access
Exploring the potential for a scalable “ECD Change Lab” to invigorate inclusive innovation within the ECD NGO sector and so advance service delivery in underserved communities
(2022) Le Mottee, Sherrilee; Hall, Martin
The gaps in the provision of early childhood care and education in South Africa are persistent. Too many young children are still outside learning programmes, and many women struggle to find ways of ensuring that their young children are cared for while they are at work. In 2015, universal access to ECD services was prioritised at policy level, yet 1.1 million children between three and five years old still do not benefit from early learning programmes. Essentially, this is a failure of our public policy to protect our youngest children, women and the interests of the whole of society. While government has been vocal about its commitments to leading the ECD sector, which has until recently been dominated by non-profit organisations, it has shown itself to be ineffective in bringing about much needed changes in provision. It is well recognised that partnerships between government and civil society organisations can help widen service delivery to reach children and increase the quality of provision they experience. But South Africa's civil society sector has struggled to fill these gaps. In some respects, the sector seems stuck in a quagmire, mirroring government struggles. Given the high level of interest in ECD in South Africa at the moment, there is a window of opportunity for action. This study brings to the fore critical voices to shed light on these challenges through a series of dialogue interviews with thirty key informants from the ECD civil society sector. What emerges is a picture of committed but struggling organisations that have yet to find their way in a changing sector. Donors and investors have altered their way of working as government is now the leader of the sector, and opportunities for engagement are funneled through statemanaged forums. With an eye on sustainability, organisations are doing their best to keep going, while struggling to answer the question “what's next?”. Even though the Integrated ECD Policy (2015) defines a role for civil society organisations, there is still uncertainty and a failure to realise the potential of this group of expert and experienced stakeholders. Actions towards change are fragmented while tensions run high – there seems to be no real plan for what comes next for civil society organisations that is driven by this ‘body'. This study puts forward that an ECD Change Lab process offers a potential route to explore these challenging dynamics and to find new solutions. Change Labs are living laboratories that draw life from processes of collective enquiry, problem framing and solution seeking. The ability of Change Labs to unfreeze and open new channels for innovation and problem- solving are well documented. In this context, it is argued that such a Lab could bring stakeholders together to build trust, plan and create prototypes that can be tested in the field with a view to increased sector resilience and sustainability.
Open Access
Foodways of the mid-18th century Cape : archaeological ceramics from the Grand Parade in central Cape Town
(1996) Abrahams, Gabeba; Sillen, Andrew; Hall, Martin
The principal intention of this thesis was to study the archaeologically excavated remains from the site of the Grand Parade in central Cape Town. The main lines of argument are centred around the question of the ceramics and how these can be interpreted to add to the knowledge of everyday life at the Cape. This involved excavation of the site, a descriptive report on the site, formulating a typological system of classification relevant to the sample, and interpretation of the ceramic data, considering its context within the local ceramic tradition and the overarching historical background of the Cape. The typological framework used in the ceramic analysis is largely based on the work by Mary Beaudry and others and the interpretive style draws heavily on the ideas about the food domain postulated by Anne Yentsch. A social history paradigm has been used to study the nature of the local evidence, to investigate how the excavated ceramics can be used to inform in one of the most basic cultural traditions involving the foodways of early Capetonians. It has been found: that the typological framework for the ceramic analysis set out in this thesis, is successful in interpreting the ceramics; that the ideological functions of the ceramics remain a less tangible aspect of recreating the past; that although the local food way tradition of the mid-18th century continues to be a complicated web of cultural interactions, through the use of a multi-disciplinary approach, the archaeological evidence can be successfully integrated with the faw:ial, inventory and other docwnentary sources; and that all the aforementioned are crucial to a better, more holistic understanding of the local Cape foodway tradition of the mid-18th century.

Browsing by Author "Hall, Martin"

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