Browsing by Author "Mguzulwa, Sisanda"

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    A reappraisal of the roles and relationships of neighbourhood watches: an investigation of selected neighbourhood watches in the Athlone and Annenberg areas in Cape Town
    (2024) Davis, Brandon; Kinnes, Irvin; Mguzulwa, Sisanda
    The Neighbourhood Watch (NW) is a pervasive phenomenon that has gained footholds in many countries around the world. South Africa is no exception and, in the case of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province, they have proven to be a popular choice among the members of civil society as a method of dealing with crime. In the Cape Flats region of Cape Town, conventional state policing agencies (namely SAPS) have failed to deal with the high rates of crime – one of the reasons for the popularity of NWs. Civil policing structures are by no means a new phenomenon in South Africa, and the concept of the NW has been in existence for decades, yet not much academic research has focused on their evolution over the years – particularly those that exist in the Cape Flats region. Using a nodal governance framework, specifically that of nodal policing, this dissertation explores the evolution of their roles, and the relationships or networks they formed (or lack thereof) over time in the battle to reduce crime and to create safe and secure communities. Indeed, numerous studies have been conducted on policing in South Africa for many decades, and some have focused on non-state policing structures in the country. In doing so, they have briefly discussed NWs, however there are few comprehensive studies that have focused solely on the NW and discussed how they have evolved over time. This study addresses that particular gap in the literature. A qualitative study was conducted and members of three different NWs on the Cape Flats located in different areas (two from the Athlone precinct and one from the Manenberg precinct) were interviewed in three separate focus group interviews. The NWs selected for this study were the Bridgetown and Silvertown NWs (Athlone precinct) and the Surrey Estate NW (Manenberg precinct). Importantly, a precinct is a defined district or region of a city which consists of multiple areas (South African National Treasury, 2014:np).
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    An exploratory study on the experiences of female youth victims of crime during load shedding in Site C, Khayelitsha
    (2025) Dike, Megan; Kinnes, Irvin; Mguzulwa, Sisanda
    Load shedding has become a common problem in South Africa, resulting in daily disruptions affecting every sector of life. Load shedding is a planned and temporary disruption of energy supply to specific areas. The present study explored the experiences of crime of female youth during load shedding at night in Site C, Khayelitsha. While there is extensive literature on the impact of load shedding on crime, no attention has been given to its impact on crime against female youth in Site C, Khayelitsha. The study fills this gap in the existing literature. Although males can experience crime too, the focus of this study is on the experiences of the female youth. Using a qualitative research approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 female youth residents of Site C, of which 8 out of the 15 participants directly experienced crime during load shedding and the other 7 participants had not directly experienced crime, but were witnesses of crime during load shedding. The findings of this study indicate that load shedding is associated with higher levels of robberies, with house robbery being the most common crime during load shedding. Furthermore, the research underscores the role of environmental factors in shaping crime opportunities and highlights the disproportionate impact load shedding has on the female youth. The study also emphasizes the urgent need for targeted interventions to protect vulnerable groups during load shedding.
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    An exploration of male youth's perceived impact of their involvement in youth gang violence on their educational attainment in Khayelithsa Site B
    (2014) Mguzulwa, Sisanda; Gxubane, Thulane
    The overall aim of the study was to explore male youths' perceived impact of their involvement in youth gang violence (YGV) on their educational attainment. A qualitative research design was adapted in this study. A non-probability purposive snowball sampling was adopted in the research. The study used a semi-structured interview schedule as a research tool in conducting in-depth interviews with the respondents. The research respondents were young males between 14 and 20 years, some of whom were high school drop-outs, while some were learners in high school and some had recently completed Grade 12. The findings showed that most of the research participants were negatively impacted by their involvement in YGV. The findings showed that YGV affected their attendance and performance at school. The study further showed that some of the research participants in the study repeated some grades at school and some dropped out of school because of the influence of YGV. The study also showed that the respondents were keen to further their studies regardless of their involvement in YGV. The respondents recognised the importance of education in their lives in order to fulfil their future goals. The study further indicated that the respondents had no intentions of continuing with YGV, because they wanted to focus on their schooling. They also suggested that young people should not join YGV, because it would destroy their lives, for example by having criminal records, being delayed in their education attainment, and dying very young.