Browsing by Author "Ngubane, Londeka Princess."

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An exploration of school violence in Inanda Township: a case study of Mqhawe High School.
(2018) Maphumulo, Zanele.; Mkhize, Sabelo Andrias.; Ngubane, Londeka Princess.
School violence is by no means a new phenomenon in South Africa, nor is it limited to KwaZulu-Natal, as it is prevalent throughout the country (Ntuli 2015). A noteworthy requirement for learning and developing is to feel safe at all times, yet the issue of school violence in South Africa is a regrettable reality. Many different factors are root causes of violence in schools and they sometimes have catastrophic consequences for learners. In South Africa where crime and violence are rife, the drastic increase in the levels of violence in schools mirrors a complex combination of past history and current stresses on individuals, schools, and wider communities. The culture of violence has become deeply entrenched in our society and has led many to embrace violence as a means of obtaining their goals. Schools are not exempt from this scourge, and the Safety Framework Report indicates that schools have commonly applied physical interventions as part of their school safety plans. Measures include increasing police presence in schools, the installation of burglar bars on school doors and windows, hiring of security guards, and erecting walls and fences. Less importance seems to be placed on non-physical violence reduction methods which include measures such as the implementation of school safety policies and disciplinary measures, as well as other interventions targeted at transforming and managing learner behaviour. The violence that is experienced in schools has numerous negative underlying factors and these experiences at school level have a deep impact on children and on their development into adulthood. Not only are such events expected to impact a child's attachment to a school, but they lead to escalating levels of drop-out and absenteeism rates, low self-esteem and low levels of academic performance. School violence is also likely to negatively impact young people's later susceptibility to violence, and there is a strong probability that the victims and/or perpetrators if school violence will resort to serious acts of violence as they grow older. Even though South Africa has made noteworthy progress in establishing a culture of human rights among its citizens, the continuous exposure to violence has had a damaging impact on learners in most South African schools. In this context, the researcher strongly believes that it is only through the joint efforts of school authorities, parents, community leaders and government that school violence can be addressed effectively. Efforts put in by all these stakeholders must be situated within a comprehensive framework of a concentrated social crime prevention strategy that should address much of the violence that occurs outside the reach of police and that generally transpires within the home setting. The study aimed to understand the phenomenon of school violence as a manifestation of crime, and it sought to illuminate the consequences that school violence has on learners. The study was a qualitative in nature as in-depth data were verbally generated by the research participants. Twenty school learners from Mqhawe High school were interviewed by the researcher. The researcher made use of a tape recorder to record the narratives of the participants. The findings indicate that school violence impacts negatively on learners’ academic performance as well as their emotional and psychological well-being. This research was conducted at a secondary school in the Inanda Township in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. This township is notorious as one of the most violent areas in the eThekwini municipal area. Purportedly, many learners who reside in this area have developed a fear of going to school as many have been attacked on their way to school, when they were inside the school premises and even when they were on their way back home.
“From political wars to taxi wars”: investigating the transition of taxi violence in a low-income urban community in the Mpumalanga Township, South Africa.
(2016) Ngubane, Londeka Princess.; Mkhize, Sazelo Michael.
Taxi violence is a fundamental challenge in South Africa. Most disturbing is the prevalence of innocent passengers, including children, who become the victims of this form of violence. The main aim of this study was to investigate the transition of taxi violence in a new democratic South Africa and to suggest ways in which the country should deal with the issue of taxi violence. The study argues that issues around taxi routes, rank space, the poaching of passengers from one taxi association by another, as well as greed, remain major contributing factors to ongoing taxi conflicts. This thesis presents a comprehensive interpretation of the transition of the minibus-taxi industry over various periods and the conflicts and violence that have overwhelmed it since the advent of the minibus-taxi industry. In an attempt to comprehensively understand the growth, the developments, as well as the fundamental issues affecting taxi violence, a comprehensive historical overview of the minibus-taxi industry and the challenges that have plagued it is presented. The overview covers significant sequential periods, namely 1977-1987; 1987-1994; 1994-1999; and 1999 to date. The research study thus focused on the transition and development of the minibus-taxi industry and its related violent conflicts within the years of apartheid and since its demise. An analysis of the apartheid Government’s efforts to resolve the conflicts and complications in the minibus-taxi industry is followed by an investigation of the new democratic Government’s attempts to implement various strategies that would remedy the situation. Such strategies have seen the transformation, formalization as well as the deregulation of the taxi industry in South Africa. Particular foci of the investigation were the nature of and the connection that existed among taxi violence, taxi owners and law enforcement agencies. Therefore, in addition to a comprehensive literature review, interviews were conducted with fifteen taxi drivers in an attempt to illuminate the current causes of taxi violence from taxi drivers’ perspective. It was envisaged that the interviews would offer in-depth insights into the respondents’ opinions and perceptions of current issues relating to taxi violence in the minibus-taxi industry. This qualitative data collection method utilised semi-structured interviews. The interview schedule contained both open-ended and close-ended questions. The findings were analysed by means of a thematic analysis process which was utilized as a means of making sense of the data by extracting various emerging themes. Two significant theories underpinned this study, namely the conflict theory and the labeling theory. The findings revealed that, despite the demise of apartheid, taxi violence still remains a major challenge in the South African minibus-taxi industry. The research study was conducted in Mpumalanga township, which is a low-urban community settlement in the eThekwini Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province. The interview data corroborated the findings of previous studies as it was found that perpetrators of taxi violence are predominantly taxi owners who contest ‘ownership’ of lucrative routes.
An investigative study of the policing of identity theft and fraud: a case of the Durban South African Police Services Serious Commercial Crime Unit.
(2021) Kheswa, Fudumezile Lindokuhle.; Ngubane, Londeka Princess.
The line between reality and unreality is blurred and, in a postmodern and technologically driven world, it is difficult to tell the real from those things that simulate the real. Extrapolating past events to solve current problems becomes highly risky and often misleading because the strategies employed might not support technological advancement. Against this background, it seems that identity theft and fraud, as separate but also related crimes, are disregarded when criminal phenomena are examined and prioritised. The dangers and disadvantages of this result in little or no fast-tracked plan of action against identity (or ID) theft and fraud. However, it is of great importance to examine ID theft and fraud in depth because of the sophisticated and imminent danger they bring to bear on society. Moreover, these crimes have infamous appeal and their perpetration by criminals worldwide is high due to the unlikelihood of detection. With criminals becoming increasingly adept at both cyberspace and more traditional methods of identity theft perpetration, the criminal justice arena is seen as becoming unequipped and lacking in the ability to keep pace with this form of criminality. The false and misguided belief that only the negligent and careless fall victim to identity theft and fraud should be shifted and the focus should fall on the development of effective and practical solutions to deter and possibly eradicate identity theft and fraud. It is thus pivotal to explore current processes that drive identity theft and fraud crimes to allow law enforcement to manoeuvre effectively towards deterring these criminal acts. Understanding the tactics and regulatory procedures utilised by law enforcement agencies against identity theft and fraud, and the gaps that might exacerbate these phenomena, is therefore vital in addressing this scourge. Additionally, by comparing and understanding the reasons for current statistics to explain the escalation in these crimes, law enforcement will be able to move towards the design and implementation of new strategies to curb them. The study argues that identity theft and fraud should not be crimes that commercial banks, social media platforms, and internet-based companies are oblivious too. Identity theft exists. It is constantly evolving and causes harm to an increasingly larger group of people, often the elderly, within society. However, the evolution of technology impacts and encourages perpetrators of such criminal behaviour to be more eventful and creative in their approach and modus operandi and enhances their ability to escape and thrive undetected. The extent of the harm and damage identity theft and fraud cause individuals, families, companies and the government means that their prevalence should never be overlooked or underestimated. The study sought to investigate the policing of identity theft and fraud in the Durban area in KwaZulu-Natal. My examination of these phenomena was not limited to a specific type of identity theft but was all encompassing. The geographical demarcation of the study was restricted to the South African Police Services Serious Commercial Crime Unit (SAPS SCCU), John Ross House, Durban. The goal was to solicit information pertaining to the strategies utilised by law enforcement agencies, particularly the SAPS, to police and deter identity theft and fraud. This was pivotal in light of the rising figures in identity theft and fraud and the lack of research on policing and deterring these criminal phenomena. As one of its main objectives, the study sought to understand the discrepancy between the recorded figures of ID theft and fraud and their actual rates of occurrence. This qualitative study made use of open-ended semi-structured interviews for the elicitation of data to achieve this objective. The study found that various types of identity theft and fraud were perpetrated by syndicates using varying modus operandi, with particular focus on technologically advanced methodologies. What appeared disconcerting was a lack in the ability of law enforcement to keep pace with criminal tactics and the modus operandi utilised by perpetrators that lead to the widespread occurrence of these crime forms. The SAPS SCCU is the only unit that is mandated to investigate commercial crime in KZN, and its success rate, according to the investigating officers, is average to high. However, the capacity of this unit to cope with the workload is somewhat limited due to its geographical jurisdiction that encompasses the whole of the KZN Province. Recommendations are offered in response to the data and the challenges that are associated with the processes of policing identity theft and fraud.
Perceptions and experiences of learners on the banning of corporal punishment in South African schools: a case study of four township schools in the Pinetown district of KwaZulu-Natal.
(2018) Ngubane, Londeka Princess.; Mkhize, Sazelo Michael.
The use of corporal punishment is not a new phenomenon in the South African education system as it was, for a long time, recognised as a fitting form of punishment for ill-disciplined and disobedient children. The growing recognition that corporal punishment is an act of violence against children has resulted in the abolishment of this form of punishment in society and particularly in schools. However, regardless of criminalising corporal punishment, it appears to be a disciplinary measure that is persistently used by some educators. Historically and currently, the intimate connection between corporal punishment and discipline has not merely been a convention of human thinking, as this practice is given recognition in various definitions in dictionaries. ‘To discipline’ is habitually stated to mean ‘to punish’. The notion of ‘disciplining children’ also comes from entrenched common conceptions about children and their relationship with adults. Corporal punishment has, for a long time, been associated with the rearing and education of children and this practice thus pervades schooling across nations. In many societies, punishment is a term that is closely linked with the self-perception of teachers who feel that they must be ‘in control’ and have ‘the upper hand’ in order to be respected. This impression of control is evident in the widespread conception of education which is to ‘socialize’ children in ‘desirable ways’ of ‘sitting in a formal classroom’, ‘behaving’ in school, ‘following instructions’ from the teacher, talking only when asked to, and finishing tasks on time. Many South African teachers thus do not understand the true meaning of discipline. The unequal power relation between adults and children further enhances the problem, as children adopt cues of authority from school and home and begin to accept violence as a way of life. Over the past years, several gruesome acts of corporal punishment have come to light through media reports of some incidences which had led to the death of children. Due to fear, children often remain silent and submit to violence without questioning such acts of punishment. Many children display signs of deep hurt in their behaviour, but this often goes unnoticed, which exacerbates the cycle of violence. Research has reliably revealed that the use of physical punishment against children hampers the attainment of respect for discipline. This form of punishment seldom provokes children to act inversely, as it does not convey an understanding of what they should to be doing, nor does it produce any kind of reward for being upright. The fact that teachers and principals often have to repeat the administration of corporal punishment for the same offense by the same child attests to its ineffectiveness. In countries where corporal punishment has been abolished, there has been no indication that the disruption of discipline in schools has escalated. This goes to show that disturbances are conveniently and ubiquitously censured on children as they are very vulnerable and cannot defend themselves. Numerous studies have indicated that corporal punishment modifies and often destroys the self-perception of the victim. Teachers habitually beat children because they themselves were beaten when they grew up. Children thus acquire negative behavioural patterns from their teachers as they identify with them. Moreover, placing the blame on the previous generation of teachers who used corporal punishment to discipline children is pointless, as they were acting in accordance with apartheid and international laws or cultural customs that sanctioned this form of punishment under certain conditions. The notion of punishment is closely related to human conceptions of childhood and education. It is also a conventional datum that childhood is a concept that emerged in the nineteenth century. Passé widespread thinking related to children such as ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’, ‘children are empty vessels’ and ‘children need to be moulded’ persists in the mindset of many modern-day educators and has frequently underpinned the ideologies of established school practices. The duty to safeguard children from physical punishment lies in the hands of teachers, principals, education administrators and all other stakeholders and does not exclude parents. It was against this backdrop that a comprehensive review of relevant literature was undertaken and that individual interviews were conducted with fifty learners from four schools (two junior secondary and two senior secondary schools) in a selected township area in KwaZulu-Natal Province. The main aim of the study was to explore and thus understand learners’ views on the administration of corporal punishment regardless of the fact that it was legally abolished. It was envisaged that the interviews with the learners would elicit rich data that would enhance the researcher’s insight into their perceptions of the persistent use of corporal punishment as a disciplinary measure in their schools. The study was thus premised on the assumption, which had been strengthened by anecdotal and media evidence, that corporal punishment was still administered in some schools in South Africa and in schools in the study area in particular. A qualitative study design facilitated the collection of the desired data by means of semi-structured interviews. The interview schedule contained both open- and closed-ended questions. The data were analysed by means of the thematic analysis procedure which facilitated the illumination of various emerging themes. The analysis of the data was framed by three scholarly theories: the theory of the subculture of violence; the differential association theory; and the deterrence theory. The findings suggest that, regardless of the legal framework that criminalises the use of corporal punishment, the administration of this form of punishment persisted in the schools under study. The interview data were validated by the findings of preceding studies that had found that some educators still used corporal punishment despite their knowledge that it was banned by the South African government in 1996. The findings revealed that corporal punishment ranged in severity and for diverse reasons and that it had adverse physical and emotional effects on the learners. Conversely, a minority of the learners supported this form of punishment as they perceived it to be effective in curbing misbehavior in schools. The findings also suggest that some learners had become so insensitive to the pain inflicted by corporal punishment that their delinquent behavior was exacerbated rather than curbed.
Public transit and crime. An exploratory study on commuter’s perceptions of crime in Metrorail trains: a case study of Durban station.
(2021) Nxele, Nokulunga.; Ngubane, Londeka Princess.
Rail transport is regarded as the cheapest mode of on-land transport for commuters who need to travel to and from work or school. It has distinctive characteristics that, over the years, have made it popular as a cost-effective mode of transport that accommodates a high number of people and reduces road congestion. It is an undeniable fact that railway transport has played an important role in many countries’ social and economic development. However, generally tolerant rail commuters in the city of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, have become increasingly frustrated at the declining quality of rail service delivery. This is evidenced by recent incidents of angry commuters who burnt trains due to failed rail assets, particularly in the Western Cape. These acts have been contemplated as a commuter strategy to enforce and guarantee service improvement by the operator, regardless of the negative effects they have on rail infrastructure and the economic wellbeing of the country as a whole. In terms of Metrorail services, the inconsistency between commuters’ expectations and management’s understanding of their expectations has exacerbated the perception of poor service quality. The rail commuter industry has been plagued by a history of poor service delivery due to inaccessibility, crowding, and poor security as the main reasons for dissatisfaction with railway services. In terms of the unreliability of Metrorail services, research has revealed that trains are rarely on time and tend to stop in the middle of nowhere without notice. This has prompted late arrivals at work and the possibility of job losses for commuters. Moreover, such delays and stoppages lead to train overcrowding and safety risks. As everyone’s main goal is get inside that train as soon as it arrives, getting inside could mean shoving, climbing on top of the train, or hanging from doors or windows. The lack of measures to curb such behaviour highlights the fact that commuters are treated with disdain and that nothing is done to reduce overcrowding and the unreliability of Metrorail services. Moreover, there has been a growing concern about crime becoming a major issue for law-abiding commuters. Both major crimes such as acts of violence, murder or robbery and minor crimes such as pick-pocketing occur regularly on trains or at stations. Due to ever-changing pattern within the transport sector, crime has succeeded into instilling fear in commuters. As a result, it has become a serious problem in South Africa that does not only have a negative effect on commuters, but on the economy of the country as well. Public transport networks provide a number of unique settings (places and times) across which crime and disorder can occur. These spaces include train stations and inside trains where there is no security. It was against this background that an extensive literature review was embarked on and individual interviews were conducted with 20 commuters that had been recruited at a selected train station in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. The prime aim of the study was to explore commuters’ perceptions of crime on Metrorail trains. It was anticipated that interviewing commuters who relied on Metrorail services as their main mode of transport would elicit in-depth insight into the issue at hand. A qualitative study design was employed to collect data by conducting semi-structured interviews. Open-ended questions that allowed the participants to share their experiences openly without being limited in any way were asked in the interview schedule. A thematic analysis process was used to make sense of the data from the various themes that emerged. To understand the criminological phenomenon under study, two significant theories were utilised to underpin this study namely, the routine activities theory and the crime pattern theory. The findings suggest that a lack of patrol officers on trains and at train stations, as well as the high level of overcrowding on trains, are contributing factors towards the high crime rates in this industry. The data that were collected from the interviews were substantiated by the findings of earlier studies that suggested that, due to affordability, more people were using railway transport currently than in the past. However, as the number of commuters increased, so did crime. The findings further propose that the ineffectiveness of policies and legislations that are in place to curb crime in the railway sector calls for a revitalisation of the purpose to provide safe, secure and reliable Metrorail services to commuters.