College of Humanities

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Decolonial reconciliation? Towards an indecent theology of reconciliation in a time of #FeesMustFall: a theological contribution towards decolonising discourses of reconciliation within #FeesMustFall.
(2018) Grassow, Lisa.; Le Bruyns, Clint Charles.
No abstract provided.
Hearing the ‘Voiceless’ : examining the #FeesMustFall movement as an issue community.
(2017) Muchena, Mellisa Rufaro.; Pitcher, Sandra.
The hashtag #FeesMustFall was adopted by students on social media platforms as a rallying cry to unite students and the public to support the cause for free education in South Africa (Thomas, 2015). This study aims to ‘listen’ to the voices of #FeesMustFall 2016 on Twitter. Literature focussed on exploring how issue communities (Mareider and Schwarzenegger, 2012) and social curation (Villi, 2012) provide insight on the characteristics of the #FeesMustFall movement. Furthermore, this research investigates the conversations of this online community on matters of free education. Therefore, the conversations were examined using the norms of the Hauserian (1999) public sphere, which focusses on discourse and not the group enacting the discourse. Because this research explored aspects of ‘hashtag activism’, this type of analysis proved useful to understand new types of civic engagement which occur on online platforms like social media. In terms of methodological framework, this study was grounded within cultural studies and network theory as it explored the discourses within the conversations and the network structure of the community. This helped uncover the underlying topics discussed in the community, and identify the most influential members.
Hearing the ‘Voiceless’ : Examining the #FeesMustFall movement as an issue community.
(2017) Muchena, Mellisa Rufaro.; Pitcher, Sandra.
Hearing the ‘Voiceless’: Examining the #FeesMustFall movement as an issue community The hashtag #FeesMustFall was adopted by students on social media platforms as a rallying cry to unite students and the public to support the cause for free education in South Africa (Thomas, 2015). This study aims to ‘listen’ to the voices of #FeesMustFall 2016 on Twitter. Literature focussed on exploring how issue communities (Mareider and Schwarzenegger, 2012) and social curation (Villi, 2012) provide insight on the characteristics of the #FeesMustFall movement. Furthermore, this research investigates the conversations of this online community on matters of free education. Therefore, the conversations were examined using the norms of the Hauserian (1999) public sphere, which focusses on discourse and not the group enacting the discourse. Because this research explored aspects of ‘hashtag activism’, this type of analysis proved useful to understand new types of civic engagement which occur on online platforms like social media. In terms of methodological framework, this study was grounded within cultural studies and network theory as it explored the discourses within the conversations and the network structure of the community. This helped uncover the underlying topics discussed in the community, and identify the most influential members.
Higher education at the precipice : financing higher education: a stakeholders’ perspective at Howard College.
(2017) Maphumulo, Gugu Dada Cindy-Carol.; Mtapuri, Oliver.
The #FeesMustFall campaign of 2015 was a result of social dynamics which placed South African universities between a rock and a hard place. The fixing of the problem revolves around National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), therefore, student funding needs rethinking as student academic choices must not be constrained by their socio-economic status. The aim of this study was to gain insight and understanding into the dynamics of higher education and funding using Howard College (University of KwaZulu-Natal) as a case study. The tools that were used to collect data include interviews and questionnaires which are compatible with a mixed method approach. This enabled the researcher to use methodological triangulation in which both qualitative and quantitative data was collected in a sequential approach. In-depth interviews were done with five stakeholders and one hundred self-administered questionnaires to undergraduate students at the Howard College campus. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and triangulated. Some of the key findings of this study suggest that while NSFAS is a loan scheme, it was helping to some extent but was insufficient because the demand was huge. Violence by students was a tactic to have their voices heard in the face of a University management that resorted to calling the police instead of engaging with students regarding their concerns. The study also found out that the #FeesMustFall campaign was not targeted at Universities but at the government. By virtue of the fact that NSFAS is a student loan scheme, students prefer other lines of assistance such as bursaries, grants and scholarships as the loan tended to put the students under heavy indebtedness before they have even completed their studies. The study recommends that alternative sources of funding should be found particularly involving the private sector as it is the main beneficiary of the products of universities – the graduates. By going online, NSFAS was disadvantaging the already disadvantaged students who do not have the digital exposure such as most of those who attended high schools and found themselves in the cities. Students saw higher education as a right which the government must fulfil. The study concludes by noting that providing free higher education is a political decision with serious economic repercussions such that reconciling these diametrically opposed perspectives requires cool heads and sober reflections by all stakeholders.
An influence of the #FEESMUSTFALL movement on student politics: a case study of the Durban University of Technology 2016-17 Steve Biko campus.
(2022) Mokua, Kabelo Phillip.; Vilakazi, Fikile Mabel.
The years 2015/16 were a significant period in the history of student activism in higher education in South Africa. The period resulted in thousands of university students across the country demonstrating for free decolonized education. As a result, thousands of students were subjected to police brutality, confrontation, and arrests through the use of force, rubber bullets and tear gas amongst other things. This has in many institutions of learning amounted to damage to property and affected teaching and learning. The genuine concerns and demands of students for free higher education and conducive learning spaces for the black majority in South Africa, saw the former President Jacob Zuma announcing 0% fee increment and commitment for feasibility of free higher education in South Africa. In this regard, this research sought to examine the influence of the #FeesMustFall [#FMF] movement on student politics and to understand how the university management at the Durban University of Technology, Steve Biko Campus, responded to the #FeesMustFall demands of students. The study used a qualitative approach in exploring the influ1dxence of the #FMF movement in student politics. A theoretical lens of social justice was used to engage with this research, and it advocates for the distribution of power, resources, and benefits in society without favour of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, ability, and any other status. Study findings show that there was a positive influence on student politics from the #FMF movements. One key positive outcome was that all student political parties namely: the South African Student Congress [SASCO], the Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command [EFFSC], the Democratic Alliance Student Organization [DA] and the Black Land First Student Organization [BLF] amongst others found their voices uniting under the national call for free and decolonized h i g h e r education. This unity amongst student leaders, varied political formations and various social groupings revived and encouraged youth to engage more in student politics. It was also found that the relationship between student leaders and University management at DUT became overwrought due to a violent approach and tactic used by the #FeesMustFall student movement. In some instances, this has resulted in fatalities and casualties physically, emotionally, economically, politically, and psychologically in the lives of students, University infrastructure and student politics in general. This thesis recommends therefore a need for national reflection on higher education in South Africa and student activism based on a case and lessons of #FMF movement. This national reflection needs to investigate, confront, and raise important questions with regards to equity, access, decoloniality and transformation in higher education as a critical discourse and call to action after twenty-five years of democracy in South Africa.
Prospects, opportunities and challenges of a decolonial curriculum in South Africa.
Mbhele, Senzelo Sopatro.; Mtapuri, Oliver.
The Decolonial curriculum is a contested global education discourse debate on the how best to cater for previously disadvantaged population groups to access and excel in higher institutions of learning. The global view that there is a relationship between education and human prosperity is a pillar on which the calls for a decolonial curriculum lie. With the increase in student protests, political conflicts and economic crises in most countries, students are struggling to access university education, and to successfully undertake and complete their studies. In the most recent cases in South Africa, students have taken to the street to register their anger against the South African government for the slow progress of transformation in universities. Reviewing literature on the South Africa 2015/2016 #FeesMustFall University of KwaZulu-Natal student protest, this study sought to explore the prospects, opportunities and challenges of a decolonial curriculum in South African universities. The research focused on factors that facilitate the effective implementation of a decolonial curriculum as an alternative to the current curriculum and the role that student activists play in shaping the discourse of decolonial curriculum debates and implementation. As such, a desktop qualitative literature review approach was used to analyse students’ sentiments on a decolonial curriculum, against the background of the #FeesMustFall protests. No primary data was collected for this study. Grosfoguel's Model of Coloniality theory and three strategies for decolonial education guided this study. Findings suggest that the there is great need for an accelerated approach to a decolonial curriculum in SA universities in order to deal with inequalities, social injustices and human rights. The changes of the current university establishments would address the colonial injustices brought up by apartheid. In order to minimise the negative effects of inequalities in current university curricula, it is recommended that students, universities, religious leaders, communities, non-governmental partners and the government should work together in implanting a viable and sustainable decolonial curriculum in all universities and other institutions of higher learning.
Re-defining white privilege: students’ perceptions of white privilege in post-apartheid South Africa.
(2021) Shezi, Nombulelo Sharon.; Cele, Nokuthula Peace.
During the apartheid era, race was a barometer that determined what privilege an individual was privy. In order to ensure the maintenance of this privilege, segregation laws were introduced. Washrooms, beaches, transport, and other public amenities were allocated according to races, with white people getting quality facilities. Thus, white people enjoyed a multitude of benefits at the expense of black people (Africans, Coloureds & Indians). The 2016 Fees Must Fall movement spearheaded by South African university students introduced the controversial topic of white privilege. Due to the gruesome history of apartheid and the tension that still exists in South Africa's social fabric, this topic further divided South Africans into factions. For months on end, controversial topics regarding race, racism, and white monopoly were deliberated on all media platforms. This study is framed within theories of social constructionism and the empowerment theory. In order to examine how race is socially constructed in South Africa (SA) and the perceptions of race in post-apartheid South Africa, this study drew on two case studies by Bhana & Pattman, and Oakes and Misgun. Secondly, the empowerment theory highlights that it is through the political, economic, and social empowerment of the individual and communities that a society flourishes (Zimmerman, Israel, Schulz & Checkoway, 1992). Twenty-four interviews were conducted with students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College to determine how students perceive white privilege in post-apartheid South Africa. An additional hundred and two questionnaires were distributed via Google Forms to determine how individuals from different socio-economic contexts perceive white privilege, race and racism. This study discovered that despite the end of apartheid, many of apartheid's racialized patterns of privilege have persisted and 'race' continues to influence one's access to essential resources. This is despite the introduction of transformative policies aimed at redressing the colonial legacies.
Social media activism and simulated democracies: a comparative exploration of #FeesMustFall (South Africa) and #Jallikattu protests (Tamil Nadu, India)
(2024) Govender, Kameshwaran Envernathan.; Sewchurran, Anusharani.
Social media's transformation into public spheres has influenced activism and shifted protests and social movements into digital spaces. The #FeesMustFall movement (2015) campaigned for free education in South Africa. #FMF was precipitated by the #RhodesMustFall movement (2015) which called for the removal of the statue of Cecil Rhodes at the University of Cape Town, which represented colonialism. #RMF called for the decolonisation of education and #FMF reiterated the same. In parallel, the #Jallikattu protests (2017) in Tamil Nadu was against the Supreme Court's ban of 'Jallikattu’ a 2000-year-old cultural sport with bulls. The protests were triggered by the cumulative grievances of the people of Tamil Nadu against India's union government. The temporal proximity, student-led activism, social media influence of the protests and the nations being post-colonial democracies invoked the interest for this inter-continental comparison of protest cultures. This study explores a unique comparison of democracies via protest movements in South Africa and India. The researcher has collected data from blogs, e-newspapers, e-magazines, online news aggregators, e-editions of mainstream media, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and personal interviews to compare the discourses, which emerged from both these social campaigns. A snowball sampling method and open-ended interviews were used to collect data from student protestors, university faculty, media persons and the general citizenry. Foucault's discourse analysis and Yin's explorative case study analysis were used to analyse the collected data. Gidden's structuration theory provided a theoretical lens to how colourism, police brutality, racism, casteism, sexism, centres of protests, media bias, and diaspora support affected the social movements. Baudrillard’s simulacra and simulation theory afforded further analysis of the levels of democracies in both these nations. Drawing from the above events and narratives the researcher posits a simulation of democracy in South Africa and India disrupting normative ideals.
Students’ insight and understanding of the notion ‘decolonisation of the curriculum in higher education’ at the University of Kwazulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.
(2018) Ndamane, Sindiswa Nobuntu Psyche.; Rama, Sharmla.
The #FeesMustFall protest in South African Universities in 2015 and 2016 saw students raise, amongst their concerns regarding the nature of the higher education curriculum and the inability of some students to afford higher education. In terms of the former, students called for a decolonised higher education curriculum. In spite of the growing calls for decolonisation, there are contestations about what decolonisation is and how it can best be implemented in the country’s higher education institutions. In addition, cumulative evidence affirms that some students have little or no knowledge of what decolonisation means and are rather absorbing populace or rhetorical stances (Oelofsen, 2015). This study investigates students’ understanding of the meaning of a ‘decolonised curriculum’. This qualitative study employed in-depth face-to-face interviews with fifteen students across different Colleges at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg campus. The sample of participants included two student organisations leaders and thirteen student members of these organisations. Thematic analysis was used to report key findings. Paulo Freire’s concept of critical consciousness and Steve Biko’s black consciousness has been used to understand the factors that shape students’ ideas and notions of the decolonised curriculum. The study shows that students acknowledge the challenges in the implementation of the decolonised curriculum in universities. Using more African based authors rather than western authors in the curriculum is one of the ways it can be transformed. The language was also identified as critical to debate on the curriculum. Students believe that if the curriculum is taught in South African indigenous languages, academic performance would improve. Renaming the university infrastructures and facilities also becomes the main proposal from students who claim that they do not identify with individuals whose names are used to label university buildings. Students recommended that the renaming of the buildings be taken into consideration because it is highly associated with decolonisation of the curriculum and university. Participants recommended that more formal dialogues should be conducted between academics and students. Students also need to do more research on decolonising the curriculum so that they can avoid rhetorical arguments and stances.
The use of revolutionary songs in the #FeesMustFall movement: a discourse analysis.
(2020) Phajane, Mokgabisi Gaopalelwe.; Sekhesa, Thabo.
This study employed a discourse and thematic analysis to explore the use of revolutionary songs in the #FeesMustFall (#FMF) movement. This was achieved through three main objectives namely: to identify the role(s) of revolutionary songs in the #FMF movement; to explore the purpose of amending pre-1994 revolutionary songs during the activities of the #FMF movement; and to investigate the intended message(s) communicated by the revolutionary songs sung by the #FMF members. A qualitative methodology was employed, and the theoretical framework used was social constructionism. The sample size consisted of six participants and data was collected using semi-structured interviews. The results of the study suggest that the use of revolutionary songs in the #FMF movement were understood by their functionality. Three primary themes identified as playing roles by revolutionary songs in the #FMF movement were, namely: communicating, mobilising, and expressing collective identity. The participants understood emotional, spiritual, and nostalgic expressions as subthemes for the communicative role. The participants were in consensus that the songs ought to accurately reflect the context in which they occur, although there were contradictions regarding the seemingly opposing positions vis-à-vis the need versus no need to amend revolutionary songs. This elicited a discussion regarding the relevance of revolutionary songs in the #FMF movement. The discussion produced the fourth theme of the findings titled: the more things change, the more they remain the same. The revolutionary songs of the #FMF movement conveyed message(s) perceived to be important to the members of the wider #FMF movement. The fifth theme regarding the intended message(s) communicated by the revolutionary songs is titled: messages that ego the past. The increase in tuition fees served as a catalyst for unearthing deeper issues that were present in South African higher education. Certain revolutionary songs focused on challenging the barriers of inequality, widespread discontent regarding the conditions of colonialism, transformation, and institutional racism, while other revolutionary songs conveyed the constructive roles of self-persuasion, reaffirmation of identity, and mobilisation. The participants demonstrated that the intended message(s) may change based on the directed audience and the audience itself may change based on the context.

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