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Challenging the identity of South African Indian women through playwriting (and theatre): a look at three South African Indian women playwrights writing within the KwaZulu-Natal region post 1994.
(1999) Govender, Krijay.; Loots, Lliane Jennifer.
This dissertation concerns itself with challenging the identity of South African Indian women through playwriting (and theatre). It focuses on three South African Indian women playwrights writing in KwaZulu-Natal post 1994. The identity ofSouth African /ndiun' women has been historically constructed as a
cultural one. This construction has largely been perpetuated by the South African Indian male through cultural practices like theatre. In challenging such constructions it is important to consider discussions on identity and culture itself. As such Gayatri Spivak’s (1990) arguments on identity are appropriated in this dissertation. Alice Walker (1984) articulates the black woman's position as that of a 'Womanist'-marginalised by race, class and sex. It could be argued that the South African Indian woman is not only marginalised by race, class and sex, but also by a constructed sense of not belonging to South Africa and the African continent at large. This sense of not belonging to the African continent extends to the South African /ndian community at large, who as a result of apartheid have emerged as a marginalised minority group. This is perhaps one of the main reasons that the South African /ndian community has looked to India as their historical and cultural ‘homeland’. The South African Indian identity is therefore constructed within this fixed notion of ‘Indian culture’. The role and identity of the South African /ndiun woman within this ‘culture’ (and cultural practice) has been constructed as a submissive and subordinate one. The notion of culture itself needs to be investigated, since culture is not a neutral entity (Tax, 1973). Moreover, this so-called ‘Indian culture” is situated within patriarchy and thus carries further gendered ideological constructions. It therefore becomes necessary to challenge this constructed notion of South African /ndiun women’s identity by allowing South African Indian women to begin to articulate their own subjectivities.
Exploring translation of University of KwaZulu-Natal ndaba online publications from English into isiZulu.
(2025) Ngcobo, Snothando.; Ngcobo, Tholakele Ruth.; Dlamini, Phindile Dorothy.
This study delves into the translation of University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) ndaba online publications from English into isiZulu. The primary objective is to identify the translation procedures employed and assess their impact on the translation process. Guided by SouthAfrica’s multilingual language policy and UKZN’s commitment to promoting bilingualism, the study addresses the pressing need to advance indigenous languages, particularly isiZulu, within academic and institutional communication. Vinay and Darbelnet’s (1995) linguistic model, supplemented by additional translation procedures, serves as the theoretical framework for this research. The study adopted a qualitative research design within an interpretive paradigm and conducted textual analysis on eight ndaba online publications published between 2020 and 2023. The analysis revealed a variety of translation procedures used by translators, with transposition emerging as the most frequently employed strategy. This reflects the structural differences between English and isiZulu. While the selected procedures generally facilitated accurate meaning transfer, one instance of mistranslation underscored the necessity for strengthened editorial processes. Overall, this study contributes to the limited body of research on institutional and technical translation in South Africa. It emphasizes the pivotal role of translation in supporting the development of isiZulu in academic settings and advancing UKZN’s bilingual mandate. The study recommends that ndaba online consider employing additional translators and editors, expanding the number of translated publications, and conducting further research, including interviews with translators, to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges inherent intranslating institutional texts.
Balancing of content and language: experiences of IsiZulu speaking historys.
(2025) Gumede, Zikhethele Harington.; Maharajh, Lokesh Ramnath.
The teaching of content through a second language presents a notable challenge within the global education landscape, particularly in multilingual classrooms. In South Africa, while the constitution recognises eleven official languages, English is predominantly used as the medium of instruction. This creates a complex dynamic where teachers, especially in subjects like History with its heavy content load, must navigate the complexities of teaching in a language that is not their own to learners who may also have limited proficiency in that language. This study addresses the experiences of IsiZulu-speaking teachers who face the challenge of balancing content delivery and language development in this multilingual context. This research employed an interpretive paradigm within a qualitative research approach. Data was generated through semi-structured interviews conducted with History teachers in four schools within the ILembe District of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The selection of schools aimed to represent a variety of teaching backgrounds and educational environments within the district. The findings of this study highlight the linguistic and pedagogical challenges faced by IsiZulu-speaking teachers when teaching History in English. Specifically, the study reveals the importance of acknowledging and incorporating the learners' first language (IsiZulu) to facilitate a deeper understanding of the subject matter. Furthermore, the research emphasises the interconnectedness of language proficiency and content comprehension, demonstrating that language proficiency is fundamental to effective content delivery. This study underscores the need for educational strategies and policies that acknowledge and address the linguistic diversity within South African classrooms. The findings suggest that supporting teachers in effectively integrating language and content is crucial for improving teaching practices and enhancing learning outcomes. Ultimately, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the complexities of second language instruction and provides valuable insights for teacher training and curriculum development in multilingual contexts.
Exploring rural primary school teachers’ experiences of learning and participation in professional learning communities.
(2024) Mzobe, Nomkhosi.; Zulu, Free-Queen Bongiwe.
Professional development of teachers is a concern internationally and locally, however, all tried professional development methods like workshops have not been much productive since they usually occur on a once-off rather than ongoing basis. The purpose of this study was to explore the different kinds of learning activities that teachers engage in, how these teachers learn from each other in their PLCs and to examine the types of skills and knowledge that teachers in a rural school context acquire in their PLCs. The study was framed by Kwakman’s (2003) professional learning activities and Grossman’s (1990) models of teacher knowledge. Purposive sampling was used to select six participants: three participants from the Foundation Phase PLC and three participants from the Intermediate and Senior Phase PLC. Data was generated through semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that in both PLCs, teachers engaged in reading curriculum support documents for lesson planning and regularly reflected on learners’ barriers and performance. Foundation Phase teachers collaboratively set assessment tasks, tackled addition in mathematics and developed their teaching aids. Intermediate and Senior Phase teachers demonstrated natural science experiments, created teaching aids and resources, and shared methods for using social media platforms to access resources. The findings also reveal that in both PLCs teachers collaborated; through sharing useful teaching resources and teaching strategies, through sharing content knowledge, through team teaching and peer teaching. In both PLCs teachers collaborated to implement the Department of Basic Education (DBE) programs, such as Jikimfundo for the Foundation Phase and PSRIP for the Intermediate and Senior Phases. The findings revealed that Foundation Phase teachers learnt pedagogical content knowledge for teaching phonics, while Intermediate and Senior Phase teachers gained pedagogical content knowledge for teaching the fundamentals of poetry in English as a First Additional Language. This study recommends that the PLCs should allocate more time for their PLCs in schools.
Ucwaningo oluhlaziya ukusetshenziswa kwamasu okuhumusha emqulwini wekharikhulamu yaseNingizimu Afrika yolimi lwasekhaya lwesiZulu ibanga le-10 kuya ebangeni le-1.
(2025) Nkosi, Samukelisiwe Nontokozo.; Dlamini, Phindile Dorothy.; Shinga, Sibongile Elizabeth.
Lolu cwaningo lukhuluma ngokuhunyushwa komqulu wekharikhulamu yaseNingizimu Afrika yolimi lwasekhaya lwesiZulu, ebangeni le-10 kuya ebangeni le-12. Lubuye lubhekeamasu okuhumusha asetshenzisiwe ngenhloso yokuthola izindlela zokusetshenziswa kwawo kanye nempumelelo yokusetshenziswa kwawo kulo mbhalo, okugqugquzelwe ukuthi imibhalo ehunyushwayo phakathi kwezilimi ezimbili ezingahlobene, iyaye ibhekane nezingqinamba zolimi ezithile ekuhumusheni umbhalo onembayo ngempumelelo. Kanti ongoti abahlukene baphakamisa izixazululo zokubhekana nalezo zingqinamba zokuhumusha okungamasu okuhumusha ahlukene (Baker, 2011). Yingakho lolu cwaningo luhlaziya amasu okuhumusha asetshenzisiwe emqulwini wekharikhulamu, ukuqaphela izingqinamba ezithile zolimi ebezibhekene nomhumushi zagcina zithonya ukusetshenziswa kwawo. Luphinde lubheke impumelelo yokuhunyushwa kombhalo ngenxa yokusetshenziswa kwamasu okuhumusha emqulwini wekharikhulamu. Ucwaningo lusebenzise injulalwazi kaBaker (2011) ehlukanisa amasu okuhumusha ngezigaba ukuthola igamafana ngokwamazinga ahlukene (iBaker’s taxonomy). Kanti lolu cwaningo lugxile esigabeni sokusetshenziswa kwamasu okuhumusha ngokwezinga legama (word level). Le njulalwazi ngokwezinga legama, igxile ezingqinambeni ezivame ukuhlangabezana nabahumushi uma behumusha umbhalo; kanye namasu okuhumusha avamile angase alekelele ukuxazulula lezo zingqinamba ukuthola igamafana ngokwezinga legama. Ngenxa yalokho, ucwaningo lugxile emakhasini ayishumi (10) omqulu wekharikhulamu yolimi lwesiZulu asuselwe olimini lwesiNgisi, ukuhlonza amasu okuhumusha asetshenzisiwe, bese luqaphela izingqinamba ebezibhekene nomhumushi ukuze kusetsheziswe lawo masu atholakele ngezizathu zokuthola igamafana lolimi okuhunyushelwa kulo ngokulandela injulalwazi kaBaker (2011).Ucwaningo luphinde lwahlaziya impumelelo yokusetshenziswa kwamasu, ukuqaphela ukuthi kungabe umbhalo usadlulisa umlayezo ofanayo yini, lwaphinde lwaveza nokubaluleka kokuthola igamafana uma kuhunyushwa umbhalo. Ucwaningo luthole ukuthi amasu okuhumusha asetshenzisiwe emqulwini wekharikhulamu ayisi-7 kulawo aphakanyiswe uBaker (2011). Lwathola nokuthi umhumushi ubebhekene nazo zonke izingqinamba zokungabi negamafana kulezi eziyi-11 kweziphakanyiswe uBaker (2011), ukuze azixazulule ngokusebenzisa la masu okuhumusha ahlonziwe. Amasu okuhumusha asetshenzisiwe ukuxazulula izingqinamba eziqapheliwe, ukuhumusha ngegama elivamile, Ukuhumusha ngegama eliwujikelele/elingazwakalisi, ukuhumusha ngegama elinobusiko, Ukuhumusha ngegama lokubolekwa noma igama lokubolekwa nencazelo, ukuhumusha ngamanye amagama usebenzise igama elihlobene, ukuhumusha ngokubeka ngamanye amagama usebenzise igama elingahlobene, kanye nokuhumusha ngokweqiwa. Ngakho-ke, ucwaningo lube seluphetha ngokuthi ukuhumusha ngokusetshenziswa kwamasu kube yimpumelelo, njengoba umlayezo wolimi olungumthombo ukwazile ukudluliseka olimini okuhunyushelwa kulo.