http://hdl.handle.net/10386/27 Sun, 05 Apr 2026 15:27:03 GMT 2026-04-05T15:27:03Z http://hdl.handle.net/10386/5403 'Kgomo ya bongaka e hwa e nkga dihlare' : tsinkelo ya bongaka bja setso le botebo bja filosofi ya Sepedi go tswa diemeng Phokwane, Phillip Phaswane Peleng bongaka bo be bo tšewa bjalo ka ditšhila ebile ba bangwe ba be ba no bo tšea bjalo ka boloi. Ke ka moo ge motho e le ngaka a be a tšewa go ba motho yo a se go a hlabologa le gore bongaka bja gagwe bo ka se tšwele motho mohola ge e se go timetša batho. Nyakišišong ye go lekotšwe diema tša Sepedi ga mmogo le mawa a ditaola nepokgolo e le go tsitsinkela ka moo Bapedi ba agago kgopolo ya filosofi ya bongaka ka gona. Se ge se dirwa go be go šomišwa mokgwa boleng gomme go ithekgilwe ka teori ya nyakišišo yeo e bitšwago Afrocenticity Bakgathatema ba nyakišišo ye ke mangaka ao a nago le maitemogelo ao a tseneletšego ka bongaka bja setšo. Mokgwa wo o šomišitšwego wa go kgoboketša tshedimošo ke wa go latela phatadiganong. Tshedimošo ye e tšwago melomong ya bahlaolwa bao le bona e lego bomatwetwe e sekasekilwe ka bogwari go fihlelela dikutollo tša maleba tša filosofi ya polelo ya diema tše tša go amana le bongaka bja ga borena le mawa ao a šomišwago ke dingaka ka bo tšona ka nako ya go phekola balwetši ba bona. Nyakišišo ye e hlapišitše bongaka bja segagešo ka go bontšha ka moo bophelo ka kakaretšo bo itshamilego ka bjona ka gona. Thesis (Ph.D. (Languages and Communication)) -- University of Limpopo, 2025 Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10386/5403 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10386/5385 Diversity management strategy for military skills development system recruits : a cross-cultural approach for the South African National Defence Force, Air Force Base Gymnasium, Limpopo Province Mamabolo, Mamogobo Rosinah The post-apartheid era in South Africa created an environment where people of different socio-economic and racial orientations can work together on an equal basis. Thus, citizens come to the work environment with diverse socio-cultural values, which influence their perceptions of communication within any given organisational context. The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) training environment comprises diverse socio-cultural aspects including race, language, class and gender, where recruits are trained in one environment despite their socio-cultural differences. This calls for effective intercultural and cross-cultural communication during Basic Military Training (BMT) within the SANDF. This study explored the impact of diversity on BMT among recruits in the SA Air Force Gymnasium, Hoedspruit in the Limpopo province and aimed to develop a cross-cultural communication strategy for diverse Military Skills Development System (MSDS) recruits undertaking BMT training at the SA Air Force Gymnasium. To understand the nature of diversity and its effect on workgroup communication and progress, the study employed Oetzel’s (2005) Effective Intercultural Workgroup Theory, Kim’s (1988) Cross-cultural Adaptation Theory and Burgoon, Stern and Dillman’s (1995) Interaction Adaptation Theory. A qualitative research method was employed for this study. Purposive sampling was used to select the SA Air Force Gymnasium due to the diversity characteristics of its recruits. Quota sampling was used to acquire BMT recruits, instructors and squadron managers based on their language, race and gender aspects desirable for the study. Data were collected through three focus group discussions which consisted of 30 MSDS (BMT) recruits, semi-structured interviews with five instructors and two squadron managers as well as participant-observation. A reflexive thematic analysis was used to generate discursive themes and analyse the findings of the study. Additionally, Microsoft (MS) Excel was used to manage the numerical (demographic) data of participants. This study revealed that BMT emerges with diverse recruits from different gender, racial, cultural, linguistic, religious affiliation and African spirituality backgrounds which are carried out to cross-cultural interactions and therefore result in cross-cultural communication tensions, misunderstandings, misperceptions and misconceptions amongst the diverse communicators. Diversity manifestation elements (gender, culture, race, language and religious and African spirituality beliefs) are perceived assignificant factors which result in cross-cultural communication barriers. Amongst others, the study revealed that there is an interdependent relationship between cognition, lived experiences, culture and communication. Culture is automatically brought to the cross-cultural communication process of diverse recruits leading to ineffective cross-cultural communication. Additionally, the level of cross-cultural communication knowledge and lived experiences of military personnel determine the failure or the success of cross-cultural communication. Various cross-cultural communication strategies which include diversity educational programmes, acculturation, interpretation, regulatory frameworks and campaigns are perceived as effective strategies and approaches to effective cross-cultural interactions during BMT. Thesis (Ph. D. (Communication Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2025 Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10386/5385 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10386/5382 Parental perceptions and monitoring of teenagers' smartphone use in rural South Africa : a case study of Moletjie Village, Limpopo Province Rafapa, Motsobane Kholofelo This study investigated parental perceptions and monitoring practices concerning teenagers’ smartphone use, an issue that has gained prominence with the rapid proliferation of smartphone technology. While smartphones offer numerous benefits, their excessive use among adolescents presents potential adverse effects on lifestyle, academic performance, and mental health. Through a qualitative approach, this research explored parental viewpoints on the smartphone habits of their teenage children and examined patterns of use. Grounded in parental motivation theory and protection motivation theory, the study aimed to provide insights into how parents perceive and manage their teenagers’ smartphone usage, focusing specifically on its negative impacts. Given the limited research conducted in the South African context, this study contributed significantly by addressing gaps related to parental involvement and the implications of unmonitored smartphone use among teenagers. Data were collected through interviews with both parents and teenage smartphone users. Key findings reveal that while parents acknowledge the frequent smartphone use among their children, most of them lack active monitoring practices. The study underscored the dependency of teenagers on smartphones and the unrestricted use that often accompanies parental disengagement. These findings highlight the need for further research into parental monitoring approaches to enhance responsible smartphone use among teenagers, with particular attention to online activities and parental guidance. Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2025 Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10386/5382 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10386/5251 Rethinking communication about 'Black Tax" a deconstruction of media and capitalist framings of African communalism Boima, Maite Abigail ‘Black Tax’ is a colloquial term that refers to financial responsibility carried by Black South Africans who send remittances and other commodities to their nuclear and extended family (Carpenter & Phaswana, 2021: 2). It is the expectation of the employed Black South Africans to financially assist their extended family members (Matlala & Shambare, 2017:76). The media as powerful communication platforms in society set an agenda of how particular issues are framed and perceived in a society. When the media frames an issue in a certain way, it raises a critical question about what is left out in a frame. When a concept is framed as a ‘tax’, it projects a capitalist understanding, in this case, of social and cultural ideals that shape African collectivist tradition. The problem is, does the media discourse of ‘Black Tax’ present various aspects of this culture with both its benefits and the problematic character? Drawing theoretically from Derrida’s (1967:196) Theory of Deconstruction; Bateson’s (1972:197) Theory of Media Framing and the discourses of African Communalism from the works of Etta, Esowe and Asukwo (2016:303); Ominde, K’odhiambo and Gunga (2020:283), the study specifically examined how the issue of ‘Black Tax’ is framed in media discourse with a focus on examining the implication of this framing on the understanding of African Communalism. Through the study of selected media archival materials as data, which were analysed using a Deconstruction model, the study shows the media frame ‘Black Tax’ as a financial burden and exploitation that young Black professionals must bear. However, this disregards the fact that Africans have a collectivist culture and look out for one another. The media content analysed also failed to acknowledge the nuanced origins and the complexity of the concept. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with Black professional youth in order to examine the mediating effect of ‘Black Tax’ on Black youth. The results showed that ‘Black Tax’ is the result of South Africa’s triple challenges (Poverty, Inequality and Unemployment). The results also showed that ‘Black Tax’ has an impact on the young professionals’ personal and financial growth and their mental health. In deconstructing the concept of ‘Black Tax,’ the study reveals what is highlighted, negated, implied, and neglected in the understanding of the concept in relation to the historical and social-economic dimensions of South Africa today. This study sheds light on the social, political and economic aspects that have influenced the perception of 'Black Tax' and its effects on families, communities and young black people in South Africa Thesis (M. A. (Communication Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2024 Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10386/5251 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z