Browsing by Author "Ngubane, Nokuthula Philile."

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Early childbearing in the context of the child support grant : a case study of young women in Mtubatuba.
(2015) Ngubane, Nokuthula Philile.; Maharaj, Pranitha.
Teenage pregnancy still remains one of the most heated topics in South Africa. Although teenage pregnancy in South Africa is not high compared to other regions in sub-Saharan Africa, it is still considerably high despite being in decline since the early 1990s. The South African mass media reported that the reason why there is a high rate of teenage pregnancy in this country is because the child support grant (CSG) is encouraging young women to deliberately bear children in order to access the grant. The misconceptions are that young women are having children in order to access the grant while they do not spend the money in the best interest of the child; therefore young women are labelled as misusing the grant while they leave their children with their grandmothers. However, previous research reports that there is no relationship between teenage pregnancy and the CSG. Research has indicated that there are various factors that contribute to early childbearing such as poverty, lack of sex education, coerced sex and lack of reproductive health services. With this background information, the aim of the study is to shed insights into the relationship between the CSG and early childbearing. The study was conducted in Mtubatuba, located in northern KwaZulu-Natal. It draws on in-depth interviews with women who are receipts of the CSG. The majority of women from this study denied that there is a relationship between the CSG and early childbearing. They argued that the money was small; therefore they did not believe that one can have a child in order to access the grant due to the high cost of living in South Africa. Women from the study argue that there are various factors that contribute to early childbearing, especially in the community they live in. For example, lack of health facilities where they can access reproductive health services such as contraceptives, lack of sex education in the community, peer pressure and sugar daddy dependency were some of the factors mentioned in the study. The majority of women believed that if these factors can be taken into consideration then the rate of teenage pregnancy will decline.
The implementation of the foster child grant: a case study of the experiences of caregivers and implementers in the Umgungundlovu District.
(2023) Ngubane, Nokuthula Philile.; Manicom, Desiree Pushpeganday.
The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of foster parents. It also examined the experiences of foster care programme implementers. There has been an increase in the number of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) who require care and protection, and while there is a wealth of literature and legislative frameworks that address their needs and care, little is known about the lived experiences of their primary caregivers. The study aimed to address this gap. Many studies on the implementation of foster care services have been conducted but the focus of these studies has been on interviewing social workers (as key participants). This study differs in that all key stakeholders were interviewed to gain a better understanding of the study phenomenon. Based on a case study approach, the findings show that foster parents, as the primary caregivers of OVC, face a variety of challenges including dealing with foster children who display behavioural issues, family and community interference with their foster care roles and responsibilities, and a lack of support from welfare agencies. The study’s findings also show that a key barrier to efficient and effective foster care implementation is a lack of administrative capacity while other barriers include political interference and a lack of senior management support. The significance of this study rests in its contribution to the body of knowledge on foster care services through the recommendations that follow: The study recommends, based on its findings, that a comprehensive needs assessment be carried out in foster families before a child is placed with them and that programmes and policies that are informed by the real-life circumstances of these families be explored. The needs assessment approach must include foster parents’ needs, and it must be ensured that foster parents, who play a critical part in raising foster children, are psychologically, spiritually, financially, and physically prepared to take on the duty. For effective implementation of the foster care programme, it is recommended that comprehensive research and expert consultation be conducted before policy development and that personnel training, the availability of necessary resources, and monitoring of policy implementation are essential in terms of the policy’s success. It is also recommended that a collaborative approach between bureaucrats and key policy programme implementing partners be established. This includes developing a clear legislative framework or policy document that includes all relevant stakeholders, their roles and responsibilities, and a clear application procedure. The implementing agencies must be provided with new and enhanced existing technologies to simplify the application, verification, and selection criteria processes for all involved in the foster programme implementation including, importantly, the recipients of the programme. Iqoqa Inhloso yalolu cwaningo wukuhlola izinto ababhekana nazo osingamzali. Lwaphinda lwahlola nezinto ezenzeka ngasohlangothini lwalabo abenza umsebenzi wohlelo lokwabiwa kwezinsiza zokunakekelwa kwezingane ezingenabazali. Lenyukile inani lezintandane nezingane ezingenabani ezidinga ukunakekelwa nokuvikelwa, ama-orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), futhi nakuba kunenqwaba yezincwadi nezinhlaka zezomthetho ezikhuluma ngezidingo zalezi zingane nokunakekelwa kwazo, kuncane kakhulu okwaziwayo ngezimo ababhekana nazo abanakekeli balezi zingane abangosingamzali. Lolu cwaningo luhlose ukuvala leso sikhala. Luningi ucwaningo olwenziwe olumayelana nokwabiwa kwezinsiza zokunakekela izingane ezinosingamzali kodwa lolo cwaningo lugxile ekuxoxeni ikakhulukazi nosonhlalakahle (njengababambiqhaza abasemqoka). Lolu cwaningo lwehluke ngokuthi kuxoxwe nabo bonke abathintekayo ukuze iqondakale kangcono le ndaba. Ucwaningo olunzulu olwenziwe lubonisa ukuthi osingamzali, okuyibona abanakekeli abahamba phambili bama-OVC, babhekene nezinselele ezihlukahlukene ezibandakanya ukukhulisa izingane okungezona ezabo ezinenkinga yesimilo, inselelo yokugxambukela kwabomndeni nomphakathi lapho befeza indima nemithwalo yabo yokunakekela ingane, nokungakutholi ukusekelwa okwanele okuvela ezinhlanganweni zezenhlalakahle. Okutholakala kulolu cwaningo kuveza nokuthi ingqinamba enkulu ekuhlinzekweni kosizo lokunakekelwa kwezintandane nezingane ezidinga usizo ngaphandle kwezihibe nangempumelelo, ukuntuleka kwabaqondisi, kanti ezinye izingqinamba zihlanganisa ukugxambukela kwabezepolitiki nokungatholakali kosizo lwabaphathi abaphezulu. Ukubaluleka kwalolu cwaningo kuncike egalelweni lwalo ekuthuthukiseni ulwazi oluphathelene nosizo lokunakekelwa kwezingane ezinosingamzali ngokulandelwa kwezincomo ezilandelayo: Ngenxa yalokho okutholakele, lolu cwaningo lutusa ukuba kwenziwe ukuhlolwa okubanzi kwezidingo zemindeni ezinakekela ingane ngaphambi kokuba ingane idluliselwe kulowo mndeni, nokuba kuzanywe izinhlelo nezinqubomgomo ezisekelwe ezimweni ezingokoqobo zokuphila kwale mindeni. Inqubo yokuhlaziya izidingo kumele ihlanganise izidingo zosingamzali, futhi kumele kwenziwe isiqiniseko sokuthi osingamzali abadlala indima ebucayi yokukhulisa izingane abazinakekelayo, bakuhlomele ngokwengqondo, ngokomoya, ngokwezimali nangokwesiqu ukufeza lo msebenzi. Ukuze uhlelo lokunakekelwa kwezingane ezinosingamzali lusebenze ngempumelelo, kutuswa ukuba kwenziwe ucwaningo olubanzi, nokuba kuxoxiswane nongoti abafanele ngaphambi kokuba kwenziwe izinqubomgomo. Kuqokonyiswa nokubaluleka kokuqeqeshwa kwabantu, ukutholakala kwezinto zosizo ezidingekayo nokulandelela ukuthi izinqubomgomo ziyafezwa ukuze kube nempumelelo. Kutuswa nokuba kusungulwe inqubo yokubambisana phakathi kweziphathimandla zikahulumeni nabathintekayo, ukuze kuqinisekiswe ukusebenza kwezinqubomgomo eziwumgogodla. Lokhu kuhlanganisa nokwenziwa kohlaka olucacile lokushaywa komthetho noma idokhumenti yenqubomgomo equkethe bonke ababambiqhaza abathintekayo, izindima zabo nemisebenzi yabo, nenqubo ecacile yokusebenza kwalolo hlaka. Abanomthwalo wokuqinisekisa ukuthi izinto ziyenzeka kumele bahlinzekwe ngezobuchwepheshe bakamuva nobuthuthukisiwe ukuze yenziwe lula inqubo yokufaka izicelo, ukuqinisekisa abafake izicelo nokukhethwa kwabantu abafanele kubo bonke abathintekayo ohlelweni lokunakekelwa kwezingane, kuhlanganise nalabo lolu hlelo olwenzelwe bona, okuyibona ababaluleke kakhulu.