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Exploring the functioning of families living in the socially disorganized communities of Khayelitsha and Delft: A family resilience perspective
The end of Apartheid entailed nothing less than a wholly new constitution for South Africa, but the country remained one of the most unequal societies in the world, with a small and wealthy minority dominating a large but impoverished majority, (Sisk, 1995). Minimal efforts have been made at policy...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Social Development
2022
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| _version_ | 1867613264396943360 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Dyantyi, Nolusindiso |
| author2 | Addinall, Ronald |
| author_browse | Addinall, Ronald Dyantyi, Nolusindiso |
| author_facet | Addinall, Ronald Dyantyi, Nolusindiso |
| author_sort | Dyantyi, Nolusindiso |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | The end of Apartheid entailed nothing less than a wholly new constitution for South Africa, but the country remained one of the most unequal societies in the world, with a small and wealthy minority dominating a large but impoverished majority, (Sisk, 1995). Minimal efforts have been made at policy level to advance the issue of family resilience, that does not equate it to economic development. Resilience goes beyond just economic stability. Resilience is defined as, “people's internalized capacities and the related behaviours that allow them to maintain a sense of integration in the face of hardships and to recovering from trauma following adverse circumstances”, (Green, 2007). South African families experience a number of unique circumstances that not only affect their family structure but also extend to the socioeconomic and relational dimensions of families, (Roman, Isaacs, Davids and Sui, 2016). The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences and functioning of families living in the socially disorganized communities of Khayelitsha and Delft, from a family resilience perspective. The study made use of the qualitative research method, applying an explorative research design to collect data from 24 families residing in socially disorganized communities. Findings of this study indicate that families living in the socially disorganized communities of Khayelitsha and Delft, experienced hardships and challenges related to severe trauma and loss. Spirituality and transcendental beliefs were found to be deeply imbedded in these families and resources, like support from the church, and practising traditional ceremonies, played an instrumental role in enabling families to be resilient. A sense of connectedness, within these families was present and it contributed in enhancing family resilience. Families needed a level of adaptation and proactiveness in seeking or accessing support outside their communities, because social support in their communities was not readily available. Some families engaged in a process of clear and honest communication while other families did not and in both contexts, the families found ways of being resilient. This finding strongly associated resilience with survival. Problem solving strategies employed by families to enhance resilience included collaborative efforts, rearranging living arrangements and making personal sacrifices. Families in these communities recommended that law enforcement be improved, family related crimes be effectively addressed; families to be provided with relevant services that will aid in enabling their resilience and for the government to engage in a participatory manner with community members in order to understand what hardships are faced by families, in order to develop effective programmes and services. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/35530 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:33:23.204Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publishDateRange | 2022 |
| publishDateSort | 2022 |
| publisher | Department of Social Development |
| publisherStr | Department of Social Development |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/35530 Exploring the functioning of families living in the socially disorganized communities of Khayelitsha and Delft: A family resilience perspective Dyantyi, Nolusindiso Addinall, Ronald Social Work The end of Apartheid entailed nothing less than a wholly new constitution for South Africa, but the country remained one of the most unequal societies in the world, with a small and wealthy minority dominating a large but impoverished majority, (Sisk, 1995). Minimal efforts have been made at policy level to advance the issue of family resilience, that does not equate it to economic development. Resilience goes beyond just economic stability. Resilience is defined as, “people's internalized capacities and the related behaviours that allow them to maintain a sense of integration in the face of hardships and to recovering from trauma following adverse circumstances”, (Green, 2007). South African families experience a number of unique circumstances that not only affect their family structure but also extend to the socioeconomic and relational dimensions of families, (Roman, Isaacs, Davids and Sui, 2016). The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences and functioning of families living in the socially disorganized communities of Khayelitsha and Delft, from a family resilience perspective. The study made use of the qualitative research method, applying an explorative research design to collect data from 24 families residing in socially disorganized communities. Findings of this study indicate that families living in the socially disorganized communities of Khayelitsha and Delft, experienced hardships and challenges related to severe trauma and loss. Spirituality and transcendental beliefs were found to be deeply imbedded in these families and resources, like support from the church, and practising traditional ceremonies, played an instrumental role in enabling families to be resilient. A sense of connectedness, within these families was present and it contributed in enhancing family resilience. Families needed a level of adaptation and proactiveness in seeking or accessing support outside their communities, because social support in their communities was not readily available. Some families engaged in a process of clear and honest communication while other families did not and in both contexts, the families found ways of being resilient. This finding strongly associated resilience with survival. Problem solving strategies employed by families to enhance resilience included collaborative efforts, rearranging living arrangements and making personal sacrifices. Families in these communities recommended that law enforcement be improved, family related crimes be effectively addressed; families to be provided with relevant services that will aid in enabling their resilience and for the government to engage in a participatory manner with community members in order to understand what hardships are faced by families, in order to develop effective programmes and services. 2022-01-20T08:59:54Z 2022-01-20T08:59:54Z 2021 2022-01-18T11:32:42Z Master Thesis Masters MSocSci http://hdl.handle.net/11427/35530 eng application/pdf Department of Social Development Faculty of Humanities |
| spellingShingle | Social Work Dyantyi, Nolusindiso Exploring the functioning of families living in the socially disorganized communities of Khayelitsha and Delft: A family resilience perspective |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Exploring the functioning of families living in the socially disorganized communities of Khayelitsha and Delft: A family resilience perspective |
| title_full | Exploring the functioning of families living in the socially disorganized communities of Khayelitsha and Delft: A family resilience perspective |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the functioning of families living in the socially disorganized communities of Khayelitsha and Delft: A family resilience perspective |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the functioning of families living in the socially disorganized communities of Khayelitsha and Delft: A family resilience perspective |
| title_short | Exploring the functioning of families living in the socially disorganized communities of Khayelitsha and Delft: A family resilience perspective |
| title_sort | exploring the functioning of families living in the socially disorganized communities of khayelitsha and delft a family resilience perspective |
| topic | Social Work |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/35530 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dyantyinolusindiso exploringthefunctioningoffamilieslivinginthesociallydisorganizedcommunitiesofkhayelitshaanddelftafamilyresilienceperspective |