Black South Africans Research Articles

HbA1c comparable to fasting glucose in the external validation of the African Diabetes Risk Score and other established risk prediction models in Black South Africans

BackgroundThe use of non-invasive risk scores to detect undiagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2D) ensures the restriction of invasive and costly blood tests to those most likely to be diagnosed with the disease. This study assessed and compared the performance of the African Diabetes Risk Score (ADRS) with three other diabetes risk prediction models for identifying screen-detected diabetes based on fasting plasma glucose (FPG) or glycated haemoglobin (HBA1c).MethodsAge, sex, waist circumference, body mass index, blood pressure, history of diabetes and physical activity levels from the SA-NW-PURE study were used to externally validate the ADRS and other established risk prediction models. Discrimination was assessed and compared using C-statistics and nonparametric methods. Calibration was assessed using calibration plots, before and after recalibration.ResultsNine hundred and thirty-seven participants were included; 14% had prevalent undiagnosed T2D according to FPG and 26% according to HbA1c. Discrimination was acceptable and was mostly similar between models for both diagnostic measures. The C-statistics for diagnosis by FPG ranged from 0.69 for the Simplified FINDRISC model to 0.77 for the ADRS model and 0.77 for the Simplified FINDRISC model to 0.79 for the ADRS model for diagnosis by HbA1c. Calibration ranged from acceptable to good, though over- and underestimation were present. All models improved significantly following recalibration.ConclusionsThe models performed comparably, with the ADRS offering a non-invasive way to identify up to 79% of cases. Based on its ease of use and performance, the ADRS is recommended for screening for T2D in certain Black population groups in South Africa. HbA1c as a means of diagnosis also showed comparable performance with FPG. Therefore, further validation studies can potentially use HbA1c as the standard to compare to.

An empirical investigation of ethnic-cultural procedural fairness effects and their boundary conditions among three societal groups in South Africa

ABSTRACT Ethnic-cultural procedural fairness refers to the perception that societal actors use fair and unbiased procedures to make decisions vis-à-vis one’s ethnic-cultural group. Prior research using ethnic-cultural minority samples has convincingly shown that such perceptions are associated with a range of desirable outcomes. Yet, this body of evidence has so far limited its scope to European and North American samples. Moreover, more research is needed on the underlying psychological processes. Therefore, the central aim of the present study was to investigate ethnic-cultural procedural fairness effects among three societal groups in South Africa. In Study 1 (N = 326 black South Africans), we observed relationships between ethnic-cultural fairness perceptions and positive institutional and intergroup attitudes. Institutional and social trust respectively mediated these associations. Study 2 (N = 747) replicated these findings among white (n = 595), but not among coloured South Africans (n = 152). Notably, across both studies, we also obtained evidence for moderation. That is, procedural fairness effects on institutional attitudes were significantly smaller among socioeconomically burdened black participants, and procedural fairness effects on intergroup attitudes were fully curbed among white participants who reported high levels of perceived group discrimination. Taken together, our results call for enhanced attention to procedural fairness obstacles outside of typical WEIRD settings.

Pre-service mathematics teachers’ perceptions based on two differing mathematically underpinned debates

This study explores how pre-service mathematics teachers build alternative model simulations of real-world scenarios. Inclusion in the formal structures for wealth generation and accumulation is a fervently debated issue in South Africa. Share owning in companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in South Africa is one of many wealth-building tools. Related discussions evolved on the spread of share ownership among black and white citizens. Two mathematically motivated positions were reported in a newspaper. In one of their mathematics courses, prospective mathematics teachers were presented with the article and asked to reflect on it with the prompt 'Which of these two methods for determining the "number of Black South Africans holding shares on the JSE" would your group support?' Audio- and video-recorded data were collected and subjected to thematic analysis. The themes that emerged from the analysis were economic empowerment, authority of research and trustworthiness of information. The discussions reflected on the complexities and rationalities involved in decision-making of mathematically driven opposing positions on issues of social importance. The mathematically derived results of such issues will eventually be resolved in the political field. The findings revealed that building of alternative mathematical models by pre-service mathematics teachers begins with an explicit problem setting, followed by the development of mathematical models that included real-world problems.Contribution: This article contributes to pre-service mathematics teacher education by exploring how such teachers deal with the issue of critical engagement of mathematically based arguments, highlighted in the Curriculum Assessment and Policy Standards (CAPS) document for school mathematics.

Prevalence of occipitalisation in a South African Black population: An original study of 1119 skulls with a review of the literature

BackgroundOccipitalisation is the most prevalent congenital abnormality at the craniovertebral junction; however, it is rare in the general population. There is a paucity of literature on osteological prevalence studies within the South African Black and broader African populations. This study aimed to establish baseline data for the prevalence of occipitalisation in the South African Black population group. MethodsOne thousand two hundred thirteen skulls from a South African Black population were initially sampled, and after exclusion criteria were applied, the sample was reduced to 1119 skulls (male 766; female 353). A morphological description of the skulls that exhibited occipitalisation was included in this study. ResultsOccipitalisation was observed in three skulls (3/1119; 0.27 %); two of the skulls were female (2/353; 0.57 %), and one was male (1/766; 0.13 %). The three occipitalised skulls exhibited fusion in three areas of the atlas: the anterior arch, lateral masses, and transverse processes. No skulls exhibited posterior arch fusion of the atlas. ConclusionThis study established a baseline prevalence of occipitalisation in the South African Black population at 0.27 % and found no significant association between sex and occipitalisation (p = 0.236). This study highlights the need for further studies in the other African population affinity groups.

O67 URINARY PROTEOMIC PROFILING REVEALS MOLECULAR CUES UNDERLYING HIGHER HYPERTENSION SUSCEPTIBILITY IN BLACKS THAN WHITES

Background and Objective: Compared with Whites, Blacks are more prone to hypertension and salt-sensitivity. The objective was to investigate whether sequenced urinary peptide fragments derived from proteins with a key role in cardiovascular or renal structure or function have different levels in sub-Saharan Blacks compared with Whites. Methods: This individual-participant meta-analysis included individuals enrolled in African-PREDICT (476 Blacks and 483 Whites), FLEMENGHO (720 Whites), PROVALID-Austria (467 Whites) and UPRIGHT-HTM (106 Nigerian Blacks and 61 Polish and Slovenian Whites). Urinary peptides were quantified by capillary electrophoresis combined with mass spectrometry. Results: Among 2313 participants (49.7% women), median age was 40.9 years. Of 513 urinary peptides with 70% prevalence, 300 had Bonferroni-corrected significantly different levels among Black and White South Africans sharing the same environment. Analyses contrasting 582 Blacks vs 1731 Whites, sub-Saharan Blacks (582) vs European Whites (1248) replicated the findings. Combining these results with information from public databases, we identified COL4A1, COL4A2, CD99, FAT1, FGA, FXYD2, MGP, MYOCD, PCDH7, PROC, and UMOD as most likely candidates underlying the different susceptibility to hypertension and salt sensitivity between Blacks and Whites. The most relevant enriched pathways were related to hemostasis, platelet activity, collagens and biology of the extracellular matrix, and protein digestion and absorption. Disease Ontology terms comprised small-vessel disease and coronary and macrovascular atherosclerotic disease. Conclusions: MGP and MYOCD being involved in cardiovascular function, FGA in clot formation, FYXD2 and UMOD in salt homeostasis, and COL4A1 and COL4A2 as major component of the glomerular basement membrane are proteins deserving further exploration in molecular and human studies as potential targets for intervention to reduce the excess hypertension risk and associated complications in Blacks.

Insights into dental age estimation: introducing multiple regression data from a Black South African population on modified gustafson's criteria.

Dental Age Estimation (DAE) is an effective instrument of the rule of law for verifying dubious age claims in living individuals. Once tooth development is complete, only degenerative dental characteristics can be used for this purpose. The influence of ethnicity on these degenerative dental characteristics has not been clarified.Degenerative changes were examined using modified Gustafson's criteria including secondary dentin formation, cementum apposition, periodontal recession and attrition using the Olze et al. (2012) staging scales. Orthopantomograms of 1882 black South Africans, consisting of 934 females and 948 males, from 12.00 to 40.96 years of chronological age were utilized. Two independent examiners performed the evaluations, with one of the two evaluating all radiographs twice.The relationship between individual characteristics and chronological age was analyzed using multiple regression analysis with chronological age as the dependent variable. The resulting R2 values ranged from 0.22 to 0.35, and the standard error of estimate were between 6.6 and 7.3 years. The correlation with age was consistently lower for females compared to males. The characteristic of cementum apposition emerged as critical in this population, due to a particularly low correlation with age and observer agreements partly in the "slight" range. The formula's values for the correlation with age were in general below the literature values for other populations. Overall, the limited precision of the age estimation by the formulae presented, especially for females, must be emphasized. The question of whether ethnicity per se exerts an influence on the characteristics in question, or whether the different socio-economic status, which encompasses factors such as nutrition and healthcare, is the determining factor, needs to be assessed in future studies.

Fibrinogen and plasma clot properties are associated with apolipoprotein B and apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins in Africans

Fibrinogen and plasma clot properties are associated with apolipoprotein B and apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins in Africans

Homocysteine, blood pressure and gene–diet interactions in relation to vascular function measures of black South Africans

Background and AimsWe investigated circulating homocysteine (Hcy), a cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor, examining its dietary associations to provide personalized nutrition advice. This study addressed the inadequacy of current dietary interventions to ultimately address the disproportionately high incidence of CVD in Black populations. Methods and Results: Cross-sectional analyses of 1,867 Black individuals of the PURE-SA study allowed the identification of dietary intake and cardiovascular measure interactions on three sub-categories: (1) normal blood pressure (BP), hypertension or Hcy-related hypertension (H-type), (2) low, normal or high Hcy concentrations, and (3) Hcy-related genetic combinations. Favorable body composition, but adverse dietary intake and cardiovascular determinants, were observed in higher Hcy categories. H-types, compared to regular hypertensives, had higher alcohol and lower macronutrient and micronutrient consumption. Inverse associations with carotid-radial pulse wave velocity were evident between monounsaturated fatty acid (FA) consumption and H-type hypertension as well as polyunsaturated FA and CBS883/ins68 TT carriers. Energy intake was positively associated with vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in variant CBST883C/ins68 and CBS9276 GG carriers. VCAM-1 was also positively associated with plant protein intake in CBS9276 GG and MTR2756 AA carriers and negatively with total protein intake and CBS9276 GG carriers. Alcohol intake was positively associated with intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in MTR2756 minor allele carriers. Conclusion: Because Hcy gene-diet interactions are evident, personalized nutrition, by adjusting diets based on genetic profiles (e.g., CBS and MTR variations) and dietary interactions (e.g., FAs and proteins), can enhance cardiovascular outcomes by managing Hcy and related hypertension in genetically susceptible individuals.

Social restitution: tools and actions to rehumanise and transform injustice

Restitution has predominantly been described as a legal rather than a social action in international law, as well as in South Africa’s history of truth, reconciliation and redress policies after the end of apartheid. Introducing the concept of ‘social restitution’ this paper argues for a reimagined and wider understanding of restitution to address the need for social justice in the spaces between the law court and individual acts of charity, and between policies for redress and personal antipathy against these. Social restitution can be defined as intentional voluntary actions and attitudes developed through dialogue based on a sense of moral obligation aimed at addressing the damage done to individuals and communities by unjust actions and legacies of the past. Drawing on international debates about and understandings of the meaning of restitution, social restitution is shown to be both continuous with legal restitution and distinguished from it through its voluntary nature, its potential to be forward-looking rather than punitive, generative rather than accusatory, and offering everyday opportunities to bridge the gap between ‘knowing’ about injustice and ‘acting’ to repair it. Following this discussion, the latter part of the paper outlines the need for new categories of actors in contexts of injustice beyond those of victim, perpetrator and bystander (the Hilberg triangle of actors), introducing the ideas of beneficiaries and resisters; argues for the potential social restitution has as a mechanism for rehumanising all actors; and offers recommendations for how engaged action-oriented dialogues might contribute to achieving this aim, while noting the limits and dangers of dialogue. It draws on an empirical study on the meaning and actions of restitution conducted with black and white adult South Africans in making some of its arguments.

Penal-welfare systems in a (post)colonial world: The rise and disregard of alcohol and drug rehabilitation centers in South Africa

Apartheid South Africa developed a notoriously punitive and racist approach to alcohol and drug use. Less reported is that the state gave significant attention to rehabilitation, first for the minority white population and later for black South Africans. This paper asks why in the post-apartheid era—despite a huge influx of cheap heroin, methamphetamines, and other drugs—the government showed a relative disregard for rehabilitation. Addressing this question, the paper points to the configuration of forces driving public rehabilitation in the colonial era included the upliftment of “poor whites,” the need to maintain black workers’ productivity, and the ascendancy of the disease concept of addiction. In the post-1994 period these forces waned as a multiracial middle class came to purchase treatment in private rehabilitation facilities, the disease concept fell into retreat, and mass unemployment helped to position poor black drug users as an “undeserving poor.” The paper contributes to comparative studies on penal-welfare systems and the recent attention to drug histories from the global South.

A morphoscopic exploration of cranial sexual dimorphism among modern South Africans using computed tomography scans.

Continual re-evaluation of standards for forensic anthropological analyses are necessary, particularly as new methods are explored or as populations change. Indian South Africans are not a new addition to the South African population; however, a paucity of skeletal material is available for analysis from medical school collections, which has resulted in a lack of information on the sexual dimorphism in the crania. For comparable data, computed tomography scans of modern Black, Coloured and White South Africans were included in addition to Indian South Africans. Four cranial morphoscopic traits, were assessed on 408 modern South Africans (equal sex and population distribution). Frequencies, Chi-squared tests, binary logistic regression and random forest modelling were used to assess the data. Males were more robust than females for all populations, while White South African males were the most robust, and Black South African females were the most gracile. Population differences were noted among most groups for at least two variables, necessitating the creation of populations-specific binary logistic regression equations. Only White and Coloured South Africans were not significantly different. Indian South Africans obtained the highest correct classifications for binary logistic regression (94.1%) and random forest modelling (95.7%) and Coloured South Africans had the lowest correct classifications (88.8% and 88.0%, respectively). This study provides a description of the patterns of sexual dimorphism in four cranial morphoscopic traits in the current South African population, as well as binary logistic regression functions for sex estimation of Black, Coloured, Indian and White South Africans.

Deadly Journeys: Thabo Jijana’s Nobody’s Business, the Minibus Taxi Industry, and the Racial Politics of Mobility in Post-Apartheid South Africa

ABSTRACT This article examines the politics of mobility in post-1994 South Africa by paying attention to minibus taxis, which have received little consideration from literary scholars although they are ubiquitous in contemporary South African literature. Attending to the minibus taxis that pervade post-apartheid Black writing, I contend, sheds light onto the ongoing racialization of mobility in the country. Offering a socially situated reading of Thabo Jijana’s Nobody’s Business: A Taxi Owner, a Murder, and a Secret (2014), I show that the abysmal state of public transport in present-day South Africa is emblematic of larger realities of immobility which continue to structure the lives of most Black South Africans. Motivated by the death of his father, a taxi owner who was murdered at the job, Jijana’s searing investigative memoir provides a powerful lens into the underbelly of the minibus taxi industry and the violence that drives it. As it reveals the precarity that continues to characterize not just public transport, but every-day life for the Black majority, Nobody’s Business suggests that the politics of mobility in post-apartheid South Africa cannot be understood outside the racism and anti-Blackness that define the democratic dispensation.

HIV infection and ART use are associated with altered plasma clot characteristics in Black South Africans.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and antiretroviral treatment (ART) are both associated with hypercoagulability. Altered clot properties could be a potential mechanism thereof. We aimed to investigate the association of HIV and ART, with fibrinogen and plasma clot properties in a group of Black South Africans. At baseline, 151 newly diagnosed people living with HIV (PLWH) and 176 controls were recruited. Some PLWH subsequently commenced with ARTs (n = 70) while others remained ART-naïve (n = 81). Fibrinogen and clot properties (turbidity assay) were investigated from baseline to 5-year follow-up. A sub-group of 21 women (n = 10 ART-treated; n = 11 ART-naïve) with HIV was systematically selected and matched with 12 controls, and additional clot properties (rheometry, permeability and fibre diameter) were investigated. Fibrinogen was lower in the HIV groups compared to the controls, while % γ' fibrinogen was higher. PLWH had shorter lag times and lower maximum absorbance than the controls (p<0.05). Their CLTs on the other hand were longer. Most variables increased over time in all groups, but differences in the degree of change over time was observed for lag time (p = 0.024) and permeability (p = 0.03). Participants who commenced with ART had a tendency of delayed clot formation (p = 0.08) and increased clot permeability (p = 0.005). PLWH had lower total fibrinogen concentration and formed less dense clots. They also formed clots that were more difficult to lyse, which likely not resulted from altered clot properties. ART use (NNRTI's) had a moderately protective effect, delaying clot formation, and increasing clot permeability.

How Has South Africa’s Membership of BRICS Intensified Uneven and Combined Development in the Country and Beyond?

The recent African scramble has resulted in uneven and combined development (UCD) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) throughout the 21st century due to unequal exchange. South Africa plays a sub-imperial role in this scramble in SSA. It both exploits and is exploited. The mining industry in South Africa has attracted interest from colonial powers, English-speaking businesses, and foreign investors, making it a highly lucrative sector. Furthermore, most black South Africans have been employed in the mining industry since the late 19th century. Over the past 25 years, the African National Congress government has utilised the mining industry to achieve economic transformation through black economic empowerment policies. This study proposes that the mining sector in South Africa is responsible for the ongoing UCD, despite receiving new investments and empowerment policies. South Africa’s inclusion in BRICS has broadened its range of international partners beyond its traditional Western or African counterparts. However, South Africa’s decision to join the BRICS group in 2011 has not yet yielded the expected transformation in the country’s economy and growth. As a result, it is uncertain whether South Africa’s BRICS membership has addressed the country’s persistent problem of UCD. This study argues that South Africa’s BRICS membership has exacerbated UCD in the country. This study proposes that Trotsky’s UCD analytical framework is useful for analysing South Africa’s policy choice to join BRICS, which strengthens its sub-imperial role.

Physical activity vital sign assessment and associated health outcomes in an underserved South African community

Abstract Background Physical activity is particularly low in South Africa and contributes to chronic conditions. This study aimed to determine physical activity levels in a South African community, using the physical activity vital sign (PAVS), and identify associations between physical activity and key health outcomes. Methods A cross-sectional study used community health workers to collect PAVS data, blood pressure and self-reported medical history from 2282 participants living in Soweto, Johannesburg. Physical activity was defined as meeting or not meeting WHO guidelines of ≥ 150 min/week. Hypertension was defined according to the International Society of Hypertension guidelines. Results The study population included 1161 women and 1121 men. Administering the PAVS was quick (29.5 ± 43.4 s). Only 19.8% of the total population reported meeting the guidelines, and it was significantly lower in women (17.6%) compared with men (22.1%). The logistic regression models demonstrated significant association between not meeting physical activity guidelines and hypertension (adjusted odd ratio [AOR] 0.77, 95% CI 0.61–0.97, p = 0.032), current smoking (AOR 0.73, 95% CI 0.55–0.97, p = 0.030) and past smoking (AOR 0.61, 95% CI 0.44–0.83, p = 0.002). Conclusions This study demonstrates the validity of using the PAVS in an underserved community. The observed associations highlight the potential of advocating physical activity as a feasible intervention for improving the health of urban-dwelling Black South Africans.

Shape analysis of the nasal complex among South African groups from CBCT scans

Three-dimensional (3D) anatomical extraction techniques could help the forensic anthropologist in a precise and inclusive assessment of biological phenotypes for the development of facial reconstruction methods. In this research, the nose morphology and the underlying hard tissue of two South African populations were studied. To this end, a 3D computer-assisted approach based on an automated landmarking workflow was used to generate relevant 3D anatomical components, and shape discrepancies were investigated using a data set of 200 cone-beam computer tomography (CBCT) scans. The anatomical landmarks were placed on the external nose and the mid-facial skeleton (the nasal bones, the anterior nasal aperture, the zygoma, and the maxilla). Shape differences related to population affinity, sex, age, and size were statistically evaluated and visualised using geometric morphometric methods. Population affinity, sexual dimorphism, age, and size affect the nasal complex morphology. Shape variation in the mid-facial region was significantly influenced by population affinity, emphasising that shape variability was specific to the two population groups, along with the expression of sexual dimorphism and the effect of ageing. In addition, nasal complex shape and correlations vary greatly between white and black South Africans, highlighting a need for reliable population-specific 3D statistical nose prediction algorithms.

Studying eruption patterns of mandibular third molars for forensic age assessment: Introducing current reference data from a population of black South Africans

IntroductionEvaluation of the eruption of mandibular third molars in orthopantomograms (OPGs) is a method of forensic age assessment. The objective of our study was to provide valid reference data for this trait within a population of black South Africans. The study was guided by the criteria for reference studies in age assessment.Materials and methodsA study population from Pretoria, South Africa comprising 670 OPGs obtained from 338 black females and 332 black males aged between 15.00 and 25.97 years was analysed. All OPGs were performed for medical indication during the period from 2011 to 2022 and were retrospectively evaluated. From the 670 OPGs, a total of 1021 mandibular third molars were evaluated. The assessment of mandibular third molars was conducted using the staging scale presented by Olze et al. in 2012. Two experienced dentists evaluated the OPGs independently of each other. If the two examiners diverged in their assessments, a consensus stage was assigned.ResultsAs expected, the mean, median and minimal age increased with higher stages for both teeth and both sexes. The minimum age recorded for stage D, indicating complete tooth eruption, was 15.79 years in females and 16.62 years in males.ConclusionAs it is the case for previous reference studies in other countries, placing exclusive reliance on the evaluation of mandibular third molar eruption is inadequate for ascertaining the age of majority among Black South Africans. Future studies need to examine if our results are transferable to other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Characteristics, clinical manifestations and management of leprosy in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: A 20-year retrospective study.

Although leprosy, a neglected tropical disease, has been eliminated (<1 case per 10 000 population) in South Africa (SA) since 1926, according to the World Health Organization, new cases continue to be reported. The management of leprosy poses several challenges, including patient adherence, education and insufficient training of healthcare practitioners. To describe the biographical profile, clinical manifestations and treatment outcomes in patients with leprosy in KwaZulu-Natal Province. This retrospective study aimed to analyse the clinical data of leprosy patients in SA from 2002 to 2022. Data collected included patient demographics, comorbidities, cutaneous and neurological manifestations of leprosy, complications, treatment and adverse reactions. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the data. The study analysed the clinical data of 194 leprosy patients from 2002 to 2022. The majority of patients were male and middle aged, with a disproportionate representation of black South Africans. Regarding socioeconomic status, 80% were unemployed and 40% were social grant recipients. Most cases were clustered in urban centres and diagnosed at secondary care facilities, with 15% being HIV positive. The majority of patients (90%) were classified as having multibacillary leprosy. Common symptoms included upper respiratory tract involvement, hair loss and painful nerves, with the face and limbs being most frequently affected. Cutaneous morphology predominantly included plaques and hypopigmented patches, while neurological signs included ulnar nerve tenderness, muscle weakness and sensory deficits. Debilitating neurological complications were found in one-fifth of patients. Despite initiation of multidrug therapy in most patients, a significant proportion (27.3%) did not complete the full course of treatment, and treatment reactions were noted in 33.5% of patients. These findings emphasise the urgent need for enhanced patient and healthcare worker education, particularly in primary healthcare settings, to improve adherence to treatment, advocate for prophylactic measures and prevent new cases. Achieving leprosy-free status in SA requires the collaboration of many role-players to address these challenges and improve healthcare practices.

Racial discrimination in post-Apartheid South Africa? The stories of Coloured people in Johannesburg, South Africa

Dominant theoretical conversations on experiences of racial discrimination are focused on how Black and other non-White people perceive and experience racial discrimination in White majority racial systems; however, research is scant on experiences of racial discrimination of racial minorities in Black majority social systems. This paper addresses this lacuna by exploring perceived experiences of racial discrimination of Coloured people in Johannesburg, South Africa, a racial minority in a Black majority country. Fourteen in-depth individual interviews were conducted with participants. Analysis of the interviews resulted in many interviewees claiming race-based discrimination in housing, employment, service delivery, political representation and education. A few participants, however, claimed that Black South Africans are also experiencing socioeconomic problems like Coloured South Africans. Racial discrimination theory and social exclusion theory are used as perspectives for the study. Based on the findings, I argue that the perceived experiences of racial discrimination of most of the participants of the study can be explained by three interrelated structural forces, namely legacies of historical racial exclusions, the neoliberal macro-economic order and government neglect.

Black Twitter and Digital Counterpublics in South Africa

The growth of technology has made the Internet an essential tool in society. Scholars have argued that the Internet supports a more deliberative democracy. However, scholars have also raised concerns about the role of the Internet in political matters. While scholars agree that the Internet has facilitated broader public discussion, in many regards, its ‘virtual public sphere’ still mirrors existing social structures. Twitter has become a common social media platform for many South Africans. This has led to a virtual community of Twitter users engaged in real-time discourses primarily related to Black South Africans. Black Twitter in South Africa is used for social, political, and economic motivations. This study argues for the practice of Black Twitter as a digital counterpublic in South Africa. The aim is to spotlight how black people in South Africa have used Black Twitter as a digital counterpublic for the marginalized groups within South Africa. The research will investigate the potential challenges and opportunities associated with Black Twitter functioning as a digital counterpublic. Utilizing digital ethnography, the study gathered a dataset of tweets from Black Twitter in 2022, focusing on those addressing social, political, and economic issues. More than 700,000 tweets were identified under these specific thematic hashtags.