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Library & Information Science Library Guide: Theses and Dissertations

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How to find a thesis in UCT Libraries

Masters and doctoral theses that have been submitted to UCT and  are available electronically via OpenUCT or PRIMO.     

In general, UCT Libraries does not keep Honours Theses although some specific Branch Libraries may do so, in which case they will appear in our catalogue:  departments often keep their own copies but these are not reflected in the Libraries' catalogue.  

To locate a particular thesis, search PRIMO, using either the author's name or the title of the thesis.

In cases where you need to consult a thesis that has been completed at another university in South Africa, you can request it through Inter-Library Loans.

There are a number of Electronic Theses and Dissertations databases that index theses and provide access to web-based full-text collections in South Africa and worldwide.

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• Last Updated: Mar 13, 2024 12:21 PM
• URL: https://libguides.lib.uct.ac.za/librarianship

Mining Law student’s master’s converted to PhD

Running, meticulous scheduling and spending time with family and friends – it may look like an ordinary diary but this is a combination that University of Cape Town (UCT) Mining Law in Africa graduand Rebecca-Lee Pein used to achieve an outstanding feat.

What started out as an LLM in the Department of Private Law under the supervision of Professor Hanri Mostert in 2018 has instead ended with Rebecca graduating with a PhD during this March 2022 graduation season. Thanks to the extensive work she put into her dissertation on artisanal mining, she was accepted for the rare opportunity to upgrade from an LLM to a PhD.

Professor Mostert said that upon reading Rebecca’s thesis around the end of 2020, she felt it was far beyond what was expected of a master’s thesis.

“I told her she had written a doctoral thesis. The faculty committee recommended that she upgrade, that one additional chapter be added, and that she submits it as a PhD,” said Mostert. “She had the intention of doing an LLM. I provided feedback for her and then I didn’t hear from her while she was implementing the feedback I provided. When I opened the manuscript after this, I saw from the 40 000 words she originally had, her corrections in response to my appraisal had blown up the thesis to an around 80 000-word manuscript.”

Striking the balance that earned a PhD

Rebecca had done this while training as a candidate attorney at one of the continent’s largest law firms, Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs (ENSafrica). She began her two-year stint of articles there in 2019 in its commercial law department with a team that worked with big mining clients.

Through a balance of exercise, planning and seeing friends and family, Rebecca has made this notable achievement.

“The articles are huge amounts of work, pressure and tight deadlines. I had to be very meticulous and organised. I needed to create a schedule … I wanted to have flexibility, because I love running. I wanted to stay fit and healthy and now and then I wanted see friends and spend time with family.”

“It’s been a wonderful whirlwind.”

Combining her love for exercise and family, Rebecca and her twin sister, Sarah, created a running website called The Running Women .

“I’m a huge runner and I’m family-orientated. In 2020, the year I was still doing my articles at ENSafrica and while busy with my thesis, we created a platform for women runners to do online running programmes. We now have a few thousand followers on social media, and we offer training, different fitness, some nutrition guidelines and strength programmes, and it’s been a wonderful whirlwind.”

Juggling the strain of her articles, practical legal training classes and studying and writing for board exams, she submitted her thesis manuscript to Mostert after adding extensively to it based on Mostert’s guidance.

“I naturally added a bit of my opinion, which is the difference between a master’s and a PhD. By the end of 2020 when she checked it, she said that I had really taken her comments seriously and done every correction. She told me it was basically a PhD and recommended that I upgrade to a PhD. I did that and submitted a proposal and within a few weeks it was accepted. By 2021, I started transforming my master’s into a PhD by adding more of my own opinion and reworking areas of the thesis. By the end of 2021 I submitted it, it was marked and I got it back around the middle of January and the rest is history,” explained Rebecca.

A family in geology

Titled “The ‘Formalisation Dilemma’ of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining: An analysis with reference to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)”, the thesis stems from Rebecca’s interest in geology and her exposure to mining in the continent through her parents’ work.

“My parents are geologists and my sister is a geologist. I’ve always been surrounded by the mining world and geology. At dinner time, we were always talking about rock formations. Our holidays were to the Drakensberg to look at which rocks were sedimentary,” said Rebecca.

“I am passionate about the informal sector, human rights, child labour, occupational health and safety and mining law.”

“My mother, Helen Pein, and step-father, Anton Esterhuizen, had their own mining companies and they worked all over Africa, and I was often lucky enough to accompany them and see mining sites. Through this, I got exposed to the artisanal mining world, which is the informal sector. This is where people go to mines and dig and there are dangers. I knew then and there that I am passionate about the informal sector, human rights, child labour, occupational health and safety and mining law. When I started my master’s, I knew the topic was going to be artisanal mining. It was an intersection of property law, mining law, human rights law, environmental law … all the things I was passionate about – almost like the human side of law and mining.”

Shining light on the work of “zama zamas”

Rebecca defines artisanal mining as a sector that involves unregulated miners going into mining sites to mine for themselves, locally referred to as zama zamas .

“I looked at the DRC because my mother had worked a lot in the DRC, so I knew it well. The eastern DRC is known well all over the world for conflict minerals, civil war and child labour issues. However, the DRC has come a long way because they have regulated and have legalised artisanal mining. I wanted to look at how artisanal mining has been formalised in sub-Saharan Africa, looking at the case example of the DRC and what lessons we can learn from this to apply in South Africa.”

Mostert feels that Rebecca’s research shines light on the plight of artisanal miners and the systems that fail them.

“These are people that have been failed by systems, both by current governments and governments during colonialism and post-independence. There might be a strong unwillingness to be regulated by a system that has consistently failed them,” said Mostert.

“Until we address the underlying issues of state failure and weakness, we won’t be able to address informality.”

Yet law has been developed that could facilitate better regulation of this sector.

“In other parts of the continent, like in the DRC which Rebecca focused on, the legal system for artisanal mining is very sophisticated, but there is a little take up of the law. Rebecca casts a light on why it is so difficult for this extremely good legislation to be implemented and I think this a very useful contribution to make,” added Mostert.

Yet Rebecca maintains that informality in mining will be around for a long time.

“Informality is going to exist, regardless of regulations. From the beginning, there was a system that was set up to fail. We can’t blame current governments when there is a history to these systems and failures. Until we address the underlying issues of state failure and weakness, we won’t be able to address informality.”

Mostert said that what Rebecca has achieved is phenomenal.

“She did all of this while training to be an attorney at one of the biggest firms in Africa. Typically, the two years of articles is a very harrowing experience. Rebecca managed to finish a PhD while training as a candidate attorney. I think that is a phenomenal achievement. The thesis flew through the examination process. That is also a phenomenal feat.”

For Rebecca, however, this is a moment of reassurance and that she has little to fear.

“I think I’ve always had a bit of imposter syndrome and that I would be caught out somehow. This experience has reassured me that I am more capable than I thought I was and that I can do more than I set my mind to. I’ve accomplished so much over these last 10 years … It totally is possible; no one is out to catch you.”

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After consultation with the supervisor, a candidate hoping to graduate in March / September 2024 is required to first submit an Intention to Submit 6 - 8 weeks before uploading the dissertation for examination via PeopleSoft to the Faculty Office.

STEP 1 - Create the intention to submit service request via PeopleSoft.

• Intention to Submit Form 
• COMPG01a - Dissertation Open Access Suppression  (if applicable) 

Please refer to the  Quick Reference Guide: Student Upload Intention to Submit.

Please check your PeopleSoft within a week to see if your service request was accepted or declined. If no action was taken, please contact the  Commerce   Faculty Office  via  email:  [email protected] .  

The guideline dates for submission of dissertations are:

• Intention: 30 June 2023
• Submission of dissertation: 25 August 2023
• Submission of dissertation: 12 February 2024
• Intention: 19 December 2023

Please read the notice about 2024 graduation

• Students who submit their corrections by  12:00 on 01 December 2023 and meet   the requirements for their qualification  may be able to attend a  graduation ceremony in March 2024.
• A letter of completion may be issued if required before the graduation ceremonies. Please get in touch with  [email protected] .

After consultation with the supervisor, a candidate hoping to graduate in March / September is required to submit via PeopleSoft to the Faculty Office:

STEP 2 - Create the upload thesis/dissertation service request via PeopleSoft .

Declaration and Rebate Form

Dissertation (you must include an Abstract and a signed  Plagiarism Declaration  in the dissertation)

A copy of your unofficial transcript from PeopleSoft

Please refer to the  Quick Reference Guide: Student Upload Thesis/Dissertation for Examination .

Please check your PeopleSoft within a week to see if your service request was accepted or declined. If no action was taken, please contact the  Commerce  Faculty Office via email:  [email protected] .  

In order to qualify for your Masters degree and be able to attend graduation, you must meet all the requirements for your degree, these may include but are not limited to:

• Successfully completing your dissertation component
• Passing all necessary coursework
•  A copy of the finalised dissertation is uploaded on PeopleSoft –  Library Upload Guide.

What does ‘qualify’ mean?

A student qualifies when he or she has met the requirements for the degree/diploma which is ratified by the FEC and approved by SEC. Graduation may take place weeks or even months after this approval process.  A student may apply for a transcript which will show that the qualification has been completed and that graduation will take place on a date sometime in the future. 

What does ‘graduate’ mean?

A student graduates at a congregation of the University of Cape Town. That is, a graduation ceremony where the degree or diploma is conferred upon him/her. The graduation date appears on the certificate and transcript. Kindly note that the University of Cape Town does not undertake to reach a decision on the award of the degree by any specific date.  We will inform you once your examination process has been completed.

• Please note that if you intend submitting your Master's dissertation for examination between December and before the academic term commences the following year, you will not be required to register.
• If you submit your dissertation after the term commences you must re-register by the date set out on the registration programme. If you do not register and you submit your dissertation for examination, your dissertation will not be sent off for examination until you have re-registered.

A rebate on the annual academic fee for a masters’ dissertation is granted in the second or subsequent year in which the dissertation is being completed.

Refer to the  Fees Handbook  (No. 8.2) for the exact fees and deadline dates.  Kindly note that these are not Faculty deadline dates, but fee deadline dates.

Where a student is required to revise and resubmit a thesis or dissertation the appropriate academic fee will apply (refer to Fees Handbook, No. 8.3):

• Where a student is required to revise and resubmit a thesis or dissertation the academic fee will be charged per quarter (i.e. if the candidate must work for up to one quarter, the student will pay 25% of the full fee; for up to two quarters, he/she will pay 50% of the full fee and so on).
• Note: Full annual fees will be billed from the date on which the student is notified to revise and resubmit and any fee rebate will be processed on resubmission.

Should you be entitled to a rebate, this will only take effect once we know the outcome of your dissertation.

Please email the  Commerce Faculty HDC  with any queries. 

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There is no standard format for the submission of a dissertation or thesis: formatting is at the candidate’s discretion, but using A4 paper is the expected norm. Reasonable width margins (2 – 2.5 cm) are desirable to ensure that binding does not impede reading of the text. However, candidates should consult their supervisor early on in the process. The contents must be printed in either double or one and a half spacing using a common font throughout. Printing on both sides of the page is allowed, but a reasonable weight paper must then be used. Although it is expected that the dissertation/thesis be written in English, it is possible with prior support of the supervisor and prior permission from the Doctoral Degrees Board, to submit a PhD in another language.

It is acceptable for a Masters dissertation or PhD thesis to include published papers , provided that:

• where published papers are included as separate chapters, the dissertation/thesis must nonetheless show acceptable academic style, constant formatting, scholarly content and coherence as a connected account with a satisfactory general introduction, statement of thesis and a final discussion chapter. The latter should not duplicate material that is already contained in the discussion sections of the various chapters/papers, but integrate the results from the various chapters and place them in a broader context;
• where multi-authored papers are included, the contribution of the candidate can be distinguished and is clearly stated

For Masters degrees a candidate must submit either three hard copies (degree by dissertation only) or TWO hard copies (degree by coursework plus dissertation) of the dissertation in temporary binding to the Postgraduate Officer in the Science Faculty Office . Once the dissertation has been finally accepted, one unbound hard copy and one electronic copy (in pdf format on a labelled, read-only CD packed in a hard "jewel" case) of the final, corrected dissertation must be lodged with the Faculty Office.

In the case of a PhD , the thesis may not exceed 80,000 words . If it is felt that it is essential to exceed this length, special permission must be obtained from the Dean. It is the expectation that Masters degrees should be substantially shorter than this with a maximum of 50,000 words allowed; on the order of 35,000 words (~100 pages) would be the expected norm.

There must be a title page on which should appear the thesis title, name of candidate (plus qualifications if you wish), name of Department, University and the month and year of submission. The following is the recommended wording used after the thesis title and name of the candidate: Dissertation (or Thesis) presented for the degree of Master of Science (or Doctor of Philosophy) in the Department of … University of Cape Town Month and Year

For a coursework Masters minor dissertation the wording should read "Dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of…".

Plagiarism Declaration

Following the title page there should be a page containing the following signed statement by the candidate: "I know the meaning of plagiarism and declare that all of the work in the dissertation (or thesis), save for that which is properly acknowledged, is my own‟.

Publication

When a candidate submits a thesis he/she shall be deemed to have granted the University free license to publish it in whole or part in any format the University deems fit.

Referencing

Forms of referencing must be standard for the discipline and must adhere to a recognised international convention, agreed to with the supervisor.

Due Dates and Process of Submission

At the conclusion of research, the candidate must submit a dissertation or thesis for examination. This normally occurs after receiving an indication from the supervisor that the product is in a form which is acceptable for submission. However, a candidate is not prevented from submitting without the supervisor’s approval.

If a candidate intends submitting a Masters dissertation for examination he/she must inform the Head of Department in writing, with a copy to the Dean, of such an intention two weeks in advance of planned submission date. The Head of Department, with input from the supervisor, will then nominate suitable examiners for approval by the Dean. If submitting a PhD thesis, the candidate must inform the Doctoral Degrees Board Officer (New Student Administration Building) in writing of such intention one month prior to planned submission.

The dates for submission of dissertations and theses are: First or Second week in February for persons hoping to graduate in September; First or Second week in August for persons hoping to graduate in March of the following year.

Please refer to the University Fees Booklet for submission dates with respect to fee rebates. Candidates who submit their thesis/dissertation before the beginning of the start of the first term are not required to register. If submitted after the start of the first term a candidate must register for that year, and a pro-rata fee will be charged, depending on the date of submission. Where a student who submitted prior to the start of term is required to revise and resubmit a dissertation/thesis, they must register and pay the academic fee for that year. Further information can be found at the UCT Student Handbook site .