Stephanie B - Tutor in Plumstead
I am currently pursuing a doctoral degree at Stellenbosch University and working as a research assistant to Professor Cherryl Walker. I am interested in South African politics, energy security, energy poverty and legislation pertaining to electricity usage and consumption. I am passionate about working with people to better understand their social context. I wish to contribute to policy and legislation as I believe electricity access and affordability is vital to each household in our society. I am eager to be challenged not only by theory but by fieldwork as well. I am adaptable, and I can work well under pressure. Website: ttps://cosmopolitankaroo.co.za/research-team/sune-butler-copy/
Tutor basics
Teaching places
Students Home, Public Place, and Online
Travelling distance
Stephanie will travel 15km from Plumstead, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Languages spoken
Stephanie speaks Afrikaans and English
Experience
Research Assistant
DST/NRF South African Research Chair initiative Research Assistant Employer: Professor Cherryl Walker (Lecturer at Stellenbosch University) Duties: Responsible for organising fieldtrips to the Karoo which entail the booking of venues, recruiting speakers, organising transport, food, and compiling booklets of the Karoo trip programmes Liaising with a GIS map creator to create layered maps of the Karoo Assisting with conference organisation Recruiting speakers for the weekly forum Updating the research group website, Cosmopolitan Karoo: https://cosmopolitankaroo.co.za/ Drafting of rosters for tea and coffee responsibility Poster design with MS Publisher and distribution Drafting an inventory list of research material and librarian for the South African Research Chair (SARCHi) in Land, Environment and Sustainable Development
Field officer
Conducted a socio-economic household survey in Sutherland, VanWyksvlei as part of Professor Walker’s South African Research Chair initiative research programme Period: Sept 2016 & Nov 2017 Position held: Field researcher Employer: Professor Cherryl Walker Duties: Conducted a socio-economic household survey in Vanwyksvlei and Sutherland as part of Professor Walker’s South African Research Chair initiative research programme
Survey data collector at primary and high schools in the Western Cape
Survey data collector at primary and high schools in the Western Cape Province Face to face interviewing of school principals, afterschool staff and outsourced sport or cultural teachers.
Data quality assurance officer
Baseline monitoring and daily data quality assurance with surveyCTO Liaise with the data collectors to address data related queries and/or issues Provide daily status updates on the survey responses received against The target schedules. Align data targets with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport Statistical analysis with IBM SPSS
Capturing customer data for Mzansi Masks
Capturing data such as customer details and delivery information Attending to Fact checking delivery information and delivery costs. Packing orders and securing goods for shipping/collection from the shipping company
Education
PhD sociology - Stellenbosch University
Project Title: Power to the People? A case study of local energy challenges in a national renewable energy hub in De Aar, Northern Cape Province. Stef’s overarching interest is in the potential of South Africa’s renewable energy sector to contribute to sustainable development at the local as well as national level. Her MA thesis focuses on exploring the energy needs and challenges that poor households face in De Aar, in the Northern Cape, in relation to the significant national and international investment in renewable energy which is currently taking place around the town, as part of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). Her MA thesis was successfully upgraded to a Ph.D. in January 2020. While household energy poverty will remain a core focus, her proposed PhD will expand in two main ways: 1. It will relate the energy poverty that she has already established is endemic among poor households in De Aar to the challenges facing the Emthanjeni Local Municipality in managing both electricity (and other basic infrastructure) and its relationships with the independent power producers (IPPs) that are active in the municipality; 2. It will also relate the local energy challenges in De Aar more closely to the current policy, political and academic debates on the national electricity crisis in South Africa and requirements for a ‘just transition’ to more sustainable forms of energy generation. These national debates will, in turn, be framed in relation to global concerns around global warming and South Africa’s heavy carbon footprint. Stef enrolled for a BA Humanities degree at Stellenbosch University which she completed in 2015. In 2016, Stef completed her honours in Sociology on the public participation process of shale gas development in the Karoo. She is currently enrolled for her MA in Sociology at Stellenbosch University. Keywords: Renewable Energy, Household energy usage, Sustainable Development, Karoo