A framework for continuing professional development of teachers in regular primary schools: towards the effective teaching of learners with special education needs in Zimbabwe
- Muguwe, Emely https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2156-8642
- Authors: Muguwe, Emely https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2156-8642
- Date: 2015-05
- Subjects: Teachers -- Training of , Teachers -- In-service training.
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24794 , vital:63576
- Description: This study focused on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) needs of teachers in regular primary schools for the effective teaching of learners with special education needs in Zimbabwe. The motivation of the study emerged from concerns raised by stakeholders that teachers were inadequately prepared to teach learners with special education needs in general education classrooms. This study was underpinned by the post-positivistic paradigm which takes on both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The study also employed the survey design, which utilised the mixed methods approach. The accessible population comprised 93 primary schools and 1 457 teachers, 93 school heads and all education officers in the Gweru District of Zimbabwe. The researcher used purposive and disproportional random sampling. Ten schools were purposively selected from a population of 93 schools in the Gweru District. One hundred and fifty teachers (10percent of the population) which translated into 15 teachers from each school, were selected from the 10 schools through disproportional stratified random sampling in order to include both male (n=69) and female (n=81) teachers in the study. Semi-structured questionnaires, semi-structured face- to- face interviews and focus group discussions are the data collection methods which were used in this study. Data were presented, analysed and discussed, starting with demographic data in the first section, followed by quantitative data which were presented concurrently with corresponding emerging themes from qualitative data. The data collected via the questionnaires were coded and key-punched for analysis. Data were presented in tables, bar graphs and pie charts. Findings of the study revealed that there is a dire need for knowledge and skills in SEN among teachers in regular schools. Teachers needed to be prepared for a paradigm shift of the inclusive era. Teachers also needed to identify their own needs to ensure that relevant and preferred areas were covered. Findings revealed that teachers preferred well-structured CPD which is facilitated by an expert and CPD held in their own schools, where good practices are shared with workmates. Findings also confirmed the availability of policy circulars in schools, although some teachers expressed that they were not aware of such circulars. There were no specific days allocated specifically for school CPD. Most teachers were not availed with the opportunity to attend out-of-school based workshops; and cascading of information led to dilution of original ideas. There was lack of adequate mentoring among qualified teachers. Teachers preferred the standards-based model for promotion purposes although it was limiting in terms of teachers’ learning. The training model was viewed as a productive way of quickly in-servicing teachers relative to its cost. The communities of practice model and transformative model were not being utilised in schools due to national policies that govern teachers. Findings also revealed that teachers faced major challenges such as funding of CPD, getting information on CPD opportunities and time to engage in CPD activities. Teachers reeled with a lot of pressure resulting in burn-out as a result of large classes. Although staff development meetings were held in schools, they were mostly administrative and nothing definite was being done to mitigate the challenges which teachers were facing in accessing CPD opportunities. Teachers opted for a CPD framework which would give them more information and more opportunities for CPD on SEN, better access to teaching materials and more opportunities to work with experienced practitioners in SEN. Teachers preferred a framework based on a variety of CPD models, more school-based CPD rather than out of school -based CPD. The researcher concluded that teachers in regular schools were not equipped to teach learners with special education needs in the mainstream. The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education was not employing the best models in preparing teachers to be effective. Teachers were facing challenges such as, funding, unavailability of information and time in accessing CPD opportunities. The study recommends that The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should put in place provisions to meet the CPD needs of teachers. Teachers should be fully involved in the identification of CPD needs. It was also recommends that school heads needed CPD on SEN for them to be able to guide teachers properly and to be supportive of the policy. Besides national policies, schools should design CPD policies specifically for their respective schools, in line with national policies. Andragogy principles, Wenger’s social learning theory and Vygotsky’s perspective among others, should underpin the CPD framework. The study recommends an alternative CPD model which would utilise a combination of transmissive, transitional and transformative models and modes of delivery as lenses in meeting the CPD needs of teachers in the context of SEN. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-05
- Authors: Muguwe, Emely https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2156-8642
- Date: 2015-05
- Subjects: Teachers -- Training of , Teachers -- In-service training.
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24794 , vital:63576
- Description: This study focused on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) needs of teachers in regular primary schools for the effective teaching of learners with special education needs in Zimbabwe. The motivation of the study emerged from concerns raised by stakeholders that teachers were inadequately prepared to teach learners with special education needs in general education classrooms. This study was underpinned by the post-positivistic paradigm which takes on both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The study also employed the survey design, which utilised the mixed methods approach. The accessible population comprised 93 primary schools and 1 457 teachers, 93 school heads and all education officers in the Gweru District of Zimbabwe. The researcher used purposive and disproportional random sampling. Ten schools were purposively selected from a population of 93 schools in the Gweru District. One hundred and fifty teachers (10percent of the population) which translated into 15 teachers from each school, were selected from the 10 schools through disproportional stratified random sampling in order to include both male (n=69) and female (n=81) teachers in the study. Semi-structured questionnaires, semi-structured face- to- face interviews and focus group discussions are the data collection methods which were used in this study. Data were presented, analysed and discussed, starting with demographic data in the first section, followed by quantitative data which were presented concurrently with corresponding emerging themes from qualitative data. The data collected via the questionnaires were coded and key-punched for analysis. Data were presented in tables, bar graphs and pie charts. Findings of the study revealed that there is a dire need for knowledge and skills in SEN among teachers in regular schools. Teachers needed to be prepared for a paradigm shift of the inclusive era. Teachers also needed to identify their own needs to ensure that relevant and preferred areas were covered. Findings revealed that teachers preferred well-structured CPD which is facilitated by an expert and CPD held in their own schools, where good practices are shared with workmates. Findings also confirmed the availability of policy circulars in schools, although some teachers expressed that they were not aware of such circulars. There were no specific days allocated specifically for school CPD. Most teachers were not availed with the opportunity to attend out-of-school based workshops; and cascading of information led to dilution of original ideas. There was lack of adequate mentoring among qualified teachers. Teachers preferred the standards-based model for promotion purposes although it was limiting in terms of teachers’ learning. The training model was viewed as a productive way of quickly in-servicing teachers relative to its cost. The communities of practice model and transformative model were not being utilised in schools due to national policies that govern teachers. Findings also revealed that teachers faced major challenges such as funding of CPD, getting information on CPD opportunities and time to engage in CPD activities. Teachers reeled with a lot of pressure resulting in burn-out as a result of large classes. Although staff development meetings were held in schools, they were mostly administrative and nothing definite was being done to mitigate the challenges which teachers were facing in accessing CPD opportunities. Teachers opted for a CPD framework which would give them more information and more opportunities for CPD on SEN, better access to teaching materials and more opportunities to work with experienced practitioners in SEN. Teachers preferred a framework based on a variety of CPD models, more school-based CPD rather than out of school -based CPD. The researcher concluded that teachers in regular schools were not equipped to teach learners with special education needs in the mainstream. The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education was not employing the best models in preparing teachers to be effective. Teachers were facing challenges such as, funding, unavailability of information and time in accessing CPD opportunities. The study recommends that The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should put in place provisions to meet the CPD needs of teachers. Teachers should be fully involved in the identification of CPD needs. It was also recommends that school heads needed CPD on SEN for them to be able to guide teachers properly and to be supportive of the policy. Besides national policies, schools should design CPD policies specifically for their respective schools, in line with national policies. Andragogy principles, Wenger’s social learning theory and Vygotsky’s perspective among others, should underpin the CPD framework. The study recommends an alternative CPD model which would utilise a combination of transmissive, transitional and transformative models and modes of delivery as lenses in meeting the CPD needs of teachers in the context of SEN. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-05
Reconciling the right to housing with the establishment of informal settlements in South Africa
- Authors: Dibela, Michael Mzwandile
- Date: 2015-05
- Subjects: Housing policy -- South Africa , Human rights -- South Africa , Social justice
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/25901 , vital:64562
- Description: After the advent of Democracy in 1994, the South African government prioritised the question of homelessness of the South African citizens in particular the previously disadvantaged people. Through its various departments nationally, provincially and locally, many legislations have been enacted in order to assuage this problem. The study seeks to find out what are the policies if any, and attempts which have been made by the government in eradicating this problem and whether sufficient funds are being channelled from the national and provincial government in an endeavour to eradicate the problem of homelessness and whether the government is winning the battle. , Thesis (MPhil) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-05
- Authors: Dibela, Michael Mzwandile
- Date: 2015-05
- Subjects: Housing policy -- South Africa , Human rights -- South Africa , Social justice
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/25901 , vital:64562
- Description: After the advent of Democracy in 1994, the South African government prioritised the question of homelessness of the South African citizens in particular the previously disadvantaged people. Through its various departments nationally, provincially and locally, many legislations have been enacted in order to assuage this problem. The study seeks to find out what are the policies if any, and attempts which have been made by the government in eradicating this problem and whether sufficient funds are being channelled from the national and provincial government in an endeavour to eradicate the problem of homelessness and whether the government is winning the battle. , Thesis (MPhil) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-05
Work-life balance among self-initiated academic expatriates: An explanatory study of academics at the University of Fort Hare
- Harry, Tinashe Timothy https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6174-6883
- Authors: Harry, Tinashe Timothy https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6174-6883
- Date: 2015-05
- Subjects: Work-life balance
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/25404 , vital:64236
- Description: This research investigated how self-initiated academic expatriates managed their work-life balance while in a foreign country. As many people are now self-initiating their career movement from one country to another, there is a need to understand how the self-initiated academic expatriates are managing the balance between work lives and personal lives. The research discussed and made use of a narrative and story-telling method in understanding the experiences of self-initiated academic expatriates. In order to generate knowledge specific to the local African context as most studies were conducted outside of Africa, narrative and story-telling method was seen as most suitable. A total of 25 participants were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. The use of narrative inquiry in understanding the experiences of self-initiated academic expatriates who are based in South Africa will be illustrated in this research, with the implications of this being explored. The narratives of participants revealed four main themes. First, the participants narrated on the motivations to expatriate, why they chose South Africa as a destination will be discussed. Second, pathway into academia, how the participants ended up joining the academics profession will be presented in this thesis. Third, work and non-work related challenges being faced by the self-initiated academic expatriates are presented. Fourth, the way in which the participants worked around the challenges referred to as individual resourcing capability is presented. Solutions to the challenges highlights how individuals take action in response to their circumstances in aiding their self-development. Based on the findings from this study Self-initiated Expatriates-Individual Resourcing Capability Framework (SIE-IRC) is proposed. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-05
- Authors: Harry, Tinashe Timothy https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6174-6883
- Date: 2015-05
- Subjects: Work-life balance
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/25404 , vital:64236
- Description: This research investigated how self-initiated academic expatriates managed their work-life balance while in a foreign country. As many people are now self-initiating their career movement from one country to another, there is a need to understand how the self-initiated academic expatriates are managing the balance between work lives and personal lives. The research discussed and made use of a narrative and story-telling method in understanding the experiences of self-initiated academic expatriates. In order to generate knowledge specific to the local African context as most studies were conducted outside of Africa, narrative and story-telling method was seen as most suitable. A total of 25 participants were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. The use of narrative inquiry in understanding the experiences of self-initiated academic expatriates who are based in South Africa will be illustrated in this research, with the implications of this being explored. The narratives of participants revealed four main themes. First, the participants narrated on the motivations to expatriate, why they chose South Africa as a destination will be discussed. Second, pathway into academia, how the participants ended up joining the academics profession will be presented in this thesis. Third, work and non-work related challenges being faced by the self-initiated academic expatriates are presented. Fourth, the way in which the participants worked around the challenges referred to as individual resourcing capability is presented. Solutions to the challenges highlights how individuals take action in response to their circumstances in aiding their self-development. Based on the findings from this study Self-initiated Expatriates-Individual Resourcing Capability Framework (SIE-IRC) is proposed. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-05
Settlement agreement on wages & substantive conditions of employment entered into and between Rainbow Frams (Pty) LTD and the unions Food and ALlied Workers Unione and National Union of Food, Beverages, Wine, Spirits and Allied Workers acting jointly
- Rainbow Farms (Pty) LTD, Food and Allied Workers Union, National Union of Food, Beverages, Wine, Spirits and Allied Workers
- Authors: Rainbow Farms (Pty) LTD , Food and Allied Workers Union , National Union of Food, Beverages, Wine, Spirits and Allied Workers
- Date: 2015-04-08
- Subjects: Rainbow Farms (Pty) LTD , National Union of Food, Beverages, Wine, Spirits and Allied Workers (NUFBSWSAW) , Wages -- South Africa , Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) , Collective bargaining -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: collective labor agreements , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/95262 , vital:31137 , Labour Research Service (LRS)
- Description: Settlement agreement on wages & substantive conditions of employment entered into and between Rainbow Farms (Pty) LTD and the unions Food and Allied Workers Union and National Union of Food, Beverages, Wine, Spirits and Allied Workers acting jointly.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-04-08
- Authors: Rainbow Farms (Pty) LTD , Food and Allied Workers Union , National Union of Food, Beverages, Wine, Spirits and Allied Workers
- Date: 2015-04-08
- Subjects: Rainbow Farms (Pty) LTD , National Union of Food, Beverages, Wine, Spirits and Allied Workers (NUFBSWSAW) , Wages -- South Africa , Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) , Collective bargaining -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: collective labor agreements , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/95262 , vital:31137 , Labour Research Service (LRS)
- Description: Settlement agreement on wages & substantive conditions of employment entered into and between Rainbow Farms (Pty) LTD and the unions Food and Allied Workers Union and National Union of Food, Beverages, Wine, Spirits and Allied Workers acting jointly.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-04-08
An evaluation on the impact of child support grant as a means of poverty alliviation: the case of the Eastern Cape Adelaide Social Development Centre - 2007-2010
- Authors: Lombo, Ntombizandile Gail
- Date: 2015-04
- Subjects: Child support--Government policy--South Africa , Economic assistance, Domestic--South Africa--Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24890 , vital:63668
- Description: The purpose of the study was to examine the perceptions of families receiving the Child Support Grant in the area of Adelaide, Eastern Cape and to establish whether or not the Child Support Grant contributes to poverty alleviation. The investigation also went further to find whether people who receive the Child Support Grant are able to meet the needs of their children and the recipients believe that the quality of their lives have improved after receiving the Child Support Grant. Both qualitative and quantitative methods of research were used. Interview schedules that were used were the questionnaires. The findings of the study revealed that the majority of the respondents experienced hardships in terms of employment, education, training and skills development, emotional and financial support. This is a challenge for government and the community at large. Lack of basic facilities such as health care and early child development programmes and social development programmes designed to supplement the grant are all social necessities that they have rights to, according to the Bill of Rights enshrined in the Constitution of 1996. The study also hold a strong view that the government should make an effort on job creation and the community should also make and effort on partaking on self-development projects in order to supplement the Child Support Grant. Teenagers must be encouraged to get educated so that they can get decent jobs and be able to look after their families. , Thesis (MPA) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-04
- Authors: Lombo, Ntombizandile Gail
- Date: 2015-04
- Subjects: Child support--Government policy--South Africa , Economic assistance, Domestic--South Africa--Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24890 , vital:63668
- Description: The purpose of the study was to examine the perceptions of families receiving the Child Support Grant in the area of Adelaide, Eastern Cape and to establish whether or not the Child Support Grant contributes to poverty alleviation. The investigation also went further to find whether people who receive the Child Support Grant are able to meet the needs of their children and the recipients believe that the quality of their lives have improved after receiving the Child Support Grant. Both qualitative and quantitative methods of research were used. Interview schedules that were used were the questionnaires. The findings of the study revealed that the majority of the respondents experienced hardships in terms of employment, education, training and skills development, emotional and financial support. This is a challenge for government and the community at large. Lack of basic facilities such as health care and early child development programmes and social development programmes designed to supplement the grant are all social necessities that they have rights to, according to the Bill of Rights enshrined in the Constitution of 1996. The study also hold a strong view that the government should make an effort on job creation and the community should also make and effort on partaking on self-development projects in order to supplement the Child Support Grant. Teenagers must be encouraged to get educated so that they can get decent jobs and be able to look after their families. , Thesis (MPA) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-04
An investigation into the causes of high demand for leave at B. J. Vorster Hospital
- Authors: Mene, Xolani Stephen
- Date: 2015-04
- Subjects: Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53312 , vital:45140
- Description: Due to the high demand for leave at B.J. Vorster Hospital; staff members, especially the nursing staff, tend to be on leave for long periods and sometimes be absent without leave. In some instances they request extensions to their leaves when they are already on leave. They do not report back for duties at the end of the leave period instead they provide reasons which warrant that the leave be extended. Subsequently, nurses who are on duty have to continue working because there is no-one to relieve the mand work needs to be done. A threatening situation which could lead to patients being left unattended tends to emerge under these circumstances. Hence in some instances nurses are called from other clinics to assist. Some employees absent themselves without leave and management does not appear to be taking action against such conduct. This leads to poor quality of health care in nursing which is a matter of concern to the community, to management and to the policy-makers. A qualitative research method was used in this study, in order to investigate the cause for high demand for leave at B.J. Vorster Hospital. Data collection was undertaken through interviews. The study found that the high demand for leave is attributed to fatigue resulting from huge workloads, claims of entitlement to leave, need to extend weekends due to family responsibilities. The study recommends that the management of leave and the current amount of leave days allocated to staff be reconsidered taking into account the relevant legislation including the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and the prevailing conditions in the hospital. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Governmental and Social Sciences, 2015.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-04
- Authors: Mene, Xolani Stephen
- Date: 2015-04
- Subjects: Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53312 , vital:45140
- Description: Due to the high demand for leave at B.J. Vorster Hospital; staff members, especially the nursing staff, tend to be on leave for long periods and sometimes be absent without leave. In some instances they request extensions to their leaves when they are already on leave. They do not report back for duties at the end of the leave period instead they provide reasons which warrant that the leave be extended. Subsequently, nurses who are on duty have to continue working because there is no-one to relieve the mand work needs to be done. A threatening situation which could lead to patients being left unattended tends to emerge under these circumstances. Hence in some instances nurses are called from other clinics to assist. Some employees absent themselves without leave and management does not appear to be taking action against such conduct. This leads to poor quality of health care in nursing which is a matter of concern to the community, to management and to the policy-makers. A qualitative research method was used in this study, in order to investigate the cause for high demand for leave at B.J. Vorster Hospital. Data collection was undertaken through interviews. The study found that the high demand for leave is attributed to fatigue resulting from huge workloads, claims of entitlement to leave, need to extend weekends due to family responsibilities. The study recommends that the management of leave and the current amount of leave days allocated to staff be reconsidered taking into account the relevant legislation including the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and the prevailing conditions in the hospital. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Governmental and Social Sciences, 2015.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-04
Humanitarian intervention in conflict management in Africa: selected case study analysis of Sudan and Libya
- Authors: Muruviwa, Tapiwa Gladmore
- Date: 2015-04
- Subjects: Humanitarian intervention , Conflict management -- Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24772 , vital:63550
- Description: The study investigates the effectiveness of humanitarian intervention as a strategy in conflict management in Africa drawing from case studies in Sudan and Libya. The research utilized an interaction of both primary and secondary data sources. Primary sources used are African Union (AU) official reports, United Nations Security Council (UNSC) official reports as well as official International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS) reports. Secondary sources used include journal articles, newspapers, books and other online publications. Among others, the study found out that humanitarian intervention in Sudan by the AU from 2004 until 2006 lacked the capacity and political will to effectively manage the conflict. At the same time, an analysis of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization‟s (NATO) military intervention in Libya in 2011 reveals that western-led interventions in Africa are often driven by geostrategic interests rather than the need to save people in danger. Against this backdrop, the study recommends amongst others that the AU should have a capacitated standby-force that will rapidly respond to manage conflicts in Africa. Also, UN peacekeeping operations in Africa should be coordinated by the African Union. , Thesis (MSoc) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-04
- Authors: Muruviwa, Tapiwa Gladmore
- Date: 2015-04
- Subjects: Humanitarian intervention , Conflict management -- Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24772 , vital:63550
- Description: The study investigates the effectiveness of humanitarian intervention as a strategy in conflict management in Africa drawing from case studies in Sudan and Libya. The research utilized an interaction of both primary and secondary data sources. Primary sources used are African Union (AU) official reports, United Nations Security Council (UNSC) official reports as well as official International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS) reports. Secondary sources used include journal articles, newspapers, books and other online publications. Among others, the study found out that humanitarian intervention in Sudan by the AU from 2004 until 2006 lacked the capacity and political will to effectively manage the conflict. At the same time, an analysis of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization‟s (NATO) military intervention in Libya in 2011 reveals that western-led interventions in Africa are often driven by geostrategic interests rather than the need to save people in danger. Against this backdrop, the study recommends amongst others that the AU should have a capacitated standby-force that will rapidly respond to manage conflicts in Africa. Also, UN peacekeeping operations in Africa should be coordinated by the African Union. , Thesis (MSoc) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-04
The Effectiveness of Eskom’s transmission project team lationships in the delivery process
- Authors: Mpetshwa, Noninzi
- Date: 2015-04
- Subjects: Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53318 , vital:45137
- Description: Eskom Holding is a public limited liability company that supplies electricity. It supplies approximately ninety-nine percent of the electricity used in South Africa, and approximately forty-five percent of that used in Africa. Eskom generates, transmits and distributes electricity to its customers. The Project Execution Department is a department in the Transmission Division that executes the capital and refurbishment of projects. The objective of the study was to discover the opinion of the project team members, on whether there is a lack of project-team efficiency in delivering the projects on time, and within the budget. Descriptive research methodology was used to investigate the objectives of the research. The data were obtained through the structured questionnaires that were hand-delivered and emailed. The research is limited to the Project Execution and Procurement Department in the Transmission Division. The research excludes the Capital Expansion Department (CED) project (Medupi, Kusile and Power Development Projects). The findings of the study showed that, Eskom’s Transmission Project Execution and Commercial Departments need to work hand-in-hand. This will avoid any unnecessary procurement delays which would have an impact on project delivery time. Continuous communication among the project team members could improve the efficiency and serve to build good relationships. Currently, projects are delivered late and over budget. This situation could lead to the outsourcing of departments or even to the redeployment of Senior Management. It would also have a negative impact on the cost and supply of electricity to the country. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology, School of the Built Environment and Civil Engineering, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-04
- Authors: Mpetshwa, Noninzi
- Date: 2015-04
- Subjects: Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53318 , vital:45137
- Description: Eskom Holding is a public limited liability company that supplies electricity. It supplies approximately ninety-nine percent of the electricity used in South Africa, and approximately forty-five percent of that used in Africa. Eskom generates, transmits and distributes electricity to its customers. The Project Execution Department is a department in the Transmission Division that executes the capital and refurbishment of projects. The objective of the study was to discover the opinion of the project team members, on whether there is a lack of project-team efficiency in delivering the projects on time, and within the budget. Descriptive research methodology was used to investigate the objectives of the research. The data were obtained through the structured questionnaires that were hand-delivered and emailed. The research is limited to the Project Execution and Procurement Department in the Transmission Division. The research excludes the Capital Expansion Department (CED) project (Medupi, Kusile and Power Development Projects). The findings of the study showed that, Eskom’s Transmission Project Execution and Commercial Departments need to work hand-in-hand. This will avoid any unnecessary procurement delays which would have an impact on project delivery time. Continuous communication among the project team members could improve the efficiency and serve to build good relationships. Currently, projects are delivered late and over budget. This situation could lead to the outsourcing of departments or even to the redeployment of Senior Management. It would also have a negative impact on the cost and supply of electricity to the country. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology, School of the Built Environment and Civil Engineering, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-04
A survey of the classification of fuzzy subgroups of some finite groups
- Authors: Makamba, Babington
- Date: 2015-03-18
- Language: English
- Type: Inaugural lecture
- Identifier: vital:11981 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1016591
- Description: In this lecture we survey the classification of fuzzy subgroups of finite groups as studied byProf. B.B Makamba and V. Murali. We present the impact of the research on our postgraduate students. The classification is focusing on finite abelian p-groups and dihedral groups, giving a mixture of abelian and non-abelian groups. We show some highlights and what still needs to be done in the classification of fuzzy subgroups. We also touch on what other researchers have achieved in the classification of fuzzy subgroups and how our work is related to theirs. We begin with a historical background of fuzzy logic. , Inaugural Lecture Address by Prof. Babington Makamba- A survey of the classification of fuzzy subgroups of some finite groups.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-03-18
- Authors: Makamba, Babington
- Date: 2015-03-18
- Language: English
- Type: Inaugural lecture
- Identifier: vital:11981 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1016591
- Description: In this lecture we survey the classification of fuzzy subgroups of finite groups as studied byProf. B.B Makamba and V. Murali. We present the impact of the research on our postgraduate students. The classification is focusing on finite abelian p-groups and dihedral groups, giving a mixture of abelian and non-abelian groups. We show some highlights and what still needs to be done in the classification of fuzzy subgroups. We also touch on what other researchers have achieved in the classification of fuzzy subgroups and how our work is related to theirs. We begin with a historical background of fuzzy logic. , Inaugural Lecture Address by Prof. Babington Makamba- A survey of the classification of fuzzy subgroups of some finite groups.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-03-18
Main thesis title 2021: subtitle if needed. If no subtitle follow instructions in manual
- Authors: Mashinini, Peter Madindwa
- Date: 2015-03
- Subjects: Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53340 , vital:45138
- Description: Ti6Al4V alloy usage is increasing due to high demand from the aerospace and automotive industries as well as the field of medical implants. Therefore, identifying the most effective joining technique is critically important to ensure that optimum life can be achieved by welded components. This is especially important for the aerospace industry where fatigue life of the welded joints is vital. This research identified two relatively new joining technologies for Titanium sheet, namely, Friction Stir Welding (FSW),a solid-state process, and Laser Beam Welding (LBW),a fusion joining process. It was therefore vitalto conduct a systematic study of these two processes and compare results to illustrate which process attributes to static and dynamic properties. This investigation was accomplished by varying the process heat input for both FSW and LBW. The main parameters used to control process heat input were rotational-and traverse speed for FSW and laser power and traverse speed for LBW. In FSW, a reaction torque was used to describe the process energy in order to achieve the plasticised material condition. Preliminary work was done to establish the influencing factors for a successful weld which included tool optimisation but process optimisation was not discussed in elaborative detail. In LBW, traverse speed was identified as the critical control parameter to ensure good weld penetration. Weld width was recorded as it showed strong correlation to heat input rates. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Technology, Mechanical Engineering, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-03
- Authors: Mashinini, Peter Madindwa
- Date: 2015-03
- Subjects: Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53340 , vital:45138
- Description: Ti6Al4V alloy usage is increasing due to high demand from the aerospace and automotive industries as well as the field of medical implants. Therefore, identifying the most effective joining technique is critically important to ensure that optimum life can be achieved by welded components. This is especially important for the aerospace industry where fatigue life of the welded joints is vital. This research identified two relatively new joining technologies for Titanium sheet, namely, Friction Stir Welding (FSW),a solid-state process, and Laser Beam Welding (LBW),a fusion joining process. It was therefore vitalto conduct a systematic study of these two processes and compare results to illustrate which process attributes to static and dynamic properties. This investigation was accomplished by varying the process heat input for both FSW and LBW. The main parameters used to control process heat input were rotational-and traverse speed for FSW and laser power and traverse speed for LBW. In FSW, a reaction torque was used to describe the process energy in order to achieve the plasticised material condition. Preliminary work was done to establish the influencing factors for a successful weld which included tool optimisation but process optimisation was not discussed in elaborative detail. In LBW, traverse speed was identified as the critical control parameter to ensure good weld penetration. Weld width was recorded as it showed strong correlation to heat input rates. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Technology, Mechanical Engineering, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-03
Perceptions regarding corporate citizenship behaviour in Zimbabwe
- Authors: Muzvidziwa, Itai
- Date: 2015-03
- Subjects: Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53396 , vital:45144
- Description: Corporate Citizenship (CC) has risen as a conspicuous term in the literature dealing with the social role of business. Citizenship‟s focal point is the rights and responsibilities of all members of the community. CC can be defined as the extent to which organisations undertake the compulsory economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary responsibilities imposed on them by their stakeholders. CC recognises organisations as legal persons with certain rights and responsibilities as members of a community. The upsurge in undertaking acts of social responsibility illustrates that CC tends to be a strategic measurement that investors use to consciously align ethical concerns with publicly held organisations. In Zimbabwe, some organisations have made some progress towards CC - yet a long journey lies ahead in promoting CC by both the private sector and the Government of Zimbabwe. Against this background, the following research question was addressed in this study: What are the perceptions regarding CC behaviour in Zimbabwe? This study has been motivated by the knowledge gap on CC as a dynamic and contextual response to internal and external environmental pressures and the shift in community expectations concerning the roles, responsibilities and accountabilities of businesses in Zimbabwe. The main objective of this study was to investigate perceptions regarding corporate citizenship behaviour in Zimbabwe. A hypothetical model shows various factors that may influence perceptions regarding CC behaviour in Zimbabwe. Three independent variables (internal factors, external factors and personal factors) were identified as variables that may influence perceptions regarding CC behaviour. The mediating variable (perceptions regarding CC behaviour) was also identified as a variable that have potential to affect the dependent variables (organisational performance, competitiveness, image and sustainability). Furthermore, seven null-hypotheses were developed to test the relationship between the independent, mediating and dependent variables. All these variables were clearly defined and operationalised with various items obtained from measuring instruments used in other similar studies. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, School of Management Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-03
- Authors: Muzvidziwa, Itai
- Date: 2015-03
- Subjects: Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53396 , vital:45144
- Description: Corporate Citizenship (CC) has risen as a conspicuous term in the literature dealing with the social role of business. Citizenship‟s focal point is the rights and responsibilities of all members of the community. CC can be defined as the extent to which organisations undertake the compulsory economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary responsibilities imposed on them by their stakeholders. CC recognises organisations as legal persons with certain rights and responsibilities as members of a community. The upsurge in undertaking acts of social responsibility illustrates that CC tends to be a strategic measurement that investors use to consciously align ethical concerns with publicly held organisations. In Zimbabwe, some organisations have made some progress towards CC - yet a long journey lies ahead in promoting CC by both the private sector and the Government of Zimbabwe. Against this background, the following research question was addressed in this study: What are the perceptions regarding CC behaviour in Zimbabwe? This study has been motivated by the knowledge gap on CC as a dynamic and contextual response to internal and external environmental pressures and the shift in community expectations concerning the roles, responsibilities and accountabilities of businesses in Zimbabwe. The main objective of this study was to investigate perceptions regarding corporate citizenship behaviour in Zimbabwe. A hypothetical model shows various factors that may influence perceptions regarding CC behaviour in Zimbabwe. Three independent variables (internal factors, external factors and personal factors) were identified as variables that may influence perceptions regarding CC behaviour. The mediating variable (perceptions regarding CC behaviour) was also identified as a variable that have potential to affect the dependent variables (organisational performance, competitiveness, image and sustainability). Furthermore, seven null-hypotheses were developed to test the relationship between the independent, mediating and dependent variables. All these variables were clearly defined and operationalised with various items obtained from measuring instruments used in other similar studies. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, School of Management Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-03
Performance-based strategies for improving service quality in electricity regulation in developing countries: the Nigerian experience
- Authors: Obi, Chikwerem Ukaobasi
- Date: 2015-03
- Subjects: Electricity--Government policy--Developing countries , Public administration
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24868 , vital:63665
- Description: Service quality is a relatively new concept in the regulatory lexicon. It has emerged as a critical factor in post-reform regulation of electricity distribution networks and it is a multi-dimensional concept in regulatory policy that connotes standard of performance in service delivery. Regulators establish performance standards by defining clearly the quality of service the customer deserves given the price paid. It is in recognition of the fact that customers are highly sensitive to the level of service delivered to them, and they value the speed and accuracy with which their requests are handled that have made service quality critical in the electricity value chain. The level of quality provided to individual customers is generally distributed over a range of values. Hence, regulators are mainly concerned with the protection of the worst-served customers and the possibility that a group of customers might receive unacceptably low levels of service quality. The major objective of this study is to ascertain how service quality regulation can improve electricity distribution in Nigeria. In doing this, the research gave a general overview of the study as an introduction in chapter one; it went on to review the available literature in chapter two. Chapter three conceptualizes the framework of the study by identifying the New Public Management (NPM) as a catalyst for effective regulation, followed by a case study of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission in chapter four. In chapter five, the study employed the Likert attitudinal scale sampling technique and the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) as the methodologies for data analysis in the research. The data presentation and interpretation were carried out in chapter six by presenting the results of the customer survey and outlining the key performance indicators (KPIs) based on the following three areas of service quality: technical indicators, financial indicators and customer-service indicators, which finally dovetailed into the summary, recommendations and conclusion in chapter seven. The performance of the privatized DISCOs was assessed by means of descriptive analysis by administering questionnaires, trend analysis and technical efficiency estimations using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) techniques. The estimates were carried out by means of the Frontier 4.1 software and were based on three assumptions of returns to scale. The findings revealed that the average industry performance for DISCOs dropped from 95% before privatization to 82% after privatization. This relatively poor performance may well have been caused by the reluctance of the private investors, who now own majority shares in the DISCOs, to invest in the retrofitting and upgrading of the network infrastructure existing before they took over. The implication of this finding is not a condemnation of the recentlyconcluded privatization of the power sector in Nigeria, but probably the private investors’ desperation to recover their investment at the expense of public interest for quality service given that most of the investors acquired the utilities with shortterm funds. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-03
- Authors: Obi, Chikwerem Ukaobasi
- Date: 2015-03
- Subjects: Electricity--Government policy--Developing countries , Public administration
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24868 , vital:63665
- Description: Service quality is a relatively new concept in the regulatory lexicon. It has emerged as a critical factor in post-reform regulation of electricity distribution networks and it is a multi-dimensional concept in regulatory policy that connotes standard of performance in service delivery. Regulators establish performance standards by defining clearly the quality of service the customer deserves given the price paid. It is in recognition of the fact that customers are highly sensitive to the level of service delivered to them, and they value the speed and accuracy with which their requests are handled that have made service quality critical in the electricity value chain. The level of quality provided to individual customers is generally distributed over a range of values. Hence, regulators are mainly concerned with the protection of the worst-served customers and the possibility that a group of customers might receive unacceptably low levels of service quality. The major objective of this study is to ascertain how service quality regulation can improve electricity distribution in Nigeria. In doing this, the research gave a general overview of the study as an introduction in chapter one; it went on to review the available literature in chapter two. Chapter three conceptualizes the framework of the study by identifying the New Public Management (NPM) as a catalyst for effective regulation, followed by a case study of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission in chapter four. In chapter five, the study employed the Likert attitudinal scale sampling technique and the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) as the methodologies for data analysis in the research. The data presentation and interpretation were carried out in chapter six by presenting the results of the customer survey and outlining the key performance indicators (KPIs) based on the following three areas of service quality: technical indicators, financial indicators and customer-service indicators, which finally dovetailed into the summary, recommendations and conclusion in chapter seven. The performance of the privatized DISCOs was assessed by means of descriptive analysis by administering questionnaires, trend analysis and technical efficiency estimations using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) techniques. The estimates were carried out by means of the Frontier 4.1 software and were based on three assumptions of returns to scale. The findings revealed that the average industry performance for DISCOs dropped from 95% before privatization to 82% after privatization. This relatively poor performance may well have been caused by the reluctance of the private investors, who now own majority shares in the DISCOs, to invest in the retrofitting and upgrading of the network infrastructure existing before they took over. The implication of this finding is not a condemnation of the recentlyconcluded privatization of the power sector in Nigeria, but probably the private investors’ desperation to recover their investment at the expense of public interest for quality service given that most of the investors acquired the utilities with shortterm funds. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-03
An investigation into employment-readiness perceptions of University of Fort Hare students
- Chigbu, Bianca Ifeoma https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4029-9580
- Authors: Chigbu, Bianca Ifeoma https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4029-9580
- Date: 2015-02
- Subjects: Universities and colleges -- Graduate work , College graduates -- Employment
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/25709 , vital:64472
- Description: The aim of this study is to establish the employment-readiness perception of prospective University of Fort Hare Alice campus graduates. To do this, the study determined the capability of these prospective graduates to face the demands of the labor market. In addition, the study also wanted inter alia to find out whether there exist a relationship between prospective graduates perceived level of skills and their readiness to engage in the work environment. Astin’s Input-Environment-Outcome model of student development, which posits that students’ academic development in universities is affected by their own inputs as learners in addition to the institutional environment, has been utilized as the theoretical framework for this study. Hence a number of hypothesis informed by Astin’s model about whether there exist a relationship between perceived output, skills and readiness of prospective graduates for the workplace, on the one hand, and university education/training, on the other, were derived. To test these hypotheses the study utilized a quantitative research approach anchored around a survey design. In fact ample studies, which have investigated the issues of employability skills and prospective graduates’ readiness for work, have adopted this type of research design with a questionnaire as a preferred research instrument. After collecting data through the use of a mainly Likert scale based survey questionnaire, the findings of the study indicated inter alia that the university environment has a direct influence on the input of students to their study and skills acquisition in addition to the fact that faculty influence is directly correlated to students’ output, skills and readiness for employment. Hence the conclusion that for any tertiary institution like the University of Fort Hare to function effectively or optimally, the institutional environment, faculty influence and student input have to satisfy the best assessment criteria at the exit level, such that an output of quality prospective graduates imbued with all employment readiness characteristics can be guaranteed. Self-driven individuals with willingness to involve themselves in lifelong learning, who are capable of self-improvement and of taking advantages of innovative opportunities, are what the country’s economy need. These findings are in agreement with Astin’s model, which proposes that learning development is an interacting system of student input, institutional settings, and the students’ output. Results and conclusions of a significant number of other empirical studies concur with the results of this study. Furthermore the findings of the current study contribute to the graduate work readiness literature in a number of ways. For instance, the work process in modern organizations has been greatly transformed and as such that only high levels of skills, abilities and talented graduates are qualified to fit in such a labor market. The changing demands of the education competitive market have generated a belief that the educational sector will react in ways that are innovative with the aim of both the learning needs and the career objectives for its learners to be reached. Hence it is proposed that tertiary institutions in South Africa make it mandatory for learners to at least have three weeks work placement as one of their requirement for graduation. , Thesis (MSoc) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-02
- Authors: Chigbu, Bianca Ifeoma https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4029-9580
- Date: 2015-02
- Subjects: Universities and colleges -- Graduate work , College graduates -- Employment
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/25709 , vital:64472
- Description: The aim of this study is to establish the employment-readiness perception of prospective University of Fort Hare Alice campus graduates. To do this, the study determined the capability of these prospective graduates to face the demands of the labor market. In addition, the study also wanted inter alia to find out whether there exist a relationship between prospective graduates perceived level of skills and their readiness to engage in the work environment. Astin’s Input-Environment-Outcome model of student development, which posits that students’ academic development in universities is affected by their own inputs as learners in addition to the institutional environment, has been utilized as the theoretical framework for this study. Hence a number of hypothesis informed by Astin’s model about whether there exist a relationship between perceived output, skills and readiness of prospective graduates for the workplace, on the one hand, and university education/training, on the other, were derived. To test these hypotheses the study utilized a quantitative research approach anchored around a survey design. In fact ample studies, which have investigated the issues of employability skills and prospective graduates’ readiness for work, have adopted this type of research design with a questionnaire as a preferred research instrument. After collecting data through the use of a mainly Likert scale based survey questionnaire, the findings of the study indicated inter alia that the university environment has a direct influence on the input of students to their study and skills acquisition in addition to the fact that faculty influence is directly correlated to students’ output, skills and readiness for employment. Hence the conclusion that for any tertiary institution like the University of Fort Hare to function effectively or optimally, the institutional environment, faculty influence and student input have to satisfy the best assessment criteria at the exit level, such that an output of quality prospective graduates imbued with all employment readiness characteristics can be guaranteed. Self-driven individuals with willingness to involve themselves in lifelong learning, who are capable of self-improvement and of taking advantages of innovative opportunities, are what the country’s economy need. These findings are in agreement with Astin’s model, which proposes that learning development is an interacting system of student input, institutional settings, and the students’ output. Results and conclusions of a significant number of other empirical studies concur with the results of this study. Furthermore the findings of the current study contribute to the graduate work readiness literature in a number of ways. For instance, the work process in modern organizations has been greatly transformed and as such that only high levels of skills, abilities and talented graduates are qualified to fit in such a labor market. The changing demands of the education competitive market have generated a belief that the educational sector will react in ways that are innovative with the aim of both the learning needs and the career objectives for its learners to be reached. Hence it is proposed that tertiary institutions in South Africa make it mandatory for learners to at least have three weeks work placement as one of their requirement for graduation. , Thesis (MSoc) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-02
Smallholder tobacco production and sustainable agriculture: A case of the Karoi district, Zimbabwe
- Authors: Serima, Joseph
- Date: 2015-02
- Subjects: Agriculture -- Economic aspects -- Zimbabwe , Sustainable development -- Zimbabwe , Farms, Small
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/25370 , vital:64233
- Description: Over the past decades, cash cropping had been dominant in many developing economies. In Zimbabwe, tobacco has been an important cash crop for the majority of smallholder farmers. The crop generates large profits as compared to the next best alternative cash crop and it is an important source of government revenue. Many smallholder farmers have thus resorted into tobacco farming because of accrue benefits attached to the crop. In addition to large profits, the availability of incentives which support production of this crop has also been a motive for many smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe. Contrary to the availability of incentives to support tobacco production, the lack of government subsidies has discouraged smallholder farmers to engage into food crop productions. However, despite their increased interest in tobacco farming, many smallholder farmers have remained poor. They continue to live in poverty, even though they produce an important cash crop for export. Food security in the country has been deteriorated because of concentrations in cash cropping. Therefore, this study has been undertaken to investigate whether the commercialization of the peasant farmer has been responsible for the food crisis that the country is experiencing at present. The study utilized the neo-classical theory of farm production to clarify the reasons why peasant producers engage into certain types of production. However, to balance this study with an attempt of promoting sustainable agriculture, the study also employed the sustainable development approach. , Thesis (MSoc) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-02
- Authors: Serima, Joseph
- Date: 2015-02
- Subjects: Agriculture -- Economic aspects -- Zimbabwe , Sustainable development -- Zimbabwe , Farms, Small
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/25370 , vital:64233
- Description: Over the past decades, cash cropping had been dominant in many developing economies. In Zimbabwe, tobacco has been an important cash crop for the majority of smallholder farmers. The crop generates large profits as compared to the next best alternative cash crop and it is an important source of government revenue. Many smallholder farmers have thus resorted into tobacco farming because of accrue benefits attached to the crop. In addition to large profits, the availability of incentives which support production of this crop has also been a motive for many smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe. Contrary to the availability of incentives to support tobacco production, the lack of government subsidies has discouraged smallholder farmers to engage into food crop productions. However, despite their increased interest in tobacco farming, many smallholder farmers have remained poor. They continue to live in poverty, even though they produce an important cash crop for export. Food security in the country has been deteriorated because of concentrations in cash cropping. Therefore, this study has been undertaken to investigate whether the commercialization of the peasant farmer has been responsible for the food crisis that the country is experiencing at present. The study utilized the neo-classical theory of farm production to clarify the reasons why peasant producers engage into certain types of production. However, to balance this study with an attempt of promoting sustainable agriculture, the study also employed the sustainable development approach. , Thesis (MSoc) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-02
Traditional healing as social practice: an ethnographic study of communicative practices in engagements between traditional healers and their clients in Maseru, Lesotho
- Authors: Molefe, Stanley
- Date: 2015-02
- Subjects: Ethnology -- Lesotho , Healers -- Lesotho
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/26152 , vital:64926
- Description: Practices of traditional healing may be studied as an accomplishment of healers and their clients in talk-in-interaction together. An ethnomethodological perspective on traditional healing brings the researcher to focus on the taken-for-granted ‘folk methods’, or ‘ethnomethods’ that participants in healing practices use to understand each other, and so to bring about the social practice that is conventionally recognized as traditional healing. This thesis analyses transcripts of three Sesotho healers’ (bo-makherenkhoa) consultations with their clients in Maseru, Lesotho. The researcher adopted an ethnographic approach to studying the situations in which participants performed each ritual; and having made field notes and recorded these sessions on an audio device, used ethnomethodological conversation analysis to reveal in what way these sessions constitute and represent practices of Sesotho traditional healing. Despite the apparently dissimilar procedures used by each healer, the analysis found each session to comprise of a diving sequence and a consultation sequence. Each session was also remarkably ordered, using recognized patterns of talk discovered by conversation analysis. Traditional healing is a practical accomplishment between its participants. A practice can be defined as an established social pattern of ‘doings and sayings’. While the three sessions were found to have different uses of divining bones and uttering of prayers to ancestors, the conversation analyses demonstrate that sufficient similarity exists between these sessions to identify them as instances of a Sesotho traditional healing. While paradigm ethnomethodology and the method of conversation analysis are both referred to as forming part of the social constructionist perspective in Communication Studies, there are very few examples of studies that actually use the method or the paradigm. This thesis attempts to demonstrate the value of using these in the field of Communication. , Thesis (MSoc.C) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-02
- Authors: Molefe, Stanley
- Date: 2015-02
- Subjects: Ethnology -- Lesotho , Healers -- Lesotho
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/26152 , vital:64926
- Description: Practices of traditional healing may be studied as an accomplishment of healers and their clients in talk-in-interaction together. An ethnomethodological perspective on traditional healing brings the researcher to focus on the taken-for-granted ‘folk methods’, or ‘ethnomethods’ that participants in healing practices use to understand each other, and so to bring about the social practice that is conventionally recognized as traditional healing. This thesis analyses transcripts of three Sesotho healers’ (bo-makherenkhoa) consultations with their clients in Maseru, Lesotho. The researcher adopted an ethnographic approach to studying the situations in which participants performed each ritual; and having made field notes and recorded these sessions on an audio device, used ethnomethodological conversation analysis to reveal in what way these sessions constitute and represent practices of Sesotho traditional healing. Despite the apparently dissimilar procedures used by each healer, the analysis found each session to comprise of a diving sequence and a consultation sequence. Each session was also remarkably ordered, using recognized patterns of talk discovered by conversation analysis. Traditional healing is a practical accomplishment between its participants. A practice can be defined as an established social pattern of ‘doings and sayings’. While the three sessions were found to have different uses of divining bones and uttering of prayers to ancestors, the conversation analyses demonstrate that sufficient similarity exists between these sessions to identify them as instances of a Sesotho traditional healing. While paradigm ethnomethodology and the method of conversation analysis are both referred to as forming part of the social constructionist perspective in Communication Studies, there are very few examples of studies that actually use the method or the paradigm. This thesis attempts to demonstrate the value of using these in the field of Communication. , Thesis (MSoc.C) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2015
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015-02
"Blade is blunt"
- Authors: Thomas, Cornelius
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: still image
- Identifier: vital:7963 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020436
- Description: On Wednesday, 21 October 2015, Rhodes University closed in solidarity with the higher education sector as students and staff embarked on nationwide protest action against the shortage of funding in the South African higher education sector. #FeesMustFall is a national student led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in response to proposed increases in fees at South African universities. These images depict the peaceful march and illustrate the extent of solidarity among staff, students and community members who joined in support of the protest.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Thomas, Cornelius
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: still image
- Identifier: vital:7963 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020436
- Description: On Wednesday, 21 October 2015, Rhodes University closed in solidarity with the higher education sector as students and staff embarked on nationwide protest action against the shortage of funding in the South African higher education sector. #FeesMustFall is a national student led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in response to proposed increases in fees at South African universities. These images depict the peaceful march and illustrate the extent of solidarity among staff, students and community members who joined in support of the protest.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2015
"I want to kill myself!": identity documents and mental health in the South African Daily Sun tabloid
- Authors: Boshoff, Priscilla A
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/143549 , vital:38256 , ISBN , https://ischp.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/ischp_2015_abstract_booklet.pdf
- Description: An Identity Document (ID) is needed by South Africans to study, apply for a pension or get married. However, Home Affairs, the state department responsible for issuing them, is poorly managed. The popular Daily Sun tabloid newspaper mediates for its five million working class readers the frustration caused by this incompetency in its “Horror Affairs” column. Readers tell their stories about (not) getting their IDs, stories often of suicide, depression and “giving up” on life. Using a Lacanian frame, and through a close reading of “Horror Affairs” texts, I argue that this tabloid plays a therapeutic role for its socially marginalised readers by mediating the “invisibility” engendered by the modernising state and its administrative technologies. Given the concern about high rates of mental health illness in South Africa, the research also demonstrates how popular culture forms can alert health care practitioners to issues which may otherwise go unnoticed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Boshoff, Priscilla A
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/143549 , vital:38256 , ISBN , https://ischp.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/ischp_2015_abstract_booklet.pdf
- Description: An Identity Document (ID) is needed by South Africans to study, apply for a pension or get married. However, Home Affairs, the state department responsible for issuing them, is poorly managed. The popular Daily Sun tabloid newspaper mediates for its five million working class readers the frustration caused by this incompetency in its “Horror Affairs” column. Readers tell their stories about (not) getting their IDs, stories often of suicide, depression and “giving up” on life. Using a Lacanian frame, and through a close reading of “Horror Affairs” texts, I argue that this tabloid plays a therapeutic role for its socially marginalised readers by mediating the “invisibility” engendered by the modernising state and its administrative technologies. Given the concern about high rates of mental health illness in South Africa, the research also demonstrates how popular culture forms can alert health care practitioners to issues which may otherwise go unnoticed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
"I've always known this place, familiar as a room in our house" : engaging with memory, loss and nostalgia through sculpture
- Authors: Reed, Kesayne
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Memory in art , Loss (Psychology) in art , Nostalgia in art , Sculpture -- Themes, motives , Art therapy , Sculpture -- Exhibitions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MFA
- Identifier: vital:2513 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020022
- Description: My exhibition draws on Andreas Huyssen's notion of memory sculpture to articulate my own sense of loss and trauma, due to the divorce of my parents. Within my work I explore the effects that divorce had on me and how it has disturbed my normative understanding of home and family. I have created scenarios alluding to the family home that I have manipulated in order to convey a sense of nostalgia and loss. By growing salt crystals over found objects and/or cladding them in salt, I attempt to suggest the dual motifs of preservation (a nostalgic clinging to the past) and destruction (due to the salt’s corrosive properties). In this way, the salt-crusted objects serve as a metaphor for a memory that has become stagnant, and is both destructive and regressive. The objects encapsulate the mind’s coping methods to loss. In my mini thesis, I discuss characteristics of memory sculpture as a response to trauma, drawing on Sigmund Freud's differentiation between mourning and melancholia. I also unpack how objects and traces (such as photographs) may act as nostalgic triggers, inducing a state of melancholic attachment to an idealised past. I address these concerns in relation to selected works by Doris Salcedo and Bridget Baker, and also situate them in relation to my own art practice.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Reed, Kesayne
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Memory in art , Loss (Psychology) in art , Nostalgia in art , Sculpture -- Themes, motives , Art therapy , Sculpture -- Exhibitions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MFA
- Identifier: vital:2513 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020022
- Description: My exhibition draws on Andreas Huyssen's notion of memory sculpture to articulate my own sense of loss and trauma, due to the divorce of my parents. Within my work I explore the effects that divorce had on me and how it has disturbed my normative understanding of home and family. I have created scenarios alluding to the family home that I have manipulated in order to convey a sense of nostalgia and loss. By growing salt crystals over found objects and/or cladding them in salt, I attempt to suggest the dual motifs of preservation (a nostalgic clinging to the past) and destruction (due to the salt’s corrosive properties). In this way, the salt-crusted objects serve as a metaphor for a memory that has become stagnant, and is both destructive and regressive. The objects encapsulate the mind’s coping methods to loss. In my mini thesis, I discuss characteristics of memory sculpture as a response to trauma, drawing on Sigmund Freud's differentiation between mourning and melancholia. I also unpack how objects and traces (such as photographs) may act as nostalgic triggers, inducing a state of melancholic attachment to an idealised past. I address these concerns in relation to selected works by Doris Salcedo and Bridget Baker, and also situate them in relation to my own art practice.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
"NSFAS no secure future as students"
- Authors: Thomas, Cornelius
- Date: 2015
- Type: Image
- Identifier: vital:8054 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d10205512
- Description: On Wednesday, 21 October 2015, Rhodes University closed in solidarity with the higher education sector as students and staff embarked on nationwide protest action against the shortage of funding in the South African higher education sector. #FeesMustFall is a national student led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in response to proposed increases in fees at South African universities. These images depict the peaceful march and illustrate the extent of solidarity among staff, students and community members who joined in support of the protest.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Thomas, Cornelius
- Date: 2015
- Type: Image
- Identifier: vital:8054 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d10205512
- Description: On Wednesday, 21 October 2015, Rhodes University closed in solidarity with the higher education sector as students and staff embarked on nationwide protest action against the shortage of funding in the South African higher education sector. #FeesMustFall is a national student led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in response to proposed increases in fees at South African universities. These images depict the peaceful march and illustrate the extent of solidarity among staff, students and community members who joined in support of the protest.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2015
"Peace love education"
- Authors: Thomas, Cornelius
- Date: 2015
- Type: Image
- Identifier: vital:8055 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020552
- Description: On Wednesday, 21 October 2015, Rhodes University closed in solidarity with the higher education sector as students and staff embarked on nationwide protest action against the shortage of funding in the South African higher education sector. #FeesMustFall is a national student led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in response to proposed increases in fees at South African universities. These images depict the peaceful march and illustrate the extent of solidarity among staff, students and community members who joined in support of the protest.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Thomas, Cornelius
- Date: 2015
- Type: Image
- Identifier: vital:8055 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020552
- Description: On Wednesday, 21 October 2015, Rhodes University closed in solidarity with the higher education sector as students and staff embarked on nationwide protest action against the shortage of funding in the South African higher education sector. #FeesMustFall is a national student led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in response to proposed increases in fees at South African universities. These images depict the peaceful march and illustrate the extent of solidarity among staff, students and community members who joined in support of the protest.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2015