List of Titles

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Perceptions of rural consumers and the quality of mutton at purchase points in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Authors: Rani, Zikhona Theodora
Date: 2012
Subjects: Meat -- Quality , Mutton -- Quality , Consumers' preferences , Quality of products , Consumers -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc Agric (Animal Science)
Identifier: vital:11823 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1007562 , Meat -- Quality , Mutton -- Quality , Consumers' preferences , Quality of products , Consumers -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
Description: The objective of the study was to determine perceptions of rural consumers on mutton quality, and the quality of mutton at purchase points in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The study was conducted in five different municipalities (Buffalo City, Nkonkobe, Ngqushwa, Lukhanje and Amahlathi). A survey was conducted where a sample of 215 consumers were randomly selected and interviewed, either at point of purchase or as they left the shops. The survey was not limited to the shoppers only but also extended to households from the villages. Questions on some of the most important meat quality cues were compiled. The physico-chemical quality of mutton purchased from different shops was also determined. Forty different shops and butcheries selling mutton from all the selected municipalities were visited. Different parts of mutton samples were bought. Physico-chemical qualities of mutton such as colour (L* - lightness, b* - redness and a* - yellowness) and meat pH measurements were taken at points of purchase. Cooking loss and tenderness evaluations were later done at the Meat Science laboratory at the University of Fort Hare. The results indicated that price was one of the major factors affecting the purchasing decisions of consumers. Thirty four percent of the consumers preferred mutton as compared to other protein sources, even though they were not buying this type of meat because it was not affordable to them. Both male and female consumers suggested that more sheep farmers need to be established in order to reduce the levels of imported mutton into South Africa. They also highlighted that selection programmes that will result in efficient sheep production and reduced mutton prices need to be implemented. Meat at points of purchase was affected by season resulting in lower lightness (L*24.7±0.49) values in winter and higher (L* 32.2±0.49) in Spring. The class of shop did not have an effect on meat quality attributes. Trotter had high values of lightness (L*30.4±2.78a), redness (a*30.4±2.78a), yellowness (13.1±1.08a), pH (6.3±0.12a), tenderness (24.9±3.69b) and cooking loss (39.5±4.38ab). The number of days from when the meat was put on the shelves to the time when it was purchased for consumption (days to purchase) had a significant (P<0.05) negative correlation with the Warner Braztler Shear Force (WBSF)values and lightness of the meat. Significant negative (P < 0.05) correlations between pH and colour of the meat (L*, a* and b*) were also observed. It was concluded that rural consumers perceive the quality of mutton as the best and that the physico-chemical quality of meat purchased from different shops was different, largely based on the part of meat, meat storage conditions and not necessarily on the class of the shop.
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Date Issued: 2012

Production systems, profitability and participation in the mainstream markets by smallholder broiler chicken farmers of Maseru district in Lesotho

- Mphahama, Litsoanelo Evodiah

Authors: Mphahama, Litsoanelo Evodiah
Date: 2017
Subjects: Broilers (Chickens)
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/8678 , vital:33423
Description: Growth in global demand for broiler chicken meat has become tremendous, hence; as one segment of poultry, broiler chicken production has a privilege to highly contribute to nations’ nutritional demands because of the shorter productive age, with only 42 days needed to reach a marketable weight with a high rate of productivity. In fact; in developing countries the importance of broiler chickens to the national economy cannot be overemphasized, as it has become a popular industry especially for the smallholder farmers that have great contribution to the economies of their countries. However, it is difficult to see a bright future for smallholder broiler chicken farmers in this rapidly changing industry structure. A major concern is that this group of farmers faces severe constraints and challenges to taking advantage of mainstream market opportunities; a situation that would impede the success of the sector leading the farmers to exit the business. The aim of this study was to investigate factors challenging small-holder broiler chicken profitability and the choice of market channels used by these famers. The study was conducted in the Maseru district in Lesotho. Using availability sampling; 220 smallholder broiler chicken farming households were purposively selected. Data were obtained from secondary sources and by an administration of questionnaires from January until March 2016. Excel, XLSTAT and SPSS were used for analyzing the data. The descriptive findings of this study were applied to the biographical characteristics of the smallholder broiler chicken farmers. Ages, household size, marital status, occupation, source of credit and broiler chicken production system were determined using SPSS through graphs, mean and percentages. Findings from determining broiler chicken profitability revealed that a mean gross margin of M607.74 in the rural areas and M665.13 from the urban areas were obtained. The results indicated broiler chicken feeds and day old chicks as major operational costs in broiler chicken rearing. This study also explored factors that influence broiler chicken profitability on smallholder farmers. The results suggest that cost starter feeds, cost finisher feeds, transport cost and cost dox/doc negatively affected broiler chicken profits while a number of sold chicken and chicken price had a positive influence. The empirical results from the Binary option of market participation revealed that three variables (number of years in broiler chicken business, access to transport, and access to extension) and one variable (stock size) in rural and urban households respectively had positive signs, thereby, implying an increase in participation in the formal markets. On the other hand two variables; access to information and household size in rural and urban households respectively had negative associations, thus implying that an increase in any of these variables may be associated with a decrease in the formal market participation level. The study therefore, concludes that number of sold chicken and chicken price positively affect broiler chicken profitability however; household size have negative effect on the level of formal market participation among urban households. Therefore, it is recommended that smallholder broiler chicken farmers increase their stocking volumes and get amalgamated into cooperatives in order to be able to access formal markets; hence increased broiler chicken profits.
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Date Issued: 2017

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Assessing the effectiveness of section 21 schools in public financial management (a case of circuit 13 in King William’s Town district in the Eastern Cape)

- Mnwana, Vuyokazi

Authors: Mnwana, Vuyokazi
Date: 2014
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/1133 , vital:26529
Description: The transformation in the education system of South Africa has led to a series of changes in the manner in which schools function and the manner in which they are managed. The transformation process saw the promotion and devolution of powers to schools and self management whilst at the same time ensuring equal access to education. The South African Schools Act spelt out the regulations that need to be followed towards the achievement of the envisaged goal, coupled with the other regulatory framework such as National Norms and Standards for School Funding. The new dispensation saw schools being classified into two categories: Section 20 and Section 21 with stipulated functions. The Section 21 schools experienced an added responsibility of being expected to manage their funds, allocated by the Department of Education through a paper budget, a function they are not formally trained for. The principals and School Governing Bodies had to ensure that they comply with the framework that governs public financial management so as to ensure that financial resources are managed in an effective, efficient and economic manner. This function prompted schools to acquaint themselves with the laws and regulations such as the Public Finance Management Act and the Treasury Regulations in order to ensure that their financial management practices are compliant with the prescribed framework. Their activities need to be conducted in a manner that promotes transparency, responsibility, equity and accountability, all of which are principles of good governance. To ensure effective financial management, schools have to acquire new knowledge and skills in basic financial management. The aim of the study was to assess whether the schools have the skills needed to render effective public financial management in order to be able to account on their financial activities. The study further attempted to establish the role played by the Department of Education towards facilitating empowerment strategies and the role played by the auditors in terms of the assessment of the school’s financial records. A case study of three schools was conducted, all of which are section 21 schools but differ in terms of their socio-economic backgrounds, location and conditions. The socio-economic backgrounds are described in terms of the quintile system and the location in terms of urban, rural and sub-urban schools. The information was gathered through interviews with the principals of the three schools, chairperson and treasurer of the School Governing Body and the school finance officer or bursar. Other interviews were conducted with the Education Development Officer, who is a representative of the Department of Education at schools and an auditor who conducts the auditing function for schools in terms of financial control. It emerged from the findings that the urban schools are well equipped and capable of managing school finances in an effective manner, whilst the sub-urban and rural schools do not have the necessary skills and knowledge to manage school finances. As it turned out, theirs is a functioning for compliance without proper understanding of the financial processes which include budgeting, funds and income management, expenditure management and financial reporting. Although the Department of Education is employing all means possible to empower stakeholders on financial management it has emerged that the strategies are inadequate to address the problems experienced by these schools. The auditor has identified a series of discrepancies and challenges in terms of financial reporting although they also try to mentor and support schools.
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Date Issued: 2014

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Phishing within e-commerce: reducing the risk, increasing the trust

- Megaw, Gregory M

Authors: Megaw, Gregory M
Date: 2010
Subjects: Phishing , Identity theft -- Prevention , Electronic commerce , Computer security , Internet -- Safety measures
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom (Information Systems)
Identifier: vital:11131 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/376 , Phishing , Identity theft -- Prevention , Electronic commerce , Computer security , Internet -- Safety measures
Description: E-Commerce has been plagued with problems since its inception and this study examines one of these problems: The lack of user trust in E-Commerce created by the risk of phishing. Phishing has grown exponentially together with the expansion of the Internet. This growth and the advancement of technology has not only benefited honest Internet users, but has enabled criminals to increase their effectiveness which has caused considerable damage to this budding area of commerce. Moreover, it has negatively impacted both the user and online business in breaking down the trust relationship between them. In an attempt to explore this problem, the following was considered: First, E-Commerce’s vulnerability to phishing attacks. By referring to the Common Criteria Security Model, various critical security areas within E-Commerce are identified, as well as the areas of vulnerability and weakness. Second, the methods and techniques used in phishing, such as phishing e-mails, websites and addresses, distributed attacks and redirected attacks, as well as the data that phishers seek to obtain, are examined. Furthermore, the way to reduce the risk of phishing and in turn increase the trust between users and websites is identified. Here the importance of Trust and the Uncertainty Reduction Theory plus the fine balance between trust and control is explored. Finally, the study presents Critical Success Factors that aid in phishing prevention and control, these being: User Authentication, Website Authentication, E-mail Authentication, Data Cryptography, Communication, and Active Risk Mitigation.
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Date Issued: 2010

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Development of an automatic news summarizer for isiXhosa language

- Ndyalivana, Zukile

Authors: Ndyalivana, Zukile
Date: 2017
Subjects: Text processing (Computer science) Automatic abstracting Computational linguistics
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/7875 , vital:30783
Description: From practice perspective, given the abundance of digital content nowadays, coming up with a technological solution that summarizes written text without losing its message, coherence and cohesion of ideas is highly essential. The technology saves time for readers as well as gives them a chance to focus on the contents that matter most. This is one of the research areas in natural language processing/ information retrieval, which the dissertation tries to contribute to. It tries to contextualize tools and technologies that are developed for other languages to automatically summarize textual Xhosa news articles. Specifically, the dissertation aims at developing a text summarizer for textual Xhosa news articles based on the extraction methods. In doing so, it examines the literature and understand the techniques and technologies used to analyse contents of a written text, transform and synthesize it, the phonology and morphology of the Xhosa language, and finally, designs, implements and test an extraction-based automatic news article for the Xhosa language. Given comprehension and relevance of the literature review, the research design, the methods and tools and technologies used to design, implement and test the pilot system. Two approaches were used to extract relevant sentences, which are, term frequency and sentence position. The Xhosa summarizer is evaluated using a test set. This study has employed both subjective and objective evaluation methods. The results of both methods are satisfactory. Keywords: Xhosa, Automatic Text Summarization, Term Frequency and Sentence Position.
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Date Issued: 2017

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Frontiers of exclusion and enclusion: post-apartheid suburban social dynamics in East London, Beacon Bay

- Buku, Luzuko

Authors: Buku, Luzuko
Date: 2014
Subjects: Apartheid -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/1316 , vital:26545
Description: This dissertation deals with the nature of the black middle-class assimilation in the South African suburban space, a space that was the sole preserve of the white middle-class during apartheid. It explores the relationship between these races as they come to meet in this space and what new identities are being formed. It also explores the relationship between both the black and white suburbanites and the urban poor who stay in an adjacent area to the suburb. The study uses the Beacon Bay area, which is constituted by one of East London’s most affluent suburbs and a poor township, Nompumelelo, to show how the emergent black middle-class has managed to enter this space in the post-apartheid era. Previous studies by Richard Ballard (2004) and Grant Saff (2001) have shown how the white middle-class has always been against any form of race or class mixing. Within the suburb, the new black suburbanites in Beacon Bay appear to have been welcomed but with conditions by their fellow white counterparts. The relationship between these two races does not stretch beyond meet and greets and it is only in the second generation black middle-class that you find better and non-superficial relations with fellow white suburbanites. In the older generation, the generation that experienced apartheid, the relationship between these two races has been that of tolerance and serious escape of contact unless when necessary. The children of both white and black families, though, have a far better relationship in school and in sport than their parents. This has created another area of contact for both these races and it bears potential for meaningful integration in the suburban space. Externally as it relates to relations between the black middle-class and the urban poor, the findings show that these new black suburbanites express a similar discomfort as the white suburbanites about the urban poor’s presence in the area. This shows that the evolution of the Beacon Bay suburb, with its deep-rooted discourse of white middle-class exclusivity, has not been entirely about hatred of the urban poor necessarily but about an identity ascription of what it means to live in a suburb. Despite these realities traditional ceremonies organised by the black middle-class in the suburbs and the church appear to be playing a role in creating relations between these suburbanites and the Nompumelelo residents. This is why we have decided to use the conceptualisation of the 18th century frontier zone as the borders of segregation within the suburb and between the suburban residents and those of the township can be crossed and re-crossed.
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Date Issued: 2014

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Land reform and livelihood among subsistence farmers in Great Kei local municipality, South Africa

- Bani, Tida Witness

Authors: Bani, Tida Witness
Date: 2018
Subjects: Land reform Subsistence farming Sustainable development
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , MSoc
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/12870 , vital:39386
Description: Land reform, as enshrined in the constitution of the Republic of South Africa, aims to foster conditions which enable citizens to gain access to land on equitable basis. Section 25(6) of the constitution states that ‘a person or community whose tenure of land is legally insecure as a result of past racially discriminatory laws or practice is entitled, to the extent provided by an Act of Parliament, either to tenure, which is legally secure, or comparable redress. In addition, section 25(7) states that a person or community dispossessed of property after 19 June 1913 as a result of past racially discriminatory laws or practices is entitled to the extent provided by an Act of Parliament, either to restitution of that property or to equitable redress. Within this context, this study assessed the impact of land reform on the livelihoods of subsistence farmers in Great Kei Local Municipality. The study adopted a qualitative approach in order to get an in-depth understanding of the farming activities of land reform beneficiaries, the contribution of farming activities to agro-based sustainable livelihoods and the general challenges faced by subsistence farmers. The sample comprised of thirty (30) farmers, two focus group discussions which comprised of six (6) farmers each and five key informants from the Department of Rural development and Agrarian Reform, a councillor and a community leader from the local municipality. The study found that most farmers who were allocated land were from different disadvantaged backgrounds. Many of the farmers came from farming backgrounds hence they had the requisite skills and knowledge. Those with relatively limited knowledge and skills were technically supported and subsequently improved their production and livelihoods. Those farmers that were trained in various farming aspects did well as they improved production. However, it was found that those farmers that did not receive training and adequate support yielded negative results in both crop and animal production. Drought has been another major contributor in the decline of the production. It was also found that the post settlement grants, such as Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme and Recapitalization and Agricultural Development, are not enough and regular for infrastructural development on the farms.
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Date Issued: 2018

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An investigation of the effetiveness of correctional centre-based vocational training programmes towards reducing recidivism

- Mangesi, Nosipho

Authors: Mangesi, Nosipho
Date: 2019
Subjects: Recidivism Social justice
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , MSoc (Criminology)
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/16408 , vital:40717
Description: Since the Department of Correctional Services has been transformed into an institution of rehabilitation and skills development, there is a need for a sound classification system whereby offenders are classified according to their potential for treatment and training programmes that match their risk/needs. The study was conducted in Middledrift Correctional Centre in the Eastern Cape with the aim of examining the effectiveness of correctionally based vocational training programmes towards reducing recidivism. Research towards correctional programmes was necessitated by the extant of recidivism in South Africa. The question is where does the problem lie because offenders are provided with rehabilitation programmes to make them law abiding citizens and reintegrate well into the community up on release but, in many cases it does not become possible as many ex-offenders return to custody either for new offence or parole violation. The study used qualitative design in data collection and in explaining the results. A sample of sixteen recidivists and five correctional officials formed participants for the study selecting using purposive sampling procedures. Involvement in vocational programmes was used as a criteria for selectiong of correctional officials as participants. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight recidivists and all five correctional officials and a focus group interview was held with the other eight set of recidivists. The study examined the impact of vocational programmes on recidivism followed by the factors that hinder effective offender rehabilitation and factors that influence recidivism up on release. The findings of this study were analysed using thematic analysis with the assistance of a voice recorder as a back up for collected data. Findings revealed that a small number of recidivists attend vocational training programmes and these programmes vi (vocational) are short in the centre together with programme facilitators at the time of reporting. Offenders stated that the available vocational programmes are of no interest to them. Participantas stated that vocational training does assist in desisting criminal activities up on release as it provide skills and opportunities for employment to curb unemployment as indicated as a major factor influencing recidivism. Findings also revealed that periodic re-assesment is not adequately conducted and classification for vocational training is not likely to be sufficiently done according to offender risk/needs. The study recommends that, a large number of offenders be provided with vocational training programmes and that offender classification incorporate the principles of RNR model
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Date Issued: 2019

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Gender differences and online shopping decisions of consumers in South Africa

- Mqulo, Thandokazi

Authors: Mqulo, Thandokazi
Date: 2019
Subjects: Electronic commerce Consumer behavior
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom (Business Management)
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/16952 , vital:40788
Description: Online shopping has emerged as one of the most convenient ways of shopping in both emerging and advanced economies. In South Africa, it has received much attention due to its unique way of satisfying both the rural and urban populations. Online shopping is growing and carries great potential of contributing to a country and/or local areas’ economy and development. The primary aim of the study was to analyse the differences of online shopping between males and females in South Africa. The main objective of this study is to determine if there are significant differences between male and female online shoppers in South Africa. The study is motivated by the literature gap that exists on the online shopping discourse, in that there are few published studies on the online shopping differences between males and females in South Africa. Therefore, there is a lack of information on the importance of online shopping activities on promoting convenience for shoppers in these busy times that people live in. A quantitative approach was used to analyse the data that were collected using a questionnaire. Data was collected from a sample of 377 people who are online shoppers in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Simple random sampling was utilised for this study. The results showed that there is a significant difference between males and females online shopping patterns as determined by specific variables mentioned in this study. Their study had findings on research hypothesis of attitude towards online shopping, the difference in the usefulness of media on online websites, perceived ease of use of online websites, intrinsic enjoyment, perceived risk and trust towards online shopping. The implications of this study unpack and provides discussion on empirical evidence drawn from the study’s statistical results. The implications are presented in a way which explains how the results of this study affect theoretical dimensions of the studied phenomenon, online shoppers and the retail industry. There is a need for more research in this environment and this research study will stimulate further studies in the online shopping environment. Future research may focus on the development of a customer satisfaction scale that uses service quality items in the retail industry, to gather data about what satisfies customers in the retail context.
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Date Issued: 2019

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Improving the robustness and effectiveness of rural telecommunication infrastructures in Dwesa South Africa

- Ranga, Memory Munashe

Authors: Ranga, Memory Munashe
Date: 2011
Subjects: Information technology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Information networks -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Computer networks -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Computer Science)
Identifier: vital:11382 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1001113 , Information technology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Information networks -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Computer networks -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
Description: In recent years, immense effort has been channelled towards the Information and Technological development of rural areas. To support this development, telecommunication networks have been deployed. The availability of these telecommunication networks is expected to improve the way people share ideas and communicate locally and globally, reducing limiting factors like distance through the use of the Internet. The major problem for these networks is that very few of them have managed to stay in operation over long periods of time. One of the major causes of this failure is the lack of proper monitoring and management as, in some cases, administrators are located far away from the network site. Other factors that contribute to the frequent failure of these networks are lack of proper infrastructure, lack of a constant power supply and other environmental issues. A telecommunication network was deployed for the people of Dwesa by the Siyakhula Living Lab project. During this research project, frequent visits were made to the site and network users were informally interviewed in order to gain insight into the network challenges. Based on the challenges, different network monitoring systems and other solutions were deployed on the network. This thesis analyses the problems encountered and presents possible and affordable solutions that were implemented on the network. This was done to improve the network‟s reliability, availability and manageability whilst exploring possible and practical ways in which the connectivity of the deployed telecommunication network can be maintained. As part of these solutions, a GPRS redundant link, Nagios and Cacti monitoring systems as well as Simple backup systems were deployed. v Acronyms AC Access Concentrators AMANDA Automatic Marylyn Network Disk Archiver CDMA Code Divison Multiple Access CGI Common Gateway Interface.
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Date Issued: 2011

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The global financial crisis and its impact on the South African economy

- Madubeko, Vongai

Authors: Madubeko, Vongai
Date: 2010
Subjects: Globalization -- Economic aspects , Global Financial Crisis, 2008-2009 , South Africa -- Economic conditions
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , M Com
Identifier: vital:11457 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/363 , Globalization -- Economic aspects , Global Financial Crisis, 2008-2009 , South Africa -- Economic conditions
Description: This dissertation investigates the effects of the financial crisis on the South African economy. In order to do this, an index which describes the financial conditions of the South African economy is constructed and computed. The index indicates that domestic South African financial conditions have deteriorated substantially during the period under study and so the study investigates how this has impacted on the country’s economic growth. A VAR model with South African variables is specified and used to assess the quantitative effects of the financial crisis on South African real GDP growth. Results suggest that the South African economy was not significantly affected by the crisis, but economic growth was slowed down and may still grow substantially slower in the next few years due to the financial crisis. These results corroborate the theoretical predictions and are also supported by previous studies.
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Date Issued: 2010

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