Assessment of the anti-Listerial properties of Garcinia kola (Heckel) seeds
- Authors: Penduka, Dambudzo
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Microbial sensitivity tests , Garcinia , Medicinal plants , Traditional medicine
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Microbiology)
- Identifier: vital:11278 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1015527 , Microbial sensitivity tests , Garcinia , Medicinal plants , Traditional medicine
- Description: A follow-up of traditional medicinal plants uses is an important tool in highlighting their therapeutic potentials, as they have been found to be a source of a wide range of bioactive compounds that can be used as base compounds for new pharmaceutical drugs. This study therefore focuses on assessing the anti-Listerial properties of the seeds of Garcinia kola (Heckel) plant, which is a traditional medicinal plant of west and central African origin, and was and is still used to traditionally treat several ailments. Four different solvents crude extracts of the seeds were assessed for their anti-Listerial activities in-vitro, against a panel of 42 Listeria bacteria, which included Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria ivanovii and Listeria grayi species. At 10 mg/ml concentration the aqueous extract had activity against 29% of the test isolates while the other three crude extracts namely dichloromethane, n-hexane and the methanol extracts had activity against 45% of the test bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranges of the extracts were 0.079-0.313 mg/ml for the dichloromethane extract; 0.079-0.625 mg/ml for the n-hexane extract; 0.157-0.625 mg/ml for the methanol extract; and 10->10 mg/ml for the aqueous extract. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) ranges of the extracts were 0.625–10 mg/ml for both the n-hexane and the dichloromethane extract; 5-10 mg/ml for the methanol extract; and those for the aqueous extract were above 10 mg/ml against all the susceptible Listeria isolates. The rate of kill analysis was then determined for the three most active crude extracts that is excluding the aqueous extract and it was assessed against four representative Listeria species namely L. monocytogenes (LAL 8), L. grayi (LAL 15), L. ivanovii (LEL 30) and L. ivanovii (LEL 18). All the three extracts showed a general trend of being concentration and time dependent in their rate of kill profiles such that most bacteria cells were killed at the highest test concentration of 4× MIC value after the maximum exposure time of 2 h. The n-hexane, dichloromethane and methanol extracts were bactericidal against 4, 3 and 1 isolates out of the four test Listeria isolates respectively.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Penduka, Dambudzo
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Microbial sensitivity tests , Garcinia , Medicinal plants , Traditional medicine
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Microbiology)
- Identifier: vital:11278 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1015527 , Microbial sensitivity tests , Garcinia , Medicinal plants , Traditional medicine
- Description: A follow-up of traditional medicinal plants uses is an important tool in highlighting their therapeutic potentials, as they have been found to be a source of a wide range of bioactive compounds that can be used as base compounds for new pharmaceutical drugs. This study therefore focuses on assessing the anti-Listerial properties of the seeds of Garcinia kola (Heckel) plant, which is a traditional medicinal plant of west and central African origin, and was and is still used to traditionally treat several ailments. Four different solvents crude extracts of the seeds were assessed for their anti-Listerial activities in-vitro, against a panel of 42 Listeria bacteria, which included Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria ivanovii and Listeria grayi species. At 10 mg/ml concentration the aqueous extract had activity against 29% of the test isolates while the other three crude extracts namely dichloromethane, n-hexane and the methanol extracts had activity against 45% of the test bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranges of the extracts were 0.079-0.313 mg/ml for the dichloromethane extract; 0.079-0.625 mg/ml for the n-hexane extract; 0.157-0.625 mg/ml for the methanol extract; and 10->10 mg/ml for the aqueous extract. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) ranges of the extracts were 0.625–10 mg/ml for both the n-hexane and the dichloromethane extract; 5-10 mg/ml for the methanol extract; and those for the aqueous extract were above 10 mg/ml against all the susceptible Listeria isolates. The rate of kill analysis was then determined for the three most active crude extracts that is excluding the aqueous extract and it was assessed against four representative Listeria species namely L. monocytogenes (LAL 8), L. grayi (LAL 15), L. ivanovii (LEL 30) and L. ivanovii (LEL 18). All the three extracts showed a general trend of being concentration and time dependent in their rate of kill profiles such that most bacteria cells were killed at the highest test concentration of 4× MIC value after the maximum exposure time of 2 h. The n-hexane, dichloromethane and methanol extracts were bactericidal against 4, 3 and 1 isolates out of the four test Listeria isolates respectively.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Stratigraphy and sedimentology of the Mzamba formation in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Susela, Zamampondo
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Geology)
- Identifier: vital:11529 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1019807
- Description: This research project is aimed at providing new information to the stratigraphy, sedimentology, palaeontology and diagenesis of the Mzamba Formation. The study area is located at the south of Port Edward, Eastern Cape. The methodologies employed in this study include field geological investigation and sampling, stratigraphic measurement and logging, thin-section microscope study, powder samples of XRD analysis, and SEM-EDX analysis of rock textures and mineral compositions. The stratigraphy of the Mzamba Formation can be divided into three newly established members, i.e. the Lower Conglomerate Member, Middle Silt/Mudstone-Shell Bed Member and Upper Mudstone-Shell Bed Member with a total thickness of 31.26m in an inland borehole and 30.05m in the field measurement. The Lower Conglomerate Member is 2.65m thick and consists of pebbly conglomerate with coarse sandstone, shell fragments and silicified wood trunks, representing shallow marine nearshore deposits. The Middle Silt/Mudstone and Shell Bed Member is 9.5 m thick and consists of black mudstone and fine-grained siltstone alternated with medium grained pecten beds, which was deposited in a storm influenced deeper marine environment. The Upper Mudstone-Shell Bed Member is 17.9m thick and is made up of fine-mudstones with articulated pecten layers which were deposited in a deep and quiet marine environment. Petrology studies showed that the Mzamba Formation consists of mixed sediments of carbonate and siliciclastic rocks. Siliciclastic rocks include pebbly conglomerates, medium to coarse sandstones and fine-grained mudstones, whereas carbonate rocks include packstone, wackstone and grainstone (pecten beds). The formation shows cyclical pattern of a series fining-upward cyclicities, changing from bottom conglomerate to sandstone, then upward repeated series of cyclotherms from pecten bed to mudstone. Mineralogy of the Mzamba Formation consists of terrigenous minerals of quartz, orthoclase, plagioclase, muscovite and various igneous and metamorphic rock-lithics, clay minerals of smectite, illite and sericite, and carbonate minerals of calcite and dolomite; with minor diagenetic minerals of pyrite, glauconite, hematite, gypsum, albite and organic maceral of vitrinite. Heavy minerals of garnet, zircon and rutile are minor minerals in the strata, which were detrital in origin. Mzamba Formation is a fossiliferous sequence, and contains both fauna and flora fossils in the strata. The pecten beds host well-preserved bivalve, gastropod, brachiopoda, ammonite, and echinoderm; whereas trace fossils of coprolites, burrows and tracks, as well as plant fossils of silicified wood trunks were also found in the formation. Some new fossil species were collected and studied, which include Bivalve: Pteriaceae, Pinnacea and Ostreacea; Gastropod: Cerithiacea and Mesogastopoda; Echinoderm: Echinocystoidea and Crinoidea. The benthonic species predominate in the lower part in the succession, whilst the planktonic species are abundant in the upper part of the sequence, which points to increase in water depths of the depositional environment. Based on lithology, sedimentary structures, and stratum architecture, seven different facies have been distinguished. Facies A (Flat bedded pebbly conglomerate), Facie B (Cross-bedded coarse calcareous sandstone facies), Facies C (Burrowed sandstone facies), Facies D (Shell-fragmental fine-grained calcareous sandstone facies), Facies E (Horizontal bedded calcareous mudstone facies), Facies F (Calcareous patch reef), Facies G (Wash out reef facies). Wash out reef facies is rich in algae, bivalve shells, broken oysters, coral fragments and small pebbles. Four types of cements were found in the Mzamba Formation, including calcite, smectite, illite and quartz. Calcite cement can be further classified into two types, micrite calcite cement and sparite calcite cement. The clay cement consists of smectite and illite and mainly occurs as matrix. The isopachous rim calcite and bright isopachous rim of silica cements indicate diagenesis in a marine phreatic zone. Authigenic minerals which formed in early diagenetic stage include quartz, plagioclase, glauconite and organic maceral of vitrinite. Three stages of diagenesis have been recognised in the sequence, i.e. syndiagenesis, early and late diagenesis. Glauconite pellets and worm faecal pellets were formed in syndiagenetic stage; cementation and authigenic minerals were formed in early diagenetic stage; whereas clay mineral conversion of smectite to illite, quartz overgrowth, bioclast recrystallization and calcite replacement took place during late diagenetic stage. The pebbly conglomerate at the bottom of the Mzamba Formation represents high energy deposits in a shallow marine environment; the grain-size gradually becomes finer in the middle succession and finest mudstone facies at the top of the succession, which represents deep marine deposits. Meanwhile, benthonic fossils are dominant in the bottom succession while plankton fossils are more abundant in the top succession. These features indicate that the Mzamba Formation constitutes a perfect transgression sequence, and the depositional environments started from shallow marine near shore environment, and gradually shifted to a deep marine quiet water environment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Susela, Zamampondo
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Geology)
- Identifier: vital:11529 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1019807
- Description: This research project is aimed at providing new information to the stratigraphy, sedimentology, palaeontology and diagenesis of the Mzamba Formation. The study area is located at the south of Port Edward, Eastern Cape. The methodologies employed in this study include field geological investigation and sampling, stratigraphic measurement and logging, thin-section microscope study, powder samples of XRD analysis, and SEM-EDX analysis of rock textures and mineral compositions. The stratigraphy of the Mzamba Formation can be divided into three newly established members, i.e. the Lower Conglomerate Member, Middle Silt/Mudstone-Shell Bed Member and Upper Mudstone-Shell Bed Member with a total thickness of 31.26m in an inland borehole and 30.05m in the field measurement. The Lower Conglomerate Member is 2.65m thick and consists of pebbly conglomerate with coarse sandstone, shell fragments and silicified wood trunks, representing shallow marine nearshore deposits. The Middle Silt/Mudstone and Shell Bed Member is 9.5 m thick and consists of black mudstone and fine-grained siltstone alternated with medium grained pecten beds, which was deposited in a storm influenced deeper marine environment. The Upper Mudstone-Shell Bed Member is 17.9m thick and is made up of fine-mudstones with articulated pecten layers which were deposited in a deep and quiet marine environment. Petrology studies showed that the Mzamba Formation consists of mixed sediments of carbonate and siliciclastic rocks. Siliciclastic rocks include pebbly conglomerates, medium to coarse sandstones and fine-grained mudstones, whereas carbonate rocks include packstone, wackstone and grainstone (pecten beds). The formation shows cyclical pattern of a series fining-upward cyclicities, changing from bottom conglomerate to sandstone, then upward repeated series of cyclotherms from pecten bed to mudstone. Mineralogy of the Mzamba Formation consists of terrigenous minerals of quartz, orthoclase, plagioclase, muscovite and various igneous and metamorphic rock-lithics, clay minerals of smectite, illite and sericite, and carbonate minerals of calcite and dolomite; with minor diagenetic minerals of pyrite, glauconite, hematite, gypsum, albite and organic maceral of vitrinite. Heavy minerals of garnet, zircon and rutile are minor minerals in the strata, which were detrital in origin. Mzamba Formation is a fossiliferous sequence, and contains both fauna and flora fossils in the strata. The pecten beds host well-preserved bivalve, gastropod, brachiopoda, ammonite, and echinoderm; whereas trace fossils of coprolites, burrows and tracks, as well as plant fossils of silicified wood trunks were also found in the formation. Some new fossil species were collected and studied, which include Bivalve: Pteriaceae, Pinnacea and Ostreacea; Gastropod: Cerithiacea and Mesogastopoda; Echinoderm: Echinocystoidea and Crinoidea. The benthonic species predominate in the lower part in the succession, whilst the planktonic species are abundant in the upper part of the sequence, which points to increase in water depths of the depositional environment. Based on lithology, sedimentary structures, and stratum architecture, seven different facies have been distinguished. Facies A (Flat bedded pebbly conglomerate), Facie B (Cross-bedded coarse calcareous sandstone facies), Facies C (Burrowed sandstone facies), Facies D (Shell-fragmental fine-grained calcareous sandstone facies), Facies E (Horizontal bedded calcareous mudstone facies), Facies F (Calcareous patch reef), Facies G (Wash out reef facies). Wash out reef facies is rich in algae, bivalve shells, broken oysters, coral fragments and small pebbles. Four types of cements were found in the Mzamba Formation, including calcite, smectite, illite and quartz. Calcite cement can be further classified into two types, micrite calcite cement and sparite calcite cement. The clay cement consists of smectite and illite and mainly occurs as matrix. The isopachous rim calcite and bright isopachous rim of silica cements indicate diagenesis in a marine phreatic zone. Authigenic minerals which formed in early diagenetic stage include quartz, plagioclase, glauconite and organic maceral of vitrinite. Three stages of diagenesis have been recognised in the sequence, i.e. syndiagenesis, early and late diagenesis. Glauconite pellets and worm faecal pellets were formed in syndiagenetic stage; cementation and authigenic minerals were formed in early diagenetic stage; whereas clay mineral conversion of smectite to illite, quartz overgrowth, bioclast recrystallization and calcite replacement took place during late diagenetic stage. The pebbly conglomerate at the bottom of the Mzamba Formation represents high energy deposits in a shallow marine environment; the grain-size gradually becomes finer in the middle succession and finest mudstone facies at the top of the succession, which represents deep marine deposits. Meanwhile, benthonic fossils are dominant in the bottom succession while plankton fossils are more abundant in the top succession. These features indicate that the Mzamba Formation constitutes a perfect transgression sequence, and the depositional environments started from shallow marine near shore environment, and gradually shifted to a deep marine quiet water environment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Implementation of the business studies national curriculum statement: a case study of four high schools in the Fort Beaufort education district
- Authors: Tyilo, Nomakula
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Curriculum planning Curriculum planning Curriculum planning Education -- Curricula -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Educational change -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , Degree
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/5829 , vital:29400
- Description: This study investigated the implementation of the Business Studies National Curriculum Statement in Schools in Fort Beaufort District. The interpretive paradigm was utilized in this study because it focuses on individual perceptions and experiences. In addition a qualitative approach was used for the collection of data so as to gain in-depth information on the implementation of the Business Studies National Curriculum. Semi- structured interviews, focus group interviews and document analysis were used as a form of collecting data. The participants were purposively selected for the sample of this study and comprised of 4 Principals, 3 Subject Advisors, 1 Provincial Subject Planner, 6 Teachers and 36 learners and interviews lasted for about 1 ½ hours. Data analysis was done in line with the research questions, aims and objectives of the study. Through the participants’ answers from schools under study, a transcript was formulated, coded and categorized in view of the implementation of Business Studies National Curriculum Statement in schools. Therefore, it was discovered from the data of the research study that the participants encounter a number of challenges with regard to teaching and implementing Business Studies in their schools. Namely: (1) lack of qualified personnel to teach Business Studies (2) lack of adequate teaching materials (3) lack of Subject Advisors executing their roles in helping teachers to teach Business Studies effectively (4) lack of training programmes and workshops on how to teach Business Studies in the classroom. Thus, there were variances in schools under study especially with relations to funding, availability of teaching material, support offered by School Heads and the Department of Education. As a result, emphasis was that the Department of Education had to come up with ways of continuously training the teachers and offering support in terms of teaching materials. Most of the participants from the school under study did not bother to plan their lessons when they were going to teach this subject. In sum, this study attempted to highlight the challenges that the participants encounter as they try to implement the Business Studies in their schools taking into the considering the educational history of their country. Hence some of the participants expressed why there is a need to create, cultivate and have a conducive and supportive working environment. The study recommends that the Department of Education provide teachers with special training on how to select relevant learning and teaching support material. Moreover, there is a greater need for Business Studies teachers to strike a balance between theory and practice in the deliverance of their lessons in Business Studies. Additionally, the District Officials must organise on-going training in Business Studies as this would help to rectify the problems that are currently being encountered in implementing Business Studies in schools.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Tyilo, Nomakula
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Curriculum planning Curriculum planning Curriculum planning Education -- Curricula -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Educational change -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , Degree
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/5829 , vital:29400
- Description: This study investigated the implementation of the Business Studies National Curriculum Statement in Schools in Fort Beaufort District. The interpretive paradigm was utilized in this study because it focuses on individual perceptions and experiences. In addition a qualitative approach was used for the collection of data so as to gain in-depth information on the implementation of the Business Studies National Curriculum. Semi- structured interviews, focus group interviews and document analysis were used as a form of collecting data. The participants were purposively selected for the sample of this study and comprised of 4 Principals, 3 Subject Advisors, 1 Provincial Subject Planner, 6 Teachers and 36 learners and interviews lasted for about 1 ½ hours. Data analysis was done in line with the research questions, aims and objectives of the study. Through the participants’ answers from schools under study, a transcript was formulated, coded and categorized in view of the implementation of Business Studies National Curriculum Statement in schools. Therefore, it was discovered from the data of the research study that the participants encounter a number of challenges with regard to teaching and implementing Business Studies in their schools. Namely: (1) lack of qualified personnel to teach Business Studies (2) lack of adequate teaching materials (3) lack of Subject Advisors executing their roles in helping teachers to teach Business Studies effectively (4) lack of training programmes and workshops on how to teach Business Studies in the classroom. Thus, there were variances in schools under study especially with relations to funding, availability of teaching material, support offered by School Heads and the Department of Education. As a result, emphasis was that the Department of Education had to come up with ways of continuously training the teachers and offering support in terms of teaching materials. Most of the participants from the school under study did not bother to plan their lessons when they were going to teach this subject. In sum, this study attempted to highlight the challenges that the participants encounter as they try to implement the Business Studies in their schools taking into the considering the educational history of their country. Hence some of the participants expressed why there is a need to create, cultivate and have a conducive and supportive working environment. The study recommends that the Department of Education provide teachers with special training on how to select relevant learning and teaching support material. Moreover, there is a greater need for Business Studies teachers to strike a balance between theory and practice in the deliverance of their lessons in Business Studies. Additionally, the District Officials must organise on-going training in Business Studies as this would help to rectify the problems that are currently being encountered in implementing Business Studies in schools.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
An assessment of the role of Councillors in their oversight mandate: a case of the Chris Hani district municipality: 2011-2013
- Authors: Shweni, Zenzile Raymond
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/1023 , vital:26519
- Description: According to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996, Local Government is the closest sphere of government to the people and thus regarded as the service delivery mechanism of government. In the same context municipal councils are accorded a legal status and authority of a deliberative legislative body. This is considered critical for the municipal council to establish appropriate structures, processes and systems for effective oversight, particularly, oversight of budget execution and administrative processes. However, indications are that, the current legal and institutional measures need to be strengthened to enable municipal council to exercise oversight of the budget execution. In this study, the researcher conducted extensive literature on the roles and responsibilities of Councillors as prescribed in the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act and Municipal Structures Act respectively. An extensive review of the relevant local government legal provisions highlighted the authority of the municipal council, internal rules, reporting processes, council committees and the research capacity, as key aspects of the institutional measures required for oversight of budget execution. Equally, the review accentuated the ability and willingness of non-executive Councillors to exercise oversight in the affairs of the Municipality. A total of 20 research sample was selected for this research. Research participants were given research questionnaires for them to complete. This was completed and returned to the researcher for analysis. Key findings of the research was that, the municipal council must use its legal authority to reinforce mechanisms for effective oversight of budget execution. In addition, the municipal council needs to provide an enabling leadership and governance environment that encourages and support non-executive Councillors to actively engage in oversight processes and activities of the municipality. Further to the findings of this research, it was strongly recommended the further research in order to unearth the mechanisms that can further enable the Councillors to ensure optimum utilisation of resources.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Shweni, Zenzile Raymond
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/1023 , vital:26519
- Description: According to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996, Local Government is the closest sphere of government to the people and thus regarded as the service delivery mechanism of government. In the same context municipal councils are accorded a legal status and authority of a deliberative legislative body. This is considered critical for the municipal council to establish appropriate structures, processes and systems for effective oversight, particularly, oversight of budget execution and administrative processes. However, indications are that, the current legal and institutional measures need to be strengthened to enable municipal council to exercise oversight of the budget execution. In this study, the researcher conducted extensive literature on the roles and responsibilities of Councillors as prescribed in the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act and Municipal Structures Act respectively. An extensive review of the relevant local government legal provisions highlighted the authority of the municipal council, internal rules, reporting processes, council committees and the research capacity, as key aspects of the institutional measures required for oversight of budget execution. Equally, the review accentuated the ability and willingness of non-executive Councillors to exercise oversight in the affairs of the Municipality. A total of 20 research sample was selected for this research. Research participants were given research questionnaires for them to complete. This was completed and returned to the researcher for analysis. Key findings of the research was that, the municipal council must use its legal authority to reinforce mechanisms for effective oversight of budget execution. In addition, the municipal council needs to provide an enabling leadership and governance environment that encourages and support non-executive Councillors to actively engage in oversight processes and activities of the municipality. Further to the findings of this research, it was strongly recommended the further research in order to unearth the mechanisms that can further enable the Councillors to ensure optimum utilisation of resources.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
‘Student life’ discourse and the perception of risk for HIV infection among undergraduate nursing students, at a university, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
- Authors: Mnwana, Sindiswa Millicent
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Nursing Science)
- Identifier: vital:11922 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1019830
- Description: There is evidence that the HIV prevalence rates among South African university students remains low at 3.4 %. However, the vulnerability of young people to HIV/AIDS continues to be a serious concern as the prevalence of sexual risk behaviour among students in South African universities is reported to reach 68% in heterosexual relationships. Some analysts argue that so far little is known about the influence of the university culture (the so called “student life”) in this behaviour. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of the risk for HIV infection amongst undergraduate nursing students at an institution of higher learning (university) in East London, Eastern Cape. More specifically, the study examined the ways in which the ‘student life’ discourse functions to influence students’ perceptions of the risk to HIV infection at the selected institution of higher learning. An explorative and descriptive qualitative design was used. The purposive sampling technique was used to select participants. In total, 12 one to one interviews and four focus group discussions (n=35) were conducted. An interview guide was used and a voice recorder to record interviews. Through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, the research sought to provide insight into the perceptions of risk for HIV infection. The data were analysed using thematic analysis and the themes identified formed the basis for discussion in this study. Among the key findings, that emerged from this study was that knowledge about potential risks to HIV/AIDS did not seem to influence the general sexual behaviour of students. A majority of the participants, 90% that were interviewed individually perceived themselves to be at “little or no” risk of contracting HIV/AIDS despite the high prevalence of HIV risk indicators among them. One of the main findings was that the students’ values that they bring from home were seriously challenged by the student life when they arrived at the university. Therefore in this regard undergraduate nursing students should be equipped by the university with aspects of sexual behaviour such as sexual negotiation and sexual decision making. This would equip them with the necessary skills to resist peer pressure.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Mnwana, Sindiswa Millicent
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Nursing Science)
- Identifier: vital:11922 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1019830
- Description: There is evidence that the HIV prevalence rates among South African university students remains low at 3.4 %. However, the vulnerability of young people to HIV/AIDS continues to be a serious concern as the prevalence of sexual risk behaviour among students in South African universities is reported to reach 68% in heterosexual relationships. Some analysts argue that so far little is known about the influence of the university culture (the so called “student life”) in this behaviour. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of the risk for HIV infection amongst undergraduate nursing students at an institution of higher learning (university) in East London, Eastern Cape. More specifically, the study examined the ways in which the ‘student life’ discourse functions to influence students’ perceptions of the risk to HIV infection at the selected institution of higher learning. An explorative and descriptive qualitative design was used. The purposive sampling technique was used to select participants. In total, 12 one to one interviews and four focus group discussions (n=35) were conducted. An interview guide was used and a voice recorder to record interviews. Through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, the research sought to provide insight into the perceptions of risk for HIV infection. The data were analysed using thematic analysis and the themes identified formed the basis for discussion in this study. Among the key findings, that emerged from this study was that knowledge about potential risks to HIV/AIDS did not seem to influence the general sexual behaviour of students. A majority of the participants, 90% that were interviewed individually perceived themselves to be at “little or no” risk of contracting HIV/AIDS despite the high prevalence of HIV risk indicators among them. One of the main findings was that the students’ values that they bring from home were seriously challenged by the student life when they arrived at the university. Therefore in this regard undergraduate nursing students should be equipped by the university with aspects of sexual behaviour such as sexual negotiation and sexual decision making. This would equip them with the necessary skills to resist peer pressure.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Evaluating the beneficiary management process in housing delivery: a case study of Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality in the Eastern Cape (2013)
- Authors: Matiwane, T
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: vital:11685 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1013565
- Description: The study critically analysed the problems encountered in the housing delivery in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality for the 2013 period. The purpose is to look at the factors that affect housing delivery in the area, focusing more especially at the management of the beneficiaries and the process thereof. Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality is not immune to the housing problem hence the study was initiated. Respondents were selected from among others the housing beneficiary and the predominantly the staff of Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality to respond to the questionnaires related to the beneficiary management. Permission was sought from the Municipality to conduct the research, after which the questionnaires were distributed to all sampled respondents accordingly in line with the objectives of the research. The researcher distributed the questionnaires and allowed a period of three weeks for the respondents to respond to them, after which the researcher collected all the questionnaires. The study revealed the great understanding of the housing delivery process by the housing recipients. Inclusive of the administrators, i.e. Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality staff members, are fully aware of the expectations from the recipients and the process. The findings further indicates that there are serious challenges facing housing delivery in the province and the country at large. Hence the beneficiaries could not get their houses on time and the housing projects did not get completed within the scheduled period, this ends up delaying the delivery process.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Matiwane, T
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: vital:11685 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1013565
- Description: The study critically analysed the problems encountered in the housing delivery in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality for the 2013 period. The purpose is to look at the factors that affect housing delivery in the area, focusing more especially at the management of the beneficiaries and the process thereof. Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality is not immune to the housing problem hence the study was initiated. Respondents were selected from among others the housing beneficiary and the predominantly the staff of Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality to respond to the questionnaires related to the beneficiary management. Permission was sought from the Municipality to conduct the research, after which the questionnaires were distributed to all sampled respondents accordingly in line with the objectives of the research. The researcher distributed the questionnaires and allowed a period of three weeks for the respondents to respond to them, after which the researcher collected all the questionnaires. The study revealed the great understanding of the housing delivery process by the housing recipients. Inclusive of the administrators, i.e. Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality staff members, are fully aware of the expectations from the recipients and the process. The findings further indicates that there are serious challenges facing housing delivery in the province and the country at large. Hence the beneficiaries could not get their houses on time and the housing projects did not get completed within the scheduled period, this ends up delaying the delivery process.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2014
Investigation of the NFC technology for mobile payments and the development of a prototype payment application in the context of marginalized rural areas
- Authors: Gurajena, Caroline
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Mobile commerce -- South Africa Mobile communication systems -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/14071 , vital:39802
- Description: The Internet of Things (IoT) environment involves the interaction of numerous ‘things’. These ‘things’ are embedded with different kinds of technologies such as RFID technology, NFC technology and sensors. This causes IoT to bring into play many security risks apart from the ones that already exist in the current Internet, for example, embedded RFID tags can be easily triggered and send their content which could be private information. IoT also introduces internal attacks such as on-off attack, bad mouthing and white washing attacks into networks that already exist. These internal attacks cannot be solved by hard security mechanisms such as cryptographic algorithms and firewalls because they guarantee total trust. This eliminates uncertainty which should always be available where trust exist. That is, hard security mechanisms enable IoT ‘things’ to either trust another ‘thing’ completely or not and this makes them unsuitable for the IoT environment. When objects in any network are communicating, there is some element of uncertainty. Also, hard security mechanisms such as public key cryptography cause communication overheard in the already resource-constrained IoT devices and these conventional cryptography methods cannot deal with internal attacks. This brings about the need for a middleware that includes functions that will manage trust, privacy and security issues of all data exchange, communications and network connections. For IoT to be successful, the provision of trust, security and privacy measures are essential. Trust management may enhance the adoption and security measures in IoT. Trust helps in identifying trustworthy ‘things’ in the network and give ‘things’ in the network the ability to reason in all aspects concerning trust in the environment. Trust can be administered through a trust management model. This research notes that most of the trust models that have been proposed fail to address scalability challenges and lack suitable computation methods. It is on that premise that this research focuses on developing a suitable trust model for the IoT environment. The research also introduces new ways of creating relationships in IoT. This enables the creation of new cooperation opportunities in the environment. In overall, this research aimed to design and develop a generic trust and authority delegation model for the heterogonous IoT environment that is scalable and generalized to cater for the heterogeneous IoT environment. This research was conducted in three phases. The first phase reviewed literature in order to identify outstanding issues in IoT trust management and also identify the suitable computational method. This provided a critical analysis of different computational methods highlighting their advantages and limitations. In the second phase of the research, the proposed trust model was designed and tested. In the last phase, the feasibility of the proposed model was evaluated. The proposed model is based on fuzzy logic. Fuzzy logic was selected for trust computation because it is able to imitate the process of the human mind through the use of linguistic variables and it can handle uncertainty. The proposed model was tested in a simulated environment. The simulation results showed that the proposed model can identify selfish and malicious entities effectively. The results also showed that the model was able to deal with different types of behaviours of entities. The testing proved that the proposed trust model can support decision making in IoT based on trust. The results from the evaluation show that this research ameliorates the design and development of trust management solutions for the IoT environment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Gurajena, Caroline
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Mobile commerce -- South Africa Mobile communication systems -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/14071 , vital:39802
- Description: The Internet of Things (IoT) environment involves the interaction of numerous ‘things’. These ‘things’ are embedded with different kinds of technologies such as RFID technology, NFC technology and sensors. This causes IoT to bring into play many security risks apart from the ones that already exist in the current Internet, for example, embedded RFID tags can be easily triggered and send their content which could be private information. IoT also introduces internal attacks such as on-off attack, bad mouthing and white washing attacks into networks that already exist. These internal attacks cannot be solved by hard security mechanisms such as cryptographic algorithms and firewalls because they guarantee total trust. This eliminates uncertainty which should always be available where trust exist. That is, hard security mechanisms enable IoT ‘things’ to either trust another ‘thing’ completely or not and this makes them unsuitable for the IoT environment. When objects in any network are communicating, there is some element of uncertainty. Also, hard security mechanisms such as public key cryptography cause communication overheard in the already resource-constrained IoT devices and these conventional cryptography methods cannot deal with internal attacks. This brings about the need for a middleware that includes functions that will manage trust, privacy and security issues of all data exchange, communications and network connections. For IoT to be successful, the provision of trust, security and privacy measures are essential. Trust management may enhance the adoption and security measures in IoT. Trust helps in identifying trustworthy ‘things’ in the network and give ‘things’ in the network the ability to reason in all aspects concerning trust in the environment. Trust can be administered through a trust management model. This research notes that most of the trust models that have been proposed fail to address scalability challenges and lack suitable computation methods. It is on that premise that this research focuses on developing a suitable trust model for the IoT environment. The research also introduces new ways of creating relationships in IoT. This enables the creation of new cooperation opportunities in the environment. In overall, this research aimed to design and develop a generic trust and authority delegation model for the heterogonous IoT environment that is scalable and generalized to cater for the heterogeneous IoT environment. This research was conducted in three phases. The first phase reviewed literature in order to identify outstanding issues in IoT trust management and also identify the suitable computational method. This provided a critical analysis of different computational methods highlighting their advantages and limitations. In the second phase of the research, the proposed trust model was designed and tested. In the last phase, the feasibility of the proposed model was evaluated. The proposed model is based on fuzzy logic. Fuzzy logic was selected for trust computation because it is able to imitate the process of the human mind through the use of linguistic variables and it can handle uncertainty. The proposed model was tested in a simulated environment. The simulation results showed that the proposed model can identify selfish and malicious entities effectively. The results also showed that the model was able to deal with different types of behaviours of entities. The testing proved that the proposed trust model can support decision making in IoT based on trust. The results from the evaluation show that this research ameliorates the design and development of trust management solutions for the IoT environment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Understanding change and implications of divisional management model (DMM ) in a merged multi- campus University in South Africa
- Authors: Mantashe, Lunga Xolisa
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Organizational change
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/6103 , vital:29491
- Description: The study sought to understand change and transition in a multi-merged campus university in South Africa. Specifically the objectives were to understand the Human Resource (HR) plan, how it is being rolled out, the reactions of workers to it, the effects of the plan on workers and the processes put in place to mitigate, rather than aggravate, the current and foreseeable consequences of the Human Resource plan. A qualitative case study was used and focus groups and semi-structured interviews (triangulated with observation and document analysis) were used on a purposive sample of unions and the university HR official in one campus. The researcher found that there is no organogram which acts as a framework wherein all workers in respective campuses shall fit in. additionally, there is no staff transition plan and harmonisation of conditions of service policy that is agreed upon. Though it seemed there were some mechanisms to attenuate the effects of the HR plan (possible retrenchments, loss of morale, uncertainty, stress, doubt and the like) such as voluntary service package, there were areas of concern about the lack of a properly and widely circulated plan, and the absence of plans to transition staff throughout the process of change. Consequently, the researcher recommended at the end of the study that there must be a change management leadership in each campus to drive transition, a creation of proper communication networks, institution of campus indabas, a design of a transition plan, harmonisation approaches, migration of institutional items to an institutional site and the facilitation of recognition agreements for those unions which are still recognise in the premerger manner.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Mantashe, Lunga Xolisa
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Organizational change
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/6103 , vital:29491
- Description: The study sought to understand change and transition in a multi-merged campus university in South Africa. Specifically the objectives were to understand the Human Resource (HR) plan, how it is being rolled out, the reactions of workers to it, the effects of the plan on workers and the processes put in place to mitigate, rather than aggravate, the current and foreseeable consequences of the Human Resource plan. A qualitative case study was used and focus groups and semi-structured interviews (triangulated with observation and document analysis) were used on a purposive sample of unions and the university HR official in one campus. The researcher found that there is no organogram which acts as a framework wherein all workers in respective campuses shall fit in. additionally, there is no staff transition plan and harmonisation of conditions of service policy that is agreed upon. Though it seemed there were some mechanisms to attenuate the effects of the HR plan (possible retrenchments, loss of morale, uncertainty, stress, doubt and the like) such as voluntary service package, there were areas of concern about the lack of a properly and widely circulated plan, and the absence of plans to transition staff throughout the process of change. Consequently, the researcher recommended at the end of the study that there must be a change management leadership in each campus to drive transition, a creation of proper communication networks, institution of campus indabas, a design of a transition plan, harmonisation approaches, migration of institutional items to an institutional site and the facilitation of recognition agreements for those unions which are still recognise in the premerger manner.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Exploring the role of job satisfaction and organizational justice in determining employee motivation among nurses at Frontier Hospital, Queenstown
- Authors: Soga, Thabile
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Job satisfaction -- Organizational justice , Employee motivation -- Distributive justice
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom (Industrial Psychology)
- Identifier: vital:11562 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1015062 , Job satisfaction -- Organizational justice , Employee motivation -- Distributive justice
- Description: The aim of this study was to explore the role of job satisfaction and organizational justice in determining employee motivation among nurses at Frontier Hospital, Queenstown. For this purpose data was collected from the nurses at Frontier Hospital in Queenstown, in the Eastern Cape. A sample of 75 nurses was drawn from the population. Results of the study indicated that the study variables are significantly and positively correlated with one another. Job satisfaction was found to be significantly and positively correlated with employee motivation. Organizational justice was also found to be significantly positively correlated with employee motivation. Moreover, a positive and significant relationship between job satisfaction and organizational justice was found. The findings of this study are helpful in the health industry in order to design human resources policies, which will reduce the turnover of nurses by increasing their motivation through increasing job satisfaction and organizational justice.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Soga, Thabile
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Job satisfaction -- Organizational justice , Employee motivation -- Distributive justice
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom (Industrial Psychology)
- Identifier: vital:11562 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1015062 , Job satisfaction -- Organizational justice , Employee motivation -- Distributive justice
- Description: The aim of this study was to explore the role of job satisfaction and organizational justice in determining employee motivation among nurses at Frontier Hospital, Queenstown. For this purpose data was collected from the nurses at Frontier Hospital in Queenstown, in the Eastern Cape. A sample of 75 nurses was drawn from the population. Results of the study indicated that the study variables are significantly and positively correlated with one another. Job satisfaction was found to be significantly and positively correlated with employee motivation. Organizational justice was also found to be significantly positively correlated with employee motivation. Moreover, a positive and significant relationship between job satisfaction and organizational justice was found. The findings of this study are helpful in the health industry in order to design human resources policies, which will reduce the turnover of nurses by increasing their motivation through increasing job satisfaction and organizational justice.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Heterosexual students’ attitudes towards gays and lesbians: an Eastern Cape University survey
- Authors: Barry, Hilde-May
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (C Psy)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/1009 , vital:26517
- Description: While South Africa stands apart from other countries as being more progressive in terms of gay and lesbian rights, attitudes towards this population continue to be intolerant. Attitudes shape people’s behaviour and in a university setting young students are vulnerable to discrimination. This is often a time when young people are still shaping their identities. An electronic survey comprising the Attitudes towards Lesbians and Gay Men Scale was administered to 401 students taking undergraduate psychology courses at the East London Campus of the University of Fort Hare, to assess their attitudes towards gays and lesbians. The survey measured their attitudes in terms of the biographical variables of gender, age, race, and religiosity, commitment to religious practice, urban or rural upbringing and nationality. The results of the research found that gender, race, religiosity, religious attendance and rural or urban upbringing do influence students’ attitudes significantly. However, age did not have an effect on attitudes towards gays and lesbians in the present study. The significance of the differences in attitudes in terms of nationality was not able to be tested due to the small sample size of foreign students. The findings of this study show that there are fairly consistent predictors of students’ attitudes concerning gays and lesbians. This information can help us to clarify areas to target for improvement in the campus climate for gay and lesbian communities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Barry, Hilde-May
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (C Psy)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/1009 , vital:26517
- Description: While South Africa stands apart from other countries as being more progressive in terms of gay and lesbian rights, attitudes towards this population continue to be intolerant. Attitudes shape people’s behaviour and in a university setting young students are vulnerable to discrimination. This is often a time when young people are still shaping their identities. An electronic survey comprising the Attitudes towards Lesbians and Gay Men Scale was administered to 401 students taking undergraduate psychology courses at the East London Campus of the University of Fort Hare, to assess their attitudes towards gays and lesbians. The survey measured their attitudes in terms of the biographical variables of gender, age, race, and religiosity, commitment to religious practice, urban or rural upbringing and nationality. The results of the research found that gender, race, religiosity, religious attendance and rural or urban upbringing do influence students’ attitudes significantly. However, age did not have an effect on attitudes towards gays and lesbians in the present study. The significance of the differences in attitudes in terms of nationality was not able to be tested due to the small sample size of foreign students. The findings of this study show that there are fairly consistent predictors of students’ attitudes concerning gays and lesbians. This information can help us to clarify areas to target for improvement in the campus climate for gay and lesbian communities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Modelling payment systems for environmental services in the Mt Elgon ecosystem of Kenya
- Authors: Kisaka, Lily
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Ecological disturbances -- Kenya , Freshwater ecology -- Kenya , Water quality biological assessment -- Kenya , Land degradation -- Kenya , Ecosystem health -- Kenya
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Agricultural Economics)
- Identifier: vital:11206 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1013123 , Ecological disturbances -- Kenya , Freshwater ecology -- Kenya , Water quality biological assessment -- Kenya , Land degradation -- Kenya , Ecosystem health -- Kenya
- Description: Unsustainable patterns of consumption by humankind have increased the rate of change in the natural ecosystems and consequently the levels of stress experienced within the environment. Access to sufficient good quality water is essential and a requirement to meet a number of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). However, poor land management and untenable agricultural practices have become the main drivers of the declining watershed services. Upstream farmers often have little or no incentives to take these impacts into account in their decision-making process. Therefore, without investment in ensuring proper land management, the trend in watersheds degradation will continue. Payment for Environmental Services (PES) has emerged as an incentive–based tool that is expected to motivate farmers to improve their agricultural practices. PES is set up to facilitate the process whereby the beneficiaries of environmental services pay compensation to providers of environmental services for conserving the ecosystem. This tool has received increasing attention as a means of creating incentive measures for managing the ecosystem, addressing livelihood issues for the rural poor, and providing sustainable financing for protected areas. The Government of Kenya, as part of its efforts to improve water resource management, is considering use of economic incentive. However, there is insufficient information to guide policy making in that direction. Little is known about the farmers’ preferences for management schemes that will affect land use patterns, their willingness to accept compensation and the willingness of potential buyers to pay for the services. This study evaluates the willingness to accept and the willingness to pay for environmental services with a view to assessing the viability of a PES scheme for the Kuywa Watershed in particular, as well as the Mt. Elgon Ecosystem and other areas with similar conditions. The objectives of the study are threefold (i) to examine respondents preferences for management options for the provision of environmental services in the watershed of River Kuywa of Mt. Elgon Ecosystem; (ii) to evaluate households’ willingness to pay (WTP) and willingness to accept (WTA) payment for improved environmental services from the River Kuywa watershed; and (iii) to propose viable PES approaches for the management of the natural resource of the Kuywa watershed and the Mt. Elgon ecosystem in general. Using six land management attributes relevant to the local situation, the study applied the conjoint method to evaluate farmers’ preferences for management options for the provision of environmental service and assess farmers’ willingness to pay and willingness to accept payment for environmental services. To enable assessment of viability, an analysis was done of the institutional and legal framework within which the PES scheme would operate. Data were collected using literature review and document analysis, questionnaires, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Results indicate that poor water quality was the most acute problem, followed by deforestation. Results from the conjoint models show that the length of commitment period and land size that is 40% or more of the total land holding influence the farmers’ rating of the management scenarios. The study found that a management contract that requires use of 20% of land holding for a period of 5 years, combined with a cash incentive, harvesting partially permitted, administered by a local NGO and requiring contribution of free labour for two days had the highest likelihood of being selected. The conjoint valuation exercise also came up with a WTA by farmers upstream of KSh. 7,080/= per year. The corresponding value downstream was KSh. 43/= per month over and above their regular water bill. In terms of the institutional and regulatory framework, Kenya has a wide range of policies, laws and regulation on water and other natural resources which provide an enabling environment for PES. With the decentralized institutional setup implemented in both the water sector and the agricultural sector, the institutional setting also provides an enabling environment for PES. With a positive WTA and WTP coupled with an enabling legal and institutional environment, the study concludes that PES is a viable environmental management tool for the Kuywa water shed and similar watersheds.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Kisaka, Lily
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Ecological disturbances -- Kenya , Freshwater ecology -- Kenya , Water quality biological assessment -- Kenya , Land degradation -- Kenya , Ecosystem health -- Kenya
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Agricultural Economics)
- Identifier: vital:11206 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1013123 , Ecological disturbances -- Kenya , Freshwater ecology -- Kenya , Water quality biological assessment -- Kenya , Land degradation -- Kenya , Ecosystem health -- Kenya
- Description: Unsustainable patterns of consumption by humankind have increased the rate of change in the natural ecosystems and consequently the levels of stress experienced within the environment. Access to sufficient good quality water is essential and a requirement to meet a number of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). However, poor land management and untenable agricultural practices have become the main drivers of the declining watershed services. Upstream farmers often have little or no incentives to take these impacts into account in their decision-making process. Therefore, without investment in ensuring proper land management, the trend in watersheds degradation will continue. Payment for Environmental Services (PES) has emerged as an incentive–based tool that is expected to motivate farmers to improve their agricultural practices. PES is set up to facilitate the process whereby the beneficiaries of environmental services pay compensation to providers of environmental services for conserving the ecosystem. This tool has received increasing attention as a means of creating incentive measures for managing the ecosystem, addressing livelihood issues for the rural poor, and providing sustainable financing for protected areas. The Government of Kenya, as part of its efforts to improve water resource management, is considering use of economic incentive. However, there is insufficient information to guide policy making in that direction. Little is known about the farmers’ preferences for management schemes that will affect land use patterns, their willingness to accept compensation and the willingness of potential buyers to pay for the services. This study evaluates the willingness to accept and the willingness to pay for environmental services with a view to assessing the viability of a PES scheme for the Kuywa Watershed in particular, as well as the Mt. Elgon Ecosystem and other areas with similar conditions. The objectives of the study are threefold (i) to examine respondents preferences for management options for the provision of environmental services in the watershed of River Kuywa of Mt. Elgon Ecosystem; (ii) to evaluate households’ willingness to pay (WTP) and willingness to accept (WTA) payment for improved environmental services from the River Kuywa watershed; and (iii) to propose viable PES approaches for the management of the natural resource of the Kuywa watershed and the Mt. Elgon ecosystem in general. Using six land management attributes relevant to the local situation, the study applied the conjoint method to evaluate farmers’ preferences for management options for the provision of environmental service and assess farmers’ willingness to pay and willingness to accept payment for environmental services. To enable assessment of viability, an analysis was done of the institutional and legal framework within which the PES scheme would operate. Data were collected using literature review and document analysis, questionnaires, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Results indicate that poor water quality was the most acute problem, followed by deforestation. Results from the conjoint models show that the length of commitment period and land size that is 40% or more of the total land holding influence the farmers’ rating of the management scenarios. The study found that a management contract that requires use of 20% of land holding for a period of 5 years, combined with a cash incentive, harvesting partially permitted, administered by a local NGO and requiring contribution of free labour for two days had the highest likelihood of being selected. The conjoint valuation exercise also came up with a WTA by farmers upstream of KSh. 7,080/= per year. The corresponding value downstream was KSh. 43/= per month over and above their regular water bill. In terms of the institutional and regulatory framework, Kenya has a wide range of policies, laws and regulation on water and other natural resources which provide an enabling environment for PES. With the decentralized institutional setup implemented in both the water sector and the agricultural sector, the institutional setting also provides an enabling environment for PES. With a positive WTA and WTP coupled with an enabling legal and institutional environment, the study concludes that PES is a viable environmental management tool for the Kuywa water shed and similar watersheds.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Resting site ecology and microhabitat use of the Mozambique thicket rat (Grammomys cometes) in a riverine Combretum forest
- Authors: Gebe, Zimkhitha
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Zoology)
- Identifier: vital:11794 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1019768
- Description: Very little is known about the resting and spatial ecology of the Mozambique thicket rat, Grammomys cometes, a rodent species distributed in two disjoint populations in South Africa and Mozambique. The present study focused on determining the characteristics and usage patterns of resting sites, as well as the microhabitat use and selection of this species during its activity period. Broadly, I predicted that resting ecology and space use would be affected by environmental, climatic, social and sexual factors. I also hypothesized that predatory risk could affect thicket rat behaviour. Field work took place in the Great Fish River Reserve complex (Eastern Cape Province, South Africa), in a stretch of riverine Combretum forest (length × breadth: ca. 500 × 100 m) located in the western section of the conservation area. Overall, 38 different rats (22 males and 16 females) were trapped and radio-tracked for varying periods between July 2011 and November 2012. Individual rats used a mean of 2.54 1.89 different resting sites (range: 1–9) during each tracking session and resting-site fidelity averaged 85 17%. Overall, 27% of the 131 resting sites identified were artificial wooden nestboxes, 45% were inside branches, 21% were inside trunks, 3% were located on the ground, 2% in bushes, 1% inside dead logs, with one uncertain location (1%). Cape bushwillows Combretum caffrum were the predominant trees (60.32%) used for the resting sites, probably due to their abundance in the forest, and their propension to rot from the inside and provide natural cavities. The mean height of resting sites used by thicket rats was 217 119 cm, and the mean circumference of branches and trunks was 79 35 cm, with no seasonal and sexual variation. In contrast, males exhibited an overall lower percentage usage of individual resting sites than females, probably due to their increased movements during the long mating season. Percentage usage was significantly higher during the cold season, likely for thermoregulatory seasons. Nearly 50% of the resting sites were shared with an average ( SD) of 3.20 1.25 individuals (range: 2–6). However, simultaneous use of resting sites only took place in about 8% of locations. Sharing involved 2–3 males in 90% of the cases. It is suggested that females are solitary but not territorial, while at least some males are more social or tolerant towards each other, and have overlapping ‘home ranges’. These observations could be indicative of a promiscuous mating system. v Microhabitat use and selection were determined by conducting a 5-day trapping session during each season between June 2011 and May 2012. A grid of 96 stations (16 rows 6 lines) was set at the study site, with pairs of traps per station placed at 10-m intervals, at different heights and on different types of vegetative stands. Several variables describing microhabitat structure were recorded seasonally at each station. Thicket rats (38 individuals captured 91 times) were captured mostly at night, with an overall trapping success of 2.16 0.27% over the year. The average height at which rats were trapped (140 65 cm) was significantly higher than the height of traps set in the field (99 ± 75 cm). A large proportion of traps (31.3%) where rats were caught were placed on Combretum caffrum trees, and majoritarily on trunks (46%), tree canopy (19%) and woody lace (19%). Bonferroni Z tests indicated that thicket rats actively avoided trap stations with less than 50% canopy cover as well as areas that had arboreal connections in less than 50% of the directions. Rats also significantly avoided traps that were set in bushes and on the ground, irrespective of whether these were situated in open terrain or surrounded by some vegetation. Generalized Linear Models confirmed that two main predictors (Cover >150 cm and height) had a significant positive effect on the use of traps and on the numbers of visits to, and different animals caught at, trapping stations. All other variables, including connectivity with the surrounding vegetation, tree species, vegetation type and position in which the traps were placed, and tree trunk/branch circumference at trap height, did not have any significant effects. This study confirms that thicket rats are essentially nocturnal, arboreal and prefer dense canopy cover, possibly because this decreases predation risk at the microhabitat level.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Gebe, Zimkhitha
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Zoology)
- Identifier: vital:11794 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1019768
- Description: Very little is known about the resting and spatial ecology of the Mozambique thicket rat, Grammomys cometes, a rodent species distributed in two disjoint populations in South Africa and Mozambique. The present study focused on determining the characteristics and usage patterns of resting sites, as well as the microhabitat use and selection of this species during its activity period. Broadly, I predicted that resting ecology and space use would be affected by environmental, climatic, social and sexual factors. I also hypothesized that predatory risk could affect thicket rat behaviour. Field work took place in the Great Fish River Reserve complex (Eastern Cape Province, South Africa), in a stretch of riverine Combretum forest (length × breadth: ca. 500 × 100 m) located in the western section of the conservation area. Overall, 38 different rats (22 males and 16 females) were trapped and radio-tracked for varying periods between July 2011 and November 2012. Individual rats used a mean of 2.54 1.89 different resting sites (range: 1–9) during each tracking session and resting-site fidelity averaged 85 17%. Overall, 27% of the 131 resting sites identified were artificial wooden nestboxes, 45% were inside branches, 21% were inside trunks, 3% were located on the ground, 2% in bushes, 1% inside dead logs, with one uncertain location (1%). Cape bushwillows Combretum caffrum were the predominant trees (60.32%) used for the resting sites, probably due to their abundance in the forest, and their propension to rot from the inside and provide natural cavities. The mean height of resting sites used by thicket rats was 217 119 cm, and the mean circumference of branches and trunks was 79 35 cm, with no seasonal and sexual variation. In contrast, males exhibited an overall lower percentage usage of individual resting sites than females, probably due to their increased movements during the long mating season. Percentage usage was significantly higher during the cold season, likely for thermoregulatory seasons. Nearly 50% of the resting sites were shared with an average ( SD) of 3.20 1.25 individuals (range: 2–6). However, simultaneous use of resting sites only took place in about 8% of locations. Sharing involved 2–3 males in 90% of the cases. It is suggested that females are solitary but not territorial, while at least some males are more social or tolerant towards each other, and have overlapping ‘home ranges’. These observations could be indicative of a promiscuous mating system. v Microhabitat use and selection were determined by conducting a 5-day trapping session during each season between June 2011 and May 2012. A grid of 96 stations (16 rows 6 lines) was set at the study site, with pairs of traps per station placed at 10-m intervals, at different heights and on different types of vegetative stands. Several variables describing microhabitat structure were recorded seasonally at each station. Thicket rats (38 individuals captured 91 times) were captured mostly at night, with an overall trapping success of 2.16 0.27% over the year. The average height at which rats were trapped (140 65 cm) was significantly higher than the height of traps set in the field (99 ± 75 cm). A large proportion of traps (31.3%) where rats were caught were placed on Combretum caffrum trees, and majoritarily on trunks (46%), tree canopy (19%) and woody lace (19%). Bonferroni Z tests indicated that thicket rats actively avoided trap stations with less than 50% canopy cover as well as areas that had arboreal connections in less than 50% of the directions. Rats also significantly avoided traps that were set in bushes and on the ground, irrespective of whether these were situated in open terrain or surrounded by some vegetation. Generalized Linear Models confirmed that two main predictors (Cover >150 cm and height) had a significant positive effect on the use of traps and on the numbers of visits to, and different animals caught at, trapping stations. All other variables, including connectivity with the surrounding vegetation, tree species, vegetation type and position in which the traps were placed, and tree trunk/branch circumference at trap height, did not have any significant effects. This study confirms that thicket rats are essentially nocturnal, arboreal and prefer dense canopy cover, possibly because this decreases predation risk at the microhabitat level.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Determinants of cloud computing: adoption and application by high school learners
- Authors: Nyembezi, Nceba
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Cloud computing -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , High schools -- Computer networks -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , High school students -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Education)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/1339 , vital:26547 , Cloud computing -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , High schools -- Computer networks -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , High school students -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: The current study investigated the determinants of Internet services’ adoption and use among high school learners in the East London Education District, in the Eastern Cape. Underpinned by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, the research questions included: (1) What is the effect of performance expectancy on the learner’s intention to adopt and use Internet services? (2) What degree of variation exists for effort expectancy on the learner’s intention to adopt and use Internet services? (3) How much of the determinants explain the usage of Internet services? (4) Which is (are) the best predictor(s) of Internet service usage given a set of determinants? (5) What is the effect of confounding variables (if any) on Internet services’ adoption and usage? (6) Which model can be designed based on the best predictor(s) of Internet services’ adoption and usage for secondary school learners? A quantitative approach based on the positivist paradigm was used to quantify the relationships among various factors that contribute to Internet services’ adoption and use. The research design used was a survey. Data were collected through structured questionnaires. Out of 286 questionnaires issued, the response rate was 40.6%. The study sample size was 116 high school learners using simple random sampling. The data was analysed using the multiple regression analysis technique, and Pearson correlations. Out of the four determinants from the UTAUT, performance expectancy was the strongest predictor of intention to adopt Internet services. Large positive correlations ranging from r = 0.638 up to r = 0.989 were found among performance expectancy and effort expectancy variables towards the intention to use Internet services, significant at p < 0.05. To enhance the efficiency of the UTAUT model, this study has designed the Adoption and Application of Technology for Learning (AATL) model, which added the price of Internet, persistent use of Internet, and perceptions about Internet use.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Nyembezi, Nceba
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Cloud computing -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , High schools -- Computer networks -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , High school students -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Education)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/1339 , vital:26547 , Cloud computing -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , High schools -- Computer networks -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , High school students -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: The current study investigated the determinants of Internet services’ adoption and use among high school learners in the East London Education District, in the Eastern Cape. Underpinned by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, the research questions included: (1) What is the effect of performance expectancy on the learner’s intention to adopt and use Internet services? (2) What degree of variation exists for effort expectancy on the learner’s intention to adopt and use Internet services? (3) How much of the determinants explain the usage of Internet services? (4) Which is (are) the best predictor(s) of Internet service usage given a set of determinants? (5) What is the effect of confounding variables (if any) on Internet services’ adoption and usage? (6) Which model can be designed based on the best predictor(s) of Internet services’ adoption and usage for secondary school learners? A quantitative approach based on the positivist paradigm was used to quantify the relationships among various factors that contribute to Internet services’ adoption and use. The research design used was a survey. Data were collected through structured questionnaires. Out of 286 questionnaires issued, the response rate was 40.6%. The study sample size was 116 high school learners using simple random sampling. The data was analysed using the multiple regression analysis technique, and Pearson correlations. Out of the four determinants from the UTAUT, performance expectancy was the strongest predictor of intention to adopt Internet services. Large positive correlations ranging from r = 0.638 up to r = 0.989 were found among performance expectancy and effort expectancy variables towards the intention to use Internet services, significant at p < 0.05. To enhance the efficiency of the UTAUT model, this study has designed the Adoption and Application of Technology for Learning (AATL) model, which added the price of Internet, persistent use of Internet, and perceptions about Internet use.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Investigation of the NFC technology for mobile payments and the development of a prototype payment application in the context of marginalized rural areas
- Authors: Gurajena, Caroline
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Computer Science)
- Identifier: vital:11401 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1020243
- Description: Both communication, and the methods and tools of commerce have evolved over time through the invention of new technologies. The latest of these technologies are mobile devices and electronic commerce respectively. The combination of these two technologies has resulted in the creation of electronic commerce which also enables mobile payments. Mobile payments (mpayments) are enabled by many technologies with Near Field Communication (NFC) being the most recent one. NFC is a wireless technology that enables mobile devices in close proximity to exchange data. The mobile device has already been enthusiastically accepted by the customers and they carry it with them wherever they go and this makes it a good device for providing a payment method alternative. This research looks at contactless mobile payment as a payment method. Customers in marginalized rural areas lack a payment alternative to cash hence in this research we are investigating and proposing the use of a NFC enabled mobile payment application for Marginalized Rural Areas. This research extensively evaluates and assesses the potential of using NFC enabled m-payments in Marginalized Rural Areas in South Africa by carrying out an investigation of the technology and its acceptance by customers. The investigation of the technology included implementation of a prototype application which was used to introduce the technology to the consumers. The customer acceptance of the NFC enabled mobile payments was evaluated using the Technology Acceptance model (TAM). The model was modified to suit the context of this study by adding more constructs. This research concluded that Near Field Communication enabled m-payments have great potential to be used and accepted by people in the marginalized rural areas.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Gurajena, Caroline
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Computer Science)
- Identifier: vital:11401 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1020243
- Description: Both communication, and the methods and tools of commerce have evolved over time through the invention of new technologies. The latest of these technologies are mobile devices and electronic commerce respectively. The combination of these two technologies has resulted in the creation of electronic commerce which also enables mobile payments. Mobile payments (mpayments) are enabled by many technologies with Near Field Communication (NFC) being the most recent one. NFC is a wireless technology that enables mobile devices in close proximity to exchange data. The mobile device has already been enthusiastically accepted by the customers and they carry it with them wherever they go and this makes it a good device for providing a payment method alternative. This research looks at contactless mobile payment as a payment method. Customers in marginalized rural areas lack a payment alternative to cash hence in this research we are investigating and proposing the use of a NFC enabled mobile payment application for Marginalized Rural Areas. This research extensively evaluates and assesses the potential of using NFC enabled m-payments in Marginalized Rural Areas in South Africa by carrying out an investigation of the technology and its acceptance by customers. The investigation of the technology included implementation of a prototype application which was used to introduce the technology to the consumers. The customer acceptance of the NFC enabled mobile payments was evaluated using the Technology Acceptance model (TAM). The model was modified to suit the context of this study by adding more constructs. This research concluded that Near Field Communication enabled m-payments have great potential to be used and accepted by people in the marginalized rural areas.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Phemba Mfundi Journal 2014
- Nelson Mandela Institute for Education and Rural Development
- Authors: Nelson Mandela Institute for Education and Rural Development
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Poetry -- Imibongo , English Short Stories -- Amabali Amafutshane , Teacher's Section -- Icandelo Lootitshala
- Language: English
- Identifier: vital:12215 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1013022 , Poetry -- Imibongo , English Short Stories -- Amabali Amafutshane , Teacher's Section -- Icandelo Lootitshala
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Nelson Mandela Institute for Education and Rural Development
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Poetry -- Imibongo , English Short Stories -- Amabali Amafutshane , Teacher's Section -- Icandelo Lootitshala
- Language: English
- Identifier: vital:12215 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1013022 , Poetry -- Imibongo , English Short Stories -- Amabali Amafutshane , Teacher's Section -- Icandelo Lootitshala
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
An investigation on the effectiveness of lifestyle modification interventions for hypertensive patients in a public health clinic, in the Eastern Cape Province
- Authors: Katiya, Lulama Pearl
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Community Nursing Science)
- Identifier: vital:11926 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1021131
- Description: The continued increase in morbidity and mortality of hypertensive patients in Alice in the Eastern Cape Province, prompted the researcher to investigate the effectiveness of lifestyle modification intervention on hypertensive patients. High morbidity and mortality rates of hypertensive patients are occuring in spite of hypertensive patients being taught about lifestyle modification (De Haan, 2006:55). According to the fifth South African Guidelines (2011:60), hypertension is a global health burden affecting developed and developing countries including South Africa. In 2003, the South African District Health Statistics showed that in the Eastern Cape, 221 females over 15 years of age and 101 males over 15 years of age had moderate hypertension and 92 males over 15 years had severe hypertension. Hypertension is a `silent killer` because it seldom gives rise to any symptoms (De Haan, 2006:66). The objectives of the study were to: investigate the effectiveness of lifestyle modification intervention on hypertensive patients, and to determine the strategies used in order to ensure the effectiveness of lifestyle modification by hypertensive patients. The research question was: what is the level of effectiveness of lifestyle modification on hypertensive patients in Alice? A descriptive quantitative research design was used in this study. This design allowed the researcher to investigate the effectiveness of lifestyle modification of hypertensive patients in Alice area. A convenience sample was used to sample the target population for the study on the criteria and a total of 169 respondents served as a size of the sample. A pre-test of the tool was carried out on 16 participants to validate the tool before the actual data collection commenced. Ethical approval was obtained from University of Fort Hare, the Department of Health, as well as Victoria Hospital and clinics. Data were collected by means of self-administered questionnaires. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 21.0 software for windows reference was used to analyse the data. The results were presented in tables, graphs and pie charts. The results revealed that 77% (n=125) reported to know nothing about hypertension. Twenty three percent of the participants (n=37) knew about hypertension, they mentioned that it is when the heart has too much blood that is overloading the heart due to problems of the heart, then the blood flow through the heart is disturbed. Furthermore participants stated that it is important that every hypertensive patient engage in lifestyle modification. The study recommended that the Department of Health should emphasise the use of Hypertension Guidelines where all nurses in public clinics should be trained in educating and doing counselling to all hypertensive patients, including those who are pre-hypertensive that are visiting the clinics. Health education about risk factors and complications of hypertension must be done. All patients visiting public clinics must be educated regardless of their problems.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Katiya, Lulama Pearl
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Community Nursing Science)
- Identifier: vital:11926 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1021131
- Description: The continued increase in morbidity and mortality of hypertensive patients in Alice in the Eastern Cape Province, prompted the researcher to investigate the effectiveness of lifestyle modification intervention on hypertensive patients. High morbidity and mortality rates of hypertensive patients are occuring in spite of hypertensive patients being taught about lifestyle modification (De Haan, 2006:55). According to the fifth South African Guidelines (2011:60), hypertension is a global health burden affecting developed and developing countries including South Africa. In 2003, the South African District Health Statistics showed that in the Eastern Cape, 221 females over 15 years of age and 101 males over 15 years of age had moderate hypertension and 92 males over 15 years had severe hypertension. Hypertension is a `silent killer` because it seldom gives rise to any symptoms (De Haan, 2006:66). The objectives of the study were to: investigate the effectiveness of lifestyle modification intervention on hypertensive patients, and to determine the strategies used in order to ensure the effectiveness of lifestyle modification by hypertensive patients. The research question was: what is the level of effectiveness of lifestyle modification on hypertensive patients in Alice? A descriptive quantitative research design was used in this study. This design allowed the researcher to investigate the effectiveness of lifestyle modification of hypertensive patients in Alice area. A convenience sample was used to sample the target population for the study on the criteria and a total of 169 respondents served as a size of the sample. A pre-test of the tool was carried out on 16 participants to validate the tool before the actual data collection commenced. Ethical approval was obtained from University of Fort Hare, the Department of Health, as well as Victoria Hospital and clinics. Data were collected by means of self-administered questionnaires. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 21.0 software for windows reference was used to analyse the data. The results were presented in tables, graphs and pie charts. The results revealed that 77% (n=125) reported to know nothing about hypertension. Twenty three percent of the participants (n=37) knew about hypertension, they mentioned that it is when the heart has too much blood that is overloading the heart due to problems of the heart, then the blood flow through the heart is disturbed. Furthermore participants stated that it is important that every hypertensive patient engage in lifestyle modification. The study recommended that the Department of Health should emphasise the use of Hypertension Guidelines where all nurses in public clinics should be trained in educating and doing counselling to all hypertensive patients, including those who are pre-hypertensive that are visiting the clinics. Health education about risk factors and complications of hypertension must be done. All patients visiting public clinics must be educated regardless of their problems.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Housing challenges in Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality: an exploration
- Authors: Marutlulle, Noah Kaliofas
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (in Public Administration)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/1234 , vital:26539
- Description: The housing delivery topic is frequently dredged to the surface of media focus by tragic phenomena such as the destruction of lives and properties by storms and fires and also at the hands of the police during demonstrations. This study which is exploratory in nature and adopted an interpretive research philosophy aimed at investigating the housing delivery challenges encountered by Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) with the objectives of illuminating the challenges, establishing the role EMM play in housing delivery and providing recommendations that would assist in ameliorating the challenges. It utilised a qualitative methodology involving indirect observation which included the use of questionnaires and interviews and a purposive sampling method where fifty eight participants comprising employees of EMM, Councillors, Community leaders and Community members were selected. The data were analysed in Microsoft word using thematic analysis and a pilot study was used to pre-test the objectivity, reliability and validity of the data and also to improve the success and effectiveness of the investigation. Overall, the results suggested the main causes of the housing delivery challenges to be predominantly a combination of population growth, the unavailability of land, corruption and government policies. The key findings that emerged for the amelioration of the challenges were the formulation of a coherent housing strategy, the need for the government to pursue housing policies that are comprehensive and effectively integrated with broader socioeconomic objectives and also the need for the government to be fully attuned to the necessity of reconfiguring housing policy as part of its mechanism for managing the economy. The general focus of the recommendations was on overcoming the housing delivery hurdles. In recommending future research, the existence of a vast amount of new knowledge that still need to be discovered on the housing delivery arena was established and avenues were indicated through which the knowledge can directly illuminate issues central to the theme of this study [housing delivery challenges]. The study will become a landmark and a standard reference in future studies wherein it will also serve as a barometer to test new and contentious ideas and theories encapsulated in issues surrounding the study.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Marutlulle, Noah Kaliofas
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (in Public Administration)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/1234 , vital:26539
- Description: The housing delivery topic is frequently dredged to the surface of media focus by tragic phenomena such as the destruction of lives and properties by storms and fires and also at the hands of the police during demonstrations. This study which is exploratory in nature and adopted an interpretive research philosophy aimed at investigating the housing delivery challenges encountered by Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) with the objectives of illuminating the challenges, establishing the role EMM play in housing delivery and providing recommendations that would assist in ameliorating the challenges. It utilised a qualitative methodology involving indirect observation which included the use of questionnaires and interviews and a purposive sampling method where fifty eight participants comprising employees of EMM, Councillors, Community leaders and Community members were selected. The data were analysed in Microsoft word using thematic analysis and a pilot study was used to pre-test the objectivity, reliability and validity of the data and also to improve the success and effectiveness of the investigation. Overall, the results suggested the main causes of the housing delivery challenges to be predominantly a combination of population growth, the unavailability of land, corruption and government policies. The key findings that emerged for the amelioration of the challenges were the formulation of a coherent housing strategy, the need for the government to pursue housing policies that are comprehensive and effectively integrated with broader socioeconomic objectives and also the need for the government to be fully attuned to the necessity of reconfiguring housing policy as part of its mechanism for managing the economy. The general focus of the recommendations was on overcoming the housing delivery hurdles. In recommending future research, the existence of a vast amount of new knowledge that still need to be discovered on the housing delivery arena was established and avenues were indicated through which the knowledge can directly illuminate issues central to the theme of this study [housing delivery challenges]. The study will become a landmark and a standard reference in future studies wherein it will also serve as a barometer to test new and contentious ideas and theories encapsulated in issues surrounding the study.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Targeting and characterizing potentially high yield aquifers in the neotectonic zones in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa
- Authors: Madi, Kakaba
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Geology)
- Identifier: vital:11530 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1021270
- Description: The Eastern Cape Province has, besides the three known neotectonic belts (southern, eastern and northern) a fourth zone, which is inactive. This inactive zone is located almost in its central part north of the southern neotectonic zone, and south of the northern neotectonic belt. The three above mentioned neotectonic belts (southern, eastern and northern) were chosen for this study, each one with its own characteristics. This study aims at characterizing and targeting potentially high yield aquifers in the neotectonic zones in the Eastern Cape Province. The methods used in this study include: 1) A comprehensive literature review on neotectonics in South Africa in general and in the Eastern Cape Province in particular; 2) Extraction of lineaments through remote sensing and examination of digital elevation models; 3) Examination of seismic data for the subsurface visualization onshore and offshore; 4) Study on the genesis of the Grahamstown kaolin deposits through the structural component; and 5) Acquisition and interpretation of magnetic, electromagnetic and radiometric data from three of the hot springs in the northern neotectonic belt. The results indicate the following: 1) Old map of seismic epicentres in South Africa need to be reviewed continually. The Eastern Cape was regarded as quiescent in terms of seismicity. However, the investigation from recent seismic epicenters downloadable from the IRIS website has shown that recent seismic events occurred in the Eastern Cape Province especially in the northern and southern neotectonic belts. The central part located north of the southern neotectonic belt and south of the northern neotectonic belt is inactive. This inactive zone can be considered for the storage of nuclear wastes. 2) The eastern neotectonic belt has, like the northern neotectonic belt, a higher density of lineaments oriented northwest-southeast, which makes it the second important neotectonic belt. These lineaments correlate with the normalized difference vegetation index indicative of a good circulation of groundwater. In the south, the Eastern Cape great lineament oriented east-west is now considered a neotectonic domain because many seismic epicentres occur therein. Its geomorphologic shape in graben type form is a favourable structure for groundwater catchment. The surface topography is not uniform and high elevations in the east are related to the uplift that took place in the Quaternary. Most vector gradients are oriented east-west, a fact to be reckon with in the study of surface water flow and aquifers characterization. 3) Offshore along the east coast, the subsurface is affected by neotectonic faults, which are probably splays of the Agulhas Falkland Fractured Zone (AFFZ). The folds that occur are related to the regional compressional stress known as the Wegener Stress Anomaly (WSM). On land, straight lines from seismic profiles indicate that weathering occurs in consolidated materials probably along faults or fractures, unconsolidated sediments always have wavy profiles. On the other hand, field observations in King Williams Town have clearly shown that a tectonic uplift took place on a dolerite sill overlain by mudstones and sandstones. The uplift is possibly related to the Amatole-Swaziland event that occurred in the last five millions years. The escarpment along this dolerite sill overlain by sedimentary rocks is a meso-scale fault with a dip-slip component. Healthy vegetation and a river flowing parallel to the cliff indicate groundwater flow in the zone of weakness. 4) In the southern neotectonic belt there is a clear northwest-southeast horizontal compression and a southwest-northeast vertical to sub-vertical extension. Enrichment of granitic breccias and feldspar in the Grahamstown Dwyka tillite is the source for the formation of kaolin deposits. The weathering starts in the granitic breccias through their extensional fractures and then extends in the matrix, which has micro-fractures that are only visible with the transmitted microscope. Combined extensional strike-slip and dip-slip faulting is responsible for the earthquakes in the region of Grahamstown where the kaolin is formed. There is also an unreported thermal (quartz veins) and neotectonic event identified in this region. 5) The hot springs in the northern neotectonic belt are connected by a regional neotectonic fault. The use of magnetic and electromagnetic methods helped to decipher the occurrence of faults, fractures, dolerite dykes, and variable degree of weathering. Uranium/potassium ratios derived from radiometric surveys show that areas around some hot springs are characterized by enrichment in uranium. High concentrations of thorium are related to its low capacity of being easily dissolved in water. It can be concluded that seismicity, hot springs and accordingly deep groundwater circulation, high density of lineaments, quaternary tectonic uplift, are the predominate characteristics of the three neotectonic zones. Furthermore, on the environmental point of view, thorium concentration is higher than that of either uranium or potassium. Although it is nonetheless below the world average threshold of 7.4 ppm according to United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), it may be a source of radiation hazard to humans and animals if they are subjected to prolonged exposure. All the neotectonic zones in the Eastern Cape Province present potentials to host good and important aquifers. It is suggested that the Eastern Cape great lineament in the southern neotectonic belt and the Kokstad-Koffiefontein seismic belt in the northern neotectonic belt, be monitored for future research regarding, neotectonics, seismic risk assessment and hydrogeology.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Madi, Kakaba
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Geology)
- Identifier: vital:11530 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1021270
- Description: The Eastern Cape Province has, besides the three known neotectonic belts (southern, eastern and northern) a fourth zone, which is inactive. This inactive zone is located almost in its central part north of the southern neotectonic zone, and south of the northern neotectonic belt. The three above mentioned neotectonic belts (southern, eastern and northern) were chosen for this study, each one with its own characteristics. This study aims at characterizing and targeting potentially high yield aquifers in the neotectonic zones in the Eastern Cape Province. The methods used in this study include: 1) A comprehensive literature review on neotectonics in South Africa in general and in the Eastern Cape Province in particular; 2) Extraction of lineaments through remote sensing and examination of digital elevation models; 3) Examination of seismic data for the subsurface visualization onshore and offshore; 4) Study on the genesis of the Grahamstown kaolin deposits through the structural component; and 5) Acquisition and interpretation of magnetic, electromagnetic and radiometric data from three of the hot springs in the northern neotectonic belt. The results indicate the following: 1) Old map of seismic epicentres in South Africa need to be reviewed continually. The Eastern Cape was regarded as quiescent in terms of seismicity. However, the investigation from recent seismic epicenters downloadable from the IRIS website has shown that recent seismic events occurred in the Eastern Cape Province especially in the northern and southern neotectonic belts. The central part located north of the southern neotectonic belt and south of the northern neotectonic belt is inactive. This inactive zone can be considered for the storage of nuclear wastes. 2) The eastern neotectonic belt has, like the northern neotectonic belt, a higher density of lineaments oriented northwest-southeast, which makes it the second important neotectonic belt. These lineaments correlate with the normalized difference vegetation index indicative of a good circulation of groundwater. In the south, the Eastern Cape great lineament oriented east-west is now considered a neotectonic domain because many seismic epicentres occur therein. Its geomorphologic shape in graben type form is a favourable structure for groundwater catchment. The surface topography is not uniform and high elevations in the east are related to the uplift that took place in the Quaternary. Most vector gradients are oriented east-west, a fact to be reckon with in the study of surface water flow and aquifers characterization. 3) Offshore along the east coast, the subsurface is affected by neotectonic faults, which are probably splays of the Agulhas Falkland Fractured Zone (AFFZ). The folds that occur are related to the regional compressional stress known as the Wegener Stress Anomaly (WSM). On land, straight lines from seismic profiles indicate that weathering occurs in consolidated materials probably along faults or fractures, unconsolidated sediments always have wavy profiles. On the other hand, field observations in King Williams Town have clearly shown that a tectonic uplift took place on a dolerite sill overlain by mudstones and sandstones. The uplift is possibly related to the Amatole-Swaziland event that occurred in the last five millions years. The escarpment along this dolerite sill overlain by sedimentary rocks is a meso-scale fault with a dip-slip component. Healthy vegetation and a river flowing parallel to the cliff indicate groundwater flow in the zone of weakness. 4) In the southern neotectonic belt there is a clear northwest-southeast horizontal compression and a southwest-northeast vertical to sub-vertical extension. Enrichment of granitic breccias and feldspar in the Grahamstown Dwyka tillite is the source for the formation of kaolin deposits. The weathering starts in the granitic breccias through their extensional fractures and then extends in the matrix, which has micro-fractures that are only visible with the transmitted microscope. Combined extensional strike-slip and dip-slip faulting is responsible for the earthquakes in the region of Grahamstown where the kaolin is formed. There is also an unreported thermal (quartz veins) and neotectonic event identified in this region. 5) The hot springs in the northern neotectonic belt are connected by a regional neotectonic fault. The use of magnetic and electromagnetic methods helped to decipher the occurrence of faults, fractures, dolerite dykes, and variable degree of weathering. Uranium/potassium ratios derived from radiometric surveys show that areas around some hot springs are characterized by enrichment in uranium. High concentrations of thorium are related to its low capacity of being easily dissolved in water. It can be concluded that seismicity, hot springs and accordingly deep groundwater circulation, high density of lineaments, quaternary tectonic uplift, are the predominate characteristics of the three neotectonic zones. Furthermore, on the environmental point of view, thorium concentration is higher than that of either uranium or potassium. Although it is nonetheless below the world average threshold of 7.4 ppm according to United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), it may be a source of radiation hazard to humans and animals if they are subjected to prolonged exposure. All the neotectonic zones in the Eastern Cape Province present potentials to host good and important aquifers. It is suggested that the Eastern Cape great lineament in the southern neotectonic belt and the Kokstad-Koffiefontein seismic belt in the northern neotectonic belt, be monitored for future research regarding, neotectonics, seismic risk assessment and hydrogeology.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
A framework for implementation of ICT4D initiatives in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa
- Authors: Phingilili, Gcotyelwa
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Information and Communication Technologies , ICT4D -- Development -- Rural community , Implementation -- ICT initiatives
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom (Information Systems)
- Identifier: vital:11146 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1017789 , Information and Communication Technologies , ICT4D -- Development -- Rural community , Implementation -- ICT initiatives
- Description: South Africa’s rural communities have received Information and Communication Technologies services through initiatives such as tele-centres, living labs, Thusong service centres and donations of computer applications. There is need, with little plans in place to ensure that the rural communities will benefit from those initiatives. As a result of this, it is necessary to establish a framework for implementing Information and Communication Technologies for development initiatives in order to ensure successful implementation of these initiatives in rural communities. Literature shows that in order to successfully implement an ICT initiative for rural communities, there should be active engagement with ICT stakeholders, consultation of Information and Communication Technologies policies, presence of ICT infrastructure, ICT services, monitoring, evaluating, training and maintenance. Current literature on ICT developments shows that in order to successfully implement an ICT initiative for rural communities, there should be active engagement with ICT stakeholders, consultation of ICT policies, and presence of ICT infrastructure, ICT services, monitoring, evaluating, training and maintenance. Unstructured interviews were used as a research method to collect primary data that was used as a basis to develop the proposed framework. Findings from the studies carried out indicated that several ICT4D initiatives which were abandoned due to challenges such lack of proper resources, trainings, lack of local content, access, lack of ownership and lack of stakeholders’ involvement. This study presents a framework for implementing ICT for development initiatives in rural communities which has been developed in order to reduce the number of initiatives that are abandoned or which end up not serving their intended purpose in rural communities of South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Phingilili, Gcotyelwa
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Information and Communication Technologies , ICT4D -- Development -- Rural community , Implementation -- ICT initiatives
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom (Information Systems)
- Identifier: vital:11146 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1017789 , Information and Communication Technologies , ICT4D -- Development -- Rural community , Implementation -- ICT initiatives
- Description: South Africa’s rural communities have received Information and Communication Technologies services through initiatives such as tele-centres, living labs, Thusong service centres and donations of computer applications. There is need, with little plans in place to ensure that the rural communities will benefit from those initiatives. As a result of this, it is necessary to establish a framework for implementing Information and Communication Technologies for development initiatives in order to ensure successful implementation of these initiatives in rural communities. Literature shows that in order to successfully implement an ICT initiative for rural communities, there should be active engagement with ICT stakeholders, consultation of Information and Communication Technologies policies, presence of ICT infrastructure, ICT services, monitoring, evaluating, training and maintenance. Current literature on ICT developments shows that in order to successfully implement an ICT initiative for rural communities, there should be active engagement with ICT stakeholders, consultation of ICT policies, and presence of ICT infrastructure, ICT services, monitoring, evaluating, training and maintenance. Unstructured interviews were used as a research method to collect primary data that was used as a basis to develop the proposed framework. Findings from the studies carried out indicated that several ICT4D initiatives which were abandoned due to challenges such lack of proper resources, trainings, lack of local content, access, lack of ownership and lack of stakeholders’ involvement. This study presents a framework for implementing ICT for development initiatives in rural communities which has been developed in order to reduce the number of initiatives that are abandoned or which end up not serving their intended purpose in rural communities of South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
The role of records management in the sustainability of small micro medium enterprises (SMMEs) in the Eastern Cape, South Africa: a study of Alice and Fort Beaufort
- Ajibade, Patrick https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8608-8378
- Authors: Ajibade, Patrick https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8608-8378
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Knowledge management , Small business
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/25259 , vital:64122
- Description: The study sought to investigate the role of records management in the sustainability of the Small Micro, Medium enterprises (SMMEs) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa with focus on Alice and Fort Beaufort towns. The objectives of the study were to identify the types of records that are kept by SMMEs; evaluate the infrastructure for the SMMEs records management; determine the compliance of SMMEs with the existing RM legal and regulatory requirements; and identify the challenges related to SMMEs records practices. Twenty three (23) respondents from SMMEs were interviewed. Findings revealed all the respondents could not confirm adoption of any systemic way of records management to support business functions and operations. Majority of the SMMEs due to their inability to maintain records could not identify potential benefit of business RM with an exception of three SMMEs. The respondents were not aware of any compliance and regulatory framework most especially on business records management. The challenges facing SMMEs include; inability to capture/create maintain, preserve business records systematically in its lifecycle. The SMMEs lack needed training especially in records management to allow them the benefit of maintaining business records. It is recommended that SMMEs should acquire skill that would enable them manage their business records that may help improved decision making. There should be legislative and regulatory framework that ensures compliance. And assistance should be rendered to train SMMEs on basic RM skills that could improve their business operations. , Thesis (MLIS) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2014
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Ajibade, Patrick https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8608-8378
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Knowledge management , Small business
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/25259 , vital:64122
- Description: The study sought to investigate the role of records management in the sustainability of the Small Micro, Medium enterprises (SMMEs) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa with focus on Alice and Fort Beaufort towns. The objectives of the study were to identify the types of records that are kept by SMMEs; evaluate the infrastructure for the SMMEs records management; determine the compliance of SMMEs with the existing RM legal and regulatory requirements; and identify the challenges related to SMMEs records practices. Twenty three (23) respondents from SMMEs were interviewed. Findings revealed all the respondents could not confirm adoption of any systemic way of records management to support business functions and operations. Majority of the SMMEs due to their inability to maintain records could not identify potential benefit of business RM with an exception of three SMMEs. The respondents were not aware of any compliance and regulatory framework most especially on business records management. The challenges facing SMMEs include; inability to capture/create maintain, preserve business records systematically in its lifecycle. The SMMEs lack needed training especially in records management to allow them the benefit of maintaining business records. It is recommended that SMMEs should acquire skill that would enable them manage their business records that may help improved decision making. There should be legislative and regulatory framework that ensures compliance. And assistance should be rendered to train SMMEs on basic RM skills that could improve their business operations. , Thesis (MLIS) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2014
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014