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Hegemon and handmaiden: a neo-gramscian approach to South Africa’s position in the global political economy

  • Authors: Koza, Zintle
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Hegemony
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSoc (Political Science)
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/18325 , vital:42252
  • Description: Despite its assumed leadership of and investment in the African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), South Africa has not developed its own hegemonic project and is consequently unable to exert significant influence over the ideas of the two institutions. Rooted in Antonio Gramsci’s absolute historicism, which locates decisions and actions at the level of the state within specific contexts, Robert Cox’s Method of Historical Structures (MHS) offers a framework that enables an approach informed by Critical Theory to analysing and empirically understanding the underlying factors of this situation. Utilising the three elements of the MHS, namely, material capabilities, ideas and institutions, and applying them to the context of international relations, it was found that South Africa’s choices have been informed by the global context of the post-USSR global arena it entered in 1990. The triumph of the neoliberal world order led by the United States framed the context of South Africa’s engagement with Africa and the world, with its choices informed by a composite of neoliberally defined global social relations of production and ideas that had already elicited global consent. South Africa’s organisation of material capabilities and resources was thus limited within the parameters of a neoliberal world order, and the predominance of institutions that facilitated the penetration of neoliberalism, regionally and globally. The global hegemonic order relies on surrogates for its functioning and South Africa’s subsequent domestic adherence to the hegemonic neoliberal order has been transferred to SADC and, to a limited extent, to the AU through the policies and institutional projects that South Africa has championed since 1994. Nonetheless, in the face of persistent inequality and poverty, internal contestation to this adherence has emanated from trade unions and civil society organisations. It was found that the continued and intensifying domestic contestation iii reinforces the lack of a domestic hegemonic project that could have been projected externally to SADC and the AU, so that South Africa, as a dominant peripheral state in the global world order, displays more characteristics of handmaiden than hegemon.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Perceptions of guardians of children towards government’s decision to outlaw corporal punishment: A case study of Highfield suburb in Harare, Zimbabwe

  • Authors: Shayamano , Molly
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Corporal punishment of children Children's rights
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSW
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/17641 , vital:41131
  • Description: Corporal punishment is a behaviour modification technique that has been utilised since time immemorial. Much interest in today’s world is centred on understanding and utilising the most effective discipline techniques. Many human rights activists and researchers are pointing out the negatives of corporal punishment. As such, human rights activists are pushing for the banning of all forms of corporal punishment of children. This study explored guardians’ perceptions towards the government’s decision to outlaw corporal punishment in Highfield in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital. The social construction theory by Berger and Luckman (1966) and the Operant conditioning theory by Skinner (1956) were utilised to underpin the study. The study adopted a mixed method approach in which focus group discussions, key informant interviews and questionnaires were used to collect data. The study results reveal that guardians in Highfield hold different sentiments with regard to the government’s decision to outlaw corporal punishment. The majority of guardians view the decision as a bad move that will result in negative consequences, whereas another group of guardians supports the decision. The study also reveals that the government’s decision to outlaw corporal punishment has both positive and negative consequences, which include delinquent behaviour, high crime rates, disrespect of elders, moral decay, decreased violence, increased communication between parents and children, and reduced child abuse cases. The study also found that social workers working closely with children and their families also have a role to play in ensuring positive behaviour modification. The study recommends the introduction of community programs on positive parenting in communities, initiated and strengthened by social workers.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

Uninformed medical intervention as a violation of the rights to dignity, bodily integrity and privacy in South Africa

  • Authors: Silas, Patience Oluchi
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Medical personnel and patient Human rights
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , LAW
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/16862 , vital:40780
  • Description: South African society has changed from one that favoured medical paternalism to one that demands respect for patient autonomy. Some legislative provisions currently require respect for human rights in the sphere of medical treatment. These laws vest patients with the right to informed consent thereby conferring them with the rights to decide what should be done to their bodies in terms of healthcare. Irrespective of the laws emphasising the need to respect, protect and promote the doctrine of informed consent in South Africa, so many health practitioners still engage in uninformed healthcare practices. This study, therefore, examines the doctrine of informed consent in relation to the fundamental rights to bodily integrity, dignity and privacy to ascertain the legal implications of the failure to obtain informed consent for healthcare services. It is desktop research undertaken from the constitutional, legislative, common law and ethical perspective of informed consent. Its findings are based on both primary and secondary legal sources. It established that informed consent is a fundamental right in South Africa; rendering any healthcare service without obtaining the informed consent of a patient does not only breach the fundamental and ethical principle of autonomy, but also grossly violates their fundamental rights to dignity, bodily integrity and privacy. The study clears the age-long differing views as to whether failure to obtain informed consent before medical interventions amounts to an assault, negligence or the violation of some specific fundamental rights. It reveals that the major reason why health practitioners administer uninformed medical treatment in contemporary health practice is insufficient awareness of the legal requirements of the doctrine of informed consent. This is coupled with the fact that they believe the doctrine is alien to the African psyche and the process of obtaining informed consent is time-consuming. It thus recommends that health practitioners should have a positive attitude towards the doctrine because having been entrenched in the Constitution, codified in various national laws and upheld by Courts, every legal stipulation regarding the doctrine is binding on them. It also suggests that health practitioners should be abreast with the laws governing informed consent and strictly comply with their substantive and procedural stipulations. This would protect the fundamental rights of the patient and avert legal actions.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

Controls on the distribution of manganese in banded iron-formations (BIF) of the palaeoproterozoic transvaal supergroup, South Africa

  • Authors: Fryer, Lindi
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/2926 , vital:20343
  • Description: The 2.65 to 2.05 Ga Transvaal Supergroup comprises one of the best-preserved and largely continuous successions in the world of Banded Iron-Formation (BIF), a chemical sedimentary rock composed of fine (mm to cm scale) interbanded iron-rich and iron-poor bands, developed atop the Archaean Kaapvaal Craton of southern Africa. The Transvaal BIF sequence contains at its upper stratigraphic part, an intriguing interlayered BIF-Mn association, namely the Hotazel Formation in the Kalahari Manganese Field, which constitutes the largest land-based manganese deposit on record. The genesis of the Hotazel deposits, and their exact significance in terms of atmosphere-hydrosphere-biosphere evolution, remain as elusive as they are challenging. In this thesis, an attempt is made to illuminate the origin and diagenesis of the Hotazel Formation and its post-depositional hydrothermal modification, through a highresolution geochemical study of the narrowest of the three BIF-Mn sedimentary cycles present in the Hotazel stratigraphy. This approach is coupled with a preliminary geochemical study of the distribution of Mn in older BIF of the Transvaal Supergroup as well (Kuruman and Griquatown Formations), so as to test recent models that causally link all BIFs in the Transvaal Supergroup under a common and evolving palaeo-environment of deposition. The results indicate that the cyclic deposition of the Hotazel BIF and enveloped Mn-rich sediments would have taken place in a stratified basin with a well-developed chemocline in terms of the vertical distributions of Mn and Fe, much like recent anoxic stratified basins such as the Orca Basin in the Gulf of Mexico. The increased Mn abundances as Mn-bearing ferrous carbonates in the upper part of the Griquatown BIF predating the Hotazel strata, also seems to lend support to the notion that the two BIFs are temporally interlinked as part of a broader sedimentary continuum. Finally, the largely conservative behaviour of Mn and associated elements during hydrothermal alteration of the Hotazel rocks is re-assessed, and renewed emphasis is placed on the possibility that brine metasomatism may have been a key factor in Mn redistribution and residual enrichment.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Exploration, monetization, disillusion: a history of upstream oil development in the onshore Algoa basin

  • Authors: James, Jonathan Scott
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3870 , vital:20551
  • Description: The onshore Algoa basin has, since the mid-1960s, been an area of interest for oil and gas exploration. Despite the general lack of knowledge and publicly available information on the topic, a large amount of geological and geophysical data has been collected on the region owing to the oil and gas exploration. The intended aim of this thesis is to compile and construct a historical narrative of the oil and gas exploration that took place within the onshore Algoa basin, and to then contextualize that localized narrative within the greater macro-narrative of the global oil and gas industry. This thesis is primarily concerned with the time period beginning in the early 1960s up to mid-2014, however reference is also made to events pre-1960. For the purposes of compartmentalizing the various areas of research covered, the thesis has been divided into three broad areas of interest: the geology of the onshore Algoa basin, the global oil market and its impact on exploration therein, and the attempts to monetize the leases that came to be purchased post-exploration. The narrative on the geology of the onshore Algoa basin is aimed at providing a summarized account of the most important details pertaining to the search for petroleum systems in simplified, yet accurate, language. The aspects of the geology which command the most attention are those which are necessary in functioning petroleum systems such as suitable permeabilities, porosities, reservoir rocks, trapping mechanisms and cap rocks. The global oil and gas market is also used to contextualize the search for oil and gas within the onshore Algoa basin and is explained against the backdrop of the global oil trade and the sanctions imposed on the apartheid state. Furthermore, the analysis of the attempts to monetize leases within the onshore Algoa basin will provide a financial reference point to the shortcomings of the exploration and monetization efforts. The purpose of this thesis is to construct a historical narrative of the onshore Algoa basin which not only gives an accurate portrayal of the exploration efforts that have taken place thus far, but to also provide a enough detail of those exploration efforts to indicate the future of the onshore Algoa basin as an exploration play.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

The application of GIS and remote sensing to assess the effect of periodic flooding on communities along the Juskeiriver: A case study of Alexandria Township, Johannesburg, South Africa

  • Authors: Mawasha, Tshepo Sylvester
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Remote sensing Geographic information systems -- South Africa , Remote sensing
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/45613 , vital:38918
  • Description: Floods are water induced disasters that led to temporary induction of dry and cause serious damages in the affected location such as loss of valuable assets, lives and destruction of infrastructure. Flooding had become common in Alexandra Township during rainfall season and the recorded impact of periodic flooding on communities is increasing at an alarming rate. This study seeks to identify populations vulnerable to flooding and to map-out areas at high risk of flood disasters, using GIS and RS as a tool. For GIS application different types of maps were produced, namely, flood vulnerability, hazards, risk and risk index map highlighting areas at risk of being affected by flooding. Flood risk index maps identify three categories of risk zones; low and high risk zone. The household units within each of the risk zones was calculated and the total was estimated to be 762 for low-risk and 32 486 for high risk zone. The SRTM Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and multi-temporal Satellite Probatoire d’Observation de la Terra (SPOT) satellite images for 1997, 2006 and 2013 of the area was used for land-use and land-cover (LULC) change analyses using maximum-likelihood post-classification comparison. Results reveal that tremendous urban development had taken place in the study area along the Jukskei River area for the past sixteen years. It was observed that there was a sharp decrease in vegetation from 237ha (1997) to 134ha (2006) to 68ha (2013). This may had a negative impact on the environment around this area by decreasing surface runoff. The trend however, shows that bare surface and vegetation land-cover class has no potential to recover. Questionnaires aimed at all the residents in the study area were used to assess the effect of periodic flooding on communities. Community leader and City of Johannesburg Disaster Management Unit (CoJDMU) interviews were also conducted to get more insight about floods management in the study area. Finally, strategies for alleviating flood risk in the study area were discussed and some recommendations were made to help the government and municipal authorities to improve and development sustainable flood mitigation measures.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

The design of a new opera house for Port Elizabeth: as a catalyst for a harbour waterfront development

  • Authors: Davidson, Michael James
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Theaters -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth -- Designs and plans Centers for the performing arts -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Theater architecture -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18696 , vital:28708
  • Description: This document records the research and design process the author undertook during the treatise project. The project stems from the author’s interest in the architecture of opera houses and the potential for the design of a new iconic opera house in Port Elizabeth. Initial research begun with an analysis of the historical development of the opera house typology and the underlying principles of contemporary opera houses. Research was then directed towards the possibility of building a new opera house in Port Elizabeth, and what basis there might be for such a venture. This led to an exploration of urban catalyst buildings, particularly those initiating the regeneration of former industrial waterfronts. That Port Elizabeth has a notable industrial harbour, which may potentially be developed into a waterfront precinct was a key informant in choosing to formulate the project as an opera house that would be a catalyst for such a development. The vision for the building is one of beauty and grandeur. As an iconic attractor to the Port Elizabeth harbour, the opera house should delight visitors by its sculptural quality and spatial experience alongside the water’s edge. It should provide positive public space with activities that can be used by non-theatre patrons so that the building will attract large numbers of people, which will stimulate more development, in line with the theory of urban catalytic development.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Assessing the role of social transfers in curbing household food insecurity in Harare rural district, Zimbabwe

  • Authors: Nyabvudzi, Tatenda Gaudencia
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Poverty -- Zimbabwe Food security -- Zimbabwe Households -- Zimbabwe
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/12205 , vital:39197
  • Description: Purpose – Empirical work on the career development processes of vulnerable groups such as refugees is beginning to receive currency within the academic literature. However, little is known about the intersection of factors such as gender and structural constraints on such processes especially within developing countries such as South Africa. The purpose of this study was to explore the career development processes of women refugees in South Africa. Design/methodology/ approach – A qualitative research approach through narrative inquiry was used. Snowball sampling was employed to select the 20 women refugees who took part in this research. The study location was the city of Port Elizabeth located in the Eastern Cape Province. The three levels of meaning-making incorporated in previous narrative research was utilised to analyse the data. Findings Results show that women refugees are more concerned with a short-term desire to survive and acquire basic commodities than a long-term focus to advance and develop their careers. This is mainly compounded by constraints personal to the individual and those in the environment. Finally, the results illustrate that career development processes of women refugees are affected by the inextricably intertwined factors associated with their gender, immigration status as well as person-environmental factors. Practical implications – The research suggests strategies that policy makers in South Africa and other developing nations that are hosting refugees can use to assist women not just their career development but also their lived experiences. Originality/value – This study extends and advances literature on the career development issues of vulnerable groups such as women refugees especially in developing nations such as South Africa.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Assessing the role of social transfers in curbing household food insecurity in Harare rural district, Zimbabwe

  • Authors: Nyabvudzi, Tatenda Gaudencia
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Poverty -- Zimbabwe Rural poor -- Zimbabwe Food security -- Zimbabwe Social security -- Zimbabwe
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , M Admin
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/1939 , vital:27586
  • Description: One of the major problems obstructing international development is the issue of food security. Solutions for this global concern have not yet been found. This research sought to explore the role of social transfers in curbing household food insecurity. Social transfers are regular services or donations which are offered by the government or/and other institutions such as non-governmental organisations to vulnerable households. This exploratory study administered structured interviews, incorporating the Household Hunger Scale, Months of Adequate Household Food Provisioning indicator and self designed questions soliciting general household information, to Harare rural residents. The population was divided into clusters and a simple random sampling was used to select three clusters, Mufakose, Glen Norah and Warren Park, thereafter, systematic random sampling was employed within selected clusters.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Environmental conflict resolution: a critical analysis of the role of interests and value

  • Authors: Mweshi, John
  • Date: 2015
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/55842 , vital:26740
  • Description: This thesis intends to contribute to an enhanced understanding of environmental conflicts and their resolution. To accomplish this task the thesis will ascertain the role that value and interests play in environmental conflicts in order to establish an adequate basis upon which they can be resolved. In the process, the thesis will also examine three different approaches, namely, the Standard Approach; the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) framework; and the Structured Decision Making (SDM) approach. First, the standard approach is informed by the understanding that focusing on interests instead of human values makes the resolution of conflicts more tractable. In contrast, this thesis argues that an exclusive focus on interests, in the context of environmental conflict resolution, is inadequate in some important respects because there are other factors to be considered such as the environmental impacts at the root of the conflict. Second, the thesis examines the focus on impacts that characterises EIAs. It argues that this approach remedies the limitations of the standard approach insofar as impacts are understood in terms of object value. However, the EIA approach does not provide much guidance on how to deal with conflicting human values. Third, taking into account the fact that the standard approach does not address the question of object value, while the EIA addresses object value but does not deal directly with human values, the thesis examines the SDM approach to environmental risk decisions. The thesis argues that while the SDM approach claims to deal with conflicts involving human values head-on, it does not provide a viable alternative in terms of environmental conflict resolution. This is because it fails to recognise the key distinction between human values and object value despite acknowledging the presence of multiple value dimensions as a major obstacle to value trade-offs and therefore to the resolution of value conflicts. Finally, the thesis recommends an adequate basis upon which environmental conflicts can be resolved.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Spatio-temporal variation in the phytobenthos and phytoplankton community structure and composition of particulate matter along a river-estuary continuum assessed using microscopic and stable isotope analyses

  • Authors: Dalu, Tatenda
  • Date: 2015
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54416 , vital:26563
  • Description: Phytoplankton and phytobenthos communities play an important role in lotic systems as primary producers providing essential biomolecules to higher trophic oganisms and are important indicators for environmental or ecological change. In this thesis, field studies (observational and experimental) along a river–estuary continuum were conducted to assess the spatio-temporal variation and development of phytobenthos and phytoplankton communities using a combination of stable isotope and community analyses in a temperate southern African system across four study periods: September (early spring) and November/December (late spring) 2012, and February (summer) and May/June (winter) 2013. Additionally, the sources and composition of the particulate organic matter were also analysed using stable isotope (δ15N and δ13C) analysis. The effects of substrate type and flood occurrence were assessed through experimental studies at an up- and downstream site of the river after a major flood event that occurred between October and November 2012. Common household tiles were used as artificial substrates to study the development/succession of phytobenthos communities after the flood disturbance. Distinct diatom communities were observed between upstream and downstream sites and at each site, community structure changed with time indicating succession. In addition to recording diatom characteristics on three natural substrates, namely; macrophytes, rocks and sediment, artificial substrates observations were also made on three different types of artificial substrates, namely; brick, brown clay and grey clay tiles. The natural (species richness 78) and artificial substrates (sp. richness 93) had different communities with the latter having greater species richness. Common phytobenthos taxa were not restricted to a single substrate but preference was generally high for the artificial substrates, especially brown tiles (mean sp. richness 47). Results of the redundancy analysis (RDA) analysis indicated that ammonium, conductivity, total dissolved solids, salinity, pH, oxygen reduction potential, phosphate and water depth were the major determinants of the phytobenthos composition at the two sites. The spatio–temporal variation of phytoplankton and phytobenthos communities and allochthonous organic matter along the river–estuary continuum was assessed at 8 sites using a combination of community and stable isotope analyses. A total of 178 species belonging to 78 genera were recorded with diatoms being predominant, accounting for 81.9 % of the total abundance. The total chl-a concentration along the river-estuary continuum increased from spring to a high in summer before decreasing to a low in winter. Periphyton communities were observed to be significantly different across sites (p < 0.05) in terms of species richness, abundances and isotopically The high periphytic δ15N values (range 7.9–15.2 ‰) recorded at the downstream sites compared to the pristine upstream sites (δ15N values range 4–7 ‰) suggest nutrient enrichment most likely derived from anthropogenic sources. Overall, our results reveal general patterns of periphyton communities and stable isotopes and provide improved information in the use of periphyton δ15N as an excellent indicator of anthropogenic nitrogen pollution. Ecologists are interested in the factors that control, and the variability in, the contributions of different sources to mixed organic materials traveling through lotic systems. We hypothesized that the source matter fuelling mixed organic pools in a river-estuary continuum varies over space and time, with the upper reaches of a system characterized by allochthonous-dominated material and autochthonous contributions becoming more important in the lower reaches. Samples of the mixed organic pools and allochthonous and autochthonous source materials were collected during the four study periods. The C:N ratios of suspended particulate matter (SPM) collected during summer and winter indicated that the lower reaches of the system had similar organic matter contributions from the freshwater and terrestrial sources. Stable isotope analysis in R revealed that the contributions of autochthonous organic matter were high in SPM along the entire continuum, and aquatic macrophytes were significant contributors to SPM specifically in the upper reaches. The terrestrial leaves made major contributions to the SPM in the middle regions of the system (i.e. downstream sites of the river, particularly in early and late spring). Bulk detritus had large allochthonous matter components in the lower reaches (estuary), and the contributions of aquatic macrophytes and benthic algae to bulk detritus were high (> 50 %) in the upper to middle reaches (river), but low (< 20 %) in the lower reaches (estuary). The current investigation represents the first attempt to assess the validity of the River Continuum Concept (RCC) in a southern African temperate river. The phytoplankton and phytobenthos communities, and chl-a concentration followed a trend similar to that proposed for the river continuum concept (RCC). The middle reaches based on the phytobenthos or phytoplankton communities and chl-a concentrations which were employed as proxies for primary production, were the most productive, while the upper reaches were the least primary productive. The evaluation of organic matter contributions to the SPM and detritus along the river–estuary continuum provided a baseline assessment of the nature and sources of potential food for consumers inhabiting different locations during different times of the year. Incorporating such spatio-temporal variations in SPM and detritus into food web studies will improve our understanding of the flow of carbon through aquatic systems.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Structural studies on yeast eIF5A using biomolecular NMR and molecular dynamics

  • Authors: Sigauke, Lester Takunda
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Molecular dynamics , Reverse transcriptase , HIV (Viruses) , HIV infections , Eukaryotic cells , Yeast
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:4547 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017927
  • Description: Eukaryotic initiation factor 5A, eIF5A, is a ubiquitous eukaryotic protein that has been shown to influence the translation initiation of a specific subset of mRNAs. It is the only protein known to undergo hypusination in a two-step post translational modification process involving deoxyhypusine synthase (DHS) and deoxyhypusine hydroxylase (DOHH) enzymes. Hypusination has been shown to influence translation of HIV-1 and HTLV-1 nuclear export signals, while the involvement of active hypusinated eIF5A in induction of IRES mediated processes that initiate pro-apoptotic process have inspired studies into the manipulation of eIF5A in anti-cancer and anti-diabetic therapies. eIF5A oligomerisation in eukaryotic systems has been shown to be influenced by hypusination and the mechanism of dimerisation is RNA dependent. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy approaches were proposed to solve the structure of the hypusinated eIF5A in solution in order to understand the influence of hypusination on the monomeric arrangement which enhances dimerisation and activates the protein. Cleavage of the 18 kDa protein monomer by introduction of thrombin cleavage site within the flexible domain was thought to give rise to 10 kDa fragments accessible to a 600 MHz NMR spectrometer. Heteronuclear single quantum correlation experiments of the mutated isotopically labelled protein expressed in E. coli showed that the eIF5A protein with a thrombin cleavage insert, eIF5AThr (eIF5A subscript Thr), was unfolded. In silico investigations of the behaviour of eIF5A and eIF5AThr (eIF5A subscript Thr) models in solution using molecular dynamics showed that the mutated model had different solution dynamics to the native model. Chemical shift predictors were used to extract atomic resolution data of solution dynamics and the introduction of rigidity in the flexible loop region of eIF5A affected solution behaviour consistent with lack of in vivo function of eIF5AThr (eIF5A subscript Thr) in yeast. Residual dipolar coupling and T₁ relaxation times were calculated in anticipation of the extraction of experimental data from RDC and relaxation dispersion experiments based on HSQC measurable restraints.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

The interrelationships between foreign direct investment and economic growth in Africa

  • Authors: Bolani, Lindelwa Mandisa
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Investments, Foreign -- Africa , Economic development -- Africa , Africa -- Economic conditions -- 1960- , Africa -- Foreign economic relations , Gross domestic product -- Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: vital:1123 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019885
  • Description: There has been a long search for the keys to development and economic growth in Africa. This study investigates the relationship between FDI and economic growth over the period 2000-2012 using data from 48 African countries. On the aggregate regional level FDI and economic growth were found to be positively correlated during this period. Using panel data econometric techniques and the Panel Granger Causality test, results revealed that a bi-directional causality relationship existed between FDI and GDP. Thus, the results suggest that GDP is a requirement for increased investment, and at the same time is the result of increased foreign investment. Thus, the conclusion is that African policy makers are justified in increasing their attempts to create an attractive business environment for foreign investors, as it is beneficial for economic growth.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

An assessment of equilibrium in the Merensky Reef : a textural, geochemical and Nd isotope study of coexisting plagioclase and orthopyroxene from Winnaarshoek in the eastern Bushveld Complex, RSA

  • Authors: Raines, Mark Douglas
  • Date: 2014
  • Subjects: Mines and mineral resources -- South Africa -- Bushveld Complex , Plagioclase , Neodymium , Petrology , Electron probe microanalysis , Isotope geology , Mineralogical chemistry , Crystallization
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:5079 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1015644
  • Description: Evidence of mineral disequilibrium is presented for the Merensky Reef at Winnaarshoek in the eastern Bushveld Complex. Petrographic disequilibrium textures, disequilibrium in orthopyroxene, plagioclase and clinopyroxene mineral compositions as well as disequilibrium in Sm-Nd isotopic compositions of whole rock samples and coexisting plagioclase and orthopyroxene are presented. Disequilibrium textures presented include clinopyroxene exsolution lamellae in orthopyroxene; resorbed plagioclase in orthopyroxene or relict plagioclase; various inclusions such as orthopyroxene, plagioclase or clinopyroxene in larger oikocrysts of clinopyroxene or orthopyroxene; discontinuous rims of clinopyroxene surrounding orthopyroxene; resorbed orthopyroxene in clinopyroxene; and corona textures associated with olivine. These textures were used to derive a possible mineral crystallization sequence. At least two sequences of crystallization took place, both of which crystallized plagioclase first. One sequence then crystallized olivine which was then consumed to produce orthopyroxene which crystallized prior to late clinopyroxene. The other sequence indicates orthopyroxene crystallization after plagioclase crystallization, followed by crystallization of clinopyroxene. These sequences indicate at least two magmas were responsible for the genesis of the Merensky Reef and its hanging wall and footwall units. Compositionally, disequilibrium is evident in the range of compositions found in coexisting orthopyroxene, plagioclase and clinopyroxene with stratigraphic height, with particular reference to the change in mineral composition in each of the hanging wall, Reef and footwall units. Orthopyroxene compositions range in Mg numbers between 74.6 and 82.9 (77.4) in the hanging wall, 78.5 and 87.0 (avg. 81.1) in the Reef, and 77.9 and 84.1 (avg. 81.3) in the footwall. Plagioclase compositions range in An content between An64.9 and An82.3 (avg. An75.1) in the hanging wall, An56.8 to An70.8 (avg. An62.7) in the Reef, and An54.2 to An86.3 (avg. An73.2) in the footwall. In terms of Sm-Nd isotopic compositions, disequilibrium is evident between both whole rock samples and coexisting plagioclase and orthopyroxenes. Bulk rock Sm-Nd isotopic compositions show a range in ԐNd values between ԐNd (2.06 Ga) = -4.8 to -6.4 in the hangingwall, ԐNd (2.06 Ga) = -6.3 to -8.5 in the Reef, and ԐNd (2.06 Ga) = -4.5 to -6.3 in the footwall. Similar ԐNd values are present in the hanging wall and footwall units, with a clear “spike” in the Merensky Reef. ԐNd values in plagioclase are between ԐNd (2.06 Ga) = -5.8 and -7.8, while orthopyroxene isotopic Sm-Nd values are between ԐNd (2.06 Ga = -7.1 and -9.1. The mineral disequilibrium features presented within this study help elucidate the crystallization sequence of the magma as well as to constrain the contamination of the magma upon ascension and emplacement of the Merensky Reef. The results of this study favour a model where a mantle plume resulted in the ascent of a new magma which was contaminated by the assimilation of old, lower crust. Contamination took place prior to the possible lateral emplacement of the Merensky reef as a density current. 5-10% contamination of depleted mantle or a B2-“like” source by Archaean TTGs is modeled to achieve the contamination “spike” of ԐNd = -8.5 in the Merensky Reef.
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  • Date Issued: 2014

Objecting to apartheid: the history of the end conscription campaign

  • Authors: Jones, David
  • Date: 2013
  • Subjects: End Conscription Campaign (South Africa) , Apartheid -- South Africa , Government, Resistance to South Africa , Conscientious objection South Africa , South Africa -- Social conditions , South Africa -- Politics and government
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA (History)
  • Identifier: vital:11538 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1005998 , End Conscription Campaign (South Africa) , Apartheid -- South Africa , Government, Resistance to South Africa , Conscientious objection South Africa , South Africa -- Social conditions , South Africa -- Politics and government
  • Description: It is important that the story of organisations like the End Conscription Campaign be recorded. The narrative of the struggle against apartheid has become a site of contestation. As the downfall of apartheid is still a relatively recent event, the history is still in the process of formation. There is much contestation over the relative contributions of different groups within the struggle. This is an important debate as it informs and shapes the politics of the present. A new official narrative is emerging which accentuates the role of particular groupings, portraying them as the heroes and the leaders of the struggle. A new elite have laid exclusive claim to the heritage of the struggle and are using this narrative to justify their hold on power through the creation of highly centralised political structures in which positions of power are reserved for loyal cadres and independent thinking and questioning are seen as a threat. A complementary tradition of grassroots democracy, of open debate and transparency, of “people’s power”, of accountability of leadership to the people fostered in the struggle is being lost. It is important to contest this narrative. We need to remember that the downfall of apartheid was brought about by a myriad combination of factors and forces. Current academic interpretations emphasize that no one group or organisation, no matter how significant its contribution, was solely responsible. There was no military victory or other decisive event which brought the collapse of the system, rather a sapping of will to pay the ever increasing cost to maintain it. The struggle against apartheid involved a groundswell, popular uprising in which the initiative came not from centralised political structures, orchestrating a grand revolt, but from ordinary South Africans who were reacting to the oppressive nature of a brutally discriminatory system which sought to control every aspect of their lives.4 Leaders and structures emerged organically as communities organised themselves around issues that affected them. Organisations that emerged were highly democratic and accountable to their members. There was no grand plan or centralised control of the process. As Walter Benjamin warned in a different context, but applicable here: “All rulers are the heirs of those who have conquered before them.” He feared that what he referred to as a historicist view constructed a version of history as a triumphal parade of progress. “Whoever has emerged victorious” he reminds us “participates to this day in the triumphal procession in which the present rulers step over those who are lying prostrate. According to traditional practice the spoils are carried along in the procession.” 5 He was warning of just such a tendency, which has been repeated so often in the past, for the victors to construct a version of history which ends up justifying a new tyranny. To counter this tendency it is important that other histories of the struggle are told – that the stories of other groups, which are marginalised by the new hegemonic discourse, are recorded.This aim of this dissertation is thus two-fold. Firstly it aims to investigate “the story” of the End Conscription Campaign, which has largely been seen as a white anti-apartheid liberal organisation. The objective is to provide a detailed historical account and periodisation of the organisation to fill in the gaps and challenge the distortions of a new emerging “official” discourse.Secondly within this framework, and by using the activities and strategies of the organisation as evidence for its suppositions, the question of the role played by the ECC in the struggle.
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  • Date Issued: 2013

Mercosur-SACU relations : an examination of the revised economic initiative for South-South Cooperation

  • Authors: Mpepho, Lwandiso Arthur
  • Date: 2012
  • Subjects: Developing countries -- Economic policy , Customs unions , Sustainable development
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:8326 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020348
  • Description: The study was conducted to examine economic relations between the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and the Mercado Commun del Sur (translated Southern Common Market), in short (Mercosur). SACU was established in 1910 and consists of five member countries, namely; South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland. Mercosur was created in 1991 and consists of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, with Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela being associate members. The aim of the study was to ascertain whether the Mercosur-SACU relations had created more economic opportunities for both regions. In pursuit of this aim, the study revised and analysed the evolution, development and growth of both Mercosur and SACU. It also analysed the achievements and challenges faced by each of the blocs in their respective regions. The conclusion of the analysis indicate that, countries which were economically stronger before the establishment of formal bloc-to-bloc relations, Brazil in Mercosur and South Africa in SACU, tended to reap disproportionally high dividends than others. The study further concludes that challenges facing Mercosur and SACU countries should not discourage them in pursuing collective developmental initiatives such as regional integration and South-South Cooperation.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

The implications of rural-urban migration on employment and household income with particular reference to Lesotho

  • Authors: Damane, Moeti
  • Date: 2012
  • Subjects: Rural-urban migration -- Employment -- Lesotho Informal sector (Economics) -- Lesotho Lesotho -- Economic conditions
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: vital:1002 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002737
  • Description: The research investigates the impact of internal rural - urban migration III Lesotho on household income and employment. Using data gathered from the 2002/03 household survey, the 2006 nationwide census and a questionnaire on rural - urban migration in Lesotho administered to 500 respondents in Maseru and Leribe, we estimate a logit model of the probability of employment in Lesotho in 2008 given a set of independent variables. The independent variables are respondent's work experience; years of education completed; employment status in 2004; employment status in 2008; gender; job skill level; place of residence in 2004 and a categorical variable that measures whether or not the respondent is a rural - urban migrant. The results suggest that migration and work experience have no significant impact on an individual's likelihood of being employed in the country's formal sector. Also, it was found that the higher the level of education an individual has, the less likely are their chances of employment in the country's formal sector because of the lack of formal jobs in the urban areas. Over 50% of Lesotho's workforce employed in the urban areas was discovered to work in the informal sector. The study concludes that there is a lack of jobs in Lesotho's urban formal sector that results in a thriving informal sector. The advantages of informal sector jobs to the rural - urban migrant include an increase in their standard of living as well as that of their family members left behind in the rural areas but the disadvantages include low levels of investor confidence that lead to a decrease in overall economic development and growth in the country.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

The development and technologizing of selected Sepedi ICT terminology

  • Authors: Magagane, Raesetja Linah
  • Date: 2011
  • Subjects: Northern Sotho language -- Terms and phrases Northern Sotho language -- Terminology Northern Sotho language -- Computer-assisted instruction Communication -- Technological innovations
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:3581 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002156
  • Description: It is my wish that the Sepedi language speakers, through the development and technologization of certain Sepedi ICT terminology, are able to operate a computer in their own language, and implement the new developed and technologized ICT terminology (technologization). The pupils and students at their various institutions should be made comfortable in using the developed and technologized Sepedi language terminology. In the long run the Sepedi language speakers should be ensured access to the web in order to find information about Sepedi language, culture and terms in disciplines such as ICT. It is recommended in this thesis that higher learning institutions offer bursaries to students to develop all South African languages in such a manner that they can be used in all high status functions.
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  • Date Issued: 2011

The role of the ward committees as an interface between local government and community: a case study of Makana Municipality

  • Authors: Stuurman, Sonwabo Happyboy
  • Date: 2009
  • Subjects: Makana Municipality Local government -- South Africa -- Case studies Local government -- South Africa -- Citizen participation Community development -- South Africa -- Case studies Political participation -- South Africa -- Case studies Democracy -- South Africa South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1994- South Africa -- Politics and government -- 21st century
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:3292 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003080
  • Description: The Ward Committee System was introduced in South Africa in 2001 as a tool to bring government closer to the people and to enhance participatory democracy. The Makana Municipality adopted the system in 2002. Previous research on local government indicates that these structures have not been effective due to the lack of resources to sustain them. This study was interested in furthering such research, using the Makana Municipality as a case study during which unstructured, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with Ward Councillors, Ward Committee Members and Grade 12 learners. The aim of the research was to investigate whether the ward committees did indeed promote the notion of participatory democracy and to what extent grass roots development has been enhanced by this structure of local government. The findings from both the respondents and the observations indicate that, in addition to the lack of resources, the underutilization of the Ward Committee System is a result of the effect of opposing political affiliations within the ward committee system, affiliations that undermine the goal of collaborative decision-making. Whereas the ward committee system is a positive idea, the findings suggest that the government is not supporting these structures by failing to equip the ward committee members with necessary capacities and skills. Therefore, if municipalities are committed to bridging the gap between local government and the community, and are keen to enhance participatory democracy, then capacity building of the ward committees and respect for their role during the decision-making process need to be taken seriously. At present, ward committee members are not influential and active in the decision-making process. In addition, the youth as prospective future ward committee members seemed disillusioned with the notion of participatory democracy, and instead have adopted the mentality that nepotism and corruption, as displayed by those in power, is the only way of governance. This research suggests that the ward committee system, intended to bring government closer to the people, may in fact not only alienate government from the people, but also the people from each other.
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  • Date Issued: 2009

Interest rate risk management : a case study of GBS Mutual Bank

  • Authors: Williamson, Gareth Alan
  • Date: 2008
  • Subjects: GBS Mutual Bank , Interest rates -- Case studies , Interest rate risk -- Case studies , Risk management -- Case studies , Financial risk -- Case studies , Banks and banking -- Case studies
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: vital:986 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002720 , GBS Mutual Bank , Interest rates -- Case studies , Interest rate risk -- Case studies , Risk management -- Case studies , Financial risk -- Case studies , Banks and banking -- Case studies
  • Description: Banks play a pivotal role in the economic growth and development of countries, primarily through the diversification of risk for both themselves and other economic agents. Interest rate risk is regarded as one of the most prominent financial risks faced by a bank. A large portion of private banks’ revenue stems from net interest income that is generated from the difference between various assets and liabilities that are held on the balance sheet. Fluctuations in the interest rate can alter a bank’s interest income and value, making interest rate risk management vital to its success. The asset and liability committee of a bank is the internal committee charged with the duty of managing the bank’s interest rate risk exposure through the use of various hedging strategies and instruments. This thesis uses a case study methodology to analyse GBS Mutual Bank interest rate risk management. Its specific business circumstances, balance sheet structure and the market conditions over a specified period are used to comment on the practicality of a variety of balance sheet positioning strategies and derivative hedging instruments. The thesis also provides recommendations for the bank’s asset and liability committee in terms of its functions and organisation. It is elucidated that the most practical balance sheet hedging strategies are a volume strategy and immunisation, while the most practical derivative hedging instruments are interest rate futures and interest rate collars. It is found that the bank has a well functioning asset and liability committee whose only encumbrance to its functionality is the inadequacy of the informational technology used to measure, control and manage its interest rate risk position. This thesis concludes by summarising the practicality of the various interest rate risk hedging alternatives available to the GBS Mutual Bank. Implementing a particular strategy or instrument depends, of course, on its asset and liability committee’s decision.
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  • Date Issued: 2008
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