Towards a broader socio-ecological education : a case study of school based curricular reform
- Authors: Cimma, Gary Martin
- Date: 2002
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:20973 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5763
- Description: This work documents and analyses an action research project that the researcher undertook in conjunction with colleagues at an independent Catholic high school in Johannesburg. The main objective was to try to expand the existing curriculum in operation at the time of starting the research to one, which was more socio-ecologically sensitive. One of the key references during the action research was the recently drafted ‘Vision Statement’ document, which detailed the educational ideals of the school. Some of the key findings that emerged as the research proceeded, were that the levels of socio-ecological sensitivity displayed by the learners were influenced by the backgrounds from which they came, and that these background environments were often not comfortable with the changes taking place in the educational and greater South African environments. The Participatory Action Research mode of research which was used proved to be problematic in that only a handful of the educators actually got involved in participating in the project. The failure of many of educators to get involved was, in the opinion of the researcher, due to their lack of understanding how important the development of social and ecological sensitivity are to the necessary change capacity required in present day South African society. The need to be involved in the ongoing development of curriculum as required by Curriculum 2005 as a form of Outcomes Based Education was also problematic as some educators were not familiar with their role in this regard. The limited time-span of the research was also a limiting factor as the development of a socio-ecologically sensitive curriculum required changes in some fundamental attitudes and approaches to education and the environment.
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- Date Issued: 2002
The tax implications of non-resident sportspersons performing and earning an income in South Africa
- Authors: Wessels, Jacques
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: South African Revenue Service , Sports -- Taxation -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Taxation -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Income tax -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Income tax -- Foreign income , Income tax -- South Africa -- Foreign income , Withholding tax -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:893 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003719 , South African Revenue Service , Sports -- Taxation -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Taxation -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Income tax -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Income tax -- Foreign income , Income tax -- South Africa -- Foreign income , Withholding tax -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
- Description: As the number of non-resident sports persons competing in South Africa increases so does the need to tax them more effectively. It was for this reason that the South African legislature decided to insert Part IlIA into the Income Tax Act which regulates the taxation of non-resident sports persons in South Africa. The new tax on foreign sports persons, which came into effect during August 2006, is a withholding tax placing the onus upon the organizer of the event to withhold the tax portion of the payment to the non-resident sportsperson and pay it over to the revenue services. The rate of taxation has been set at 15 percent on all amounts received by or accruing to a foreign sportsperson. The question which the research addressed is whether this new tax will prove to be an effective tax, both from the point of view of its equity and the administration of the tax. In order to determine the impact of the new tax, it was compared to similar taxes implemented in the United Kingdom and Australia and also to other withholding taxes levied in South Africa. The new tax was also measured against a theoretical model for effectiveness, compared to the pre-August 2006 situation and to the taxation of resident sportsmen and women, using hypothetical examples. The major shortcomings of the new withholding tax are the uncertainty with regard to the intention of the legislature on matters such as the taxation of capital income versus revenue income, the question whether payments to support staff are included in the ambit of the new tax, the taxation of the award of assets in lieu of cash payments and the definition of a resident. A further area of concern is that the rate of taxation of 15 percent appears to be too low and creates horizontal inequity between the taxation of resident and non-resident sports persons. The new tax on non-resident sports persons may have its shortcomings but, depending upon the administrative and support structures put in place to deal with it, will be an effective tax. The rate at which the tax is levied could result in a less tax being collected than before but, with the reduced administrative cost of tax collection, the effective/statutory ratio of the tax could well be much higher than it was. This is a new tax in South Africa and certain initial problems are inevitable and will undoubtedly be solved as the administrators gain experience and as the case law governing this tax develops. , KMBT_363
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- Date Issued: 2008
The role of the guidance teacher in preparing young people for personal and social life in Gazankulu
- Authors: Machimana, Albert
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Counselling , Guidance , Life skills , Secondary education , Self concept , Gazankulu
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1381 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001447
- Description: In the modernising South African society, young people are faced with personal and social problems which make it very difficult for them to adjust positively to life in general. In the end they are frustrated in many situations in life because of their inability to cope with these problems. One of the major problems that the Blacks in South Africa are faced with is that of a poor self-concept. This is a major problem because any adjustment and behaviour in life is, to a large extent, influenced by the self-concept of the individual. This thesis aims at focusing attention on those social issues which play a major role in the development of the self-concept and the lives in general, of Black people in Gazankulu. It is also concerned with the role of the guidance teacher in preparing young people for a more satisfying life (Introduction, p. 1)
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- Date Issued: 1986
The role of field and garden cultivation for food security under a changing climate: the case of Fairbairn and Ntloko villages, Eastern Cape
- Authors: Brooks, Haydn
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Climatic changes -- Economic aspects -- Eastern Cape (South Africa) , Climatic changes -- Social aspects -- South Africa , Food -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , Food security -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/58013 , vital:27019
- Description: The world is becoming more complex due to the increasing occurrence of social-ecological change. This is particularly evident in the developing world, especially on the African continent, where existing vulnerabilities (i.e. endemic poverty, weak governance, overpopulation and HIV/AIDS) are being exacerbated by the impact of climate change. Climate change poses a very real threat to millions of Africans, especially those who rely on the natural world for their livelihoods. The increasing variability of climate and rainfall patterns are said to have dire consequences on agricultural production which is the main livelihood activity of rural dwellers across the continent. The impacts of such change and variability include, changes in the frequency and intensity of droughts, flooding and heavy storms, leading to worsening soil conditions, desertification as well as disease and pest out-breaks which will likely result in reduced crop and livestock yields. A reduction in agricultural production will likely have a negative effect on the food security of millions of people. This study was conducted in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, in two rural villages, Fairbairn and Ntloko located in the former Ciskei homeland, with the purpose of exploring the nexus between climate change, cultivation and food security. This study combined social-ecological thinking with that of political ecology to create a robust lens, in which to analyse the complex interactions between humans and the environment. A mixed methods approach was used to gather the data which consisted of a household survey, using a structured questionnaire as well as semi-structured interviews with various respondents. Quantitative data were analysed using Excel and Statistica 13, whilst coding was used for qualitative data. The main aim of the study was to explore the extent and characteristics of cultivation in the two study sites, the role of household food production in food security as well as the challenges that local cultivator’s face with regards to climate change. In recent decades, there has been a decline in rural agricultural production with many fields that were previously cultivated, lying vacant and unused. However, as this study found, cultivation is still important as over 50% of sampled households cultivated a small area within the homestead. This was mainly done to supplement household food expenditure in order to save cash incomes. The results also found that although participants had perceived negative changes in climate and rainfall (amount, onset, duration), it was not considered the most important challenge for own production. Rather, lack of fencing and capital were seen as major hindrances to efficient own production. Understanding the complexity of own production and food security under a changing climate can help form better and more resilient policies and strategies for rural development, in addition to strengthening future livelihoods of rural people in an ever changing world.
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- Date Issued: 2018
The impact of social network sites on written isiXhosa : a case study of a rural and an urban high school
- Authors: Dlutu, Bongiwe Agrienette
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Online social networks -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Use studies Mobile communication systems -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Interpersonal communication -- Technological innovations -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Mobile communication systems in education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Teaching -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Aids and devices Xhosa language -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Electronic mail systems -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Slang Smartphones -- South Africa -- Use studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3629 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011826
- Description: The use of cellphones has increased all over the world. That invites many academics to conduct research on the usage of these devices, especially by young people, since young people join Social Network Sites (Facebook, Mxit, 2go, Whatsapp) and use a shorthand language. Most studies are related to the use of English and other languages that are recognised by computer software. There are few studies, if any, that have been done in relation to the use of African Languages on these sites. This research therefore aims to seek to explore the use of African Languages, especially isiXhosa, in assessing how technology might help in language development through the usage of SNSs that learners already use to equip them with educational material in their mother tongue. This study was conducted in two high schools, Nogemane Senior Secondary School in a disadvantaged and remote rural community with limited access to additional educational material such as magazines, newspapers, and television. The school also lacks basic study materials such as textbooks from the Education Department and they have no access to a library and laboratory. They also only have very few subjects to choose from. Nombulelo Senior Secondary School is in Grahamstown. This school has good infrastructure and learners have access to different technological devices and they can access libraries. What is common between learners in both schools is that they are all doing isiXhosa as a first language and are using SNSs to interact with each other. This study has found that learners enjoy using SNSs rather than reading the printed books. Furthermore, they enjoy and prefer interacting in isiXhosa in their conversations. Learners also use the web to post and show their creative writing, regardless of the shorthand form writing they use on the SNSs. This study has found that learners are not well equipped with basic isiXhosa skills when reaching the FET phase. They lack the understanding of standard isiXhosa idioms and proverbs. That clearly means that they are equipped in the more modern forms of literature rather than the traditional oral forms. IsiXhosa teachers also see SNSs as the better platform to engage with learners and they suggest that there must be a section in the subjects at school that teaches about cyber bullying and being safe online. This thesis also presents examples of new and contemporary forms of SNS-speak that are used by learners in both the rural and urban schools. This study is more concerned with SNSs for literacy development and to assess whether the shorthand writing has negative or positive effects in writing isiXhosa. This is done against the backdrop of a literature review which explores new literacies, computer mediated communication, social identity models as well as language policy and planning.
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- Date Issued: 2014
The experiences of youth after exiting the foster care system in South Africa: A case study of Kou-kamma Municipality, Eastern Cape Province
- Authors: Phillip, Malusi
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Foster home care Social work with teenagers
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSW
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/18164 , vital:42238
- Description: There is a high number of children placed in foster care in the Eastern Cape compared to other provinces as of 2017, this proves that foster care is the most preferred form of substitute care in South Africa. Despite the revelations that foster care is the mostly practiced form of substitute care in South Africa, children do not remain forever in the foster care system. Every year, hundreds of young adults age out of the foster care system in South Africa when they officially become adults at or around their 18th birthday. The aim of the study was to investigate the experiences of youth who have exited the foster care system in Kou-kamma Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape province. A qualitative research method was employed. The study made use of 26 participants, 21 youth who exited the foster care system were purposively selected from all six wards of Kou-kamma Municipality and six social workers were also purposively selected from three child welfare organizations in Kou-kamma Municipality. An interview guide was developed for both sets of participants and they were individually interviewed. The findings show that youth who have been exited from the foster care system experience a series of challenges after they have exited, including experimenting with drugs and alcohol as a negative coping mechanism, unplanned pregnancy, lack of support to enter tertiary education institutions, and financial challenges., Furthermore, the findings indicate that the youth developed coping strategies including working as seasonal workers on fruit farms of the langkloof and in the tourism and forestry of the Tsitsikamma. The youth also reported receiving support from their partners and former foster parents. Support services after the exit from the social service organizations was found to be non-existent and also the fact that social workers were facing a vii number of challenges in their quest to fulfil their roles. Some of these challenges include lack of resources, heavy caseloads, poor remuneration and inadequate office space which led to sharing. It is evident from the study that former foster youth in Koukamma are not exempted, they too encounter a lot of challenges after exiting the foster care system, more especially at the early stage of the exit with no form of support at all from child welfare organizations, they are made to find their own way in life as they are regarded as adults. It is recommended that a multi- stakeholder approach inclusive of different stakeholders needs to be adopted.
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- Date Issued: 2020
The effects of liberalisation and regulation of cellphone companies from 2007 - 2018: a study of Buffalo city municipality
- Authors: Malobola, Nomvuyo Ursula Vuyokazi
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Economic development
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSoc (Communications)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/18153 , vital:42237
- Description: This study focuses on the effects of liberalisation and regulation of the telecommunications sector in South Africa. A qualitative research method was adopted and the researcher conducted focus group interviews with participants that were purposely selected to collect data from different suburbs around the Buffalo City Metropolitan area in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The areas were Mdantsane, Selborne and Southernwood, which have large populations and obviously enjoy high cell phone usage. In addition, an in-depth interview was conducted with an official of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), which is the monitoring body for telecommunications in South Africa. The findings of this study have shown that despite the airtime and data being expensive, the telecoms sector is critical to the people of South Africa, and the failure by the government to regulate and liberalise the telecoms sector has led to expensive cell phone charges on the public. As such, it can be noted that the majority of the urban poor, especially in the Buffalo City Metropolitan, endure expensive charges. More so, the study found that there has been frustrating slow progress of transformation of the telecommunications industry and associated key national policy objectives. In addition, the study also recognises that as a member of WTO South Africa had to adopt policies of globalisation or risk isolation should it operate outside it. In addition, this study revealed that in spite of the challenges that are related to regulation and liberalisation, progress can still be made in reducing price hikes, especially when strategic investments are made in the telecommunication sector in South Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2020
The distinction between tax evasion, tax avoidance and tax planning
- Authors: Tarrant, Greg
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: South African Revenue Service , Tax evasion -- South Africa , Tax planning -- South Africa , Income tax -- South Africa , Income tax -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:897 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004549
- Description: Tax avoidance has been the subject of intense scrutiny lately by both the South African Revenue Service ("the SARS") and the media. This attention stems largely from the recent withdrawal of section 103(1) together with the introduction of section 80A to 80L of the South African Income Tax Act. However, this attention is not limited to South Africa. Revenue authorities worldwide have focused on the task of challenging tax avoidance. The approach of the SARS to tackling tax avoidance has been multi-faceted. In the Discussion Paper on Tax Avoidance and Section 103 (1) of the South African Income Tax Act they begin with a review of the distinction between tax evasion, tax avoidance and tax planning. Following a call for comment the SARS issued an Interim Response followed by the Revised Proposals which culminated in the withdrawal of the longstanding general anti-avoidance rules housed in section 103(1) and the introduction of new and more comprehensive anti-avoidance rules. In addition, the SARS has adopted an ongoing media campaign stressing the importance of paying tax in a country with a large development agenda like that of South Africa, the need for taxpayers to adopt a responsible attitude to the management of tax and the inclusion of responsible tax management as the greatest measure of a taxpayer's corporate and social investment. In tandem with this message the SARS have sought to vilify those taxpayers who engage in tax avoidance. The message is clear: tax avoidance carries reputational risks; those who engage in tax avoidance are unpatriotic or immoral and their actions simply result in an unfair shifting of the tax burden. The SARS is not alone in the above approach. Around the world tax authorities have been echoing the same message. The message appears to be working. Accounting firms speak of a "creeping conservatism" that has pervaded company boardrooms. What is not clear, however, is whether taxpayers, in becoming more conservative, are simply more fully aware of tax risks and are making informed decisions or whether they are simply responding to external events, such as the worldwide focus by revenue authorities and the media on tax avoidance. Whatever the reason, it is now critical, particularly in the case of corporate taxpayers, that their policies for tax and its attendant risks need to be as sophisticated, coherent and transparent as its policies in all other areas involving multiple stakeholders, such as suppliers, customers, staff and investors. How does a company begin to set its tax philosophy and strategic direction or to determine its appetite for risk? A starting point, it is submitted would be a review of the distinction between tax evasion, avoidance and planning with a heightened sensitivity to the unfamiliar ethical, moral and social risks. The goal of this thesis was to clearly define the distinction between tax evasion, tax avoidance and tax planning from a legal interpretive, ethical and historical perspective in order to develop a rudimentary framework for the responsible management of strategic tax decisions, in the light of the new South African general anti-avoidance legislation. The research methodology entails a qualitative research orientation consisting of a critical conceptual analysis of tax evasion and tax avoidance, with a view to establishing a basic framework to be used by taxpayers to make informed decisions on tax matters. The analysis of the distinction in this work culminated in a diagrammatic representation of the distinction between tax evasion, tax avoidance and tax planning emphasising the different types of tax avoidance from least aggressive to the most abusive and from the least objectionable to most objectionable. It is anticipated that a visual representation of the distinction, however flawed, would result in a far more pragmatic tool to taxpayers than a lengthy document. From a glance taxpayers can determine the following: That tax avoidance is legal; that different forms of tax avoidance exist, some forms being more aggressive than others; that aggressive forms of tax avoidance carry reputational risks; and that in certain circumstances aggressive tax avoidance schemes may border on tax evasion. This, it is envisaged, may prompt taxpayers to ask the right questions when faced with an external or in-house tax avoidance arrangement rather than simply blindly accepting or rejecting the arrangement.
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- Date Issued: 2008
Tangentially symplectic foliations
- Authors: Remsing, Claudiu Cristian
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Geometry Problems, exercises, etc Geometry, Differential Symplectic manifolds Poisson manifolds Foliations (Mathematics)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5419 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005233
- Description: This thesis is concerned principally with tangential geometry and the applications of these concepts to tangentially symplectic foliations. The subject of tangential geometry is still at an elementary stage. The author here systematises current concepts and results and extends them, leading to the definition of vertical connections and vertical G-structures. Tangentially symplectic foliations are then characterised in terms of vertical symplectic forms. Some significant particular cases are discussed.
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- Date Issued: 1994
Stem cutting propagation protocol for rose-scented geranium (Pelargonium graveolens)
- Authors: Matafeni, Ntombekhaya
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Plant propagation Pelargoniums Plant cuttings
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/9832 , vital:35060
- Description: Rose-scented geranium (Pelargonium graveolens), is a high value essential oil plant that is used in the perfumery, cosmetic, aromatherapy and food flavouring industries. The increasing demand for this plant, due to its economic importance necessitates the development of an efficient propagation protocol for quality seedling and its maximum production. The present study therefore, sought to develop effective stem cutting propagation protocol which could facilitate multiplication of rose-scented geranium stem cuttings. Three separate experiments were undertaken to determine factors influencing effective propagation of rose-scented geranium. These factors were: rooting media, rooting hormone, cutting length and wound healing period on rooting and development of rose-scented geranium stem cuttings. The cuttings were assessed based on root number, length and fresh mass, plant height, leaf number, and stem circumference. In terms of root measurements, the growing media were washed out from the root system of plantlets, their roots were separated from stem before data was recorded which comprised of root number, length and root fresh mass. Root holding ability (RHA) on rooting medium was determined by visual observation and rated on a 1-5 scale where 1 = very loose, not acceptable; 2 = loose, not acceptable; 3 = medium, marginally acceptable; 4 = tight, acceptable; 5 = very tight, acceptable. The experiments were carried out at Essential Amatole Nursery, at the University of Fort Hare Research Farm, Alice Campus (located at 320 47ʹ3ʺS, 260 50ʹ43ʺ E, with an altitude of 519 m.a.s.l). All the experiments were carried out under mist conditions on bottom-heated beds in a greenhouse (with polycarbonate roofing of about 40percent shading effect) for the first three weeks after sticking the cuttings to the growing medium to facilitate root induction in relatively high temperature and relative humidity. Thereafter, the plantlets were grown in a shade house with 70percent light penetration until the termination of the experiment. To optimize the technology for the propagation of this plant the present experiment was designed with the objective to determine the efficient growing medium and proper rooting hormone for successful rooting and development of quality seedlings of rose-scented geranium. The experiment was set up in a complete randomized design (CRD) and was replicated three times with two factors 7×4, seven different growing media i.e. (1) Mixture growing medium which serves as control (pine bark 8 bags + sand 2 bags + lime 4kg + coconut 10 blocks + talborne 6.25 kg + bone meal 2 kg); (2) River sand only; (3) Pine bark; (4) Hygrotex (commercial rooting media); (5) Pine bark + river sand ( at1:1 ratio on volume basis); (6) Pine bark + hygrotex (at 1:1, ratio on volume basis), and; (7) Pine bark + river sand + hygrotex ( at 1:1:1 ratio on volume basis) and four different IBA hormone levels (auxins, types of IBA) applied as treatment were (1) Dynaroot (1 – 1g/kg), (2) Dynaroot (2- 3g/kg), (3) Dynaroot (3-8g/kg) and (4) Control (untreated with hormone). Hygrotex was identified as the best growth media for quicker regeneration giving the highest root number, length and fresh mass. While, hygrotex + pine bark (v/v 1:1) was efficient in producing more leaves, stem circumference and other aerial parameters. Dynaroot 3 was identified as the best rooting enhancer with maximum root number, length, fresh weight and plant height. Both Dynaroot 3 and Dynaroot 2 did not have major differences on giving highest leaf number. Control (untreated with hormone) was consistent in giving the greatest stem circumference than any other treatment. To maximize stem circumference, a combination of control (untreated with hormone) and hygrotex + pine bark (v/v 1:1) was identified as the best treatment. Based on the investigation for maximum production and quality seedlings of rose-scented geranium, hygrotex and Dynaroot 3 were identified as the best combination for successful rooting. The ideal cutting stem length, rooting hormone and growing medium for quality seedlings of rose-scented geranium were also investigated. The experimental lay out was in randomized complete design (RCD) with a 4 × 4 × 2 factorial treatment combination. Treatments used were, four different cutting lengths viz. 10, 12, 14 and 16 cm long; four different concentrations of IBA rooting hormone (Dynaroot 1, 2, 3 (powder form) and distilled water (control) and two types of growing medium (hygrotex and hygrotex + pine bark v/v 1:1) were used. Stem cuttings of 14 and 16 cm length gave the highest root number of 34, 38 and 35.13, and root length of 3.40 and 3.51cm respectively, with no significance. Cutting length of 10 cm favoured stem circumference (3.1 cm) as compared to other treatments. Whereas, cuttings treated with Dynaroot 3 showed a better root number (33.46 roots), root length (3.54 cm), root fresh mass (0.59 mg), leaf number of (11.08) as well as highest root holding ability (5). However, they showed no significance difference with Dynaroot 2 treated cuttings. In addition, cuttings treated with Control favoured shoot number (3.79) and stem circumference (3.05). Visually, hygrotex was observed to be better substrate though it was not significantly different from hygrotex + pine bark (1:1 v/v) on propagation of rose-scented geranium stem cuttings. Therefore, it is recommended that rose-scented geranium should be propagated through the combination of 14 cm cuttings length and treated with Dynaroot 2 IBA rooting hormone. Both hygrotex and hygrotex + pine bark (1:1 v/v) are the best growing media for root formation and growth of rose-scented geranium, though hygrotex alone is more economical. Wound healing period (WHP) of stem cutting was evaluated using 4 × 4 factorial, cuttings were separated into four groups during the healing duration (intervals of 24 hrs: days 0, 1, 2 and 3). These four groups were further subdivided into four subgroups of rooting hormone viz. Dynaroot 1, 2, 3 of indole-3-butyric acid and control (water). Experiment was laid out in a randomised complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates. The results obtained from the study revealed that rose-scented geranium rooted easily when planted on Day 2 of the wound healing period such that root holding ability was at its highest. While, Day 0 cuttings showed good response for stem circumference and shoot number. The study recommends that rose-scented geranium be propagated using cuttings that have enough time to heal the wound that is, Day 2 cuttings. Dynaroot 3 (IBA hormone concentration) showed good response to rooting and other arial parameters except for stem circumference which was favoured by application of control. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that propagation of rose-scented geranium requires a wound healing period of about three days in room temperature and application of IBA hormone before sucking cuttings in growing medium. Instead, of Dynaroot 3 or 2, Dynaroot 1 can also be used because, it is less economical and they all have a similar effect on cuttings that have been healing for three days.
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- Date Issued: 2017
Stakeholders' perceptions of parents' involvement in the governance of a Namibian rural school
- Authors: Niitembu, Martha M
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: School management and organization -- Namibia Education -- Parent participation -- Namibia Education and state -- Namibia Rural schools -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1770 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003655
- Description: The issue of decentralisation has been one of the top priorities of the Namibian education system since independence in 1990. One of the decentralisation aims was to enhance parental involvement in education by establishing School Boards. However, School Boards and the role of parents in school management have been considered ineffective for several years which led to the promulgation of Education Act 16 of 2001 in which the roles of School Boards are strengthened and clarified. This study sought to investigate School Board members’ perceptions, understanding and experiences of parents’ involvement in school governance more specifically after the implementation of the Education Act of 2001 in 2003. This study is an interpretive case study of one combined rural school in the Ohangwena educational region of Namibia. This research employed three data collection techniques, namely semi-structured interviews, observation and document analysis. The main findings of this study reveal that there is a lack of joint understanding and shared vision between educators and parents in the School Board. This problem underpins other more symptomatic problems, such as lack of accountability in the matter of school finances, differences in understanding the roles of School Board members and lack of parents’ motivation from the school management. The study further reveals the ineffectiveness and insufficiency of the training provided in the past. It highlights some of the challenges that hinder the effective involvement of parents in rural school governance, such as poor educational background among parents, poor knowledge of the English language and poor understanding of educational issues. However the findings also acknowledge parents’ participation and their full involvement in decision-making. The findings show that the new School Board elected in terms of the Education Act of 2001 has been more effective than previous School Boards and has reached a number of achievements such as being instrumental in solving disciplinary problems, purchasing school assets and renovating classrooms. Recommendations for practice and for further research are made.
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- Date Issued: 2007
Self-respecting practical reason: an analysis of self-respect and its implications for practical reason
- Authors: Roberts, Deborah Joan
- Date: 2002
- Subjects: Williams, Bernard Arthur Owen -- Ethics , Ethics, Modern -- 20th century , Self-esteem
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2719 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002849 , Williams, Bernard Arthur Owen -- Ethics , Ethics, Modern -- 20th century , Self-esteem
- Description: What should I do? As long as I am aware of the relevant facts of the situation and deliberating soundly, Bernard Williams argues that I should do what I want to do. It makes no sense to say that there are reasons that are fixed objects of concern, or values, that exist for an agent regardless of what she is in fact motivated to do. Reasons, for Williams, are hypothetical. I argue that he takes this view of practical reason because of a prior answer to the question “How should I live?”. A universal account of the good life would mean an account of values, or interests, that all human beings should have. Williams thinks it is not possible to give a universal account of the good life for human beings; any such account must be constructed out of the particular reasons of a community. But, he takes a constructivist view of the good life because he thinks that to be universal an account of the good life would have to be objective. Since objectivity cannot be achieved, he argues, neither can universality. Williams is only half right. That objectivity is not possible is inconsequential. A foundation for ethics has to be internal, but this does not preclude it being universal. I develop such a foundation based on the Aristotelian conception of human nature. A life cannot be wholly good if it is not self-respecting. Moreover, self-respect fits the framework for the specification of the good life that this foundation provides: I argue that self-respect can be shown to have a structure which provides an account of real interests - reasons that are objects of fixed concern. As such, reasons recognise rather than construct the good, making categorical reasons possible. A person can have a reason to change or act, even if reason itself cannot effect that change or action. Thus, I can be wrong about what I should do not only by being wrong about what would count as a satisfaction of my interests, but also by being wrong about what my interests are.
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- Date Issued: 2002
Restricted teacher leadership : a case study in a township high school in Port Elizabeth
- Authors: Fani, Pamela Pumla
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Educational leadership , School management and organization -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2059 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019882
- Description: The South African education system prior to 1994 was characterised by hierarchical management structures with top-down communication systems. After 1994, there was a policy call to shift leadership and management practices to more democratic ways of working. These policies required the principals to share their power with teachers, replacing the leader-follower system of leadership. The post-apartheid era in the South African education system marked a turning point where, in policy discourse at least, teachers were seen as leaders, opening the doors for teacher leadership. The aim of this study was to explore the enactment of teacher leadership in a township secondary school in the province of the Eastern Cape. It also sought to investigate the factors that enhanced or hindered this leadership enactment as teachers operated as leaders in their natural setting. Under the umbrella of distributed leadership as a theoretical framework, the research study was located within the interpretive paradigm and a qualitative case study was adopted. Three teacher leaders at the case study school were my primary participants. Data collection methods included interviews, questionnaires, observations, self-reflective journaling and telephonic conservations. I used Grant’s Model of teacher leadership as my analytical tool. My findings indicated that teacher leadership was enacted in all the zones of teacher leadership but to varying degrees. My teacher leaders enacted leadership in Zone 1 where they showed strong leadership in the classroom. They also enacted leadership in Zone 2 and 4 where they showed leadership in working with other teachers and learners outside the classroom in curricular and extra-curricular activities as well as in other neighbouring schools. However, in Zone 3 the School Management Team (SMT) controlled most of the leadership and management activities. Teacher leaders were not included in decision-making in this zone as the SMT thought that it was their sole duty. Teacher leadership in this school was thus characterised as ‘restricted’ following the characterisations of teacher leadership by Harris & Muijs (2007). Using Gunter’s (2005) categories of distributed leadership, I categorised the case study school as an example of authorised distributed leadership.
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- Date Issued: 2016
Representing conflict: an analysis of The Chronicle's coverage of the Gukurahundi conflict in Zimbabwe between 1983 and 1986
- Authors: Santos, Phillip
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: The Chronicle (Zimbabwe) Zimbabwe -- History -- 1980- Zimbabwe -- Politics and government -- 1980- Mass media -- Political aspects -- Zimbabwe Mass media -- Moral and ethical aspects -- Zimbabwe Journalistic ethics -- Zimbabwe Journalism -- Objectivity -- Zimbabwe War in mass media -- Zimbabwe Violence in mass media -- Zimbabwe Mass media and peace -- Zimbabwe Discourse analysis
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3481 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002936
- Description: This research is premised on the understanding that media texts are discourses and that all discourses are functional, that is, they refer to things, issues and events, in meaningful and goal oriented ways. Nine articles are analysed to explicate the sorts of discourses that were promoted by The Chronicle during the Gukurahundi conflict in Zimbabwe between 1982 and 1986. It is argued that discourses in the news media are shaped by the role(s), the type(s) of journalism assumed by such media, and by the political environment in which the news media operate. The interplay between the roles, types of journalism practised, and the effect the political environment has on news discourses is assessed within the context of conflictual situations. This is done using insights from the theoretical position of peace journalism and its critique of professional or mainstream journalism as promoting war/violence journalism. Using the case of The Chronicle's reportage of the Gukurahundi conflict in Zimbabwe, it is concluded that, in performing the collaborative role, state owned/controlled media assume characteristics of war/violence journalism. On the other hand, it is concluded that The Chronicle developed practices consistent with peace journalism when it both espoused the facilitative role and journalistic objectivity. These findings undermine the conventional view among proponents of peace journalism that in times of conflict, the news media should be interventionist in favour of peace and that they should abandon the journalistic norm of objectivity which they argue, promotes war/violence journalism.
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- Date Issued: 2011
Patents, pills, poverty and pandemic: the ethical issues
- Authors: Brown, Walter
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Kant, Immanuel, 1724-1804 -- Ethics , AIDS (Disease) -- Treatment -- South Africa -- Moral and ethical aspects , AIDS (Disease) -- Moral and ethical aspects , HIV infections -- South Africa , HIV infections -- Treatment -- South Africa -- Moral and ethical aspects , Social responsibility of business , Pharmaceutical industry -- South Africa -- Moral and ethical aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2705 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002835 , Kant, Immanuel, 1724-1804 -- Ethics , AIDS (Disease) -- Treatment -- South Africa -- Moral and ethical aspects , AIDS (Disease) -- Moral and ethical aspects , HIV infections -- South Africa , HIV infections -- Treatment -- South Africa -- Moral and ethical aspects , Social responsibility of business , Pharmaceutical industry -- South Africa -- Moral and ethical aspects
- Description: This thesis argues that corporations qua corporations are moral agents sui generis and hence capable of being held morally responsible. I argue that corporations qua corporations are responsible for the actual and foreseen consequences of their actions. I analyse normative theories and the different proscriptive responsibilities they place on moral agents and hence corporations. I examine Kantianism, utilitarianism and virtue ethics. I argue for a unique normative ethical theory that incorporates reasoning from all three of the normative theories. I argue for a broad range of reasons to factor into deciding whether an act is ethical or not. One of the claims of this thesis is that ethical theories must incorporate an agent’s motivation, intention and character traits as relevant to deciding on whether an action is ethical or not. My thesis argues for an indispensable role for the virtues while at the same time incorporating impartial beneficence and universal rationality from utilitarianism and Kantianism. This position I, following the literature, refer to as moderate virtue theory. Having established corporate qua corporate responsibility I question the pharmaceutical corporation’s practice of patenting life saving medication during a state of pandemic in poor countries. The moderate virtue theory position prioritises contexts and the actual human condition and criticises normative theories that attempt to give universal, abstracted answers to ethical problems. It is for this reason and the current (2003) HIV/AIDS pandemic that I focus on a particular context. I examine the practice of patenting life saving medication within South Africa and argue, applying moderate virtue theory, that this act cannot be justified. I argue that a pharmaceutical corporation that patents life saving medication in South Africa cannot justify that action and thus is morally responsible for that action. I also argue that corporations patenting HIV/AIDS medication in South Africa have unethical motivations and intentions.
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- Date Issued: 2003
Genetic and biological characterisation of a novel South African Cydia pomonella granulovirus (CpGV-SA) isolate
- Authors: Motsoeneng, Boitumelo Madika
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:20503 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021266
- Description: The codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is the primary pest of pome fruit cultivated worldwide. The control of this insect pest has been dependent on the frequent use of broad-spectrum chemical pesticides, which has led to the development of resistance in pest populations and negative effects on human health and the environment. The Betabaculovirus of C. pomonella has successfully been applied as a biological control agent in integrated pest management (IPM) programmes for the suppression of pest populations worldwide. Previously, all Cydia pomonella granulovirus (CpGV) biopesticides were based on a Mexican isolate (CpGV-M) and although these products are highly efficient at controlling C. pomonella, resistance cases have been reported across Europe. The identification of novel CpGV isolates as additional or alternative control agents to manage resistance is therefore necessary. This study aimed to genetically and biologically characterise a novel South African C. pomonella granulovirus isolate and to test its virulence against neonate larvae. Based on the morphology of the occlusion bodies observed using transmission electron microscopy, granuloviruses were recovered from diseased and dead larvae collected from an orchard in South Africa where no virus applications had been made. DNA was extracted and the identification of the isolated granulovirus was achieved through the PCR amplification and sequencing of the lef-8, lef-9, granulin and egt genes. Submission of the gene sequences to BLAST revealed high percentage identities to sequences from various CpGV isolates, resulting in the naming of the isolate in this study as the South African Cydia pomonella granulovirus (CpGV-SA) isolate. Phylogenetic analysis based on the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) detected in the lef-8, lef-9 and granulin nucleotide sequences grouped the South African isolate with CpGV-E2 (genome type B) and CpGV-S (genome type E). The CpGV-SA isolate was further genetically characterised by restriction endonuclease analysis and complete sequencing of the genomic DNA. Differences were observed for the BamHI, EcoRI, PstI and XhoI profiles of CpGV-SA in comparison to the respective profiles generated for CpGV-M extracted from a biopesticide, Carpovirusine® (Arysta Lifescience, France). Several genetic variations between the complete genome sequence of CpGV-SA and the reference isolate, CpGV-M1, as well as a recent genome submission of CpGV-M, both representing genome type A were observed. The complete genome analysis confirmed that CpGV-SA is genetically different from the Mexican CpGV isolate, used in thedevelopment of most biopesticides. In silico restriction profiles of the genome sequence obtained for CpGV-SA and genome sequences of genetically different CpGV isolates originating from Mexico (M1 and M), England (E2), Canada (S) and Iran (I12 and I07), available on the NCBI’s GenBank database confirmed that CpGV-SA is of mixed genotypes. Furthermore, the South African isolate shared the single common difference found in the pe38 gene of resistance overcoming isolates, which was the absence of an internal 24 nucleotide repeat present in CpGV-M1. In addition to the common difference, SNPs detected in the pe38 gene grouped the isolate with the CpGV-S isolate, suggesting that the CpGV-SA isolate is predominantly of genome type E. To determine the biological activity of CpGV-SA against neonate C. pomonella larvae, surface bioassays were conducted alongside CpGV-M (Carpovirusine®) bioassays. The LC50 and LC90 values for the South African isolate were 1.6 × 103 and 1.2 × 105 OBs/ml respectively. The LT50 was determined to be 135 hours. These values were similar to the values obtained for CpGV-M (Carpovirusine®). The results in this study suggest that a novel South African CpGV isolate of mixed genotypes, potentially able to overcome resistance in C. pomonella, with biological activity similar to CpGV-M (Carpovirusine®) and important for the control of C. pomonella was recovered. The CpGV-SA isolate could therefore potentially be developed into a biopesticide for use in resistance management strategies against C. pomonella populations in South Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2016
Fixed points of single-valued and multi-valued mappings with applications
- Authors: Stofile, Simfumene
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Fixed point theory Mappings (Mathematics) Coincidence theory (Mathematics) Metric spaces Uniform spaces Set-valued maps
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5397 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002960
- Description: The relationship between the convergence of a sequence of self mappings of a metric space and their fixed points, known as the stability (or continuity) of fixed points has been of continuing interest and widely studied in fixed point theory. In this thesis we study the stability of common fixed points in a Hausdorff uniform space whose uniformity is generated by a family of pseudometrics, by using some general notations of convergence. These results are then extended to 2-metric spaces due to S. Gähler. In addition, a well-known theorem of T. Suzuki that generalized the Banach Contraction Principle is also extended to 2-metric spaces and applied to obtain a coincidence theorem for a pair of mappings on an arbitrary set with values in a 2-metric space. Further, we prove the existence of coincidence and fixed points of Ćirić type weakly generalized contractions in metric spaces. Subsequently, the above result is utilized to discuss applications to the convergence of modified Mann and Ishikawa iterations in a convex metric space. Finally, we obtain coincidence, fixed and stationary point results for multi-valued and hybrid pairs of mappings on a metric space.
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- Date Issued: 2013
Experiencing loss : traumatic memory and nostalgic longing in Anne Landsman's The Devil's Chimney and The Rowing Lesson, and Rachel Zadok's Gem Squash Tokoloshe
- Authors: Roux, Rowan Pieter
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Landsman, Anne, 1959- The Devil's Chimney -- Criticism and interpretation Landsman, Anne, 1959- The Rowing Lesson -- Criticism and interpretation Zadok, Rachel. Gem Squash Tokoloshe -- Criticism and interpretation Zadok, Rachel. Gem Squash Tokoloshe -- Criticism and interpretation South Africa. Truth and Reconciliation Commission Psychic trauma in literature Nostalgia in literature Repression (Psychology) in literature Literature, Modern -- 20th century -- History and criticism Literature, Modern -- 21st century -- History and criticism South Africa -- Race relations
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2272 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006854
- Description: This thesis examines the experience of loss in Anne Landsman’s novels The Devil’s Chimney (1997) and The Rowing Lesson (2008), and Rachel Zadok’s Gem Squash Tokoloshe (2005). Positing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) as an impetus for emerging literary traditions within contemporary South African fiction, the argument begins by evaluating the reasons for the TRC’s widespread impact, and considers the role that the individual author may play within a culture which is undergoing dramatic socio-political upheavals. Through theoretical explication, close reading, and textual comparison, the argument initiates a dialogue between psychoanalysis and literary analysis, differentiating between two primary modes of experiencing loss, namely traumatic and nostalgic memory. Out of these sets of concerns, the thesis seeks to understand the inextricability of body, memory and landscape, and interrogates the deployment of these tropes within the contexts of traumatic and nostalgic loss, examining each author’s nuanced invocation. A central tenet of the argument is a consideration, moreover, of how the dialogic imagination has shaped storytelling, and whether or not narrative may provide therapeutic affect for either author or reader. The study concludes with an interpretation of the changing shape of literary expression within South Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2013
Earnings quality and equity returns : evidence of the accrual anomaly from the South African equity market
- Authors: Lutchmun, Thashveen
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Earnings management -- South Africa , Accounting -- Standards
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:915 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017537
- Description: A key incentive for accounting research is to provide evidence on the usefulness of earnings in making economic decisions. Of particular interest over the last two decades is the issue of the quality of financial reporting, specifically the quality of earnings, given the number of global financial scandals reported during that period. The quality of earnings is driven by the choices, estimates and judgments that the accounting standards make available to managers in order to portray the firm’s economic position and performance in a timely and credible manner. However, this leeway in financial reporting also creates opportunities for earnings management. The objective of this thesis is firstly to establish whether earnings manipulation has had the ability to predict cross-sectional returns in South Africa during the 2007-2014 period. In other words, the purpose of this thesis is to find evidence whether the market reacts to earnings management practices, as measured by accruals, and rewards high earnings quality companies with higher equity returns (a process known as the accrual anomaly). The timeframe selected for the research encompasses the global financial crisis, a period in which accounting manipulation incentives are likely to be strong. Secondly, this study attempts to establish the presence of the accrual anomaly amongst growth and value firms. The motivations for earnings management of the former are expected to be strong. Securities are allocated to portfolios according to accruals and the subsequent equity returns are analysed cross-sectionally to establish the existence of the accrual anomaly and hence assessing the usefulness of earnings manipulation in predicting equity returns. To provide evidence for the presence of the accrual anomaly amongst growth and value shares, securities are independently allocated to portfolios according to their book-to-market ratio and accruals and a cross-sectional analysis is performed on their subsequent equity returns. In order to increase the robustness of the tests, two measures of accruals are used: a balance sheet approach and a cash flow measure. Evidence is provided for the presence of the accrual anomaly among South African listed companies for the balance sheet measure of accruals but not the cash flow approach. Whilst the accrual anomaly is significantly present in a growth-neutral-value construct, statistical significance is not established when growth and value shares are considered individually.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Dangerous people and places : a community newspaper's constructions of crime
- Authors: Raymond, Leigh Alice
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Grocott's Mail (Grahamstown, South Africa) , Community newspapers -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Crime and the press -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Newspapers -- Objectivity , Mass media policy -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Social responsibility of business -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Police and the press -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3527 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013091
- Description: This thesis argues that there is a clear imbalance in the representation of crime in the newspaper, Grocott’s Mail, in Grahamstown, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The thesis concludes that the system of marginalisation and segregation which was established during the apartheid era is the foundation for the continued segregation and marginalisation of certain groups of people in Grahamstown as depicted in crime journalism. Previous research shows that not only people, but spaces are marginalised through media representations of crime. As people are represented as dangerous, so too the spaces they occupy become dangerous spaces. Importantly, the research shows that discourses of marginalisation are present in newspaper reports reproducing the discourses prominent in society, and in turn, the newspaper itself perpetuates these marginalising discourses. This extends into the coverage that different crimes receive in newspapers. For instance, the reports show that a middle-class audience will be more concerned with property crime in middle-class neighbourhoods, than other crimes in lower-class neighbourhoods. I argue that not only the type of crime, but the severity, the effect, and the necessity for justice represented by the newspaper, are all largely determined by the region of the crime. Further, I show that the criminal is not only demonised and represented as individually deviant in the reports in the newspaper, but that these representations are made by this newspaper because they are deeply imbedded as a discourse in society. This is partly because this newspaper has taken on a monitorial role, requiring neutral reporting from journalists, and a dedication to surveying the processes of state institutions, like the police and courts. As a result, the ways in which crime is reported on in the newspaper is fairly well fixed, making it difficult for journalists to conceive of different ways of reporting crime. The representations of the criminal justice system that the monitorial media, this newspaper included present, are a careful balance between the interest of the public, and the need to preserve relationships with sources. The monitorial media in general, and this newspaper in particular, represent the criminal justice system. The relationship between the police and the newspaper, and the courts and the media, therefore strongly influences the way in which crime news is reported. In particular, crime news is represented from the perspective of the criminal justice system. This research was carried out using Critical Discourse Analysis, qualitative interviews, and focus group interviews.
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- Date Issued: 2014