An investigation into the use of the standard 7 year-end mathematics results as a predictor of the mark obtained in the final Cape Senior Certificate examination
- Authors: Viljoen, Richard Antony
- Date: 1984
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Secondary) Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa -- East London School children -- South Africa -- East London Mathematical ability Examinations -- South Africa -- Evaluation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1830 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003749
- Description: From Introduction: As the headmaster of a large co-educational High School in East London, I have to counsel Standard 7 pupils at the end of each year with regard to their subject choices for the Senior Secondary phase. In consultation with the teacher-psychologists and the Standard 7 teachers, one has to make decisions with regard to subjects which could have far-reaching effects on the pupil. Year after year the greatest discussion and most difficult decisions concern whether or not to continue with mathematics. At the end of the Standard 7 year, the pupil is faced with a choice of subjects, one of which is usually mathematics. Depending on the school, this choice is often wide and the average Standard 7 pupil can, in spite of careful counselling and advice, still be bewildered and confused. One of the best methods of objectively predicting pupil performance is through the use of various standardised tests. Although some norm-based tests exist, very few schools apply these tests to help predict mathematics performance in the Senior Secondary Course. To aid the pupil in deciding whether or not mathematics should be taken in Standards 8, 9 and 10 it would be extremely useful if there were some guide or predictor on which this decision could be based, as it is generally accepted amongst teachers that mathematics can be a stumbling block in the Cape Senior Certificate, particularly by the weaker candidate. If it could be shown that the Standard 7 year-end mathematics mark could be used to help predict whether :- •the pupil would be likely to pass or fail mathematics in the Cape Senior Certificate; •what symbol the pupil would obtain; a decision as to whether or not he should continue with the subject could be made at this stage, and, depending on his Standard 7 mark, what the likely consequences of this decision would be. In the United Kingdom in particular, the use of A-level examination results have been used as predictors in subsequent educational courses and this has been the subject of fairly extensive research during the 1970's. The extent to which O-level examination results are predictive of A-level achievement has, however, received very little attention. The situation in South Africa is very similar and very little, if any, work has been done in assessing the effectiveness of using school marks in the lower standards of high school to predict marks in the upper standards. It is difficult to suggest a reason for this as such work would be of inestimable value in providing information for use in the counselling and selection of subjects for pupils embarking on the Senior Secondary Course.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1984
Effects of vitamin A on tumour and untransformed cells
- Authors: De Villiers, Diane Lynette
- Date: 1988
- Subjects: Vitamin A , Vitamin A in the body , Cancer -- Prevention
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:3881 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001615
- Description: Vitamin A and its chemical analogues (retinoids) are known to play a role in the maintenance and differentiation of epithelial tissue. Retinoids have been shown to inhibit carcinogenesis in a number of tissues in experimental animals and to inhibit the growth of various untransformed and cancer cell lines in vitro. This study investigated the effect of retinyl acetate supplemented at concentrations of 1 μM, 5 μM, 10 μM and 100 μM to in vitro cultured untransformed LLCMK cells, and transformed BL-6 melanoma and human hepatoma cell lines. A small but non-significant effect of vitamin A addition on the growth of the untransformed cells was observed, while substantial inhibition of proliferation of the two tumour cell lines was found. At the cytotoxic level of 100 μM supplemented vitamin A, all three cell lines showed marked inhibition of growth. This led to an electron microscopy study to examine the ultrastructural effect of the vitamin A addition. At the low non-toxic levels of vitamin A addition (1 - 10 μM), no ultrastructural changes were observed in the untransformed cells. However, at a level of 5 μM and 10 μM vitamin A addition in the tumour cells, an increase in the size of suspected lipid droplets was observed. At the cytotoxic level of 100 μM supplemented vitamin A, large lipid droplets were very apparent, as was much cellular degeneration. This effect was more marked in the tumour cells than in the untransformed cells. The lipid nature of the droplets was confirmed by using the lipid stain, Sudan IV. In order to investigate the effect of added vitamin A at the cell surface level, an ELISA system was used to quantify the level of the cell surface glycoprotein, fibronectin, in the culture media. Vitamin A plays an important role in the production of mature fibronectin by participating in the glycosylation of the molecule. This study showed no major effect of added vitamin A on the release of fibronectin into the culture media. This did not, however, exclude the possibility that the vitamin A was involved in the production and enhanced binding of fibronectin to the cell surface, and was possibly also exerting an effect on the availability of fibronectin receptors. Further studies would, however, be required to substantiate such effects of vitamin A supplementation. No single mechanism of action of vitamin A on tumour cell growth inhibition was identified, but the possibility that at least two mechanisms exist, was suggested
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1988
An approach to analyzing gold supply from the South African gold mines
- Authors: Mather, Diarmid John
- Date: 1995
- Subjects: Gold mines and mining -- Economic aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:1015 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002750 , Gold mines and mining -- Economic aspects -- South Africa
- Description: The gold mining fIrm in South Africa is viewed as a normal fIrm producing gold bearing ore but faced with a quality constraint (grade). Grade, however, is never uniformly distributed in a metalliferous deposit and because high grades are mined fIrst, the quality constraint becomes increasingly severe with cumulated production. The fIrm will continue to mine gold bearing ore until it reaches its mining limit where the marginal cost of recovering the gold is equal to the marginal revenue received from that gold and at that point the economic deposit becomes exhausted. Because the mining limit is determined by cost/technology and price, it is not fIxed and thus the point of economic exhaustion may change. When high grades are mined fIrst the relationship between the tonnage of gold ore and the grade describes the rate at which the grade is expected to fall with cumulated production. In this thesis, the grade for South African Witwatersrand gold producers is modelled to fall exponentially. The mining limit, determined by costs/technology and price, can be expressed in terms of grade. By predicting the decay in grade relative to the tonnage of gold ore and applying a mining limit, a life-time size of the economic deposit can be estimated. The remaining life of a producing gold mine can then be determined and the flow of gold predicted. An empirical treatment using the disk model of a gold deposit is undertaken for a gold mine, a goldfIeld and the total Witwatersrand gold deposit. A dynamic econometric analysis of expected mining costs and gold prices is not attempted; however certain examples are used to illustrate the applicability of the model and the influence of the South African gold mining tax formula on the life of the mine.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1995
An investigation of how members of a school governing body perceive and experience their roles : a case study
- Authors: Lusaseni, Pamella Hombakazi
- Date: 1999
- Subjects: School management and organization -- South Africa School boards -- South Africa Educational leadership School personnel management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1898 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006204
- Description: Education in South Africa is currently facing a lot of changes. This study was prompted by one of these changes, the introduction of a School Governing Body (SGB), constituted in terms of the 1996 Schools Act (South Africa 1996), and replacing the previous Parent-Teacher-StudentAssociation (PTSA). The study investigates how the members of a School Governing Body perceive and experience their roles, in an attempt to make a contribution to understanding the nature and implications of education governance policy in South Africa. Central to this exercise is the attempt to understand how the execution of their duties, their practice of both democracy and accountability, and their resolving of tensions and/or differences among parents, teachers and students, impacts upon their school generally and relates both to the Department of Education and other organs of society. The methodology employed in this study includes a review of relevant literature, international and national, followed by a historical overview of education governance in South Africa. The core of the thesis is an interpretive case study of the SGB of one junior secondary school under the auspices of the Department of Education, Culture and Sport, in the South Eastern region of the Eastern Cape Province. The single most important data gathering instrument used was a series of in-depth interviews. The interviewees were the Executive members of the SGB of the school. The major findings of the study were that the SGB was powerful and effective in its area of operation in school governance, despite its lack of skills in the execution of its duties. Many of the difficulties it has encountered can be ascribed to a lack of guidance from the Department of Education. The study thus concludes that whereas the SGB studied represents an important step towards the full democratization of education in general and in this school in particular, its role in school governance can not be described as an unqualified success. However, despite the problems faced by the SGB, its role has made history in the governance of the school. Programmes which the SGB has implemented, such as measures to foster a culture of teaching and learning, have had an important impact on the progress of the school. Finally, the findings of the study indicate that the most important issues to be addressed in respect of the SGB researched are capacity building, communication, cultural understanding and the level of SGB understanding of the Schools Act. The study makes certain recommendations for the attention of SGBs and the Department of Education. These include a well co-ordinated capacity building prograrn to be developed and implemented, that will provide SGBs with access to knowledge of the relevant material and other resources necessary to sustain school governance functions. Because of the limited nature of the study in terms of methodology and constraints of time, the conclusions arrived at cannot and should not be generalized beyond the confines of the study.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1999
Social change and shifting paradigms: the choice of healer among black South Africans in psychological counselling
- Authors: Johnson, Alexandra Blythe
- Date: 2000
- Subjects: Healers -- South Africa , Psychotherapy Cross-cultural studies , Xhosa (African people) -- Psychology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2998 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002507 , Healers -- South Africa , Psychotherapy Cross-cultural studies , Xhosa (African people) -- Psychology
- Description: Social change in South Africa brings to light the multiplicity of world-views operating in our society, which individuals encountering a variety of social contexts are faced with. This raises questions about the choices black South Africans face in response to influences from Western and traditional African culture. This issue was approached through examining helpseeking choices made between different health care sectors that stem from different world-views. This would indicate whether individuals are drawing on a variety of belief systems. The sources of their beliefs are put into context by looking at the communities of practice that influence their local knowledge. Help-seeking is also influenced by the identities the individual may ascribe to, which are derived from the multiple positions held by them in different social contexts. In this research the use of health-care sectors by four black women attending psychotherapy is examined. Their use of these sectors reflects a potential multiplicity of world views. Semistructured interviews were conducted, focusing on participants' prior experience of different help options, and their current perceptions of traditional African healing and psychology. The texts were analysed using a qualitative hermeneutic method, the reading guide. Data was looked at through three main themes, the individual's relationship to the health care sectors, their knowledge of different world views, and the identities they adopted which may be influential in their choice of a healer. It was found that in two participants there was some movement away from traditional beliefs, with one rejecting the traditional healers who did not help her, once she has discovered therapy, and another identifying herself completely with Western medicine. In contrast, one participant illustrated a rediscovery of traditional healing, whilst still attending psychotherapy. This suggests that shifts in knowledge are not necessarily away from traditional beliefs. It was also found that the two participants who had experienced a broader variety of social contexts and identified with multiple belief systems, tended to use a variety of Western and traditional healing sources and selected the healing option they felt was most appropriate to a particular problem. It is argued therefore that having a variety of knowledge and beliefs places individuals in a more powerful position to determine their choice of action than those with a limited range of knowledge.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2000
An investigation of female leaders' perceptions of themselves and their roles as leaders in a Catholic School
- Authors: Kauaria, Vejanda
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Catholic schools -- Namibia -- Administration Women school administrators -- Namibia School management and organization -- Namibia Educational leadership -- Namibia Women in public life -- Namibia Sex discrimination against women -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1626 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003508
- Description: The question of gender in leadership continues to be a contentious and poorly understood phenomenon. There seems general agreement that women do lead differently from men, and this study begins from that premise, focusing on a case in which leadership has traditionally been the domain of females. The case was chosen for its uniqueness, the assumption being that in these circumstances leadership may have developed particular characteristics. Following a qualitative approach (drawing on phenomenology), the study seeks to investigate how women leaders experience their roles as leaders. In-depth interviews made it possible for me to capture the perceptions and experiences of the three women leaders I interviewed. The study reveals that women are more inclined to use interactive styles of leadership. Women use leadership that is more participative, negotiative, cooperative, shared and collaborative. These characteristics are in line with the features of transformational leadership which differs from the more traditional transactional leadership that is more controlled and directive. The study has also shown that leadership develops from within the person of the leader as the leader is the one who spearheads the organization through vision, ideas, beliefs andassumptions. The findings of this study suggest thus that unless women are given chances to prove how they can lead, this new approach of leadership within them and that is required by modern organizations would be lost and leadership would remain relatively unchanged and undesirable. In the context of Namibia, this study should be of potential significance because of the rapid change that is taking place in the inclusion of women in leadership and management positions in education.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
An investigation into the coverage of diverse forms of tourism in South African travel magazines
- Authors: Kotzé, Louis Jacobus Daniël
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Tourism -- South Africa , South Africa -- Description and travel Periodicals -- Research
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10992 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/339 , Tourism -- South Africa , South Africa -- Description and travel Periodicals -- Research
- Description: There have been several changes in tourism in South Africa since 1994. During apartheid, black people were not allowed to become involved in important aspects of tourism, particularly at management level. However, this situation is changing and all cultures are gradually becoming engaged in th e tourism industry. The economic progress of the black community has resulted in the materialization of cultural villages, tourism projects to give rural people jobs, and an increase in township tourist attractions, heritage tours, etc. These initiatives have led to the establishment of certain types of tourism such as cultural tourism, urban tourism and community-based tourism. It could be said without hesitation, at the prescientific level, that the diversity in cultures, for one, is a major attraction of this country. Another change has been the increase in tourism from countries which have been excluded from South Africa in the past. Examples of these are African countries such as Kenya and Nigeria, as well as countries on other continents, including India, Bangladesh and the East-European bloc. Up to 2003/4, South Africa experienced the longest uninterrupted period of economic growth in its history. This resulted in people being able to afford a higher standard of living and therefore having more money to spend on travelling. as the economic growth stimulated the growth of tourism, both local and foreign, in the country. Seen from the perspective of the tourism industry, it is important to keep the public informed and up to date about what a country has to offer in order to maintain the increase in tourism. The media assist in this process. The travelling public is informed by word of mouth, but also through newspapers, magazines, television and radio. Information about the different attractions, whether cultures, wildlife or sport, et cetera, would not always be easy to find, were it not for the media. As tourism grows, more tourist attractions will develop, with a bigger need for tourists to be informed as an immediate result. The role of the media in this information giving is th erefore constantly on the increase.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
Creative misreadings: allegory in Tracey Rose's Ciao Bella
- Authors: Bateman, Genevieve
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Rose, Tracey, 1974- Artists -- South Africa Women artists -- South Africa Performance artists -- South Africa Women in art
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MFA
- Identifier: vital:2473 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1009506
- Description: This thesis will aim to investigate the extent to which Tracey Rose's Ciao Bella can be said to allegorically perform a dialectical enfolding of the dichotomous categories of meaning/nonmeaning; image/text; past/present and original/translation. The dual concepts of performance and performativity will be utilized as a means to explore the notion of interpretation as a meaning-making process and as an engagement between artist, artwork and viewer that is necessarily open-ended and in a state of constant change and flux. Rose's performance of Ciao Bella will be read as one that questions the illusion of unmediated representation by parodying and creatively misreading a multiplicity of visual, textual and musical representations so as to foreground the politics of representation. The representational figure of allegory, as one that defines itself in opposition to the Romantic conception of the unified symbol, will be put to work so as to reveal the ways in which Rose's performance works to critically undermine various positivistic attitudes toward self-identity, gender, race, politics, history, authorial intention and interpretation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
An investigation into the role of student participation in school governance : a Namibian perspective
- Authors: Shekupakela-Nelulu, Rauna
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Education and state -- Namibia Education, Secondary -- Namibia Student government -- Namibia Student participation in administration -- Namibia School management and organization -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1923 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007449
- Description: The issue of student participation in school governance is not a new concept in Namibian schools. Student involvement dates back to the 1970's when the country's administration was under the South African apartheid regime. Back then the involvement of students in school affairs was seen by the regime as a political act and attempts by student leaders to involve themselves in educational issues were often quashed. When the country became independent student representation continued as Student Representative Councils (SRC's), later renamed Learners Representative Councils (LRCs). This study attempted to investigate the perceptions of LRCs and other stakeholders - narnely the school principals and the school board members - of the role of students in school governance. The study was conducted in three Senior Secondary Schools in the Kavango region in Namibia. The research respondents were school principals, chairpersons of the LRCs and one chairperson of a school board. The study was conducted in the interpretive paradigm employing the following three qualitative research methods interviews, observation and document analysis to collect data. Through triangulation it was possible to formulate a rich response to the research question. The study found that, although the notion of student participation in school governance was widely accepted, a number of challenges exist that hamper the effectiveness of LRCs in the schools. It was revealed that there was no national policy docunlent that outlined the roles and function of the LRCs. As a result schools had little direction about the LRCs and subsequently they were given little or no attention by the school authorities. This resulted in misunderstandings and in some cases conflict between learners and the school management. The most significant consequence of these problems was the fact that LRCs were not regarded as true role players in school governance. The study thus recommends that a national policy document that legitimates the role of students in school governance be drafted to provide direction and that schools embark on meaningful training programmes for LRC members. The study also calls for further research to address the gap in literature on this phenomenon, particularly in Namibia.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Development of flexible automotive measurement adaptors for the PQ25 VWSA platform
- Authors: Pretorius, Shaun
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Automobiles -- Measurement , Optical measurements
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9626 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1632 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1011725 , Automobiles -- Measurement , Optical measurements
- Description: The following work describes all knowledge required in the creation of new automotive optical Photogrammetrical adaptors, which allow the user thereof to measure a fully assembled vehicle in its natural position, i.e. on its wheels for the PQ25 platform at Volkswagen of South Africa. The system is the only method available to the manufacturing plant to measure a fully assembled vehicle in this manner. The FlexMess system allows for a quick portable measurement of a vehicle at all stages of Vehicle manufacturing, aligned via the Volkswagen RPS standards. In the first part of the work, the problem of establishing a system capable of measuring the PQ25 platform is achieved by redesigning the PQ24 platform (previous generation Polo) to the new PQ25 vehicle platform. Once the system was redesigned a prototype adaptor system was created. In the second part of the work, the redesigned adaptor system is checked for its accuracy and repeatability. In a statistical analysis of the adaptors ability to measure the reference points needed for alignment of a vehicle, the system is compared to a CMM and verified that the limits fall within the limits of the original FlexMesśs certified accuracy limits. The last part of the work looks at addressing some of the problems of the FlexMess system by creating concepts for an ideal future FlexMess adaptor system.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Synthesis of bromochloromethane using phase transfer catalysis
- Authors: Brooks, Lancelot L
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Chemistry, Analytic , Fire extinguishing agents , Chemical systems , Physical science
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10382 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1008162 , Chemistry, Analytic , Fire extinguishing agents , Chemical systems , Physical science
- Description: The synthesis of bromochloromethane (BCM) in a batch reactor, using phase transfer catalysis, was investigated. During the synthetic procedure, sodium bromide (100.0g, 0.97mol) along with an excess amount of dichloromethane (265.0g, 3.12 mol) was charged to a reactor containing benzyl triethylammonium chloride (13 mmol), dissolved in 50 ml of water. The bench scale reactions were all carried out in a Parr 4520 bench top pressure reactor coupled to a Parr 4841 temperature controller. The method produced a 50.0 percent yield of the product BCM after a reaction time of 12 to 13 hours. The main objective for this investigation was to optimize the abovementioned reaction with respect to yield and reactor throughput. Quantitative analysis of BCM was performed on a Focus Gas Chromatograph, fitted with a flame ionization detector, and a BP20 column (30m × 0,32mm ID × 0,25 mm). Delta software, version 5.0, was applied for data collection and processing. The injector and detector port were set at 250°C and 280°C, respectively. The oven temperature was set and held at 40°C for a period of 2 minutes, then gradually increased at a rate of 10°C/min to 130°C, with the final hold time set for 1 minute. An analytical method for the quantitative analysis of BCM was developed, optimized and validated. Validation of the analytical method commenced over a period of three days, and focussed the following validation parameters: Accuracy, precision, and ruggedness. Statistical evaluation of the results obtained for precision showed that the error between individual injections is less than 2 percent for each component. However, ANOVA analysis showed a significant difference between the mean response factors obtained in the three day period (p-value < 0.05). Thus we could conclude that the response factors had to be determined on each day before quantitatively analyzing samples. The accuracy of the analytical method was assessed by using the percent recovery method. Results obtained showed that a mean percent recovery of 100.18 percent was obtained for BCM, with the absolute bias = 0.0004, and the percent bias = 0.18 percent. Hence the 95 confidence intervals for the percent recovery and percent bias are given by: (Lz, Uz) = (100.56 percent percent 102.15 percent), 13 (LPB, UPB) = (0.56 percent, 2.15 percent), respectively. Since the 95 percent confidence interval for the percent recovery contains 100, or equivalently, the 95 percent confidence interval for percent bias contains 0, the assay method is considered accurate and validated for BCM. In the same manner the accuracy and percent recovery for DCM and DBM was evaluated. The method was found to be accurate and validated for DBM, however, slightly biased in determining the recovered amount of DCM. With the analytical method validated, the batch production process could be evaluated. A total of six process variables, namely reaction time, water amount, temperature, volume of the two phases, stirring rate, and catalyst concentration, were selected for the study. The effects of the individual variables were determined in the classical manner, by varying only the one of interest while keeping all others constant. The experimental data generated was fit to a quadratic response surface model. The profile plots that were obtained from this model allowed a visual representation of the effect of the six variables. The experimental results obtained showed that the reaction follows pseudo zero-order kinetics and that the rate of the reaction is directly proportional to the concentration of the catalyst. The reaction obeys the Arrhenius equation, and the relatively high activation energy of 87kJ.mol -1 signifies that the rate constant is strongly dependent on the temperature of the reaction. The results also showed that the formation of BCM is favoured by an increase in the reaction temperature, catalyst concentration, and a high organic: aqueous phase ratio. Thus the synthesis of BCM using phase transfer catalyst could be optimised, to obtain a 100 percent yield BCM, by increasing both the reaction temperature to 105°C, and the concentration of the phase transfer catalyst -benzyl triethylammonium chloride - to 5.36 mol percent. The reaction time was also reduced to 6 hours.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
The impact of the new dividend withholding tax on regulated investment intermediaries
- Authors: Schafer, Carolyn
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:880 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001634
- Description: The introduction of the proposed new Dividends Tax will have a significant impact on financial institutions such as Collective Investment Schemes, Linked Investment Service Providers and Long-term Insurers. The reason for this is that South African listed companies declaring local dividends will not necessarily have all the details of and know the identity of their shareholders. These financial institutions may be regarded as regulated intermediaries in terms of the new Dividends Tax legislation and therefore may have the responsibility of withholding the Dividends Tax from dividends received on behalf of their clients, who may in most cases be the beneficial owners of the underlying equity shares. The motivating factor for the research is the fact that there does not appear to be any guidance on the impact of the new Dividends Tax on financial institutions, since the Dividends Tax is new legislation. The research problem addressed in this thesis is how the systems and processes of a financial institution will be affected by the implementation of the new Dividends Tax. The research took the form of a case study designed to investigate the impact of the Dividends Tax on the financial institution at which the researcher is employed. The data required for the research was collected by means of a study of the relevant legislation enacted in connection with the topic, journal articles in financial/tax journals, as well as articles published in the media. The systems and processes presently in place, as well as the changes to these systems that will be needed to accommodate the new dividend tax were ascertained by means of in-depth interviews with relevant staff at the financial institution. In addition, the researcher also applied her personal knowledge of the business of the financial institution at which she works to the problem. As a result of the research it was determined that a Collective Investment Scheme, Linked Investment Service Provider and Long-Term Insurer will all be regarded as regulated intermediaries for the purposes of the new dividend withholding tax. This means that these financial institutions will be required to withhold Dividends Tax from dividends paid to their clients and pay this Dividends Tax so withheld to SARS. Furthermore, the findings of the research confirmed that the new Dividends Tax will have a significant impact on the client services department in areas such as notifying clients, training of client service staff, handling of declaration of exemption forms received from clients, amending client statements and tax certificates (to cater for the new Dividends Tax). In addition to this, it was ascertained that significant systems development will be required by these financial institutions in order to comply with the new Dividends Tax legislation. This would include the development of data input fields to enable users to capture the relevant information required and development of the system to enable it to flag local dividends received to which the Dividends Tax applies. The system would also need to cater for Secondary Tax on Companies credits as well as foreign tax rebates. The system should also be able to calculate the amount of Dividends Tax to withhold per dividend received by a client, as well as be able to handle the payment of the Dividends Tax to SARS and the refund to clients of Dividends Tax over deducted. It is essential that systems are able to flag the correct date of payment of the dividend so that the Dividends Tax can be paid over timeously to SARS in order to avoid interest and penalties being levied. To summarise, the new Dividends Tax has a significant impact on these financial institutions in areas such as client services, administration and system development.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Exploring the challenges of income generating projects funded by the Department of Social Development at Kwa-Nobuhle, Uitenhage, in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Filita, Unathi Samora
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Public investments -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Poverty -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth -- Economic conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9191 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020323
- Description: Income generating projects represent one strategy adopted by the Department of Social Development to alleviate poverty. The purpose of this study is to explore challenges of an income generating project funded by the Department of Social Development in Kwa-Nobuhle, Uitenhage of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa., A sample of thirty respondents was drawn from ten income generating projects funded by the Department of Social Development. The sampling method of this study was purposive sampling. Data was gathered through semi-structured questionnaires. Related literature has been reviewed that focuses on income generating projects for poverty alleviation. Various recommendations have been made on the findings of the study. The findings of the study indicated the need for regular visits from the officials of the Department, to conduct monitoring and evaluation. Project members also need training on financial management so they cannot mismanage their finances. The research findings indicated clearly that strategies that were used by the Department were not effective enough to achieve desired goals of poverty alleviation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
Role of public participation in the intergrated development plan in local government : the case of Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
- Authors: Mahlinza, Nozipho Clarice
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Metropolitan government -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Local government -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Public administration -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Economic development -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: vital:8316 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020109
- Description: Local Government has a critical role to play in rebuilding local communities and environments as the basis for a democratic, with specific reference to the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. The main aim was to evaluate the public participation in the Integrated Development Plan in the NMBM and whether public participation is seen as vehicle to enhance policy formulation and implementation of the Integrated Development Plan. To provide strategies to remedy the situation. The sample comprised of senior officials, Mayoral Committee, Ward councillors, and officials who deals with IDP. Questionnaires with open and closed questions were employed to councillors and officials, interviews were conducted with senior officials, ward councillors and members in the ward. Findings suggest that the current public participation strategies are inadequate, because Budget and IDP processes are not properly integrated; the plans approved by council are not adhered to resulting to fighting fires. Based on the research findings, councillors and political leaders should consider structuring and moderating the public debate in the IDP process to ensure IDP is real and above all implemental. Finally internal communication between the administrative and political arms of the NMBM needs to be managed in a way that builds trust and understanding of the key process such as the IDP cycle, mid‐term and annual budget cycle.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
The role of financial regulators in the Kenyan economy
- Authors: Khakali, Linda Anyoso
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Financial services industry -- Law and legislation Financial institutions -- Law and legislation Financial services industry -- Law and legislation -- Kenya
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/11114 , vital:26886
- Description: Financial regulation is a subject that is more often than not regarded as distant and yet another level of bureaucracy that has to be endured by both the public and private sectors. The significance of creating and maintaining an efficient and effective system to regulate financial markets, financial institutions and financial service providers is a salient feature in the development of a country’s economic health. The recent global economic crises of 2007/2008 and the economic hurdles accompanying those events are perhaps the most dramatic instances of how necessary the implementation of efficient and effective financial regulation is. The international financial system has experienced a retinue of changes in the last two decades. One of the main challenges of financial regulators has been to keep abreast of as well as adapt to these changes, which are of an international nature. In a majority of countries, the financial sector is one of the most intensely regulated and supervised industries. Over a period of time, it has become evident that regulatory arrangements have a formidable impact on: i. The size, structure and efficiency of a financial system; ii. The business operations of financial institutions and markets; iii. Competitive conditions both overall and between sub-sectors of the system. The impact of regulation can either be stagnant or progressive; this depends on how the objectives of regulation are defined and how efficiently regulatory arrangements are related to their objectives. The issue at hand is to engage regulatory institutions, structures and mechanisms for supervision and enforcement need to be implemented because they are pertinent to the formal regulatory requirements in the overall regulatory regime. Effective financial regulation would be unable to exert its objectives in the absence of efficient supervision and enforcement. In numerous countries the institutional structure of regulation has experienced change or is in the process of change. Different models of institutional structure are availed such as the single/consolidated model, the twin-peak model and the multiple regulator model. For example, the United Kingdom has embraced the single/consolidated regulator model while Australia has employed the twin-peak regulator model. Kenya operates on the multiple regulator model. This report addresses the role of financial regulators in the Kenyan economy. The objectives of the research are to: Provide comprehensive information about the theory and practice of financial regulation; Identify the financial regulators in Kenya and define their roles; Address the issue of multiple regulators and the duplicity of roles; Discuss international trends in regulation and examine different regulatory regimes; Consider the viability of a single/consolidated regulatory regime in Kenya; Suggest a possible future regulatory regime for Kenya and identify the key issues associated with such a regime; Suggest areas for further investigation and research.The approach of this report will constitute the following: Chapter 1 discusses the rationale for the research, objectives, scope and scale of the research, preliminary literature review and the research methods to be employed. Chapter 2 focuses on financial regulatory systems in general as well as an extensive analysis of financial regulators in Kenya. Chapter 3 combines the research methods employed and also contains a comparative analysis of the regulatory regime. Chapter 4 examines the findings of the research, the lessons learnt and the regulatory responses. Chapter 5 includes recommendations towards improvement of regulatory systems and an executive summary of outstanding policy issues and priorities in Kenyan financial regulation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
Understanding Generation Y : an investigation of how Hilton College can use technology for communication
- Authors: Wyngaard, Richard Clive
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Generation Y -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal Cell phones -- Social aspects Mobile communication systems -- Social aspects Information technology -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:796 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004332
- Description: Background to the academic research. Hilton College is an all boys private school in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Midlands. Since the beginning of 2012 boys have been permitted to carry their phones during the school day, (Thomson, 2012). Wireless internet access was also extended across the campus to allow boys and staff to bring their own devices to class and have access to the internet (Machlachlan, 2012). In the past, communication between staff and boys was either verbal or through the use of a daily notice, called the Daily Routine Order (DRO). The DRO is placed at the dining room tables each day and boys are expected to check for any notices that may pertain to them. These notices are emailed to a secretary who prints them out and places them in the dining room each day at lunch. 2. Objectives to the research. This research sought to establish whether current communication methods were effective or whether the prevalence of mobile phones and wireless devices had presented the school with a more effective method. It was important therefore, to investigate what devices were on campus, how those devices were used and when they were used. In addition to this, the research sought to establish communication preference among staff and boys. 3. Research Methodology. The research was conducted through the use of a qualitative survey that was conducted among both staff and boys. Staff and boys were surveyed to establish generation, device prevalence, device usage and device preference. This data was collected using an anonymous qualitative survey that was administered through the use of Google docs in the school labs. 187 Boys in 3 grades 8 and 9 participated in the survey along with 18 staff members. The data was then analysed and compared to data from similar research that had been conducted elsewhere in the world. Because of significant age differences between boys and staff it was critical to establish whether device usage among staff and boys was tied to their generation. Of particular interest were the device behaviours associated with the Millennial generation, who were born between 1982-2002 (Strauss 2005:10). This generational ‘benchmark’ allowed the researcher to compare the Hilton College cohort to those whose device behaviours and usage had occurred and been discussed in generational research elsewhere. It also allowed for certain assumptions to be made about staff and boys based on their generational profile. 4. Findings It was found that staff and boys exhibited communication traits that were consistent with their generation and consistent with other research in this field. It was also found that staff and boys preferred mobile and digital forms of communication over verbal announcements and the DRO system. For this reason, it was recommended that the Hilton College establish a system that took advantage of technology to improve on communication. Various recommendations were given by the researcher that took advantage of current technologies. These included the use of SMS, Instant Messaging, Social Networks and email. It was also recommended that the school consider prescribing devices that allow for communication between staff and boys.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
"To learn how to speak": a study of Jeremy Cronin's poetry
- Authors: Pinnock, William
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Poets, South African , Historical materialism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8484 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1021038
- Description: In the chapters that follow, the porous boundary between the public and the private in Jeremy Cronin’s poetry is investigated in his three collections, Inside (1983), Even the Dead: Poems, Parables and a Jeremiad (1996) and More Than a Casual Contact (2006). I argue two particular Marxist theorists are central to reading Cronin’s poetry: Bertolt Brecht, and his notion of the Verfremdungseffekt, and Walter Benjamin and his work on historical materialism, primarily the essay On the Concept of History / Theses on the Philosophy of History (1940). Both theorists focus on the work of art in a historically contextualized manner, which extends the challenge to the boundary between the public and the private. Their work is underpinned by the desire to draw out hidden narratives occluded under the grand narratives of history and capitalist ideas of progress. I argue that these are the major preoccupations in Cronin’s oeuvre as well. As such Cronin’s poetry may be seen to write against a perspective that proposes a linear conceptualisation of history. The poetry therefore challenges the notion that art speaks of ‘universal truths.’ Such ideas of History and Truth, if viewed uncritically, allow for a tendency to conceive of the past as unchanging, which subconsciously promotes the idea that social and political realities are merely logical evolutionary steps. I argue that Cronin’s poetry is thus purposefully interruptive in the way that it confronts the damaging consequences of the linear conceptualisation of history and the universal truth it promotes. His work attempts to find new ways of connection and expression through learning from South Africa’s violent past. The significance of understanding each other and the historical environment as opposed to imposing perspectives that underwrite the symbolic order requires the transformation rather than the simple transferral of power, and is a central focus throughout Cronin’s oeuvre. This position suggests that while the struggle for political freedom may be over, the necessity to rethink how South Africans relate to each other is only beginning. Chapter One will focus on positioning Cronin, the poet and public figure, in South African literature and literary criticism. In this regard, two general trends have operated as critical paradigms in the study of South African poetry, namely Formalism (or ‘prac crit’) and a Marxist inflected materialism, which have in many ways perpetuated the division between the private and the public. This has resulted in poetry being read with an exclusive focus on either one of these two aspects, overlooking the possibilities of dialogue that may take place between them. Cronin’s perspective on these polarised responses will be discussed, which will illustrate the similarity of his position to Ndebele’s notion of the ‘ordinary’ which suggests a way beyond these binaries. This will lead to a discussion of how South African poets responded to the transition phase, suggesting that the elements of the polarisation still remained. Considering the major influences and paradigms when reading Cronin’s oeuvre provides a foundation for the following three chapters. These include Cronin’s use of Romanticism, Bertolt Brecht and the V-Effekt and Walter Benjamin’s perspectives on historical materialism. In addition to these three theoretical paradigms, the relevance of Pablo Neruda’s poetry to Cronin’s work is also foregrounded. In Chapter Two, the focus will be on Cronin’s first collection of poetry, Inside, concentrating on Cronin’s use of language as a way of constructing poetry in the sparseness of the prison experience. This will show an abiding preoccupation of learning to speak in a language that considers the material context out of which it emerges. In this regard, the poems “Poem-Shrike” “Prologue” and “Cave-site” are analysed. In addition, one of the central poems in Cronin’s oeuvre, “To learn how to speak […],” will be examined in order to illustrate how the poet extends this project on a meta-poetic level, asking for South African poets to ‘learn how to speak’ in the voices of South African experience and histories. I will show how this is linked to Cronin’s “Walking on Air” which illustrates how the V-Effeckt recovers the small private histories through re-telling the life story of James Matthews, a fellow prisoner incarcerated for his anti-apartheid activism, revealing how this story is intimately connected to the public sphere. In Chapter Three, Cronin’s second collection: Even the Dead: Poems, Parables and a Jeremiad will be examined. In the poem “Three Reasons for a Mixed, Umrabulo, Round-the-Corner Poetry” Cronin resists inherited Western poetic conventions by incorporating and subverting versions of the Romantic aesthetic, arguing for poetry to be immersed in South African multi-lingual and multi-cultural experiences. “Even the Dead” reveals how Cronin uses Walter Benjamin’s perspectives on historical materialism to confront amnesia. In terms of the themes established in “To learn how to speak […]”, the poem “Moorage” demonstrates how the public and private can never be separated in Cronin’s work. The final section of this chapter will examine how Cronin responds to Pablo Neruda’s poems “I am explaining a few things” and “The Education of a Chieftain,” and how these poems challenge narratives that privilege the ‘great leader’ instead of the so-called smaller individuals’ stories. Chapter Four examines selections from Cronin’s third collection, focusing on Cronin’s use of the automobile, charting an ambiguous trajectory through the ‘new’ South Africa. The examination of the poems “Where to begin?”, “Switchback” and “End of the century - which is why wipers,” all attempt to include individuals left on the margins of the narrative of global freeways and neo-liberal capitalist progress. The poems present an interrogation of how ‘vision’ is constructed. This will show that the poetry responds to the experiences of the marginalised under these grand narratives in a primarily fragmentary and interruptive manner. This in effect constitutes the culmination of Cronin’s poetic journey and the search for new ways of envisaging South Africa’s future and finding a new language with which to speak it.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Crumpled hearts
- Authors: Crain, Patricia Ann
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , Creative writing (Higher education) , English language -- Writing , South African fiction (English) -- Study and teaching (Higher)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:5984 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1015676
- Description: A middle-aged woman, living in Johannesburg, has an experience which catapults her into changing her life. In the process of confronting her alcoholism, she realizes how patterns of addiction extend to other areas of her life and tries to make sense of the tragic events that have occurred. Her world becomes a different place as she questions everything that she has been taught about relationships, religion, race and her place in society. In the search for answers she uncovers stories about the lives of her parents, grandparents, relatives, friends and acquaintances. Embarking on a journey of discovery and rediscovery through her experiences and those of others, she explores the ways in which the things that she thought she knew defined her behaviour and expression of herself.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Exploring the impact of agricultural project and income generation in Uitenhage
- Authors: Kwesaba, Xolelwa
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Uitenhage , Community development -- South Africa -- Uitenhage , Economic assistance, Domestic -- South Africa -- Uitenhage
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9234 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1021076
- Description: An income generating project signifies an unemployment strategy and an attempt at upliftment of living standards This study tries to explore the impact of agricultural and income generating projects on poverty alleviation in the Uitenhage area .The research topic tries to establish whether these poverty alleviation projectshave impacted sufficiently and contributed to socio-economic development and eradication of poverty . A sample of 15 respondents involved in an income generating project funded by the Department of Social Development was drawn from 1 Tinarha Agricultural Tourism Initiative. A purposive samplingmethod was used for thisstudy. Data was gathered through semi-structured questionnaires. Related literature that focuses on income generating projects for poverty alleviation has been reviewed. Various recommendations based on the findings of the study have also been made. The findings of the study indicate that the income generation project, has not impacted and contributed significantly to the process of eradicating poverty for the project members. It also indicates that project members were not empowered sufficiently with financial management skills needed to equip them to make substantial profits from their small business enterprises. It also emerged that the members were not able to secure markets for their products. This remains a key challenge for attainingsustainability. The research findings indicated clearly that the strategies that were used by the Departments were not effective enough to achieve the desired goals of poverty alleviation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Internal fingerprint extraction
- Authors: Darlow, Luke Nicholas
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/2959 , vital:20347
- Description: Fingerprints are a non-invasive biometric that possess significant advantages. However, they are subject to surface erosion and damage; distortion upon scanning; and are vulnerable to fingerprint spoofing. The internal fingerprint exists as the undulations of the papillary junction - an intermediary layer of skin - and provides a solution to these disadvantages. Optical coherence tomography is used to capture the internal fingerprint. A depth profile of the papillary junction throughout the OCT scans is first constructed using fuzzy c-means clustering and a fine-tuning procedure. This information is then used to define localised regions over which to average pixels for the resultant internal fingerprint. When compared to a ground-truth internal fingerprint zone, the internal fingerprint zone detected automatically is within the measured bounds of human error. With a mean- squared-error of 21.3 and structural similarity of 96.4%, the internal fingerprint zone was successfully found and described. The extracted fingerprints exceed their surface counterparts with respect to orientation certainty and NFIQ scores (both of which are respected fingerprint quality assessment criteria). Internal to surface fingerprint correspondence and internal fingerprint cross correspondence were also measured. A larger scanned region is shown to be advantageous as internal fingerprints extracted from these scans have good surface correspondence (75% had at least one true match with a surface counterpart). It is also evidenced that internal fingerprints can constitute a fingerprint database. 96% of the internal fingerprints extracted had at least one corresponding match with another internal fingerprint. When compared to surface fingerprints cropped to match the internal fingerprints’ representative area and locality, the internal fingerprints outperformed these cropped surface counterparts. The internal fingerprint is an attractive biometric solution. This research develops a novel approach to extracting the internal fingerprint and is an asset to the further development of technologies surrounding fingerprint extraction from OCT scans. No earlier work has extracted or tested the internal fingerprint to the degree that this research has.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016