Knowledge retention strategies in selected Southern Africa public broadcasting corporations
- Authors: Dewah, Peterson
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Knowledge management , Intellectual capital -- Management , Employee retention , Broadcasting -- South Africa , Broadcasting -- Zimbabwe , Broadcasting -- Botswana
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:11572 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/438 , Knowledge management , Intellectual capital -- Management , Employee retention , Broadcasting -- South Africa , Broadcasting -- Zimbabwe , Broadcasting -- Botswana
- Description: Knowledge is now regarded as the most important resource surpassing other resources like land and capital. It is a foregone conclusion that knowledge flows out of organizations through various ways such as resignations, retirement and death yet, it does not seem as if organizations are employing strategies to retain such a vital component of production and service delivery. This study investigated the knowledge retention strategies in three Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) public broadcasting organizations of the South African Broadcasting Corporation in South African (SABC), the Department of Broadcasting Services (DBS) in Botswana and the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) in Zimbabwe. The aim of this study was to establish how knowledge is captured and retained at such organizations. The objectives of the study were; to find out the types of strategies the three broadcasting organizations employ to capture and retain knowledge; establish how the three broadcasting organizational cultures enable knowledge acquisition, transfer, sharing and retention; establish the role of ICTs as tools and enablers of knowledge retention, creation, transfer and sharing in the three broadcasting organizations; and to propose recommendations on the best strategies for retention of knowledge in the three public broadcasting organizations as well as suggest areas for further and future research. v The study used the survey method and employed the triangulation design for data gathering. Data were collected from three SADC public broadcasting organizations. The population sample comprised 240 professional staff including 38 managers from different sections of the broadcasting organizations. The researcher collected data by administering a questionnaire to staff, interviews with managers and observations. Documentary analysis was also conducted in order to supplement data and fill in gaps. The researcher was mainly interested in gathering data that would give a comprehensive picture about knowledge retention methods in broadcasting organizations. There were four main findings. First, knowledge management as a relatively new concept and practice has not yet been properly embraced in the public broadcasting organization system in order to capture and retain knowledge that is acquired and generated in the organizations. There are no measures put in place in the organizations to retain the knowledge to ensure that once those who hold vital tacit knowledge are gone, the knowledge may still be available and accessible. Second, the study established that the respective organizational cultures impede on organizational knowledge retention. The study established that there was no culture of knowledge sharing. It also emerged that employees were not free to share their knowledge because of government regulations, prevailing political contexts, mistrust and general lack of incentive to share knowledge. Third, the study established that the organizations have no strategies or systems in place to capture the experts‟ knowledge or the knowledge of experienced staff and vi those approaching retiring age. The Human Resources Departments hold exit interviews that cover issues purely to do with why the person is leaving the organization instead of recording the work experiences and expertise of the departing employees. Fourth, the study revealed that the public broadcasting organizations still lag behind in collaborative and communicative technologies that facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing of tacit knowledge but retention of knowledge generally. The study also found that, some of the organizations studied did not have internet connectivity and websites were not yet functional, which hampered acquisition and sharing of knowledge for retention purposes. The importance of this study is that it has made a contribution and provided literature on knowledge retention strategies for public broadcasting corporations as part of knowledge management practice. On the basis of these findings the study recommended the following: appointment of knowledge management officers, establishment of Communities of Practice, encouraging knowledge sharing between employees, introduction of joint programmes with other broadcasting organizations by managers and their supervision of mentoring programmes; organizations to facilitate acquisition of information and communication technologies that enable knowledge management
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- Date Issued: 2012
Participation and paradoxes: community control of mineral wealth in South Africa's Royal Bafokeng and Bakgatla Ba Kgafela communities
- Authors: Mnwana, Sonwabile Comfords
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Political participation -- South Africa , Natural resources -- Co-management -- South Africa , Rural development -- South Africa , Mining corporations -- South Africa , Platinum mines and mining -- South Africa , Sustainable development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Social Sciences)
- Identifier: vital:11952 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/526 , Political participation -- South Africa , Natural resources -- Co-management -- South Africa , Rural development -- South Africa , Mining corporations -- South Africa , Platinum mines and mining -- South Africa , Sustainable development -- South Africa
- Description: Resource control as a form of community participation in the mineral economy has gained much recognition. One prevailing argument is that direct control of natural resources by local communities is an important precondition for equitable utilisation of the natural resource wealth, peaceful co-existence between mining corporations and indigenous communities, and congenial relations between local communities and the state. Studies have also shown that the absence of direct community control of mineral wealth remains a major factor in the communal resistance and socio-political conflict witnessed in the natural resource-endowed regions of countries such as Nigeria, Ecuador, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, little is known about mineral resource control at the community level. Does community control necessarily translate to equity? How does local involvement in the mobilisation of mining royalties benefit different segments of the community? Indeed, how do different segments of the community “control” the wealth? What is the specific model adopted to engender broad-based community participation in the utilisation of mineral wealth – and does it matter? These theoretical and practical questions were the impetus for undertaking this study in the Royal Bafokeng and Bakgatla Ba Kgafela – two platinum-rich ‘traditional’ communities in South Africa’s North West Province that have significant control over platinum resources in their territories. Utilising ethnographic data collected in the two study communities in 2008 and 2009, the thesis examines the character of community participation in platinum wealth utilisation; specifically, the conditions under which community participation promotes or hinders sustainable community development. The analysis uses a “three-dimensional participation ladder” conceptual scheme, based in part on Sherry Arnstein’s (1969) “ladder of citizen participation” and subsequent typologies of participation. Among the key findings of the thesis are that despite observed benefits, the interface of resource wealth and community development is fraught with tokenistic participation, elite-targeted grassroots anger, and local tensions – all linked to the contradictory nature of participation. The thesis further reveals that in some instances the challenge of platinum wealth-engendered community development tends to undermine existing customary and democratic spaces for participation, and that this is exacerbated by community-level issues such as poverty and inequality. The findings of the study compel a shift of analytical focus from conflict as an epiphenomenon of collective community exclusion and deprivation (as in the case of many natural-rich countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere), to conflict as also resulting from collective community inclusion (in natural resource utilisation). At the policy level, the study generates insights that will, hopefully, assist mineral resource-endowed countries, such as South Africa, in dealing with the challenge of developing appropriate policy frameworks for regulating business and social partnerships between local communities and mining corporations, and within resource-rich communities themselves.
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- Date Issued: 2012
Re-tracing representations and identities in twentieth century South African and African photography: Joseph Denfield, regimes of seeing and alternative visual histories
- Authors: Mnyaka, Phindezwa Elizabeth
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Historical museums -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Natural history , Photography -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (History)
- Identifier: vital:11536 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/540 , Historical museums -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Natural history , Photography -- South Africa
- Description: The thesis examines the photographic collection of Joseph Denfield, an archivist and historian who experimented with photography over a twenty-year period. The study is located within the field of critical visual studies that focuses on historical photography in its depiction of identities and groups in the context of social change. The thesis pays attention to the manner and extent to which Denfield participated in regional visual economies at various moments during his photographic career in order to establish his contribution towards a visual history in Africa and more broadly Southern Africa. It follows Denfield’s career trajectory chronologically. It begins with a study of his photographic work in Nigeria which was oriented around so-called ‘pagan tribes’ and which was framed within the discourse of ethnography. It then pays attention to his growth as an artist in photography that resulted from years of exhibiting in salons. I read these photographs and texts in relation to his earlier work in Nigeria given the extent to which he drew on anthropological discourses. It is through his involvement with photographic art circles that Denfield developed as a historian as a result of his research into the history of photography and regional visual histories. This took the form of both unearthing historical photographs as well as photographing historical sites to construct the past in particular ways through the visual. At each stage he translated these histories into public forms of representation and power thus he figures among a small group of ‘colonial’ photographers that shaped the visual economy of Southern Africa. Through a detailed study of his work, the thesis thus aims to re-think through new dimensions of visual culture.
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- Date Issued: 2012
Risk preferences and consumption decisions in organic production: the case of Kwazulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa
- Authors: Kisaka-Lwayo, Maggie
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Food security -- South Africa , Sustainable development -- South Africa , Organic farming -- South Africa , Natural foods industry -- South Africa , Risk management -- South Africa , Consumers -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Agricultural Economics)
- Identifier: vital:11188 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/492 , Food security -- South Africa , Sustainable development -- South Africa , Organic farming -- South Africa , Natural foods industry -- South Africa , Risk management -- South Africa , Consumers -- South Africa
- Description: Despite phenomenal success of the commercial agricultural sector in South Africa and significant progress in integrating smallholders since democratic reforms, food security concerns remain. Recent global increases in food prices have further exacerbated vulnerabilities and made it imperative to examine alternative food production questions in the country. Organic agriculture is identified as one of the sustainable approaches to farming and offers insights towards a paradigm shift in food and nutritional security. Notwithstanding, consumer awareness, knowledge and consumption of organic foods are significantly lower in developing than developed countries. Risks associated with adoption of organic practices need to be explored to address the supply and demand constraints. Similarly, while consumer awareness of organic foods is the first step in developing demand for organic products, it does not necessarily translate to consumption. Therefore it is important to investigate these issues. The objectives of this study were to: (i) describe the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of organic farmers and consumers; (ii) establish the determinants of farmers‘ decision to participate in organic farming distinguishing between the fully-certified organic, partially-certified organic and non-organic farmers; (iii) elicit farmers risk preferences and empirically analyse farmers sources of risk and risk management strategies; (iv) explore consumer awareness, perceptions and attitudes regarding organic products; and (v) identify the factors that influence consumer‘s preference and consumption of organic products. A total of 400 respondents were surveyed, consisting of 200 smallholder farmers in KwaZulu-Natal and 200 consumers in the Eastern Cape. The KwaZulu-Natal study was conducted earlier and identified the following as major sources of risk, lack of consumer awareness of organic products and lack of information among producers about consumer preferences for organic products. This informed the need to undertake a consumer awareness and preference study, in order to inform producers. The Eastern Cape is a bordering province to KwaZulu-Natal with similar socio economic conditions and a major consumer of produce from KwaZulu-Natal. It was also expected that in the intervening period there could have been awareness about the product. An vii indication of its appeal would not be in the consumption of the product by the people who grow it, but by consumers who reside in bordering regions. Producer and household questionnaires were used to record household activities, socio-economic and institutional data as well as household demographics through personal interviews. The Arrow Pratt Absolute Risk Aversion (APARA) coefficient was used to measure the farmer‘s degree of risk aversion and the experimental gambling approach to establish the risk classification. Consumers were also asked about their awareness and knowledge about organics, attitudes and perceptions towards organics, preference and consumption patterns. The ordered probit results indicate that older farmers, who are less risk averse and reside in the sub-ward Ogagwini, Ezigani, and Hwayi were more likely to be certified organic farmers. Similarly, the propensity to adopt organic farming is positively correlated to household size, livestock ownership, asset base and tenure security. The risk analysis indicates that at higher pay-offs most farmers are intermediate to moderately risk-averse, with little variation according to personal characteristics, and that non-organic farmers tend to be more risk averse than fully-certified and partially-certified farmers. In general, price, production and financial risks were perceived as the most important sources of risk. Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), seven principal components (PCs) explaining 66.13% of the variation were extracted. Socio economic factors having a significant effect on the various sources of risk are age, gender, education, location, information access and risk taking ability. The most important traditional risk management strategies used by the surveyed farmers are crop diversification, precautionary savings and participating in social networks. There was general awareness of what constituted organic foods with many consumers associating organic foods with health and nutrition, chemical free and produced using indigenous methods of production. However, there was low awareness of organic products among consumers with little or no knowledge of organic certification and standards. According to the logit model the major factors influencing consumer awareness of organic products are: gender, education, employment status, and location of the respondents, person/household member responsible for shopping and the price perception of the decision maker. The discriminant analysis showed that the consumption of organic products is significantly affected by age of the consumer, viii location, person/household member responsible for shopping, consumer awareness of organics, price perception and label trust. The findings from this study provides useful practical insights for policy makers, farm advisers and researchers in the design of effective and efficient policies, programmes and projects which can affect the adoption of organic practices, increase smallholder farmers capacity to manage risk and drive growth in the organic food market.
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- Date Issued: 2012
Soil fertility enhancement through appropriate fertilizer management on winter cover crops in a conservation agriculture system
- Authors: Dube, Ernest
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Fertilizers , Soil fertility , Crops -- Nutrition , Soil productivity , Range management , Grazing -- Management , Forage plants , Humus
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Crop Science)
- Identifier: vital:11239 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1001044 , Fertilizers , Soil fertility , Crops -- Nutrition , Soil productivity , Range management , Grazing -- Management , Forage plants , Humus
- Description: A study was carried out to determine the effects of oat (Avena sativa) and grazing vetch (Vicia darsycapa) winter cover crops and fertilizer application on SOM, phosphorus (P) pools, nutrient availability, nutrient uptake, maize yield and seedbanks of problematic weeds in an irrigated maize-based conservation agriculture (CA) system. A separate experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of the winter cover crops on nitrogen (N) management, N use efficiency and profitability. After four years of continuous rotation, the winter cover crops significantly (p<0.05) increased particulate SOM and hot water soluble carbon in the 0 – 5 and 5 – 20 cm soil depths. When fertilized, oat was better able to support SOM sequestration in water stable aggregates at 0 – 20 cm whilst grazing vetch was more effective at 20 – 50 cm. Where no fertilizer was invested, there were significant (p<0.01) reductions in biomass input and SOM on oat-maize and weedy fallow-maize rotations whereas vetch-maize rotations did not respond, both at 0 – 5 and 5 – 20 cm. Targeting fertilizer to the winter cover crop required less fertilizer, and yet gave a similar SOM response as targeting the fertilizer to the maize crop. In addition to increasing SOM in the surface soil (0 – 5 cm), the winter cover crops significantly (p<0.05) increased labile pools of P, including microbial P. The cover crops also significantly (p<0.05) increased maize P concentration during early growth, extractable soil P, Cu, Mn, and Zn but had no effect on Ca and K. Grazing vetch increased soil mineral N but reduced extractable soil Mg. Without fertilizer, there were sharp declines in maize grain yield on oat and weedy fallow rotations over the four year period, but less so, on the grazing vetch. Grazing vetch increased maize growth, grain yield response to N fertilizer, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and profitability for fertilizer rates below 180 kg N ha-1. Oat effects however on maize yield and NUE were generally similar to weedy fallow. Based on the partial factor productivity of N, the highest efficiencies in utilization of fertilizer N for maize yield improvement under grazing vetch and oat are obtained at 60 kg N ha-1 and would decline thereafter with any increases in fertilizer application rate. Grazing vetch gave N fertilizer replacement values of up to 120 kg N ha-1 as well as the highest marginal rates of return to increasing N fertilizer rate. The cover crops were more effective than the weedy fallow in reducing seedbank density of Digitaria sanguinalis, Eleusine indica, Amaranthus retroflexus and Datura stramonium at 0 – 5 cm soil depth, causing weed seed reductions of 30 - 70%. The winter cover crops however, selectively allowed emergence of the narrow leafed weeds; Cyperus esculentus and Digitaria sanguinalis in the maize crop. The findings of this study suggested that grazing vetch is suited for SOM improvement in low fertilizer input systems and that fertilizer is better invested on winter cover crops as opposed to maize crops. Oat, on the other hand, when fertilized, would be ideal for C sequestration in water stable aggregates of the surface soil. Grazing vetch is ideal for resource poor farmers who cannot afford mineral fertilizers as it gives grain yield improvement and high fertilizer replacement value. Grazing vetch can produce enough maize yield response to pay its way in the maize-based systems and oat may not require additional N than that applied to the weedy fallow. Phosphorus and Zn are some of the major limiting essential plant nutrients on South African soils and the winter cover crops could make a contribution. The cover crops also hasten depletion of some problematic weeds from seedbanks, leading to reduced weed pressure during maize growth.
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- Date Issued: 2012
Stakeholder participation in strategic planning processes at three colleges of education in Zimbabwe: towards the development of a participatory process in strategic planning
- Authors: Bhebhe, Gladwin
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Universities and colleges -- Zimbabwe -- Administration , Universities and colleges -- Zimbabwe , Universities and colleges -- Zimbabwe -- Planning , Education, Higher -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Education)
- Identifier: vital:16186 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1006246 , Universities and colleges -- Zimbabwe -- Administration , Universities and colleges -- Zimbabwe , Universities and colleges -- Zimbabwe -- Planning , Education, Higher -- Zimbabwe
- Description: This study investigated stakeholder participation in strategic planning processes in three teacher training colleges in Zimbabwe. The study was conducted within the qualitative research methodology. Three colleges of education were purposively sampled. All principals in the sampled sites took part in the study. Two Heads of Departments (HODs), two Lecturers in Charge (LICs) two Students Representative Council (SRC) members as well as College Advisory Council Board Members (CACBM) participated in this study. A total of 18 informants participated through interviews. Documents such as strategic planning minutes were scrutinized. Strategic planning meetings were also observed at two sites. The findings were that the practice of strategic planning still appears to be rigid and bureaucratic for organizations that operate in rapidly changing environments such as those in Zimbabwe. Secondly, participation in strategic planning is not all inclusive; only a select few individuals do take part in the planning exercise. Colleges of education and the Ministry focus on the product activities, that is, crafting the strategic plan. They seem to ignore the process activities such as reviewing plans periodically and taking note of key performance indicators which promote continuous improvement. The study also found that participants received no formal training in strategic planning and that the planning process was skewed towards control and compliance; and exhibited managerial accountability tendencies which lie within central bureaucratic approaches. The main recommendations were that the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education and the Department of Teacher Education, at the University of Zimbabwe, in consultation with relevant stakeholders should, develop norms and standards for teacher education to align Zimbabwe‟s stakeholder participation in strategic planning to the global trends. Colleges should supplement their understanding of operational contexts by exploring possible future trends and circumstances. The criteria for reviewing strategic plans should be developed by peers, and practitioners in the field, in consultation with national norms and standards for teacher education.
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- Date Issued: 2012
Strategy implementation: a critical assessment of the application of integrated risk management in the implementation of Eastern Cape Province provincial growth and development strategy (ECPGDS)
- Authors: Tshayingca-Mashiya, Nontsikelelo Valencia
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Risk assessment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Growth , Risk assessment -- Development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Strategic planning , Risk management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (in Public Administration)
- Identifier: vital:11678 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1007305 , Risk assessment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Growth , Risk assessment -- Development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Strategic planning , Risk management
- Description: Strategic Management cycle consist of strategic planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and review of strategy. Strategy implementation has thus become the most significant management challenge. Yang et al. (2010) claim that although formulating a consistent strategy is a difficult task for any management team, making that strategy work and implementing it throughout the organisation is even more difficult. Yang further argues that Strategy implementation has been recorded as a key challenge for today’s organisations. According to Gurowitz (2008, there is evidence which shows that less than 10 percent of strategies formulated are effectively executed. Hrebiniak (2005) advances that; failure in organisations to effectively execute strategies is often as a result of limitation in linking organisational goals with objectives (operations). There are many other factors that influence the success of strategy implementation, ranging from the people who communicate or implement the strategy, to the systems or mechanisms in place for co-ordination. Brynard (2005) asserts that strategy implementation is equally challenging for management in Government departments, given that efforts of Government are aimed at improving service delivery. Poor strategy implementation is linked to poor service delivery. It is also worth noting that whilst implementation is acknowledged as a challenge, joint planning and joint implementation policies and strategies experience even a greater challenge in their implementation According to Young (2006), Debra and Yeates (2008), strategy implementation is in itself a risk because of its impact on the processes, people, and the systems. Strategy implementation is thus considered one of the main risk factors in organisations. In concurring with this view, Lorenzi et al. (2008) proposes that, strategy implementation implies change, and therefore poses risk to the processes, the people and the systems.
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- Date Issued: 2012
The allelopathic potential of Arctotis Arctotoides (L.f.) O. Hoffm on some vegetables
- Authors: Badmus, Abimbola Adesile
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Allelopathy , Allelopathic agents , Vegetables -- Microbiology , Enzyme inhibitors
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Botany)
- Identifier: vital:11306 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/454 , Allelopathy , Allelopathic agents , Vegetables -- Microbiology , Enzyme inhibitors
- Description: Laboratory and greenhouse experiments were conducted to evaluate the allelopathic effects of the extracts and residue Arctotis arctotoides (L.f.) O. Hoffm on selected vegetable crops. The study aimed to address the following specific objectives to (i) examine the ultra structures of the leaf of A. arctotoides using the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), (ii) carry out comprehensive qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analysis of the root and shoot materials of the plant, (iii) investigate the allelopathic activities of the root and shoot aqueous extracts of A. arctotoides at concentrations of 10, 8, 6, 4 and 2 mg/ml on germination, radicle and plumule growth of cabbage, carrot, tomato and spinach, (iv) evaluate the inhibitory effects of the dried shoot residue of the plant at 10, 20 and 40 g kg-3 of soil (treatments B, C and D) and the control (treatment A) on the morphology, growth and chlorophyll pigment content of tomato and cabbage transplants at 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks after transplanting and (v) assess the effects of the dried shoot residue of A. arctotoides on the yield, nutrient uptake by the leaves of tomato and cabbage at 4 and 12 weeks after transplanting. Finally, to analyze the residual mineral content of the soils with tomato and cabbage transplants at 12 weeks after transplanting. The the SEM revealed that anisocytic stomata and glandular trichomes (GTs) were numerous on the abaxial than the adaxial surfaces of A. arctotoides. The non glandular trichomes (NGTs) were also present on both surfaces but lesser on the abaxial. Morphologically, the GTs were peltate, uniseriate and globular head while the NGTs were cylindrical and filamentous with variable number of cells at the basal portion. The energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy of some crystals showed that Na+ Mg2+ and Ca2+ were the major constituents of the crystal deposit found around the GTs and stomata. The results of the phytochemical composition of the root and shoot extracts of A. arctotoides confirmed the occurrence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, saponnins, tannins and triterpenes as the common constituents. In addition, cardiac glycosides and steroids were also detected in the shoot of the A. arctotoides. Quantitative estimation of the chemical constituents of the crude extracts further revealed that the alkaloid content in the root higher (0.97 percent) than the shoot (0.64 percent). The quantity of flavonoids detected in the shoot (1.02 percent) was more than that observed in the root (0.35 percent). Others (phenolics and tannins) were marginal in the two plant parts. The results of the inhibitory effects of the root and shoot aqueous extract at the varying concentrations showed that root extract at 10 mg/ml considerably reduced the germination of cabbage, carrot, tomato and spinach seeds by 84.0, 83.2, 72.8 and 37.4 percent respectively. Incubation of the shoot extract at the same concentration resulted in 100 percent inhibition of cabbage and carrot seed germination whereas those of tomato and spinach were suppressed by 91.5 and 61.2 percent respectively. The two extracts at the varying concentrations also had a significant reduction on the radicle and plumule growth of the four vegetables. Addition of the shoot residue to the soil showed massive chlorosis, necrotic lesions and wilting of tomato and cabbage leaves under treatments C and D at 2 weeks after transplanting. The number of leaves, leaf area, dry shoot and root weight of the two vegetables grown in the amended soils were also drastically reduced. The inhibition percentages due to the addition of the three concentrations of A. arctotoides dried shoot residue on the dry shoot weight at 4 weeks after transplanting were 38.6, 45.5 and 70.3. for tomato and 57.5, 73.3 and 87.5 percent for cabbage. Similarly, the declines in the dry root weight of 61.3, 82.9.4 and 83.4 percent for tomato as well as 53.1, 54.7 and 67.2 percent for cabbages were recorded for the two vegetables under treatment B, C and D during the period. The results further showed that the dry fruit yield and shoot weight of tomato under the treatments B, C and D decreased with increase in shoot residue concentrations of A. arctotoides. Relative to treatment A, no significant differences were recorded in the dry head weight of cabbage under the residue treated groups. The reductions in the fruit yield and fresh head weight caused by treatments C and D were 37.2 and 84.8 percent for tomato and 30.9 and 72.4 percent for cabbage. The findings on the mineral contents in the leaves of the two vegetables revealed significant differences in the uptake of N, Mg, Na, Cu and Fe by tomato leaves. The concentrations of N, K, Na and Zn in cabbage leaves also differed. However, the P content was relatively constant in the leaves of the two vegetables at 4 and 12 weeks after transplanting. At 12 weeks after transplanting, the Fe content in soils with tomato and cabbage treatments C and D was greatly enhanced in comparison with the other nutrients. The residual N, P and Zn detected in soils planted to cabbage were similarly equal among all the groups including the control. Thus, under the greenhouse experiment, Arctotis arctotoides (L.f) O. Hoffm has been shown to contain some phytotoxic chemical compounds in its root and shoot materials. The compounds either singly or collectively have demonstrated some inhibitory potentials on the germination, growth and yields of cabbage, carrot, tomato and spinach evaluated in this study.
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- Date Issued: 2012
The competitiveness of the South African citrus industry in the face of the changing global health and environmental standards
- Authors: Ndou, Portia
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Citrus fruit industry -- South Africa , Food industry and trade -- Safety regulations , Agricultural industries -- Safety regulations , Food -- Safety measures -- International cooperation , Export marketing -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Competition, International
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Agricultural Economics)
- Identifier: vital:11162 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/477 , Citrus fruit industry -- South Africa , Food industry and trade -- Safety regulations , Agricultural industries -- Safety regulations , Food -- Safety measures -- International cooperation , Export marketing -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Competition, International
- Description: In recent years, concern about food safety linked to health issues has seen a rise in private food safety standards in addition to the regulations set by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO). These have presented challenges to producers and exporters of agricultural food products especially the producers of fresh fruits and vegetables. In spite of the food safety-linked challenges from the demand side, the vast range of business-environment forces pose equally formidable challenges that negatively impact on the exporting industries’ ability to maintain or improve their market shares and their ability to compete in world markets. The objective of this study was therefore to establish the competitiveness of the South African citrus industry in the international markets within this prevailing scenario. Due to the diversity of the definitions of competitiveness as a concept, this study formulated the following working definition: “the ability to create, deliver and maintain value and constant market share through strategic management of the industrial environment or competitiveness drivers”. This was based on the understanding that the international market shares of an industry are a function of forces in the business environment which range from intra-industry, external and national as well as the international elements. The unit of analysis were the citrus producers engaged in export of their products and the study made use of 151 responses by producers. The study adopted a five-step approach to the analysis of the performance of the South African citrus industry in the global markets, starting with the analysis of the Constant Market Share (CMS) of the South African citrus industry in various world markets, establishing the impact of the business environmental factors upon competitiveness, establishing the costs of compliance with private food safety standards, determining the non-price benefits of compliance with the standards, as well as highlighting the strategies for enhancing long-term competitiveness of the industry in the international markets. South Africa is one of the top three countries dominating the citrus fruit export market. Since its entry into the citrus fruit exports market in the 1900s, the industry has sustained its activity in the international market. The Constant Market Share Analysis shows that, amidst the challenges on the international market side, and the changes in the business environment, over much of which the industry has limited control and influence, the industry has maintained its competitive advantage in several markets. The CMS shows that South Africa’s lemons are competitive in America. Despite a negative trend, the South African grapefruit has been competitive in France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. Oranges have been competitive in the Greece, Italy, Portugal, UK, Asian and Northern Europe markets. Competitiveness in these markets has been due to the inherent competitiveness of the industry. Competitiveness in such markets as the Middle East has been attributed to the relatively rapid growth of these markets. The South African citrus industry has similarly undergone many major processes of transformation. The business environmental factors influencing its performance have ranged reform to the challenges beyond the country’s borders. These factors directly and indirectly affect the performance of the industry in the export market. They have influenced the flow of fruits into different international destinations. Of major concern are the food safety and private standards. Challenges in traditional markets as well as opportunities presented by demand from newly emerging citrus consuming nations have seen a diversification in the marketing of the South African citrus. The intensity of competition in the global market is reflected by the fluctuations in the market shares in different markets as well as the increase and fluctuations of fruit rejection rates in some lucrative markets such as America. A combination of challenging national environmental forces and stringent demand conditions negatively impact on revenues especially from markets characterised by price competitiveness. This study identified cost of production, foreign market support systems, adaptability, worker skills, challenges of management in an international environment and government policies such as labour and trade policies as some of the most influential obstacles to competitiveness. Some of the most competiveness-enhancing factors were market availability, market size, market information, market growth and the availability of research institutions. However, compliance with private standards still poses a challenge to the exporters. The different performance levels of the industry in various markets prove the dissimilarity of the demand conditions in the global market. These are supported by the negative influence associated with the foreign market support regimes as well as the challenges associated with compliance with private food safety standards. While market availability, market growth, market information and size were identified as enhancing competitiveness, the fluctuations and inconsistencies in the competitiveness of the industry in different foreign markets require more than finding markets. Resource allocation by both the government and the industry may need to take into account the off-setting of the national challenges and support of farmers faced with distorted and unfair international playing fields. Otherwise, market availability is not a challenge for the industry save meeting the specifications therewith as well as price competitiveness which is unattainable for the South African citrus producers faced with high production costs. For the purposes of further study, it is recommended that account should be taken of all the products marketed by the industry (including processed products such as fruit juices) in order to have a whole picture of the competitiveness of the industry in the international market. This study also proffers a new theoretical framework for the analysis of the business environment for the citrus industry and other agro-businesses. This framework takes into account the indispensability of the food safety standards and measures as well as the diversity of the global consumer and the non-negotiability of food trade for the sustenance of the growing population.
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- Date Issued: 2012
The effect of moringa oleifera leaf meal on growth perfomance, gut integrity, bone strenght, quality and oxidative stability of meat from broiler chickens
- Authors: Nkukwana, Tobela T
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Moringa oleifera , Chickens -- Nutrition , Chickens -- Feeding and feeds , Broilers (Chickens)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Animal Science)
- Identifier: vital:11820 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1006835 , Moringa oleifera , Chickens -- Nutrition , Chickens -- Feeding and feeds , Broilers (Chickens)
- Description: This study was designed was to determine the effects of additive supplementation of Moringa oleifera leaf meal on growth performance, digestibility, digestive organ size, intestinal integrity, bone ash content and bone breaking strength, as well as meat yield and quality of broiler chickens. A total of 2400 day-old unsexed Cobb-500 broiler chicks were randomly allocated to 5 treatment groups: T1, positive control, 668 g/ton Salinomycin and 500 g/ton Albac; T2, T3 and T4 contained graded levels of MOLM at 1 percent, 3 percent and 5 percent of dry matter (DM) intake, respectively; and T5, a negative control (0 percent additives) in a complete randomized design experiment. Except for week one, FI and FCR was highest (P < 0.05) in T4 birds; while T1 birds had the highest FI in the period of 22 to 27d (P < 0.05). Throughout the production period, birds supplemented with MOLM had the highest BW (P < 0.05) than the birds fed the control diets. Feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) among treatments was highest (P < 0.05) in T4 birds during the period of 8 to 14 d; and was highest (P < 0.05) for T1 birds in the period of 22 to 27d. Protein efficiency ratio (PER) and energy utilization efficiency (EEU) ratios were statistically significant among treatments (P < 0.05). However, dietary treatments had no effect (P > 0.05) on the weights of the heart, liver, spleen, or the gizzard, although the bursa for T2 birds was the lightest (P < 0.05); while gizzard erosion score was highest in T2 birds. All of the nutrients measured, except for fat, had negative intercepts that were significantly different (P < 0.05) from zero, indicating the presence of endogenous fecal losses. Tibiae length (TL) was highest in T2. The dried defatted weight (DW) was heaviest (P < 0.05) for T3 (11.20 ± 0.347) and T5 (11.08 ± 0.328). A positive correlation (r = 0.667; P < 0.01) between TW and DW was observed. There were no dietary effects on bone breaking strength (BBS), but T1 tibiae had highest resistance to breaking force (T1 > T4 > T3 > T2 > T5). Calcium was highest (P < 0.05) in T1; and lowest inT2 and T5. Phosphorus levels were lowest (P < 0.05) in T1; and highest (P < 0.05) in T5 compared. The highest Ca: P ratio was obtained in T4 (P < 0.05); while the ash percent was highest (P < 0.05) in T1. Drip loss increased as L* values increased; and a negative correlation was observed between L* and pH. On D1, C18: 0 and C22 in T2, while C15:0 was highest in T4. On D1, C20:2, C20:3n6 and C22:6n3 were highest in T2 (P < 0.05); T4 had the highest C18:3n6 (P < 0.05), while C20:2 was highest in T5 (P < 0.05). The P/S ratio on D1 was highest in T4; while n-6/n-3 was highest in T1; and n-3 was highest in T3. On D8, the n-3 was highest in T1 (P < 0.05). Results of the current study show that supplementation of M. oleifera leaf at additive levels of up to 5 percent of the bird’s DMI does have the potential to influence the bird performance without any detrimental effects on nutrient utilization, bird health, bone strength and/or meat quality, which can be concluded that MOLM enhanced the bird’s genetic potential for optimal productivity.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
The perception of educators and subject advisors on the bearing that the South African mathematics curriculum design has on underachievement in schools in the King Williams Town education district of the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Sibanda, Bonani
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Curriculum-based assessment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Curriculum evaluation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Curriculum planning -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Mathematics -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Mathematics teachers -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , High school teachers -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , High school students -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Education)
- Identifier: vital:16198 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1013106 , Curriculum-based assessment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Curriculum evaluation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Curriculum planning -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Mathematics -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Mathematics teachers -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , High school teachers -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , High school students -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: The present study investigates the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) Mathematics curriculum Design issues which have a bearing on underachievement at Grade 12 in selected schools in the King Williamstown Education District. It stems from the premise that curriculum design is plausible explanation for Mathematics achievement. In pursuit of this line of thought, the study looked at curriculum design types such as linear, sequential, and spiral arrangement of contents, as well as curriculum design aspects such as sequencing, progression, integration, pacing and organisation of contents. The study also looked at the perceptions educators and subject advisors have with respect to the bearing that these aspects have on underachievement in Mathematics. The interpretive paradigm was used to frame and focus the study. The sample included five schools selected on purpose, with underperformance in Mathematics as an inclusion criterion. These schools constituted the cases of this research. Data was obtained from the interviews which were conducted with the Mathematics educators of the selected schools, and the Mathematics subject advisor of the district to find out about their perceptions with regard to the impact of Mathematics curriculum design on students’ underachievement in Grade 12. In addition, the contents of the National Curriculum Statement for Mathematics documents were analysed. The findings revealed that the scope (contents coverage) is too wide, and that the skills which are supposed to be developed in learners per term are not fully developed. Time allocation is unreasonably limited as a result learners are unable to cover the scope for the term. Revisiting of topics done every year in a spiral fashion is good but the balance between superficiality and depth is not achieved, and that it is done without checking and understanding learners’ previous knowledge on the topic. The sequencing of certain topics has to be looked into and revised. The study also revealed that Mathematics curriculum design, link and progression from primary to high school is good but not all details covered which leave students with content gaps that impede the learning of certain topics. The researcher came out with the following recommendations: From this case study, it appears that teachers still need more empowerment in NCS. Educators still need training on the NCS so they can be confident with the Mathematics NCS content. In most schools the scope is not covered and skills that are supposed to be developed in learners every term are not developed because of slow learners and the time factor. Therefore, the Department of education needs to give the scope taking into consideration the slow learners and make sure that the time they give every term also takes into consideration the time used for tests. It also appears that the learners are slow because of the language barrier. Educators spend a lot of time saying the same things to the learners so that they can understand. Since the learners do almost all the subjects in English and write their examination in English if they are from an English medium school, it would be a good idea for the DOE to introduce English to the learners as early as grade R, as in the model C schools. If that is done, it might remove the language barrier and hence reduce underachievement in Mathematics. It appears that the educators revisit topics every year but do not balance superficiality and depth. Educators should be encouraged to take every topic seriously every year and not just repeat what they covered in the previous grade. They should use it as a base for the new content. If that is done, it might help the achievement in Mathematics.
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- Date Issued: 2012
A model for the implementation of Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) in selected Eastern Cape schools
- Authors: Sambumbu, Antony Matemba
- Date: 2013
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (in Public Administration)
- Identifier: vital:11703 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1015152
- Description: The main purpose of this research was to evaluate the processes for IQMS implementation in the selected Eastern Cape schools so as to determine the model that can be postulated for improving the IQMS implementation in the South African schools. While mainly deriving from the fact that so far, empirical research reveals that the process for IQMS implementation has been marred with a significant number of challenges. The study star begins with the formulation of a thought-process in its overriding hypothesis. The hypothesis is that the application of a five constructs’ IQMS Implementation Model in Figure 1.1 would signficantly influence the successful IQMS implementation in South African schools. The five constructs that are outlined in the IQMS Implementation Model in Figure 1.1 include: (1) Considering the Notion of “Quality” and Whole School Evaluation, (2) Performance Management and Developmental Appraisals, (3) Considering Key Success Factors for IQMS Implementation, (4) the Use of Appropriate Implementation Processes, Systems and Methods, and (5) Constant Monitoring, and Evaluations and Applications of the Improvement Actions. Despite the fact that the integrated quality management theories strongly support this hypothesis, the study, in line with these five constructs which were also aligned with the five research questions and hypotheses that guided this research applies exploratory factor analysis. This has been done in order to further define the structure of the IQMS Implementation Model in Figure 1.1 prior to applying confirmatory factor analysis in order to determine whether the IQMS Implementation Model in Figure 1.1 would perfectly reproduce the 53 observed sample data which was used in the study. The results confirmed the overriding hypothesis in the IQMS Implementation Model in Figure 1.1 which is that effectiveness of the IQMS implementation processes in the South African schools can be significantly influenced by the application of the five constructs. These include: Considering the Notion of “Quality” and Whole School Evaluation, Performance Management and Developmental Appraisals, Considering Key Success Factors for IQMS Implementation, the Use of the Appropriate Implementation Processes, Systems and Methods, and Undertaking Constant Monitoring, Evaluations and Improvement Action. In effect, it was recommended that the Eastern Cape Department of Education must adopt the IQMS implementation Model in Figure 1.1 in order to effectively implement its integrated quality management systems. Despite examining the limitations of the study, the recommendations chapter also discussed the area for further research in which it was suggested that the area for further research would be: Evaluating the impact of appropriate standards’ setting on the successful IQMS implementation in the schools in the Eastern Cape schools.
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- Date Issued: 2013
Absorptive capacity and information technology adoption strategies in Kenyan SMEs
- Authors: Ndiege, Joshua Rumo Arongo
- Date: 2013
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Information Systems)
- Identifier: vital:11140 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1014672
- Description: Although Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), arguably, make up a significant part of economic development in many countries, these enterprises have continued to face challenges especially in developing countries like Kenya. With Information Technology (IT) being considered a critical component of the survival of SMEs, many are striving to invest in it. However, a number of these SMEs are still far from realising the full potential of their IT investments. In today‟s challenging and dynamic business environment, SMEs need to leverage both internal and external knowledge, exploit it to help improve and maintain their competitiveness, and consequently, their survival. This study has endeavoured to address the IT adoption strategy challenges experienced by SMEs in Kenya and other developing countries, as these have been largely flawed. The study has explored on the way in which these enterprises can build strong Absorptive Capacities (AC) and exploit these to improve their IT adoption processes through a model of AC. To achieve this, a qualitative, interpretive case study research approach was employed in this study. The findings of this study suggest that although AC plays a critical role in the performance of SMEs in Kenya, many of these enterprises have low levels of AC. It also became clear that all the SMEs that participated in the study had not attained maturity in their IT adoption process. However, SMEs that exhibited strong AC employed the use of more superior IT adoption processes than did their counterparts with low levels of AC. From the results of this study an IT Adoption Strategy Improvement Model (ITASIM) has been developed to help SMEs improve their IT adoption strategies. The model focuses on improving SMEs‟ AC and injecting these alongside the elements of a good strategy in the SMEs‟ IT adoption process. Furthermore, in order to help in the effective implementation of ITASIM, implementation guidelines have been developed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
An appraisal of support services to students with disabilities: the case of Walter Sisulu University
- Authors: Makiwane, Nonzwakazi Beauty
- Date: 2013
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD Admin
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/1220 , vital:26537
- Description: The provision of effective support services in an efficient manner is a critical part of any university’s role to ensure that students with disabilities achieve academic outcomes. In South Africa universities are categorized into three types, namely traditional universities (offer theoretically-oriented degrees); universities of technology (offer vocational-oriented diplomas and degrees) and comprehensive universities (offer a combination of the other two). With their constitutional and policy framework obligations, universities are responsible for accommodating students with all types of disabilities. Pertaining to the awareness of social disparities, the quality of support services to students with disabilities still remains a concern. From various platforms it is evident that quality of support services to students with disabilities in South African universities is poor and in some instances crucial support devices do not exist at all. The pressures being felt by universities from external forces and the problems encountered in the extent of quality of support services has created the need for an appraisal. The purpose of this study, then, is to investigate and describe the quality of the support services provided to students with disabilities in a university context.
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- Date Issued: 2013
An assessment of energy use as a rural development strategy: the case of Chiwundura communal area, Zimbabwe
- Authors: Mangizvo, Remigios Vurayayi
- Date: 2013
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:11444 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1013595
- Description: Households in Chiwundura Communal Area continue to depend on traditional biomass fuels, that is, fuelwood, agricultural residues and in some cases dung. This is despite the fact that grid electrification has been introduced in the communal area. A few households have been able to adopt the grid electrification whilst the rest remain rooted in the use of the inefficient and polluting traditional biomass. Some of those who have adopted the grid electricity only use it for lighting and entertainment whilst they continue to use fuelwood for cooking. A number of households that have connected to grid electricity have reverted to the use of the traditional biomass. This means that the generality of people in Chiwundura Communal Area continue to be subjected to energy poverty, which is a constrained access to modern energy services such as electricity. As a result these households will not be able to meet the millennium development goals among many other achievements. This state of affairs motivated the researcher to conduct this study. The study wanted to find out why the transition from traditional biomass energy forms to modern energy services was slow in Chiwundura Communal Area. The study also wanted to establish the factors that influenced household en ergy choices as well as establish the ways in which the traditional biomass energy forms had affected the livelihoods of households in the study area. In order to get information on the above mentioned questions, this study which was a case study of Chiwundura Communal Area utilised the triangulation of both qualitative and quantitative techniques. These methods were meant to complement each other and benefit from the strengths of each method. The study used questionnaires, interviews, observations, transect walks, focus group discussions and content analysis. The researcher spent up to three months in the study area so as to get first hand information on the issues under study. A total of 215 households and 106 school children were conveniently sampled to respond to the questionnaires whilst fifty household heads participated in the interviews. The study looked at three energy theories namely the energy ladder, the leapfrogging and the multiple fuels use models as well as consumption and decision making theories to open this discussion. The study made a number of critical findings. Firstly, there was very little transition as most households remained as users of biomass energy; hence they were at the lower rungs of the energy ladder. Those that had moved up the ladder tended to back switch to the use of fuelwood. This made them multiple fuel users. Generally fuelwood was the dominant source of energy as it was used mainly for cooking, space and water heating, space lighting and other domestic needs such as smoking meat. About 22% of all respondents were connected to the grid and used electricity mainly for lighting. Candles, paraffin, gensets and solar energy were part of the energy mix. It was established that income was the most important determinant in the energy choices made by the different households. Most of the households were peasant farmers who could not harvest excess crops for the market. A few households with members in paid employment or obtained remittances from relatives in South Africa or the Diaspora were able to get connected to the grid or could afford to purchase fuelwood from vendors. Households could not procure solar house systems as the start up costs were beyond their reach. Those who were able to acquire generators could not run them for many hours as they could not afford to refuel them regularly. Household characteristics such as age and education of household- head were also important factors. It was however established that cultural and traditional factors were as usual not given the attention they deserved yet they were very significant in determining the type of fuel a household chose. Food preparation and taste always played an important role in determining whether a household chose traditional fuels for certain cuisines. It was also realised that failure by numerous households in the study area to access modern energy sources meant that they could not attain the millennium development goals by 2015. They could not move out of abject poverty as they lacked irrigation schemes to assure them of food security. Universal access to education was affected by lack of light to use for studying and reading after hours. Adult education was also frustrated. The boy child was worst affected as he came to school late or at times missed school altogether collecting fuelwood for the household. In Chiwundura Communal Area men and boys were responsible for collecting fuelwood. This signified a shift in gender roles. Men and boys took it upon themselves to have these responsibilities as women and girls could not walk the long distances. The health of the household particularly women and children who spent several hours close to the fire was compromised as most huts were poorly ventilated. They therefore could not adequately deal with indoor air pollution challenges. Other MDGs were also likely not to be achieved by the families. The study also found out that men were not dictatorial in determining the fuel that a household used. Some form of democracy existed within homes and negotiations between husband and wife often took place away from the public domain. Oftentimes women often aped their colleagues who owned modern energy technologies within the villages; hence they pressurised their husbands to buy them SHSs and gensets. This was conspicuous consumption. The study established that there was need for modern energy in the study area. Grid electricity was not the panacea for this as it was beyond the reach of many. It was therefore important to look at renewable energy forms such as gel fuel, SHSs and biogas. It was also pertinent to educate and make households aware of dangers posed by indoor air pollution. The government and different stakeholders must give it equal importance and publicity as that given to HIV and AIDS as it kills several children annually. Housing interventions should be made so that households build huts with proper ventilation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
An investigation of skills, knowledge and farmer support programmes of land reform beneficiaries :a case study of Forest Hill farmers in Kenton-on-Sea in the Ndlambe Local Municipality
- Authors: Tshuma, Mengezi Chancellor
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Land reforms -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Farms, Small -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Agricultural Economics)
- Identifier: vital:11205 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1013109 , Land reforms -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Farms, Small -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: black owners by white colonialists. Even though whites made up less than 20% of the nation‟s population, they took more than 80% of the agriculturally productive land and drove the original owners to the unproductive reserves where they were cramped and could not practice agriculture at all. Various acts such as the Black Land Act of 1913, Development Trust Act of 1936 and the Native Laws Amendment Act of 1937 were introduced which further frustrated the displaced black population thereby plunging it deeper and deeper into poverty. The main objective behind the introduction of these acts was to restrain the black population from earning livelihoods through agriculture thus forcing them to offer their labour to white farmers for low wages just to earn some form of livelihood. Such unfair practices and distribution of land prompted the first democratically elected government of South Africa to embark on a drive to redistribute the nation‟s land equitably amongst its citizens to foster national reconciliation, stimulate economic growth and compensate those that were forced out or lost their land during the apartheid era. This initiative was called the Land Reform Programme (LRP) and was implemented with three prongs namely (i) land redistribution; (ii) restitution; and (iii) land tenure. Among the beneficiaries of the LRP were farmers from a community called Marselle in Kenton-on-sea. In addition to getting land for farming purposes, the Marselle farmers also obtained financial support from the government‟s Land Bank to help them kick-start their farming activities. However, in spite of such interventions, they have struggled to turn their activities into sustainable livelihood sources. One most likely cause for this is the lack of farming knowledge and skills needed to make them more efficient and productive. This study was thus geared towards evaluating the knowledge and skills gap in Marselle which, when addressed, could make the Marselle farmers more productive. Its focus was limited to the 32 livestock and 8 chicory farmers that are recognized members of their respective projects. Focus was limited only to these farmers since the next phase of this study will involve building their capacity based on the skills gaps identified through this study. The findings showed that the two projects benefited at least 130 individuals belonging to the farming households, with 67.5% of these households headed by males. The age of these farmers was equally shared at 40% each between those above 65 years and those that only went as far as fourth grade. No one went to tertiary at all. At least 75% of the investigated farmers were unemployed and 42% of this population was pensioners. In terms of income though, 64.98% of it was from external sources. The Masakhane Silime (Chicory) project was implemented to generate income and provide job opportunities for the locals but neither of these objectives had been met at the time the data for this study was collected due to various challenges like lack of funds and infrastructure to enhance productivity. Just like the chicory project, the livestock project had its own objectives, namely; to remove animals from the residential areas, provide the animals with a safe place, reduce road accidents and also to provide a livelihood source for local farmers. Due to overgrazing the pastures, lack of proper camps and other challenges, some effort still needs to be put to achieve these objectives. Even though the livestock project was formed with these objectives in mind, the farmers themselves reared livestock either for personal consumption, selling, ritual purposes, store of wealth or all these combined. Regarding technical skills, livestock farmers were found to rely mostly on indigenous knowledge sources to attain farming knowledge. Only animal healthcare knowledge was popular to more than half the respondents. This was said to be due to the focus group meetings held on the farm every other Wednesday to share information with local extension officers. In spite of these information sharing events, livestock farmers identified training on how to feed; market; handle; and treat their livestock as key intervention knowledge areas. Attendance to these focus group meetings was limited to livestock farmers only. Various socio-economic factors were also found to have some form of influence on the acquisition of livestock knowledge. Education was the most dominant factor, with a significant association with the farmers‟ feeding (p=0.033); animal healthcare (P=0.038); marketing (p=0.009); veld management (p=0.036); and cattle slaughtering (p=0.027) knowledge. Other variables most influential include the gender and age of the household head. The former was significant at 95% confidence level for farmers‟ feeding knowledge (p=0.021); animal healthcare (p=0.039); marketing (p=0.043); livestock housing and handling (p=0.023); veld management (p=0.018); and cattle slaughtering (p=0.043). The dominance of males in acquiring these skills could be explained by the fact that the majority of the livestock project members were males. The majority of the few female members became members by default after the passing on of their husbands but their participation in the project was done through other project members who looked after their animals on their behalf. The number of farming years also had some positive and significant influence on other knowledge areas such as feeding (p=0.021) and livestock housing and handling (p=0.013). The logic supporting this association is that farmers tend to accumulate new and more skills the longer they stay in the same enterprise. In addition, most of the interviewed farmers were farm labourers prior to relocating to Marselle hence they acquired the necessary knowledge long before the project started. Concerning the chicory project, its members also relied heavily on indigenous knowledge sources for farming knowledge. Soil preparation (24.1%); planting (20.7%); land care (24.1%); and mechanical weed control (48.3%) were the knowledge areas lacked by more than half the respondents. The farmers identified land preparation (75%); communication skills (25%); marketing (100%); financial management (62%); and harvesting (88%) as the key crucial intervention areas they needed prioritized. As a study meant to inform the capacity building phase of the Land Bank project, this study identified the existing skills gaps in the two projects implemented in Forest Hill. When implementing the Capacity Building (CB) phase, various socio-economic factors will have to be considered. For example, the proposed intervention should not discriminate against anyone on the grounds of gender or physical abilities. The skills introduced should also be simple enough to be accepted and acquired even by the illiterate, especially when one considers the high illiteracy levels amongst the respondents. Efforts should also be made to create partnerships with the right organizations or groups of people so that they provide the required expertise and resources for the benefit of the farmers as and when required.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
Antifugal evaluation and phytochemical analysis of selected medicinal plants used in the treatment of fungal diseases associated with HIV infection in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
- Authors: Mbeng, Wilfred Otang
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Medicinal plants -- ethnobotanical survey , Opportunistic fungal infections , HIV/AIDS -- Cytotoxicity , Eastern Cape -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Botany)
- Identifier: vital:11307 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1006834 , Medicinal plants -- ethnobotanical survey , Opportunistic fungal infections , HIV/AIDS -- Cytotoxicity , Eastern Cape -- South Africa
- Description: Background. As a result of the AIDS pandemic, many people areimmuno compromised andopportunistic fungal infections (OFIs) such as candidiasis are common. Despite the widespread use of medicinal plants in South Africa, there is a dearth of knowledge regarding the use of such plants in the management of these infections. This study evaluates three South African medicinal plants (Arctotis arctotoides, Pittosporum viridiflorum, and Gasteria bicolor) traditionally used in the treatment of OFIs in HIV/AIDS patients, in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Materials and methods. A six-stage process of documentation, evaluation and analysis of results was conducted: (1) Selection of medicinal plants most frequently used in the treatment of OFIs through ethnomedical studies and the survey of specialised literature; (2) Collection and preparation of the extract of each plant; (3) Antifungal evaluation of the crude plant extracts. (4) Phytochemical and antioxidant evaluation of the active crude plant extracts; (5) Cytotoxicity evaluation of the bioactive extracts using the Chang liver cell line, and (6) Statistical analysis of the results. Ethnobotanical information was obtained through interviews with traditional healers and AIDS patients with the aid of semi-structured questionnaires, direct observations and by reviewing studies reported in the literature. Following the approval from the University of Fort Hare‘s Ethics Committee, 101 HIV/AIDS patients were recruited through convenience sampling into an anonymous cross-sectional questionnaire study. The agar diffusion and micro-dilution methods were used to determine the antifungal activities of the hexane, acetone and aqueous extracts of A. arctotoides, G. bicolor and P. viridiflorum against 10 opportunistic fungi.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
Assessing financial viability of selected urban and rural municipalities in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Maclean, Sindisile
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Finance, Public -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Municipal government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Human services -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Municipal services -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , South Africa -- Economic policy , South Africa -- Economic conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (in Public Administration)
- Identifier: vital:11661 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1007093 , Finance, Public -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Municipal government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Human services -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Municipal services -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , South Africa -- Economic policy , South Africa -- Economic conditions
- Description: The purpose of the research is to assess the financial viability of selected urban and rural municipalities in the Eastern Cape. Municipalities that are not financially viable and sustainable will always struggle to deliver basic services to communities. Without sound financial management systems, municipalities will be forced to discontinue their operations. Municipalities, particularly small and rural ones, are not self-sufficient and often rely on grants and transfers to satisfy their immediate short-term goal of providing basic services to satisfy the needs of their communities. Therefore, finance is regarded as an overriding and decisive factor for determining the viability of municipalities. The study seeks to investigate the financial viability of selected urban and rural municipalities in the Eastern Cape. Its key research questions are: Are municipalities able to provide sufficient funds to provide a range of services at an acceptable service level? To what extent do municipalities rely on external funding? Do municipalities have revenue collection capacity and revenue policies? The study asserts that most municipalities lack the required financial resources. They depend mainly on transfers from Provincial Government and equitable share and conditional grants from National Government. Section 152 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 8 of 1996, states, amongst other things, that Local Government should ensure the provision of services to communities in a sustainable manner. The constitution further states that a municipality must strive, within its financial and administrative capacity, to achieve its objectives. The Municipal Finance Management Act, Act 56 of 2003, creates a framework for municipalities to borrow money and determine the conditions for short- and long-term borrowing. The Act assigns clear roles and responsibilities to the various role players involved in local government financial management. According to the Act, an annual budget for a municipality may only be funded from realistically anticipated revenues to be collected. As revenue projections in the budget must be realistic, the Municipal Property Rates Act, Act 6 of 2004, facilitates the collection of revenue in municipalities and establishes a uniform property rating system across South Africa. Property tax is the biggest element of local government tax revenue and is central to municipal finance. The Municipal Systems Act, Act 32 of 2000, amongst its objectives, provides for the manner in which municipal powers and functions are exercised as well as establishes a simple framework for the core processes of planning, performance management and resource mobilisation. The Act also provides a framework for public administration and human resource development. Finally, it also empowers the poor and ensures that municipalities put in place service tariffs and credit control policies that take their needs into account. The research contends that, whilst there is legislation and structures to assist and direct municipalities, it has been established that municipalities do not properly collect rates and taxes due to them to augment their revenue. The study has shown nevertheless that metropolitan municipalities have the capacity to collect revenue for municipal services. This is confirmed by their collection rate which ranges between 94 % and 97 %. There is also the culture of non-payment by communities for services rendered by the municipalities. Rural municipalities are exempted from property tax, while other rural municipalities who have an urban component, have to collect. There is also the question of unemployment and poverty. Consequently, municipalities are not self-sufficient and rely on grants and equitable share to survive. As a result of this lack of self-sufficiency, it is difficult to implement service delivery and also difficult to attract skilled personnel. The study has investigated why some municipalities fail to collect revenue and depend on national grants. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods. The findings of the quantitative paradigm have been presented in the form of graphs and charts. The major findings include: All municipalities have limited borrowing capacity; have not exceeded their budgets in terms of their spending; small municipalities have households as their main contributor of revenue collected; metropolitan municipalities get the big slice of their revenue from business; small and rural municipalities rely on grants and transfers and are therefore not financially viable; metropolitan municipalities are, to a great extent, financially viable but lack skills and capacity to utilize their resources for effective service delivery; and all municipalities under-spend their budgets. The study, after elaborating on the findings, makes recommendations on how municipalities should become financially viable.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
Assessment of the incidence of E.coli in Tyume and Buffalo rivers in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa
- Authors: Koba, Siziwe
- Date: 2013
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Microbiology)
- Identifier: vital:11272 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1006889
- Description: Waterborne diseases are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in developing countries and every year around 2.2 million people die due to basic hygiene related diseases like coliform diarrhoea. Universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation has been promoted as an essential step in reducing these preventable diseases (Tambekar and Banginwar, 2005; Patil, 2004; Charan, 2004). Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli are one of the most important etiologic agents of acute diarrhea and represent a major public health problem in developing countries like South Africa The present study was conducted between August 2010 and July 2011 to investigate the prevalence and distribution of virulent E. coli strains from water samples collected from Tyume and Buffalo River, located in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa using conventional microbiological methods and PCR analysis. Twelve Water samples were collected from three different sites of the rivers, viz; upstream, middle stream and the downstream of the dam. E.coli was isolated by the membrane filtration method on mFC. A total of 374 isolates from both rivers were identified by convenctional microbiological techniques. For both Buffalo and Tyume River, A large proportion (87 and 114, respectively) of the isolates from the mid stream samples satisfied the identification characteristics for E. coli (blue colonies on MFC agar and violet/purple colonies on Chromocult agar) and thus revealing high levels contamination when compared to isolates from the downstream (55 and 47) and the upstream (30 and 31) All the isolates that satisfied the primary identification stage were subjected to PCR. DNA was extracted using the boiling method and then the DNA was used as a template for PCR. Specific PCR analysis was performed on all E. coli isolates to amplify the alr gene that codes for alanine racemase Out and of the 202 isolates amplified for Tyume river, 70 (35 percent) were positively identified as E. coli since they possessed the alr gene fragment. and out of the 172 isolates amplified from Buffalo River, 80(47 percent) were also positively identified as E. coli. For both Tyume and Buffalo River, the highest prevalence was observed midstream (39 percent and 56 pecent respectively). The identified E. coli were further characterized into different pathotypes. Amplification of the shig gene, LT gene, EaeA gene, Eagg gene and the ST gene were used to detect pathogenic E.coli. In Tyume River, Genes of ETEC (lt or st) were detected in 21/70 (30 percent); Gene of EPEC (eae) was detected in 14/70 specimens (35 percent); Genes of EAEC (Eagg) was detected in 14/70(35 percent) and genes of EIEC (shig) were detected in 11/70(16 percent). In Buffalo River, no DEC was recovered upstream and downstream of the river. EAEC (8 percent) was the only pathotypes recovered midstream of the river. Strains of all five E. coli categories showed high-level resistance to ampicillin, tetracycline, cotrimoxazole, and chloramphenicol but were highly susceptible to quinolones, aminoglycosides, and novobiocin. The highest resistance (100 percent) amongst the isolates was observed to ampicillin by EAEC, Heat Labile (ETEC) and EIEC, followed by 87.5 percent by EAEC to carbenicillin. The highest susceptibility was to quinolones (100 percent) by all the four categories of E.coli. The screening for antibiotic resistance genes revealed the absence of SHV, CTMX and TetC genes as they were not detected in any of the E.coli isolates. However, TEM genes were observed in 80 percent of the isolates. Integron conserved segment was detected in these same organisms in the same proportion as TEM
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- Date Issued: 2013
Design, implementation and evaluation of a directly water cooled photovoltaic- thermal system
- Authors: Mtunzi, Busiso
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Sensitivity analysis -- Photovoltaic thermal system (PV/T) , Solar utilization -- Carbon emission
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Physics)
- Identifier: vital:11597 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1016198 , Sensitivity analysis -- Photovoltaic thermal system (PV/T) , Solar utilization -- Carbon emission
- Description: This research project was based on the Design, Implementation and Evaluation of a Photovoltaic Water heating system in South Africa, Eastern Cape Province. The purpose of the study was to design and investigate the scientific and economic contribution of direct water cooling on the photovoltaic module. The method involved performance comparison of two photovoltaic modules, one naturally cooled (M1) and the other, direct water cooled module (M2). Module M2 was used to produce warm water and electricity, hence, a hybrid system. The study focused on comparing the modules’ efficiency, power output and their performance. The temperatures attained by water through cooling the module were monitored as well as the electrical energy generated. A data logger and a low cost I/V characteristic system were used for data collection for a full year. The data were then used for performance analysis of the modules. The results of the study revealed that the directly water cooled module could operate at a higher electrical efficiency for 87% of the day and initially produced 3.63% more electrical energy each day. This was found to be true for the first three months after installation. In the remaining months to the end of the year M2 was found to have more losses as compared to M1 as evidenced by the modules’ performance ratios. The directly water cooled module also showed an energy saving efficiency of 61%. A solar utilization of 47.93% was found for M2 while 8.77% was found for M1. Economically, the project was found to be viable and the payback period of the directly cooled module (M2) system was found to be 9.8 years. Energy economics showed that the system was more sensitive to the price changes and to the energy output as compared to other inputs such as operation and maintenance and years of operation. A generation cost of R0.84/kWh from the system was found and when compared to the potential revenue of R1.18 per kWh, the system was found to enable households to make a profit of 40.5 %. Use of such a system was also found to be able to contribute 9.55% towards carbon emission reduction each year. From these results, it was concluded that a directly cooled photovoltaic/thermal heating (PV/T) system is possible and that it can be of much help in terms of warm water and electricity provision.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013