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Understanding how grade 11 Physical Science teachers mediate learning of the topic distillation in the Kavango Region

  • Authors: Shifafure, Andreas Muronga
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia -- Kavango , Distillation -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia -- Kavango , Teachers -- Training of -- Namibia -- Kavango , Community and school -- Namibia -- Kavango , Interdisciplinary approach to knowledge
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:2046 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017357
  • Description: The National Curriculum of Education was implemented with the broad view of including all learners as laid out in the document Toward Education for All. The curriculum emphasised that the topic distillation should be studied. According to the Examiners Reports, the topic distillation is one of the topics where learners face difficulties in the Namibian Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary (NSSCO) examination Grade 12. This led me to do research on understanding how Physical Science teachers mediate the topic distillation in Namibia specifically in the Kavango region. The study was carried out at two rural schools with two teachers teaching Grade 11. The community member who I asked to demonstrate the making of Kashipembe was also a participant during this study. Kashipembe is a local cultural brew alcohol beverage commonly made in the Kavango East and West Regions of Namibia, which was used as a learning context in this research study. The study used a qualitative case study underpinned by an interpretive paradigm. Data was generated through the use of document analysis, semi-structured interviews, stimulated recall interviews, lesson observations, brainstorming and practical demonstration of making Kashipembe. These different methods of data gathering were used with the aim of triangulating and validating the data. Therefore, my theoretical framework adopted Vygotsky’s (1986) mediation of learning, social constructivism and pedagogical content knowledge according to Shulman’s (1986) theory. The emergent themes were identified inductively and they were colour coded. These themes were later developed into analytic statements which were used in the study. The findings indicate that the use of community knowledge and experience during the teaching of scientific concepts like distillation is important. These findings can also be used by the practising teachers to make their teaching more effective in the curriculums where distillation is included. Therefore, the Namibian curriculum developers need to include this community knowledge in the curriculum to make it easier for the learners to make sense of the topic distillation.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Understanding how grade 8 Physical Science teachers make use of learners’ prior everyday knowledge when teaching static electricity: A case study

  • Authors: Iyambo, Toini
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1320 , vital:20046
  • Description: Over the last decade of my teaching I have been grappling with how to incorporate learners’ prior everyday knowledge into my Physical Science lessons to enable me to close the gap between school science and everyday knowledge. I conducted this case study in two schools, one in Omusati region and one in Ohangwena Region, Namibia. Its purpose was to investigate how grade 8 Physical Science teachers make use of learners’ prior everyday knowledge when teaching the topic of static electricity. Underpinned by an interpretive paradigm, the study made use of document analysis, observation (lessons were also video-taped) and semi-structured interviews to generate the data. Three data generating techniques were used for triangulation and validation purposes. To further validate the data, transcripts of video-taped lessons and interviews were sent back to the research participants for member checking. The main findings of my study are that teachers did incorporate learners’ prior knowledge in the lesson presentation on static electricity. It emerged from the study that, learners possess a great deal of prior everyday scientific and non-scientific knowledge and experiences about static electricity that they had acquired from their communities. Also, mobilization of learners' everyday knowledge and experiences about static electricity enabled learner engagement during the science lessons. Likewise, engaging learners in demonstrations on static electricity helped them to make meaning of the scientific concepts involved in the topic. It also emerged from this study that teachers face challenges of lack of documentation of indigenous knowledge which is potentially a form of prior knowledge, language barriers and a lack of resources. Based on my research findings, I therefore, recommend that learners' prior everyday knowledge and experiences about static electricity should be incorporated during the teaching and learning process.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Understanding how students' relationships with their cellphones inform their experience of social participation online and offline

  • Authors: Oosthuizen, Jess
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Cell phones -- South Africa -- Psychological aspects , Social participation , Cell phones -- South Africa -- Social aspects , College students -- South Africa , Social media addiction
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:3264 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017887
  • Description: The pervasive presence of cellphones in the lives of urban young people around the globe has led to widespread research to evaluate the impact that this device has on young people’s overall psychosocial development. This relationship is often characterised as “addictive”. This research study presents a unique South African youth perspective in a field of research that is predominantly conducted in the United States, Europe and Asia. It explores the relationship that students (ages 18–21) at Rhodes University have with their cellphones in order to understand how this device informs their experience of social participation online and offline. Central to the design of this study is a “social media detox” which involved the research participants volunteering to restrict their social media and cellphone use for an agreed-upon period of time. The study employs interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to uncover key themes from in-depth interviews before and after the detox. Eight respondents were interviewed twice; once before and once after their detox. This study provides insights into the integral role of a cellphone as reported from a young adult’s perspective. Communicating on social media platforms using a cellphone has become normalised among this age-group and the respondents described how the cellphone feels like “a part of you”. Unlike interacting face-to-face which is potentially awkward and involves effort, socialising on a cellphone offers the respondents a sense of companionship, control and instant access to their peer groups. The respondents in this study seemed unaware of their own agency in social situations until their participation in the social media detox. By participating in this study, the participants became more aware of how their cellphone use influences social behaviour, both online and offline. The study proposes that the term “addiction” undermines the positive association young people have with their cellphones. Instead, this study suggests that “social fitness” would be a more relevant construct through which to encourage and support young people to exercise agency in their social lives. This exploratory study raises new questions for researchers, programme developers and educators to take up in future studies and programme development
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Understanding how teachers scaffold learners to make sense of biological language and concepts when using English as a mediational tool: a case study

  • Authors: Nakale, Elifas
  • Date: 2013
  • Subjects: Biology -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia Language and education -- Namibia , English as medium of instruction
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1386 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001517
  • Description: For the past few years, Namibian grade 11-12 learners’ achievement level in biology has not been very encouraging. Evidence to this effect is contained in recent examiners’ reports which outline misunderstanding and various misconceptions. The causes of these misunderstandings and misconceptions may be varied, but there is credible evidence that some of it is rooted in the language problem for learners. A classroom is a social unit where many social practices are acquired, including the use of English language. Equally, it is a place where errors in language are learnt and reinforced. Triggered by these challenges facing biology learners, a qualitative case study was conducted at two secondary schools in Ohangwena Region, Namibia. Its purpose was to investigate how biology teachers scaffold learners to make sense of biological language and concepts when English is used as the mediational tool. Underpinned by an interpretivist paradigm, the study made use of document analysis, observation (lessons were also video-taped) and interviews to generate the data. Several data generating techniques were used for triangulation and validation. To further validate the data, transcripts of video-taped lessons and interviews were sent back to the research participants for member checking. The data gathering methods were also used in data presentation, analysis and interpretation to determine the extent of scaffold that teachers provide to their biology learners. The main findings of my study are that, despite efforts by participant teachers to scaffold their learners in making sense of biological language and concepts, success rates in this regard remain disappointingly low due to their (teachers) limited pedagogical content knowledge. Teachers therefore require improved mentorship, monitoring and capacity building.
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  • Date Issued: 2013

Understanding how the incorporation of indigenous knowledge (IK) enables or constrains the teaching and learning of alcoholic fermentation in Life Sciences in Grade 11

  • Authors: Mutanho, Chrispen
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1264 , vital:20041
  • Description: There is growing interest in the role of indigenous knowledge (IK) in science education in many parts of the world. In South Africa, this comes against the backdrop of a long history of cultural alienation, neglect and suppression of the IK of the indigenous people by colonial governments. Hence, the first post-independence National Curriculum Policy Statement (Curriculum, 2005) and its subsequent modified versions emphasised the need to redress the imbalances of the past so as to make science accessible to learners from diverse cultural backgrounds. However, literature reveals that the efforts to implement an IK-based curriculum are constrained by the lack of clarity, knowledge and skills on how to effectively make use of IK in the classroom situation so as to bring about effective teaching and learning. Against this background, this study sought to understand how the incorporation of IK enables or constrains the teaching and learning of alcoholic fermentation. Underpinned by an interpretive paradigm, a qualitative case study was conducted at a high school in Mthatha District in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The study comprised of a sample of ten Life Sciences teachers from four neighbouring high schools, two Grade 11 Life Sciences teachers and their classes and two focus groups of six learners from each class. Convenience and purposive sampling were used to select the participants and the research site. The study made use of a questionnaire, document analysis, lesson observation, stimulated recall interviews and focus group interviews to generate data. The questionnaire sought to get an overview of Life Sciences teachers’ attitudes, opinions and experiences on incorporating IK in science teaching. The data gathered were then used as baseline information to inform the main study. The lesson observations, stimulated recall interviews and the focus group interviews sought to understand how the incorporation of IK enables or constrains the teaching and learning of alcoholic fermentation. Document analysis, lesson observation, stimulated recall interviews and focus group interviews were conducted to understand the experience of incorporating IK in a real life classroom situation. The study was informed by Vygotsky’s socio-cultural constructivism and Shulman’s pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) theory. From Vygotsky’s theory I borrowed the idea of mediated learning, scaffolding (Bruner, 1986), zone of proximal development (ZPD), as well as the use of language and cultural artefacts as tools of analysis of the classroom interaction between the teacher and the learners during the teaching-learning process. Shulman’s theory of PCK was also used to analyse how teachers apply IK in teaching Science. The data obtained were coded inductively and presented in tables, graphs and thick descriptive texts to make it easy to understand. The findings of this research show that incorporating IK improved the teaching-learning process by arousing learners’ interest in science, increasing learners’ participation and motivation, meaning making, language use, questioning and engagement in the learning process. Teaching became learner-centred, for it was directed by learners’ questions. Collaborative learning through group discussions, debates, arguments and brainstorming emerged to be an effective way of engaging learners in learning. The teachers used probing to encourage critical thinking before scaffolding learners. However, even though teachers generally accept IK as valuable in their teaching they lack the pedagogical content knowledge to effectively incorporate it into meaningful teaching and learning. Furthermore, teachers viewed cultural diversity as a constraint to their efforts to incorporate IK in teaching science. On the contrary, their learners held the view that having cultural diversity in classrooms created an opportunity to learn from other people’s cultures. Variables such as experience and difference in the cultural background of learners and teachers alike, tended to affect the teachers’ ability to incorporate IK.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Understanding how trainee teachers engage with prior everyday knowledge and experience associated with biological concepts during integrated natural science education 5-7 : a case study

  • Authors: Enghono, Albertina Magano
  • Date: 2014
  • Subjects: Biology teachers -- Training of -- Namibia -- Case studies Teacher educators -- Training of -- Case studies Teachers -- Training of -- Namibia -- Case studies Education -- Namibia -- Case studies Prior learning -- Namibia
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1970 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011972
  • Description: Since the Namibian independence in 1990, the education system has undergone some major revamping which involved the adoption of social constructivist perspectives in the teaching and learning of sciences. This learning theory acknowledges learners’ background prior knowledge as valuable tools in the effective construction of science concepts during lessons. A corollary is that the socio-cultural circumstances of learners might negatively influence the way learners construct new knowledge in the science classroom if they are not taken into consideration. This study was thus prompted by the need to understand how trainee science teachers engage with prior everyday knowledge and experiences, so as to enhance the conceptual development of biological concepts. The study was qualitative and it was underpinned by an interpretive paradigm with some elements of action research. Science trainee teachers at Katima Mulilo, Unam Campus were used as research participants. The techniques used to gather data included document analysis, brainstorming, observation, audio-visual, microteaching and semi-structured interviews. The results of this study showed that the changes that occurred during microteaching practices of the four trainee teachers involved in the study reflected their professional development in this approach. However, it emerged that prior everyday knowledge can be both a barrier and enabler to the construction of meaningful teaching and learning; hence its oversight may lead to instructional failures. The findings also indicated that selected platforms are essential to enable trainee teachers to incorporate prior everyday knowledge and experiences into the teaching of Western science. However, larger scale study should be conducted in order to deepen the understanding of the topic.
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  • Date Issued: 2014

Understanding human‐wildlife conflict: a geographic study of the Pringle Bay chacma baboon troop

  • Authors: Parsons, Wendy Jennifer
  • Date: 2021-10-29
  • Subjects: Chacma baboon South Africa Pringle Bay , Human-animal relationships South Africa Pringle Bay , Radio collars , Geographic information systems , Chacma baboon South Africa Pringle Bay Geographical distribution , Chacma baboon Behavior South Africa Pringle Bay , Chacma baboon Effect of human beings on South Africa Pringle Bay , Geospatial data , User-generated content
  • Language: English
  • Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/294828 , vital:57259
  • Description: A better appreciation of the physical geography and environmental factors that play a role in the movement of the Chacma baboon troop in and around Pringle Bay (Overberg Municipality) and part of the Kogelberg Biosphere could lead to a better understanding of their movement. In turn, this insight may contribute to reducing the human‐wildlife conflict that has arisen in the town. Humanwildlife conflict escalated after the rapid urban development that followed the introduction of electricity in 1993. The baboon‐human conflict in Pringle Bay is, in part, due to habitat loss caused by urban development and the easy availability of food in the urban area. The wild animal’s natural behaviour (seeking food and fresh water) and the human way of living (food and waste management) has led to baboon habituation and increased raiding in the village. The objective of this geographic study was to understand the baboon troops spatial and temporal movements. Two methods are being used to track the baboon troop. The first method entails collection of data from GPS tracking collars which record the location of the baboons at 30 minute intervals. This is considered a reliable, but invasive and expensive method where the alpha male and female baboon had to be captured and fitted with tracking collars. The second method entails using volunteered geographic data, in this case, information from a WhatsApp baboon alert group. While this provided data at no real cost, the mining of the information was challenging and building a geodatabase was time consuming. However, this citizen science approach added valuable data and was able to identify human‐wildlife conflict sites in the urban area. The baboon location data was mapped using GIS. Primary and secondary spatial data was sourced and added to the geodatabase created in ArcMap 10.7. Various ArcMap tools were used in analysing the environmental factors (climate, vegetation, water sources and topography) together with the location data. Analysis of this data allowed the range of the baboons to be mapped, showing the maximum extent of the territory the baboons move in. The was refined by mapping their home range (defined as the area in which they spend 95% of the time) and their core area (in which they spend 50% of the time). High activity areas ‐ or hotspots ‐ were identified, as were the baboon sleep sites. The data allowed for habitat use and seasonal patterns of movement to be explored. A key finding of the research was that the baboons were observed outside of the urban area for 82% of the time. The baboons spent the majority of their time in mountain fynbos vegetation. Hotspot areas showing significant baboon activity were identified within the town and close correlation with their sleep sites and wetland areas was evident. No definitive seasonal or weather patterns were found that influence the baboon distribution. Baboon management is complex and difficult. The sustainability of the baboon troop is important for the biodiversity of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve. While the baboons should not be encouraged to enter the urban area, the residents should play a role in reducing the availability of food and baboonproofing their properties. The Overstrand Municipality also needs to address waste management and waste collection in the town. Understanding the biogeography of the baboons and implementing the above‐mentioned mitigating management measures would encourage human‐wildlife coexistence and inform future baboon management plans. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Geography, 2021
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  • Date Issued: 2021-10-29

Understanding livelihood strategies of urban women traders : a case of Magaba, Harare in Zimbabwe

  • Authors: Chirau, Takunda John
  • Date: 2013
  • Subjects: Street vendors -- Zimbabwe -- Harare Women -- Zimbabwe -- Harare -- Social conditions Women -- Zimbabwe -- Harare -- Economic conditions Urban poor -- Zimbabwe -- Harare
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
  • Identifier: vital:3335 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003742
  • Description: This thesis seeks to understand and analyze the livelihood strategies of urban women traders at Magaba in Harare (Zimbabwe) in the context of the contemporary economic and political crisis. The crisis emerged in the 1990s with the introduction of a structural adjustment programme and deepened further with the fast track land reform programme initiated by the Zimbabwean government in the year 2000. The crisis has involved a down-sizing of the Zimbabwean economy and a massive rise in the rate of unemployment in the formal economy. Consequently urban life became increasingly unbearable for poor blacks and informal economic activities blossomed and started to make a significant contribution to household income and livelihoods. The role of women in the informal economy was particularly pronounced. Theoretically, the thesis is underpinned by the sustainable livelihoods framework. In examining the vulnerability context of the Magaba women traders and the institutional interventions which complicate the lives and livelihoods of these traders, I identify and unpack their diverse livelihood activities and strategies and the resources (or assets) they deploy in constructing urban livelihoods. Though their livelihood portfolios complement any earnings from formal employment by household members and though they contribute to their household’s sustenance, there are a number of daily challenges which they face in their trading activities and which they seek to counteract through a range of often ingenious coping mechanisms. The thesis is important for a number of reasons. It fills an important empirical gap in the study of Magaba market specifically, it brings to the fore the gendered character of the informal trading activities in urban Zimbabwe, and it deploys the livelihoods framework in a manner which is sensitive to both structure and agency.
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  • Date Issued: 2013

Understanding of biological teleology from a naturalistic perspective

  • Authors: Abrahams, Sanaa
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Teleology , Biology -- Philosophy , Evolution (Biology) -- Philosophy
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140534 , vital:37896
  • Description: To the extent that teleological thinking is metaphysically suspect, many theorists attempt to shift the stigma of functional explanations by reducing function ascriptions, and aim thus to de-legitimise an appeal to teleological causal relations in an analysis of function. The point is to dispel the mystery which envelops the application of function concepts by reformulating biological functional explanations so as to dispense with teleology. My project is to interrogate the success with which teleological explanations have thus been eliminated in the biological sciences, and, over the course of this thesis, I conclude that a kind of teleological causation nevertheless remains the most adequate explanatory ground of natural products. My proposal is that functional explanations are causal explanations for the presence and maintenance of self-reproducing systems. I contend that, insofar as the attribution of function presupposes the valuation of a function-bearing system as a causal necessity for its constituent parts, functional explanation references distinct and irreducible holistic properties. Using Kantian metaphysics to frame the discussion, this thesis aims first to explore critically the subject of functional characterisations of biological phenomena, and second, the metaphysical basis of modern science. Its chief contributions to the philosophical function debate reside in proposing novel arguments in justification of what I consider is an improved formulation of an attempted definition of biological function, in which teleological causal powers are explicitly recognised and accommodated in functional explanation. Moreover, this thesis attempts a naturalistic reconstruction of the metaphysical entailments of the real causality of a whole
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Understanding of the underlying resistance mechanism of the Kat-G protein against isoniazid in Mycobacterium tuberculosis using bioinformatics approaches

  • Authors: Barozi, Victor
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Mycobacterium tuberculosis , Isoniazid , Drug resistance in microorganisms , Proteins -- Microbiology
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/146592 , vital:38540
  • Description: Tuberculosis (TB) is a multi-organ infection caused by rod-shaped acid-fast Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The World Health Organization (WHO) ranks TB among the top 10 fatal infections and the leading the cause of death from a single infection. In 2017, TB was responsible for an estimated 1.3 million deaths among both the HIV negative and positive populations worldwide (WHO, 2018). Approximately 23% (roughly 1.7 billion) of the world’s population is estimated to have latent TB with a high risk of reverting to active TB infection. In 2017, an estimated 558,000 people developed drug resistant TB worldwide with 82% of the cases being multi-drug resistant TB (WHO, 2018). South Africa is ranked among the 30 high TB burdened countries with a TB incidence of 322,000 cases in 2017 accounting for 3% of the world’s TB cases. TB is curable and is clinically managed through a combination of intensive and continuation phases of first-line drugs (isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide). Second-line drugs which include fluoroquinolones, injectable aminoglycoside and injectable polypeptides are used in cases of first line drug resistance. The third-line drugs include amoxicillin, clofazimine, linezolid and imipenem. These have variable but unproven efficacy to TB and are the last resort in cases of total drug resistance (Jilani et al., 2019). TB drug resistance to first-line drugs especially isoniazid in M. tuberculosis has been attributed to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the catalase peroxidase enzyme (katG), a protein important in the activation of the pro-drug isoniazid. The SNPs especially at position 315 of the katG enzyme are believed to reduce the sensitivity of the M. tuberculosis to isoniazid while still maintaining the enzyme’s catalytic activity - a mechanism not completely understood. KatG protein is important for protecting the bacteria from hydro peroxides and hydroxyl radicals present in an aerobic environment. This study focused on understanding the mechanism of isoniazid drug resistance in M. tuberculosis as a result of high confidence mutations in the katG through modelling the enzyme with its respective variants, performing MD simulations to explore the protein behaviour, calculating the dynamic residue network analysis (DRN) of the variants in respect to the wild type katG and finally performing alanine scanning. From the MD simulations, it was observed that the high confidence mutations i.e. S140R, S140N, G279D, G285D, S315T, S315I, S315R, S315N, G316D, S457I and G593D were not only reducing the backbone flexibility of the protein but also reducing the protein’s conformational variation and space. All the variant protein structures were observed to be more compact compared to the wild type. Residue fluctuation results indicated reduced residue flexibility across all variants in the loop region (position 26-110) responsible for katG dimerization. In addition, mutation S315T is believed to reduce the size of the active site access channel in the protein. From the DRN data, residues in the interface region between the N and C-terminal domains were observed to gain importance in the variants irrespective of the mutation location indicating an allosteric effect of the mutations on the interface region. Alanine scanning results established that residue Leucine at position 48 was not only important in the protein communication but also a destabilizing residue across all the variants. The study not only demonstrated change in the protein behaviour but also showed allosteric effect of the mutations in the katG protein.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Understanding ongoing support for the African National Congress amongst the urban poor in national elections in South Africa: the case of Mlungisi, Queenstown

  • Authors: Makwetu, Ncebakazi
  • Date: 2018
  • Subjects: African National Congress , Urban poor -- South Africa -- Queenstown , Elections -- South Africa , Political campaigns -- South Africa , Political capital -- South Africa -- Queenstown , Political psychology -- South Africa -- Queenstown , Postcolonialism -- South Africa , Allegiance -- South Africa -- Queenstown
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62582 , vital:28209
  • Description: The main objective of the thesis is to understand the ongoing support for the African National Congress (ANC) amongst the urban poor in national elections in South Africa with specific reference to Queenstown. The study involved 50 residents in Mlungisi in Queenstown, the vast majority of whom are shack dwellers. The use of semi-structured interviews allowed for an indepth understanding of why people vote for the ANC. The research participants have always voted for the ANC and have no intentions of voting for any other political party. Since 1994, the ANC has in the main pursued a neo-liberal project with a limited focus on redistribution. Because of this, most blacks living in urban areas continue to live under conditions of extreme poverty. The abject material conditions of people living in Mlungisi does not provide a strong basis for why they would vote almost unreservedly for the ANC. In seeking to offer an explanation, the thesis turns to theories of the post-colony, including the work of Frantz Fanon and Partha Chatterjee, as these theories provide an analysis of the character of the post-colonial state and the ways in which the government engages with its citizens. These macro-level theories are complemented by middle-level theories about voting and voting patterns in seeking to understand why Mlungisi residents vote for the ANC, raising questions of identity, loyalty and clientelism in the process.
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  • Date Issued: 2018

Understanding policy making and policy implementation with reference to land redistribution in South Africa : case studies form the Eastern Cape

  • Authors: Mbokazi, Nonzuzo Nomfundo Mbalenhle
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Land reform -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Land reform -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Land reform -- Case studies , Agriculture and state -- South Africa , South Africa -- Economic conditions -- 1918-1961 , South Africa -- Economic conditions -- 1961-1991 , South Africa -- Economic conditions -- 1991- , Reconstruction and Development Programme (South Africa)
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
  • Identifier: vital:3394 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018197
  • Description: This thesis focuses on land reform in post-apartheid South Africa and specifically on land redistribution, as one of the main pillars of land reform. There have been many studies undertaken on land redistribution in South Africa and these studies offer deep criticisms of the prevailing land redistribution model (a market-led, but state-assisted model) and the ways in which this model has failed to meaningfully address colonial dispossession of land. Further, studies have focused on post-redistribution livelihoods of farmers and the many challenges they face. One significant gap in the prevailing literature is a sustained focus on the state itself, and particularly questions around policy formation and implementation processes pertaining to land redistribution. Delving into policy processes is invariably a difficult task because outsider access to intra-state processes is fraught with problems. But a full account of land redistribution in South Africa demands sensitivity to processes internal to the state. Because of this, it is hoped that this thesis makes a contribution to the existing South African land redistribution literature. In pursuing the thesis objective, I undertook research amongst farmers on selected redistributed farms outside Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape, as well as engaging with both current and former state land officials. Based on the evidence, it is clear that the policy process around land in South Africa is a complex and convoluted process marked not only by consensus-making and combined activities but also by tensions and conflicts. This, I would argue, is the norm with regard to what states do and how they work.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Understanding popular resistance to xenophobia in South Africa: ‘people think’ and the possibility of alternative politics

  • Authors: Parker, Jemima
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Xenophobia -- South Africa , Nationalism -- South Africa , Lazarus, Sylvain -- Political and social views , Political culture -- South Africa , Social change -- South Africa -- Political aspects , Discourse analysis -- South Africa -- Political aspects , South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1994- , Political science -- Philosophy , Political sociology -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/115006 , vital:34069
  • Description: This thesis is concerned with the crisis of xenophobia in South Africa. It argues, firstly, that xenophobia itself is not primarily a reaction to poverty, inequality, or any other set of social conditions. Rather, xenophobia must be considered to be a collective political discourse which has arisen in post-apartheid South Africa from an exclusionary conception of state nationalism. Where this work may be distinguished from the majority of research on xenophobia in South Africa is in the fact that its particular focus is on instances where ‘ordinary’ South Africans have challenged and resisted xenophobic violence in their communities through collective political mobilisation. I suggest that these sites of resistance deserve careful consideration in their own right. I argue that they may demonstrate a subjective break with the oppressive politics of state nationalism through the affirmation of alternative political conceptions. Drawing on the political theory of Sylvain Lazarus, and his principal thesis that people are capable of thinking politics in ways which can subjectively think beyond the social and the extant (underscored by his political and methodological axiom, people think), this thesis argues that these sites of resistance show that people – and especially those who are considered to be marginalised from the domain of legitimate politics – can and do think politically, and it is in the thought of people that new and potentially emancipatory visions of politics may emerge.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Understanding propaganda: Noam Chomsky and the institutional analysis of power

  • Authors: Cathey, Paul Eben
  • Date: 2009
  • Subjects: Chomsky, Noam -- Political and social views Propaganda Gramsci, Antonio, 1891-1937 -- Political and social views Social classes
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:2765 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002975
  • Description: This thesis argues that Noam Chomsky’s theory of propaganda is a useful way to understand class domination. The strengths and weaknesses of Chomsky’s theory are examined by means of a comparison with Antonio Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony. Since work that discusses and analyses Chomsky’s theory is sparse, this piece first gives a detailed explanation of his theory. This requires a short clarification of Chomsky’s terminology, focusing on his definitions of indoctrination and class. Thereafter a thorough account of Chomsky’s ideas regarding class structure, the indoctrinating functions of educational and media institutions and the difference between upper and lower class propaganda are discussed. A common criticism of Chomsky’s arguments is that they are conspiratorial. Thus, following the discussion of Chomsky’s theory I present an argument that Chomsky uses an institutional analysis as opposed to conspiracy theory to reach his conclusions. After arguing that Chomsky has a coherent, logical theory of propaganda that is not conspiratorial, this thesis shifts to a comparison of Chomsky and Gramsci’s theory. The elements of Gramsci’s theory that are relevant to Chomsky are discussed, focusing on their overall similarities, in particular, the question of consent. The final chapter consists of a comparison of the two theories, examining each theorist’s ideas on the nature of education, language, consent and the possible ways in which the lower classes can oppose their own oppression.
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  • Date Issued: 2009

Understanding resource partitioning in three species of Gobiidae living in the warm-temperate Sundays Estuary

  • Authors: Ndaleni, Phumza Malibongwe
  • Date: 2022-10-14
  • Subjects: Gobiidae South Africa Sundays Estuary (Eastern Cape) , Gobiidae Reproduction , Gobiidae Food , Gobiidae Geographical distribution , Gobiidae Morphology , Resource partitioning (Ecology)
  • Language: English
  • Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/365655 , vital:65773 , DOI https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/365655
  • Description: Estuaries represent a transition zone where saline water combines with freshwater, and this results in temporal and spatial variability in both biotic and abiotic parameters. Because the environmental gradient changes so rapidly in areas and the estuarine environment is harsh, fish need to either be able to specialise to one particular suite of abiotic contexts or have the physiological mechanisms to allow them to move throughout the gradient of the estuary. Apart from this, other factors such as climate change, habitat degradation, over exploitation of resources and the introduction of alien species also negatively influence fish species living in estuaries. These anthropogenic stressors can cause species exclusion in areas which were previously suitable for species with particular suites of traits. Measuring resource partitioning within functional groups not only helps in determining the functional structure of communities but also explains how organisms use resources in a community. Resource partitioning studies provide a useful conceptual framework to understand species interactions in a community and identify major resource dimensions along which species segregate. This study aimed to describe resource partitioning among the Gobiidae species, as the family is well represented in South African estuaries (24 species), is highly abundant and has several species which co-exist in individual estuaries. To accomplish this, different forms of resource partitioning that promote the coexistence of the three most abundant species found in warm-temperate South African estuaries; the Knysna sand goby Psammogobius knysnaensis (Smith, 1935), Prison goby Caffrogobius gilchristi (Boulenger, 1898) and River goby Glossogobius callidus (Smith, 1937) were investigated in the Sundays Estuary. This was accomplished by determining the reproductive biology, interspecific differences in feeding morphology, feeding ecology and habitat partitioning among the three species. The distribution and abundance of potential prey in the estuary (mesozooplankton and macrozoobenthic communities) were investigated, with both mesozooplankton and macrozoobenthic communities grouping into three distinct communities along the environmental gradient. Feeding morphological traits responsible for prey location, chasing, capture, mastication, ingestion and digestion were investigated. Little morphological overlap was observed between P. knysnaensis and C. gilchristi, indicating little dietary overlap between these two species. In contrast, the feeding morphology of Glossogobius callidus overlapped with both P. knysnaensis and C. gilchristi, indicating the potential to compete with both species for food. The trophic ecology of the three species was investigated using stomach content analysis, whereby prey abundance, frequency of occurrence and percentage of volume were determined. For P. knysnaensis, the incorporation of cyclopoids and ostracods decreased with fish size and that of bivalves and amphipods increased. Caffrogobius gilchristi was found to be a specialist feeder on cyclopoids but as the species increased in size the incorporation of amphipods, mysids, brachyurans and gastropods increased. Glossogobius callidus was found to be a generalist feeder, feeding on cyclopoids, amphipods and chironomids. The incorporation of cyclopoids decreased with fish size and the consumption of large sized amphipods and chironomids increased with fish size. To assess their reproductive biology, gonadosomatic index (GSI) was used to study the breeding season. In all three species, reproduction peaked in spring and summer, and this is associated with peak phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass in estuaries. Length at 50% maturity and fecundity were also determined. The three species predominated in different locations in the estuary, which explains why they were able to use similar resources and reproduce at the same time. Psammogobius knysnaensis was abundant in the sandy mouth region, with sediment type and prey (bivalves and mysids) availability affecting its distribution. Caffrogobius gilchristi was abundant in the muddy lower reaches of the estuary, with its distribution influenced by sediment composition and temperature. Glossogobius callidus was abundant in the turbid upper reaches, with its distribution influenced by prey (amphipods) availability and turbidity. Different habitat preferences and diet among the specific size ranges enabled coexistence among the species. This explains the high abundances and coexistence of gobies in South African estuaries. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, 2022
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  • Date Issued: 2022-10-14

Understanding sexual concurrency and HIV/AIDS: implicit and explicit attitudes in a South African student population

  • Authors: Malataliana, Maleeto Lucy
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3335 , vital:20484
  • Description: There are more people infected with HIV in South Africa, than in any other country in the world. Studies indicate a plausible relationship between concurrently organised sexual partnership and the spread of STIs, with concurrency being accountable for as much as 74% of HIV infections in South Africa. Understanding sexual concurrency is therefore of vital importance, especially in the South African perspective. It has, however, become increasingly unreliable to rely solely on explicit self-measures to study sexual concurrency, and research has suggested that implicit cognition is a reliable alternative to understanding sexual behaviour and attitudes towards sexuality, which cannot be directly measured by explicit means. The purpose of this study was to understand sexual concurrency among a population of university students by researching their implicit and explicit attitudes towards sexual concurrency; and thereby to aid in understanding sexual concurrency in relation to the spread of HIV. A quantitative research methodology was used to analyse results from explicit measures of sexual concurrency in the form of a questionnaire, and implicit measures of sexual concurrency in the form of the Implicit Association Test (IAT). Although no correlation existed between implicit and explicit measures attitudes towards sexual concurrency, it was, however, observed that sexual concurrency has and is being broadly practiced, and that age is a key determinant for sexual concurrency.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Understanding social-ecological changes in Fairbairn village, Eastern Cape

  • Authors: Falayi, Menelisi
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Fairbairn Village (Eastern Cape, South Africa) , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Fairbairn Village , Land tenure -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Fairbairn Village
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7408 , vital:21257
  • Description: The world is becoming increasingly complex and uncertain due to increasing levels of social- ecological change. Rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa are faced with multiple interconnected challenges such as population growth, environmental change, economic recession and climatic changes, amongst others. Such challenges can play a key role in determining vulnerability and food security, particularly for natural resource product- dependent societies that have limited livelihood sources. Studies that consider understanding how society and ecosystems simultaneously interact and respond to new and exacerbated drivers are increasingly needed. Therefore, this study was conducted in Fairbairn village, Eastern Cape, South Africa with the purpose of exploring multi-scale historical processes and current related trends in livelihood and environmental change, and the implications for future trajectories under a changing climate. This study applied social-ecological thinking and several conceptual approaches were combined to provide a lens for exploring the changes taking place. These included, inter alia, complexity theory, social-ecological systems, the sustainable livelihoods approach and the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services framework and principles. The study employed a mixed method approach to gather data, which included a household survey, aerial photography, historical records as well as Participatory Learning and Action, focus group discussions, and Participatory Scenario techniques. Quantitative data were analysed using Excel and Statistica version 13, whilst coding was used for thematic analysis of qualitative data. The main objective of this study was to explore multi-scale historical processes and current related trends of livelihood and environmental change, and the implications of these for future trajectories under a changing climate. Livelihood and landscape changes in Fairbairn village are embedded within a history of direct state intervention and more recently, improvements in basic service delivery. The findings show that natural resource products still form an important part of people’s livelihoods despite many other changes over the last fifteen years. A high proportion of households continue to utilise different products to meet household needs. The most widely used products are fuelwood, wild herbs and wild fruits. More so, my results revealed a significant increase in the number of people commercialising natural resource products over the past fifteen years. Furthermore, I found that rural livelihoods in Fairbairn are heavily dependent on external income and consumption and have become increasingly divorced from local production patterns. My results depict a steady decline of cultivated fields with a corresponding increase of home gardens since the 1960s. Therefore, the results demonstrate that current livelihood strategies are an expression of historical processes interacting with current contextual complexities. Given the complex and multidimensional issues at play in Fairbairn, the study highlights that there is no straightforward answer regarding future livelihood strategies. However, participatory scenario deliberations revealed that the youth were much more open to diversified and even very different forms of livelihood strategies in the future, whilst community leaders and elders remained firmly attached to farming activities. Understanding the diversity of past livelihood changes, together with current trends, can help to better contextualise future livelihood trajectories and this can therefore help rural communities identify and avoid undesirable futures under a changing climate.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Understanding the biomolecular interactions involved in dimerisation of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A

  • Authors: Charlton, Jane Laura
  • Date: 2012
  • Subjects: Proteins -- Synthesis -- Research , Saccharomyces cerevisiae -- Research , Dimers , Dimers -- Research , Eukaryotic cells -- Research , Yeast -- Research
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:4057 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004118 , Proteins -- Synthesis -- Research , Saccharomyces cerevisiae -- Research , Dimers , Dimers -- Research , Eukaryotic cells -- Research , Yeast -- Research
  • Description: Translation initiation factor 5A (IF5A) is an essential, highly conserved protein found within all eukaryotic (eIF5A) and archaeal (aIF5A) cells. The IF5A protein is unique in that it contains the amino acid hypusine; a two-step post translational modification of a single, conserved lysine residue. Although hypusination of eIF5A is vital for eukaryotic cell viability, the primary role of the protein and its hypusine side chain remain a mystery. eIF5A, initially identified as a translation initiation factor, is not required for global protein synthesis leading to the prevailing proposal that eIF5A is purely involved in the translation of a select subset of mRNAs. Recently a number of mutational studies have focused on the conserved, hypusine-containing loop region of eIF5A where specific residues have been found to be essential for activity without affecting hypusination. It has been postulated that eIF5A exists as a dimer (40 kDa) under native conditions and that these residues may be at the interface of dimerisation. The aim of this research was therefore to conduct a mutational analysis of the loop region in support of this hypothesis. A functional analysis of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae eIF5A mutant proteins K48D, G50A, H52A and K56A revealed that these substitutions impaired growth to varying degrees in vivo with G50A and K48D mutant proteins displaying the most convincing defects. Gel filtration profiles gave unexpected results determining eIF5A mutant and wild type proteins to have a native molecular weight of 30 to 31 kDa, suggesting that the eIF5A oligomeric state may be transitory and subject to certain conditions. The inconclusive results obtained from using gel filtration studies led to an investigation into the feasibility of producing native, hypusinated peptides for future structural studies using nuclear magnetic resonance. Hypusinated and unhypusinated eIF5A were successfully separated into their domains making this a possibility. Finally, this study proposes a role for eIF5A in eukaryotic IRES-driven translation initiation.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

Understanding the complexity of metabolic regulatory systems an investigation into the regulation of hydantoin-hydrolysis in Pseudomonas putida RU-KM3s

  • Authors: De la Mare, Jo-Anne
  • Date: 2009
  • Subjects: Pseudomonas , Hydantoin , Hydrolysis , Enzymes -- Regulation
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:3993 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004053 , Pseudomonas , Hydantoin , Hydrolysis , Enzymes -- Regulation
  • Description: It has been well-established that Pseudomonas species possess extremely versatile metabolic systems allowing them to utilise a wide range of nutrient sources and, furthermore, that the regulation of these enzyme systems involves highly evolved and sophisticated regulatory machinery. This study examined the complexity of metabolic regulation in Pseudomonas using the hydantoin-hydrolysing system of the environmental isolate, Pseudomonas putida RU-KM3s. In this system, the genes encoding dihydropyrimidinase and β-ureidopropionase (dhp and bup) are arranged divergently on the chromosome, separated by a 616 bp intergenic region involved in the transcriptional regulation of these genes. The focus was on the transcriptional regulation of dhp expression. DHP activity was found to be sensitive to several environmental signals including growth phase, carbon catabolite repression (CCR), substrate induction and quorum sensing (QS). Bioinformatic analysis of the intergenic region upstream of dhp revealed a number of putative binding sites for transcriptional regulators, including recognition sequences for the alternate sigma factors σ54 and σ38, as well as for the global regulators Anr (for anaerobic regulator) and Vfr (for virulence factor regulator). The targeted disruption of the genes encoding the transcriptional regulators, Vfr and the major CCR protein, Crc, resulted in a partial relief from repression for the vfr- mutant under quorum sensing conditions and a general decrease in activity in the crc- mutant. This data suggested that both Vfr and Crc were involved in regulating DHP activity. Mutational analysis of the dhp promoter revealed that at least two sites were involved in regulating transcriptional activity, one which mediated activation and the other repression. These sites were designated as a putative Anr box, situated 232 bp from the start codon of dhp, and a CRP-like binding site, at a position 213 bp upstream of dhp. Taken together, this data shows the involvement of several global regulatory factors in controlling the expression of dhp. A complex synergistic model was proposed for the transcriptional regulation of dhp, involving alternate sigma factors in addition to both global and specific regulators and responding to a number of environmental signals associated with growth phase, including nutrient availability, cell density and oxygen status.
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  • Date Issued: 2009

Understanding the contributions of the Treatment Action Campaign and Section27 to a Rights-Based Approach to HIV and AIDS in South Africa

  • Authors: Dlamini, Nomalanga
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Treatment Action Campaign , SECTION27 (Braamfontein, South Africa) , AIDS (Disease) -- Prevention -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Public health laws -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Civil rights -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4690 , vital:20713
  • Description: This thesis examines the link between social movements with the legal system to enforce human rights within the public health sector in regards to access to HIV and AIDS-related disease treatment. Research shows large scale incapacity for the provision of such essential medications within the public health sector; this is not merely an issue for those in the developing world. This thesis demonstrates that it is an issue that is faced by those using the public health sector services to access essential HIV and AIDS medications and it shows that certain people are unaware of their human rights to have fair and equal access to such essential medications. Although there is abundant research studies on HIV and AIDS in South Africa, there is a lack of studies that look into the impact that social movements have had in strong-arming, to a certain extent, the government in holding it accountable for infringing its constitutional promises to all citizens. This thesis is set against a backdrop where, the crisis of lack of access to essential medications in the public health sector which is closely intertwined with the collapsing health care system and it is combined with the issues of international patent policy for essential medication and developing countries like South Africa, who are trying to tackle this hurdle straight on. This thesis argues that the social injustices of rights violations integrated with the issues of international patent laws aggravate the access to essential medications in the public health sector in the country. This thesis adopts the use of a Rights-Based Approach, which is built on the foundational understanding that at the centre the focus is on human rights. In using the rights-based approach the intention is to outline ways in which to improve and further develop the ability of individuals and communities to recognize their rights. The findings show that the important factor of using a Rights- Based Approach is that it puts the pressure on the state to legitimately fulfil its obligation to its people. Thus the thesis evaluates the use of combining the legal system to enforce human rights and the role of social movements to realize the right to health for South Africans that use the public health sector to access essential HIV and AIDS antiretroviral drugs. This research paper shows that the Treatment Action Campaign and Section27 have contributed to the recent transformation of the public health sector in South Africa. They have achieved this through the implementation of rights-based education campaigns as well as HIV and AIDS education particularly geared for those that use the public health sector facilities, to attain access to essential medications; not only for HIV and AIDS but also for tuberculosis and other AIDS-related disease treatment. The thesis further highlights that the Treatment Action Campaign and Section27 have assisted in greatly improving the access to HIV and AIDS essential medications for prevention of Mother to Child Treatment Programs. The findings of the research paper outline that the main issue lies in the fact that even though essential medications for HIV and AIDS are now more available, the medical infrastructure is one of the main problems accounting for the lack of service delivery of these essential medications in the country’s public health sector.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2017
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