Foraging ecology of Kelp Gulls in natural and anthropogenically modified environments
- Authors: Reusch, Katharina
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/54106 , vital:46303
- Description: Humans are having a profound impact on the natural environment through a myriad of activities, such as land use change or direct exploitation of resources. Some species are able to adapt to these changes and thrive in deeply modified environments. They are often considered winners of global change. Among these are Kelp GullsLarus dominicanus in South Africa, which have a generalist foraging nature. Despite their abundance and potential role in the ecosystem, knowledge on their foraging ecology is limited, with no understanding of the role of natural and anthropogenic food resources during breeding. The aim of this thesis was to assess the foraging movements, diet and health of Kelp Gulls breeding in seven different colonies varying in proximity to landfills. GPS loggers were deployed on incubating adults to assess foraging trip patterns, effort, and habitats. Diet and trophic ecology of adults and chicks was determined during the breeding season by combining conventional diet analysis (i.e. stomach content samples and regurgitated pellets) with stable isotope analysis of blood plasma. Finally, population health was estimated using indices of body condition for adults and chicks, and blood and faecal parasites were examined. The first successful tracking data from Kelp Gulls in South Africa revealed that birds from all colonies spent more time foraging in natural environments (marine, coastal and terrestrial) than in anthropogenically modified ones, irrelevant of the distance to the nearest landfill, potentially reflecting prey profitability or availability around thebreeding colonies. Gulls also had higher foraging effort when foraging at sea (longer travelling distance), which might be balanced by foraging on high energy prey in themarine environment (e.g. fish). Diet and trophic ecology data confirmed the wide range of resources Kelp Gulls were capable of exploiting. Anthropogenic items were important food sources at some colonies, while annual differences in trophic level targeted were apparent at some other colonies, possibly reflecting varying predation levels on other seabirds. Diet and trophic ecology generally differed between adults and chicks, with chicks being fed a more marine, i.e. fish, and higher trophic level diet, potentially due to the higher energy content of fish being important for chick growth. Despite differences between colonies in foraging effort and diet, body condition of both adults and chicks was similar across colonies. Birds from one of the urban colonies, foraging at the local landfill, tended to have slightly higher body condition values, possibly due to the high fat content of anthropogenic items, although this was not significant. Blood parasites were very scarce, with only one genus identified, Haemoproteus spp. Parasite abundance was significantly lower in chicks than in adults, implicating that adults might get infected in areas outside the colony. Faecal smears revealed the presence of yeast cells (Candida spp.) in birds, coinciding with higher body condition values, possibly linked to foraging habitat choice, as birds might ingest yeast cells when feeding in urban areas contaminated with human excrement.Kelp Gulls breeding in South Africa forage on a wide variety of resources and habitats, with limited apparent impact on their parasite load and body condition. All colonies foraged to some extend on natural sources, although some colonies located in very urban areas seemed to depend more closely on anthropogenic items as food resource. Therefore, changes in e.g. landfill management might cause changes in population dynamics, with possible repercussions on neighbouring bird populations. Theirgeneralist foraging nature, among others, makes Kelp Gulls winners of global change and is partly responsible for their increased population numbers. As they are often perceived as pests, information on the foraging ecology is important to manage gull populations effectively. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Sciences, School of Environmental Sciences, 2021
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Ifuthe lenkolo yobuKristu kulwimi lwesiXhosa
- Authors: Mwanda, Siyasanga Pulani
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/54511 , vital:46617
- Description: Le ngxongxo iza kuthi ithethe ngefuthe lenkolo yobuKristu kulwimi lwesiXhosa. Akuyomfihlo ukuba ulwimi luthi lukhule okanye ludodobale ngenxa yendlela abantu bolwimi abaphila ngayo notshintsho oluthi lubekho kwindlela abaphila ngayo. AmaXhosa ke athi nawo aziswa kwinkolo yobuKristu. Le ngxoxo iza kuthi icacise ngokuthe gca ithiyori yeSimiyotiki esisiseko sesi sifundo, idakance iizimvo zeengcali zeSimiyotiki, ize ke iveze amagama amatsha ayengekho esiXhoseni mhla mnene, intsusa yalamagama nentsingiselo yawo. Okwesibini izakuthi ivelele intsingiselo yemiqondiso neempawu zobuKristu negalelo lazo kulwimi lwesiXhosa. Okokugqibela iza kuthi iveze izaci namaqhalo esiXhosa angobuKristu. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Language, Media and Communication, 2021
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Inbound tourist experience in south africa
- Authors: Twumasi, Gabriel Kwadwo
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Tourism -- Economic aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/54641 , vital:46877
- Description: The tourism industry contributes significantly to the economic growth of South Africa. Although international tourism is noted for a great contribution to customer experience beyond their borders, few studies exist in respect of tourist experience in South Africa. An individual experience to a tourism destination impact on his/her satisfaction and behavioural intentions. Tourist experience has been identified as a possible strategy for building and improving the relationship between tourism businesses and their clients in order to improve customer retention and recommending and revisiting of destination. Thus, the primary objective of this study was to identify, investigate and empirically test the factors influencing customer (inbound tourists) experience in South Africa. The study also seeks to determine how these experiences influence customer satisfaction, recommendation of the destination and the likelihood of a return visit. Tourist experience is of performance value to tourism businesses as these businesses need to identify the factors they should focus on to increase the value of products and services they are delivering to their customers. A quantitative methodology was chosen for this study and data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire. The study population included all inbound tourist who had visited South Africa between the years 2018 and 2020. The research design consisted of causal and descriptive research. The study followed a quantitative research method to obtain the set objectives of the study. A measuring instrument in the form of a structured questionnaire was designed from secondary sources to source for the needed data. A web-based online questionnaire and convenience sampling technique was chosen to identify inbound tourist to South Africa. Of the 320 inbound tourists to South Africa reached and completed the questionnaire, 319 were included in the analysis. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed in the data analysis. The main empirical results of the study found that statistically significant relationships exist between the independent variables: Quality accommodation, Tidiness of attractions, Ancillary services, Safety of destination, Convenience retention, Quality of attractions, Transport and the dependent variables, Customer satisfaction and Recommending and revisiting of destination. The outcome of the results of the structural equation modelling revealed an acceptable model fit of the study. The results suggest that customer satisfaction, recommending and revisiting of destination are of strategic importance in promoting tourism destinations for inbound tourists. It is imperative to provide memorable experiences to tourist. Tourism destinations must always provide an excellent service in order to enhance efficient competitive services to their customers. Furthermore, it is recommended that tourism business provide products and services that will cater for the needs of inbound tourists based on the specific factors influencing customer satisfaction and the recommendation and revisiting of destinations. This study makes a significant contribution to the body of knowledge and practitioners as it has established the factors influencing inbound tourists’ experience and, how these factors influence customer satisfaction, recommending and revisiting of international tourists to South Africa. Furthermore, the study presents recommendations and practical strategies that could help tourism businesses improve inbound tourists’ experiences in South Africa. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 2021
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Marine Plastic Pollution
- Authors: Vilakazi, Bathobile Thandazile Unittah
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Waste minimization --Law and legislation -- South Africa , Plastic marine debris , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/55605 , vital:53364
- Description: Human activities can alter the ordinary operation of Earth-system processes in such a way that it escalates risks in societies across the globe. One of the more visible human activities is the production, consumption and disposal of plastic items and/or materials, the consequences of which are borne by marine life. The dissertation is founded on the premise that conservation of the marine environment must be a priority for all States. States must take responsibility for the prevention of pollution of the marine environment and further take accountability where activities within their territory are causing pollution of the marine environment through the enforcement of legislative measures. The dissertation is drafted in a manner that aims to ultimately deduce whether the current pollution laws in South Africa adequately address marine plastic pollution (MPP). As such, Chapter Two relies on the regulatory position of MPP at the international level. Various legal instruments relating to marine pollution are expounded on such as the LOSC, MARPOL, London Convention and other regional instruments relating particularly to the African continent. The chapter aims to detail the most relevant global instruments that South Africa is a party to and which promote and mandate States parties to protect the marine environment through the implementation and enforcement of regulatory measures. The global measures either exclusively address MPP or provide general provisions for marine environment protection. Chapter Three and Four of the dissertation provide a critical analysis of the legal measures adopted at the national, provincial and local levels respectively to control, reduce and prevent pollution, including MPP. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 requires the national, provincial and local levels of government to co-operate with each other to provide ―effective, efficient, transparent, accountable and coherent governance‖. Therefore, it is essential for this study to investigate the regulation of MPP at all levels of government particularly when the programmes of the national and provincial government must be implemented by local government. The regulatory measures at these levels of government promote the protection of the environment and further prohibit the illegal dumping of waste and littering. They also encourage communities to reduce, re-use and recycle waste. Additionally, the national government further commits itself to adopting regulations to x plastic carrier bags and plastic flat bags. These regulations will urge the plastic industry to produce recyclable plastic bags which will further encourage consumers to recycle and therefore, decrease the entry of plastic into the marine environment. The conclusion in Chapter Five is inferred from Chapter One to Chapter Four of the dissertation. Several shortcomings were observed in the regulatory measures discussed in Chapter Three and Chapter Four, most of which relate to a legal framework weakened by a lack of knowledge on MPP and therefore, an inability to firstly develop measures that expressly deal with the issue, or secondly, develop comprehensive legislative measures that address various types of marine pollution. It is therefore submitted that although South Africa‘s pollution laws in general are exceptional and do address marine pollution, they fail to address MPP sufficiently. As such, Chapter Five presents several policy recommendations in reaction to the findings. , Thesis (LLM) -- Faculty of Law , Public Law, 2021
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Ocean structures and dynamics of two open bays on the eastern Agulhas Bank
- Authors: Dlomo, Xolisa
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53607 , vital:45680
- Description: Upwelling, bay-scale currents, fronts and mixing in Algoa Bay and St Francis Bay occur over both short and long time periods. These physical ocean dynamics drive the temporal and spatial distribution of nutrients in the bays, there by influencing primary and secondary production. Thermal gradients and fronts are driven by the wind and open ocean influences, such as the Agulhas Current, daily and seasonal variations in solar radiation, long and short period waves, air-sea fluxes, coastal trapped waves and terrestrial freshwater inflow. These phenomena are poorly understood along this part of the coastline and were the focus of this study. I investigated the dominant temperature scales of variability in both bays, to determine which isotherm is best suited to describe temperature fluctuations and thermocline spatiotemporal variability in and between the two bays. I investigated upwelling spatiotemporal variability in the two bays and tested whether upwelling occurs at the opposite sides of the bays with a change in wind direction. Thereafter studied the occurrence and drivers of winter upwelling events. The wind-driven current spatiotemporal variability and correlations were investigated at the extremities of the two bays. The daily, intra-seasonal and yearly variation in temperature structures in Algoa Bay and St. Francis Bay were mainly driven by the local winds, coastal topography, and bathymetry. The most suitable isotherm to describe thermal fluctuations and variability in Algoa Bay shallower sites was 16.5 °C and its mean depth was 16.2 m. The best isotherm for the deeper sites in Algoa Bay was 15.7 °C with a depth of 33.1 m. The average temperature and depth of the best isotherm to describe thermal fluctuations in St. Francis Bay for the shallower sites was15.80 °C and 16.83 m, and for the deeper sites it was 15.10 °C and 32.08 m. Algoa Bay showed an average cooling trend of -0.000172 °C per year, whereas in St. Francis Bay a warming average trend of 0.0188 °C per year was observed over the study period often and six years, respectively. The wind, Coriolis Effect and Ekman Transport were the main external forces that influenced upwelling throughout the year. Since the available mesoscale indices for upwelling intensity lack the resolution needed to characterize and compare inner-shelf upwelling regimes at small spatial scales, I developed a new local, quantitative index of thermal variability. Index calculations were based on hourly records of in site depth-averaged temperatures, measured at 6 sites in St. Francis Bay and at 8 sites in Algoa Bay. Using the Multivariate Upwelling Zone Index of Cooling (MUZIC) I found that Woody Cape and Blue Horizon Bay had the highest upwelling intensity in Algoa Bay and St. Francis Bay, respectively. The other sites were ordinated and ranked according to their upwelling rates and intensity. Evidence of wind-driven winter upwelling was found to be a common occurrence in both bays. There was no obvious current seasonality observed, however, strong spectral signals in the period of a weather band (4 –7 days) were present. Current structures were generally positively correlated with wind variations in both bays. Thus, when westerly/easterly winds blew the overall surface current direction was eastward/westward. I observed a pronounced current spatiotemporal variability that was driven by local winds. The Bird Island surface currents in Algoa Bay were strongly correlated at 0–lag day with the winds, however, in Cape Recife the strongest correlations were usually observed at 1–lag day highlighting the spatiotemporal influence of wind regimes on current structures in Algoa Bay. Bird Island current speeds were higher and had an obvious bimodal directional variation (south westward /north eastward) compared to Cape Recife currents, which generally had a slower current speed with a strong west-north westward direction. In St. Francis Bay, the Schoenmakerskop surface currents showed weak positive correlation with winds at 0–lag day, however, stronger negative correlations were observed at 4–lag days. The current surface speeds in Schoenmakerskop were the lowest and varied directionally between north-north eastward and south-south eastward. The basic data requirements (i.e. SST/ UTR and ADCP time series) and the simplicity of the calculations make these indices a useful tool to apply to a large number of sites nationally and internationally, and to examine the generality of community and population-level responses to physical forcing. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Journalsim and Media Studies, 2021
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Plastic particle characterization and concentrations found in the river and marine water environment of Algoa Bay, South Africa
- Authors: Moss, Kerry-Leigh
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53874 , vital:46025
- Description: Only 12% of the world's published plastic research includes references to Africa despite it being a significant contributor to the global plastic waste and mismanagement problem (~88.5% of Africa's plastic waste is mismanaged). Ocean plastics are transported from land by rivers to the sea. However, source contextualization is complex. Many African rivers predominantly run alongside human settlements that host informal waste dumpsites. In this study a simple cost effective, easily deployed, consistent and replicable survey methodology was employed. The study quantified macro plastic in three rivers discharging into Algoa Bay, South Africa. The results indicated that industrial Swartkops and metropolitan Baakens Rivers both illustrate moderate plastic pollution (>3000 plastic particles/day), with the relatively natural Sundays River to showing minimal evidence of river macroplastic (<100 plastic particles/day). The types of plastic were noted using the RIMMEL app (premier African implementation), enabling proportional comparison of different plastic litter types to be completed. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Oceanography Department,2021
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Plastic particle characterization and concentrations found in the river and marine water environment of Algoa Bay, South Africa
- Authors: Moss, Kerry-Leigh
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Marine pollution , Plastic marine debris --Environmental aspects , Algoa Bay -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/55645 , vital:53403
- Description: With just 4% of published plastic pollution research, the African region remains one of the most poorly 221 understood areas, leaving a large knowledge gap in our understanding of this global pollution problem 222 (Hurley, Woodward, & Rothwell, 2018). It is estimated that 64 to 90% of the ocean’s plastics originate 223 from fluxes in the terrestrial environment, however determining the exact source is not a simple task 224 (Andrady, 2011; Hurley et al., 2018). Plastic items, including the biodegradable plastic items, 225 breakdown in the marine environment through mechanical action resulting in non-degradable 226 microscopic fragments of synthetic polymers (Thompson et al., 2004). However, the consequences of 227 these microplastic fragments.This research intends to address two aims; first, to provide an estimation of the quantity of plastic 235 transportation via African rivers to the greater body of knowledge of global plastic emissions. This aim 236 will specifically focus on determining plastic output via Port Elizabeth rivers into the Algoa Bay marine 237 environment. The second aim of this research is to quantify and characterize the amount of microplastic 238 in the marine environment of Algoa Bay. The second aim will focus on identifying microplastic (MP) 239 throughout the water column. 240 This research consists of six objectives; first, to identify, design and field test a cost-effective system for 241 monitoring macroplastic quantity output from riverine to marine environments. Second, to contribute to 242 the body of knowledge of African river plastic pollution through quantification and characterisation of 243 macroplastics in the Port Elizabeth rivers. Third, to compare three very different rivers with different 244 levels of urbanisation (industrial, urban, and remote) to ascertain the impact of population and 245 government pollution management protocols on plastic emissions. Fourth, to measure microplastic 246 quantities at three depths from eight locations across the marine environment of Algoa Bay. Fifth, quantitatively characterize the microplastics in Algoa Bay to highlight any patterns of distribution. Sixth, 248 to compare the Algoa Bay concentrations with published international marine microplastic findings. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Ocean Science, 2021
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Post-apartheid geographies of studentification at Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
- Authors: Mzileni, Pedro Mihlali
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53758 , vital:45759
- Description: This study takes the concept of studentification from its British conception to the post-apartheid African city, Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), where the Nelson Mandela University is situated. Studentification refers to the mass arrival of students in university cities and towns and the economic, infrastructural, geographic and sociopolitical changes that the settlements of these students make overtime to such cities and towns. For the case of Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth, this study identified four major areas that are engulfed by studentification and sought to understand how this phenomenon takes shape in them. The study extends the existing terms and languages used to comprehend studentification by introducing a viewpoint of how it emerges in an African post-apartheid city. This is a city that has deindustrialised and has also experienced a capital flight out of its city centre since the 1970s. These declining economic indicators over decades have left the city to decay and experience high rates of unemployment, poverty and housing displacements. But, the post-1994 massification of the South African higher education system introduced new micro-economies for the city mainly through the emergence of student accommodation as a thriving business opportunity in the city in light of increased university enrolments. However, the economic injection brought by student accommodation in this city that has been deindustrialising remains minimal in having the necessary power to turnaround the city’s fortunes and transform the urban space towards a developmental path. This socioeconomic problem is also compounded by the presence of a weak arm of the state (particularly local government) that is unable to play an active role in driving capital flows to deliver tangible urban development. As a result, the university emerges as one of the active public actors in the renewal efforts of the city even though this is not its primary mandate. Thus, the process of studentification in this case takes place in a context defined by a declining higher education political economy and a weak city planning regime. As a result, these factors leave studentification to be vulnerable to being impacted by old colonial-apartheid structures of the city and the economic shortfalls of post-apartheid urban South Africa that have produced a precarious urban space where the private property market and the illicit economy have a stronger hand in determining the power relations that emerge in the city space. Studentification in this African city is expressed in four major geographies: (1) the Summerstrand suburb that is nearest to the University’s main urban campuses, (2) the Central CBD that has experienced capital flight and currently has tall buildings that are former offices of apartheid commerce which have been converted to student accommodation, (3) the deindustrialised and abandoned manufacturing sites at the North End margins of the city which have also been converted to student accommodation, and (4) the Zwide township, an underprivileged black community that is close to the former black Missionvale campus of the University – this is the furthest student accommodation area in the city. The study examines these student communities that emerge out of these four identified areas of the urban space and it also underscores the genre of the political, social, and economic relations of each of these four geographies and their interconnectedness. The study found that the South African post-apartheid city is characterised by an urban model and a university campus design that is a structural outcome of colonisation, apartheid spatial planning, and racial capitalism that still has continuing legacies today. As a result, these four geographies of studentification in the city are historical, racial and economic outcomes of urban power relations that originate from colonialism. Key defining features of studentification in each of these four areas were identified and analysed to illustrate that the South African account of studentification resembles the city’s apartheid legacy and these untransformed urban structures get further compounded by the country’s underfunded higher education massification strategy, its declining economic indicators and a weak state that has ‘soft’ planning and governance systems that are unable to decisively impact the trajectory of socioeconomic development in this university city. These intersecting forces translate into precarious day-to-day student life experiences and structural complications for the governance of the University and the city. These socioeconomic misfortunes also handicap the potential of the city to renew through a studentification economy. Henri Lefebvre’s Production of Space Theory was utilised to frame the study. Methodologically, the study utilised qualitative narrative interviews and document interpretation. This is the first doctoral thesis written about the concept of studentification in South Africa. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, The Department of Sociology and Anthropology, 2021
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Preventive diplomacy and conflict prevention in Africa: an examination of South Africa’s role in conflict resolution in the Democratic Republic of The Congo
- Authors: Mandela, Siyabulela
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/54471 , vital:46584
- Description: The Agenda 2063 tabled a blueprint of seven aspirations, for the Africa we want and one which was critical to this study being a peaceful and secure Africa. As postulated in this aspiration, by Agenda 2063, “Africa shall be free from armed conflict, terrorism, extremism, intolerance, and gender-based violence, which are major threats to human security, peace and development”. The Assembly of the AU committed in the agenda to fast-track actions to silence the guns by 2020, through enhanced dialogue-centred conflict prevention and resolution. The deadline for silencing guns and ending all wars in Africa was 2020, which has passed and Africa remains characterised by violent conflict and underdevelopment. Violent conflict of different magnitudes continues unabated across different states in Africa and remain insolent to any means towards resolution. The African continent is also a host to the most fragile states in the world, and the governments of these countries are unable to cultivate or facilitate the necessary conditions needed for sustainable peace and development. The conditions of poverty, frustration of basic human needs, maladministration, corruption, mismanagement of diversity and ethnic divisions so prevalent in Africa increase the likelihood of violent conflict. Conflict provention, preventive diplomacy, problem-solving workshops, peacebuilding and peacekeeping are all variants of peace operations deemed crucial in this study for Africa’s stability, peace and development. The advancement of preventive diplomacy and conflict provention as a hybrid framework for the prevention and resolution of violent conflict and promotion of sustainable peace and development in Africa was at the centre of this study. The study adopted John Burton’s basic human needs theory as a theoretical framework to further highlight an urgency by African states to prioritise policies and conflict resolution efforts directed at addressing the underlying issues giving rise to violent conflicts, if sustainable peace and development was to be realised in the continent. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Governmental and Social Sciences, 2021
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The design of a regional Archives in Swellendam, South Africa
- Authors: Steyn, Anli
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Archival materials -- Conservation and restoration -- Construction , Community centers -- South Africa -- Swellendam -- Designs and plans
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58595 , vital:59944
- Description: The treatise and proposed project deal with the creation of spaces rooted in the culture of a place, its identity, memory and meaning in the form of a contemporary regional archive and museum space for the context of Swellendam’s historical ribbon. The treatise seeks to find a strategy for a contemporary, yet regional specific, intervention in a traditional context and attempts to fulfil the creation of a place of culture, identity, meaning and memory. The methodology used for this architectural treatise is qualitative. In order to establish an appropriate building type, Swellendam's history and contextual data were analysed, at the same time, selected literature and ideas were introduced to establish the project's value set. Methods and principles are extracted and reinterpreted by the design project. Among the various works of literatures/theories reviewed in this treatise is that of Jonathan Noble, Maurice Halbwach, and Kenneth Frampton, among others. This respective literature sets the basis of the project’s value set on place and identity, memory and meaning, and tectonics and materials. The town’s rich history, morphology and nature of physical context are selected as an appropriate site. Furthermore, the treatise explores museums and archives as building types. This is done through the comparison of precedents under the light of certain issues. From this, the building type’s activities and spatial, programmatical requirements are gathered. Amid this various information collected are a set of relevant principles. Therefore, a set of principles (approach to memory, meaning and identity; heritage and conservation; extracting from the existing/vernacular/context; and approach to light) is explored and precedents are used to represent and learn from principles. This design project goes through a series of iterations to fulfil the specific architectural concerns and to create architecture specific for the context (relation to place, culture, history and site). The final design attempts to be a sensitive intervention, neutral in form, that resembles a heterogenous culture and hybridity. It aims to represent the culture of its place while being a public museum and archive facility. , Thesis (MArch) (Professional) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Technology, School of Architecture, 2021
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The design of an automotive academy for Mercedes Benz in Gately, East London
- Authors: Dustan,Cameron
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Automobile factories -- South Africa -- East London -- Designs and plans , Automobiles -- Design and construction
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58860 , vital:60221
- Description: The purpose of this project is to investigate the automotive industry in East London, specifically Mercedes-Benz, in order to propose extensions of the skills development academy and exhibition spaces as an integral part of a larger campus of education. The Mercedes-Benz factory precinct in East London is one of the four largest in the world and is the biggest in Africa, creating grounds for extension. In East London, there is plenty of unemployment and many are seeking jobs in the industrial areas which are mainly automotive. Due to most of the industry being owned by Mercedes-Benz, it is crucial to engage in high levels of education and to provide opportunities for growth within the industry and expansion of skills. Students at the academy will learn different skills in the automotive manufacturing trade and will be guaranteed jobs after their studies are completed. The skills academy will form part of an educational precinct which will establish a narrative for the timeline of Mercedes-Benz. The project will hopefully provide more job opportunities and skills training for the locals of East London as well as to contribute to the economy of the automotive industry. Much like cars, industry works as a machine; there are bits and pieces that need to puzzle together in order to create a working and living machine. The automotive skills academies are exactly that for the industry, a piece of the puzzle which ensures the working of the industry as a whole, now and in the future. Without these skills academies, the automotive industry would subsequently lose its fundamental skills and knowledge base. The core concern for this treatise is the expansion of the industry by creating extensions of the Mercedes-Benz skills academy and creating a space which is educational while being a user-friendly building focused on the wellness of workers and rates of productivity to ensure maximized output and the further growth of the industry. The project is based in East London and will hold a pivotal role in the automotive industry. The treatise looks to break away from the hard industrial aspects of the industry and pull away from the static architecture of Mercedes-Benz and the surrounding buildings, to create a vibrant and experiential building with the overarching emphasis on occupational wellness and innovation in the design. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Technology, School of Architecture, 2021
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The impact of institutional cultures on student’s wellbeing among postgraduate students: the case of Nelson Mandela University in South Africa
- Authors: Lebelo, Mpho Tiny
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/55402 , vital:51990
- Description: Increasingly, students across the world in various tertiary institutions are faced with many challenges ranging from financial difficulties, accommodation, academic exclusion and many other challenges. Subsequently, the students’ academic performance suffers due to these challenges. This thesis therefore aims to focus on the perspectives of the post-graduate students at the Nelson Mandela University regarding the notion of wellbeing. This thesis attempts to uses a sociological indigenous perspective of wellbeing of “impilo” in describing well-being. Therefore, the thesis uses wellness as a conceptual framework to understand the challenges faced by postgraduate students at Nelson Mandela University. The thesis was conducted in Port Elizabeth, at Nelson Mandela University campus of Summerstrand focusing on post-graduate students in faculty of humanities. A qualitative research design and qualitative digital ethnographic research methodology was chosen as suitable for answering the research question. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis included identifying consistent themes around notions of well-being and experiences of changing university culture in the responses. The thesis main findings reveal the impact of how the changing university institutional culture impacts post-graduate student’s wellbeing.The research found that students are affected by institutional cultures and this is narrated through their experience of university life and their reflections on #MustFall movements. The participants have detailed how the cultures in the university have a greater impact on the well-being on student because the university is more than just a place of learning but their home. The participants also detailed new colloquial ways of describing well-being using the term “inerves” and “umgowo” are general ways of describing their well-being. The dissertation has contributed to the limited body of knowledge in the context of post-graduate students experience and conception of well-being in the South African higher education. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Governmental and Social Sciences, 2021
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The impact of institutional cultures on student’s wellbeing among postgraduate students: the case of Nelson Mandela University in South Africa
- Authors: Lebelo, Mpho
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/54450 , vital:46549
- Description: Increasingly, students across the world in various tertiary institutions are faced with many challenges ranging from financial difficulties, accommodation, academic exclusion and many other challenges. Subsequently, the students’ academic performance suffers due to these challenges. This thesis therefore aims to focus on the perspectives of the post-graduate students at the Nelson Mandela University regarding the notion of wellbeing. This thesis attempts to uses a sociological indigenous perspective of wellbeing of “impilo” in describing well-being. Therefore, the thesis uses wellness as a conceptual framework to understand the challenges faced by postgraduate students at Nelson Mandela University. The thesis was conducted in Port Elizabeth, at Nelson Mandela University campus of Summerstrand focusing on post-graduate students in faculty of humanities. A qualitative research design and qualitative digital ethnographic research methodology was chosen as suitable for answering the research question. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis included identifying consistent themes around notions of well-being and experiences of changing university culture in the responses. The thesis main findings reveal the impact of how the changing university institutional culture impacts post-graduate student’s wellbeing. The research found that students are affected by institutional cultures and this is narrated through their experience of university life and their reflections on #MustFall movements. The participants have detailed how the cultures in the university have a greater impact on the well-being on student because the university is more than just a place of learning but their home. The participants also detailed new colloquial ways of describing well-being using the term “inerves” and “umgowo” are general ways of describing their well-being. The dissertation has contributed to the limited body of knowledge in the context of post-graduate students experience and conception of well-being in the South African higher education. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Governmental and Social Sciences, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-12
The impact of transformed landscapes on the resource selection and occupancy of specialized browsing species in a lowland fynbos and renosterveld ecosystem
- Authors: Swanepoel, Hermanus Izak Johannes
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/54132 , vital:46308
- Description: Human activities have dramatically transformed the natural environment over the last century. In most cases these activities have resulted in the destruction and fragmentation of habitats. However, in some areas the transformation of landscapes through agriculture have created novel habitats which could benefit some species. The effect of these transformed landscapes on the resource selection and occupancy of antelope species in different vegetation types such as fynbos and renosterveld are still understudied. In order to investigate this,we conducted a study in the Overberg region of the Western Cape, South Africa. We studied theoccupancy and habitat useof five specialist browsing species (Tragelaphus scriptus sylvaticus(bushbuck), Rhaphicerus melanotis(cape grysbok), Sylvicapra grimmia(common duiker), Palea Capreolus(grey rhebok) and Rhaphicerus campestris(steenbok)) within a transformed landscape. We collected speciesdetection/ non-detectionand presence/ absence data using camera traps and road strip counts.Usinga single season, single species occupancy framework as a surrogate for habitat usewedeterminedhow transformed landscapes affected their occupancy. Using aniche factor analysis and resource selection functions wedetermine how transformed landscapes affected the resource selectionof these species. Our results from the resource selection analysis indicated that steenbok, grey rhebok, andcommon duiker included crops such as wheat and planted pastures in their resource selection while also including natural vegetation. Cape grysbok and bushbuck selected predominantly for natural vegetation areas such as critical biodiversity areas and ecological support areas while also including some crops in their resource selection. Our results from the occupancy analysis indicatedthat steenbok, grey rhebok and common duiker had a higher occupancy in the transformed landscape than in the natural landscape. Bushbuck and Cape grysbok showed little to no difference in their occupancy between land use types. The insight provided by our results will allow practitioners to maximise the potentialof these mosaic landscape in the Overberg for mammal conservation.The study also provides a baseline from which further research and monitoring programs can be developed to further understand the dynamics of this landscape. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, School of Natural Resource Management, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-12
The use of photography to visualise abstracted narratives of emotions associated with trauma
- Authors: Warner, Lauren
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/54585 , vital:46726
- Description: The purpose of this qualitative research study is to comment on the use of photography to visualise abstracted narratives of the emotions associated with trauma. This is a practicebased study developed on the interweaving of theoretical and practical output. The practical output produced a photographic body of work which argues in favour of an abstracted narrative for the visualisation of trauma by engaging with visualised emotions associated with trauma. The theoretical output of the study relates to three visual themes: firstly, the direct or actual moment of trauma; secondly, the triggering of the traumatic experience and lastly, the abstracted narrative of emotions associated with trauma. Photographing a traumatic event freezes a moment in which the subjects are continually engaging in the traumatic experience. Sontag (2003: 93) asserts that this type of direct photographic representation should be discouraged for fear of aestheticising pain and desensitising the viewer to horror. The study aims not to visualise actual traumatic events, but rather to engage with abstracted narratives of emotions associated with trauma experienced or felt, both directly and indirectly. This is achieved by firstly, providing a context on how the role of photography dealing with trauma has evolved to move beyond the depiction of an actual traumatic experience. Secondly, Gillian Rose’s (2016) Visual Methodologies Framework is introduced and photographers Roger Ballen’s Cut Loose (2015) and Jo Ractliffe’s 1999 work entitled Vlakplaas: 2 June 1999 (Drive-by Shooting) analysed as visual expressions of trauma. Similarly, photographers Robert Frank’s 1978 work entitled Sick of goodby’s and Manuela Thames’s 2019 work entitled Trauma are analysed to reflect on the use of abstracted narratives as they comment on personal traumatic experiences. Lastly, the body of work produced in the practice-based output of the study, Public Places: Private Spaces, are analysed as a vehicle through which emotions are associated with trauma. These traumatic experiences are visually expressed using abstracted images in triptych narratives. This study contributes to the current body of knowledge by critically addressing ways of thinking about the visualisation of trauma. This provides insight into the topic of trauma and the various ways in which it could be visualised without depicting the actual trauma (with the potential of continuously wounding or replaying trauma) and instead engaging with the visualised traumatic experience as an abstracted narrative within a South African context. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Visual and Performing Arts, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-12
The work In fishing Convention as an Instrument to combat forced labour on fishing vessels: A South African perspective
- Authors: Hlazo,Nonhlanhla
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Fishery law and legislation , Forced labor – South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/55877 , vital:54396
- Description: This thesis sets to analyse the provisions of the Work in Fishing Convention (WFC), No. 188 of 2007 and the South African Merchant Shipping Act 57 of 1951 (MSA). This analysis focuses on the regulation of the legal aspects of common practices that result in forced labour and provisions which serve as a deterrence to potential “threats of punishment” used to perpetuate forced labour on fishing vessels. The aim of this analysis is to determine whether South Africa complies with its duties in terms of the WFC. In the process of this analysis, this thesis aims to identify gaps in the MSA that allow for this appalling practice to continue and provide recommendations for amendments to the Merchant Shipping Bill (MSB) based on the identified discrepancies between the MSA and the WFC. Chapter one is an introductory chapter which explains that two elements must be present for a situation to amount to forced labour, namely “involuntariness” and the “threat of penalty.” Chapter two examines South Africa’ s jurisdiction to criminalise, investigate and try fisheries crimes on fishing vessels in different maritime zones. The aim of this examination is to determine whether South Africa has the jurisdiction to criminalise forced labour on fishing vessels in different maritime zones. It is concluded that, while South Africa’s enforcement and adjudicative jurisdiction may be limited in some maritime zones, South Africa has the jurisdiction to criminalise forced labour as a coastal State, flag State, personal State and a port State. Chapter three focuses on global and regional legal instruments to combat forced labour and establishes the significant role of the WFC in combatting forced labour on fishing vessels specifically. It is further concluded that, provided the provisions of the proposed MSB do not change, South Africa currently complies with its duties in accordance with the WFC and goes beyond what is required in some respects. However, South Africa does not comply with its obligation to regulate the recruitment and placement agencies for fishers. This leaves fishers in South Africa vulnerable to coercion by unscrupulous recruitment agencies. It is suggested that the provisions of the WFC relating to the recruitment and placement of fishers can be given effect in South Africa by either amending the current Seafarer Recruitment and Placement Regulations to apply to fishers or by drafting new Merchant Shipping (Fisher Recruitment and Placement) Regulations, which give effect to the WFC in line with the existing Seafarer Recruitment and Placement Regulations and promulgating them in terms of the MSA or its successor. , Thesis (LLD) -- Faculty of Law, School Public Law, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-12
Sediment characteristics and hydrodynamic conditions of the Swartkops estuary, Eastern Cape Province of South Africa
- Authors: Best, Lutho https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6400-9061
- Date: 2021-11
- Subjects: Geology, Stratigraphic , Estuarine oceanography , Swartkops River Estuary (South Africa)
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/22611 , vital:52596
- Description: This study is a part of an environmental research project aimed at providing assessment information to the grain-size distribution, mineral compositions, sedimentary structures and coastal erosion and rehabilitation methods along the Swartkops estuary, a recent developing industry area of South Africa. The methodologies used in this study comprise desk study of literature, field geological investigation and sampling, and laboratory analyses including grainsize analysis, thin section microscope study, XRD mineral composition study and SEM-EDX grain surface texture and composition analyses.The basement and surrounding areas of the Swartkops estuary consist of three formations: the Enon Formation of mainly conglomerate, the Kirkwood Formation of sandstone and mudstone, and the Sundays River Formation of dominantly mudstone with sandstone, which integrated as Uitenhage Group of Cretaceous sequence with modern estuarine sand and alluvial sediments filled in the entire basin. Grain size analysis is a useful tool to assess hydrodynamic environments. The grain size parameters showed that most of the Swartkops estuary sediments are moderately sorted with very few well and poorly sorted, coarse to fine skewed in grain size distribution.Whereas the Bluewater Bay beach sediments are mostly fine grained, well sorted, fine to coarse skewed in grain size distribution. The bivariate scatter plots are an indication of shallow marine environment by beach and coastal processes with the influence of water flow and wind influence during transportation and deposition processes. Mineralogy studies revealed that the Swartkops estuary sediments are dominantly composed of minerals such as: quartz, calcite, feldspar (orthoclase and plagioclase), aragonite, clay minerals (smectite and illite), and salts such as NaCl and MgCl2. Skeletal carbonate minerals (shell fragments) are more than chemical precipitated carbonate minerals. Quartz is the most abundant detrital mineral observed in all the sediments and it comes from inland and transported into the estuary and the beach by fluvial streams, whereas skeletal calcite/aragonite is the most abundant biogenic carbonate derived from sea side and transported by marine currents. The study shows that grain surface textures reveal the existence of several features that reflect the depositional environments. Observed grain surface textures by microscope and SEM include V-shape pits, upturned pits caused by mechanical crashing and corrosion during transportation; crystalline precipitation of calcite, quartz, salt and clay by chemical precipitation and crystallization; dissolution pits and pores formed by dissolution, and burrow and boring by biogenetic activities. The grain surface morphologies are closely linked to different formation mechanisms and depositional environments. Well-developed sedimentary structures have been found in the beach and estuary, including sand dune, sand ridge, straight and sinuous ripple, ripple marks, aeolian nail marks, high angle tabular cross bedding, antidune, rill mark, rhomboid mark, swash line, mud crack, gravel pavement, interfering ripples, flat topped ripple mark, linguiod mark, asymmetric sinuous ripples, dendritic pattern on sandy beach, boring and bioturbation, burrows desiccation cracks and water escape hole. Different sedimentary structures are reflective of different hydrodynamic conditions and depositional environments. Coastal erosion is a major problem for damage of road, bridge and properties in the industrial areas in Swartkops, which is also a task for this study. The author had suggested some practical mitigation-methods to local government, such as groins, revetments, shoreline hardening, planting of vegetation, and vertical walls, bulkheads, sills, which could be useful for the protection of coastal erosion. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science and Agriculture, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-11
The experiences of youth foster care leavers in Makanda town, Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Maselana, Tembisa https://orcid.org/ 0000-0001-6959-0895
- Date: 2021-11
- Subjects: Foster children -- Services for , Foster home care
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/22368 , vital:52031
- Description: This study sought to explore the experiences of foster care youth who had exited the system within a period of three years in Makhanda Town, Eastern Cape. The coping mechanisms employed by foster care youth after exiting the system, and the policies, legislations and support services available were explored. The study adopted a qualitative research method. Non-probability sampling was employed to recruit 23 foster care youth who had exited the system within three years in Makhanda Town. In addition, 6 professionals dealing with statutory cases, three (3) foster parents and one (1) key informant were selected. Data was collected through the use of face-to-face semistructured individual interviews with foster care youth who had exited the system. The focus group discussion was held with professionals dealing with statutory cases and the ward councillor. The researcher analysed the data thematically. The study findings revealed that long term and comprehensive planning was important so as to provide a consistent and all round support to the fostered youth during the pre and post foster care phases. It was established that for most foster care children, the lack of a complete plan affects their transition from their biological home through the foster care system. Consequently, they come out more vulnerable than when there were initially placed in foster care. The study highlighted the serious need for training and job placement for the youths, a structure that is currently non-existent. The study recommended that the Department of Social Development (DSD) should make it compulsory for statutory social workers within the foster care domain to come up with individualized and personalized plans that outline the needs and deliverables for each child placed in the foster care system. Importantly, DSD must create a framework that is endorsed and accepted by all stakeholders so as to achieve the best interest of the child in all situations. Furthermore, the study recommends that DSD should employ more social workers to address the current human resources shortages in foster care units. Lastly, the study recommends restructuring of placement system to be less paper-work for effective and efficient, integrity, and quality of the service provision. , Thesis (MSW) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-11
[iLahleko - Loss]
- Authors: Qhali, Itumeleng
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) South Africa , Xhosa poetry 21st century , South African poetry (English) 21st century , Short stories, South African (English) 21st century , Loss (Psychology) in literature , Poetry History and criticism , Bilingual authors , Bilingualism and literature , Bilingualism in literature
- Language: English , Xhosa
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191825 , vital:45169
- Description: My thesis is a collection of poems and prose that explores the disjunction of losses for women and children across the two languages I inhabit, isiXhosa and English. Ukulahlekelwa lithemba, ukudukelwa yingqondo, ukholo, ubuwena, umzimba nothando. For me, isiXhosa captures the innate musicality and deep emotions within a word or a sound that are not available in English. On the other hand, English readily produces visceral images that are more difficult for me to access in isiXhosa. Kolu phononongo ndikwasebenzisa namagama emboleko ukuze ndikhulise isigama. Ndisebenzisa amagama azibeka zinjalo iimvakalelo, angqalileyo kuncwadi lwesiXhosa. Ndisebenzisa zombini ilyric form kunye neprozi ngenxa yesingqi esiphuhliswa yilyric, nangenxa yenkululeko umbali ayifumanayo kwiprozi. As a bilingual writer ndifuthelwe sisingqi nobunzulu bentlungu obufumaneka in the translated and bilingual works of Isabella Motadinyane, noMarina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva, imibongo yeDaikwan eguqulwe nguStephen Watson ethi Song of the Broken String; iimbongi zespanish ezinjengo Antonia Machado; ngendlela abasebenzisa ngayo ulwimi lwabo ukunabisa nokugqithisa umyalezo ngeentlungu abadibana nazo, bakwanaso nesingqi somculo othuthuzelayo kwimibongo yabo. The structure of my thesis is inspired by the innovative mixed genre layout of Sindiswa Busuku-Mathese’s Loud and Yellow Laughter, and the new formats of isiXhosa writing presented in Mthunzikazi Mbugwana’s poetry. My work has also been shaped by the visceral imagery and briefly captured moments of loss in imisebenzi ka S.S Mema, Nontsizi Mgqwetho, noPascale Petit, novangile gantsho. Imisebenzi yabo ikuzobela umfanekiso ngqondweni ophilayo. Bonke abababhali bahambe indlela endinika umdla nendifuna ukuyihamba nam njengombhali omtsha obhala ngeelwimi ezimbini. , My thesis is a collection of poems and prose that explores the disjunction of losses for women and children across the two languages I inhabit, isiXhosa and English. For me, isiXhosa captures the innate musicality and deep emotions within a word or a sound that are not available to me in English. On the other hand, English readily produces visceral images that are more difficult for me to find in isiXhosa. My poems use the music and introspection of the lyric form, as well as the emotional outpouring that prose poetry allows. As a bilingual writer, I am influenced by the transference of musicality and gravity of loss conveyed in the translated and bilingual work of Isabella Motadinyane, the Russian Marina Tsvetaeva, Stephen Watson’s Song of the Broken String, as well as the Spanish poets Antonio Machado. The structure of my thesis is inspired by the innovative mixed genre layout of Sindiswa Busuku-Mathese’s Loud and Yellow Laughter, and the new formats of isiXhosa writing presented in Mthunzikazi Mbugwana’s poetry. My work has also been shaped by the visceral imagery and briefly captured moments of loss in the work of South African poets vangile gantsho, S.S. Mema, and Nontsizi Mgqwetho, as well as the English poet, Pascale Petit. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanitites, School of Languages and Literatures, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
A case study of lessons learned through empowering and mobilizing unemployed youth into sustainable green jobs within the SANBI – Groen Sebenza partnership programme by a Host Institution in South Africa
- Authors: Fullard, Donovan
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: South African National Biodiversity Institute , Green movement South Africa , Environmental education South Africa , Communities of practice South Africa , Social learning South Africa , Biodiversity conservation Employees , Job creation South Africa , Mentoring South Africa , Groen Sebenza
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191964 , vital:45183
- Description: This research project constituted as a thesis of limited scope for a Masters in Education Degree (i.e. as 50% of the degree) focusses on a job creation programme named ‘Groen Sebenza’ [Green Work]. Groen Sebenza is an environmental education ‘incubator’ programme driven and implemented by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) to unlock green jobs and bridge the gap between education and job opportunities in the biodiversity sector in South Africa. The programme is a key intervention to strengthen biodiversity human capacity development in the biodiversity sector in South Africa, seeking to contribute to transformation of the biodiversity sector, and also address issues of youth unemployment in the country. The young ‘interns’ in the programme were called ‘pioneers’ at the start of the project. This research project explores how a host institution operating as a community of practice within a landscape of practice managed to implement the Groen Sebenza programme by absorbing and appointing all their pioneers into sustainable jobs beyond the pilot project. I sought to better understand the process of supporting and empowering unemployed youth into sustainable green jobs within the Groen Sebenza partnership programme. I drew on Community of Practice (CoP) theory, and its value creation framework to develop this understanding, and I under-laboured the analysis with a social realist analysis of enabling and constraining factors. The unit of analysis of a Community of Practice was a useful focus for the study, as these mentors, managers, and administrators were all involved in supporting the empowerment and retention of the young pioneers in the host institution. To develop deeper insight into the learning and knowing, and value created in and by the Groen Sebenza CoP in the Host Institution, I also sought insight into enabling and constraining factors and how these shaped and contributed to empowerment and retention of the pioneers in sustainable green jobs. The research addressed the main question of ‘How do processes of learning, knowing and value creation contribute to empowerment and retention of unemployed youth in a successful Host Institution in the Groen Sebenza programme, and what enabled or constrained the empowerment and retention processes and outcomes?’. Three sub-questions were used in the study, which focussed on the mentoring, training and workplace experiences and how they contribute to the process of learning and knowing within the Groen Sebenza Community of Practice in the Host Institution? [Addressed in Chapter 4], the value creation elements that emerged in the implementation of the programme in support and empowerment of the pioneers in the Host institution’s Groen Sebenza CoP? [Addressed in Chapter 5], and the enabling and constraining factors that shaped and contributed to the uptake of the Pioneers into sustainable green jobs at the Host Institution within the Groen Sebenza Programme? [Addressed in Chapter 6]. The research was conducted as a qualitative case study, in which I used semi-structured interviews as a key data source, as well as document analysis, and a questionnaire. The study drew on inductive, abductive and retroductive modes of inference since I sought to explore an understanding of the practices and learning that occurred that contributed and led to the successful uptake of Pioneers into jobs, as well as the enabling and constraining factors. The study was interpretive at the epistemic level, and had a social realist under-labouring at the ontological level. Key findings of the study point to the development of enabling cultures of mentoring in workplaces, and the provision of a diversity of workplace learning experiences including formal training. It also points to the importance of personal emergent properties amongst mentors and pioneers that embrace a willingness to work together and build strong relationships, and to learn together. Learning in the community of practice was shown to develop identity and a sense of belonging as pioneers were given meaningful tasks to do and their training and interactions with mentors was experienced as meaningful and relevant. The contributions of the pioneers to the institutional mandate was appreciated by the mentors and therefore also well supported within an empowerment orientation. Various structural factors contributed to this enabling situation, most notably strong support from management as well as good co-operation across divisions. Constraining factors included the physical distances in the province, as well as financial and technical issues such as poor ICT communication systems. Overall, though the study showed that a strong approach to learning in communities of practice supported by empowering mentoring can lead to the integration of young pioneers into sustainable green jobs in the environmental sector. A whole institution approach to this process is, however, needed, and the organisation needs to develop a culture of social learning. As recently as September 2020 as this study was being finalised, the Presidential Employment Stimulus Plan (Office of the President, 2020) following the initial economic shocks emanating from the COVID-19 pandemic, made yet another commitment to using the Groen Sebenza model to create and support sustainable job creation for young people in South Africa today in the environmental sector. This study has been developed and designed to understand those processes and enabling conditions that can support retention and empowerment of young people to take up jobs in the environmental sector today. Its recommendations may therefore be of value to those involved in seeking to support sustainable impacts in terms of retention and employment in programmes such as the Groen Sebenza, and in the Groen Sebenza programme itself as it continues to unfold as a key job creation tool for unemployed youth. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-10-29