Thicket expansion in a vachellia karroo-dominated landscape and its effect on herbaceous communities
- Authors: Khoza, Marina Rindzani
- Date: 2022-04-06
- Subjects: Savanna ecology South Africa , Forbs South Africa , Grasslands South Africa , Herbaceous plants South Africa , Vegetation dynamics South Africa , Forest canopies South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/291015 , vital:56808
- Description: Grass and forb species found in savannas are highly diverse, contributing to the structure and function of the savanna system. Where mean annual rainfall is seasonal and high enough to support closed canopy vegetation such as forests or thickets, savannas can exist as an alternative stable state maintained by disturbances such as fire and browsing. Biotic and abiotic processes act on savanna and forest (or thicket) systems maintaining both their tree and herbaceous cover at levels that ensure their persistence in those states. Studies have shown that many semi-arid rangelands in South Africa have undergone a rapid increase in tree cover (of both native and non-native species) over the past several decades. This process of increasing tree cover in semi-arid savannas, termed bush encroachment, results in a biome shift, changing landscapes that were once grasslands with few trees to ones dominated by broad-leaved trees with fewer sun-adapted forbs and grasses. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of changing woody cover and its associated changes in tree composition, tree canopy structure, light dynamics in the understory and herbaceous community composition on Endwell farm in the Eastern Cape. Canopy cover changes between the years 1949 and 2019 were analysed at 51 sites on the farm and related to historical rainfall patterns. There had been a general increase in tree cover over the past several decades on the farm, and many sites showed a change from open (0-15%) in 1949 to low (1635%), moderate (36-50%) and high (51-100%) canopy cover in 2019. In earlier years most sites had a canopy cover below 50%, and the higher canopy cover values (>65%) occurred in more recent decades. Canopy cover of ~ 50% was found to be rare in each decade. This suggests that ~50% canopy cover maybe a transient, unstable state. The period with the highest rate of canopy cover increase was 2002-2013, and this increase coincided with a high mean annual rainfall 10 years prior to 2002 and a high mean annual rainfall in most years between the 20022013 period. The period between 2002 and 2013 also had the highest number of sites transitioning from lower to higher tree canopy cover classes, indicating that rainfall may have been a factor driving bush encroachment during the past several decades. An increase in canopy cover (a decrease in light transmittance) was accompanied by changes in woody species composition during thicket formation. The low canopy cover (high light transmittance) sites were dominated by Vachellia karroo and Scutia myrtina trees, while high tree cover sites had fewer V. karroo and S. myrtina trees and were rather characterised by an abundance of thicket tree species. Species proportion, NMDS and dendrogram plots indicated that sites with a light transmittance range between 50-100% had similar tree species compositions, different from sites with light transmittances <50%. An increase in tree density was strongly correlated to an increase in canopy cover (from 2019 satellite imagery), density of trees > 3m, maximum height reached by trees, diversity of trees, total canopy volume, total canopy area and leaf area index (LAI), and a decrease in light transmittance. A structural equation model (SEM) was used to explore the relationships between canopy characteristics (maximum canopy area, canopy volume, tree diversity, density of trees, density of trees >3m, individual trees and maximum canopy height), aerial canopy cover in 2019, and light transmittance. The model explained 73% of the variation in light transmittance, mostly via the direct effect of canopy characteristics. Canopy characteristics had a strong influence on both aerial cover in 2019 and directly on light transmittance, but canopy cover in 2019 had a weak influence on light transmittance. The herbaceous layer was rich and dominated by C4 grasses such as Eragrostis plana, Sporobolus fimbriatus, Themeda triandra and Digitaria eriantha) and forbs including Hibiscus aethiopicus, Helichrysum dregeanum, Helichrysum nudifolium and Gerbera viridifolia at low canopy cover sites with high light transmittance. In contrast, high tree cover sites had fewer herbaceous species in general. Grass and forb species characteristic of these sites high canopy cover sites were Panicum maximum, Loudetia flavida, Pellaea viridis and Cyperus spp. Different sites with low light transmittance (<50%) had similar herbaceous species composition. Basal cover, richness, abundance and diversity of herbaceous plants decreased significantly with an increase in tree density, density of trees >3 m, canopy volume, canopy area, canopy cover, LAI, and increased significantly with increasing light transmittance. Most grasses had their highest densities at LAI <0.5, which was estimated to correspond to ~75% light transmittance and ~38% canopy cover and then started to decline thereafter. Herbaceous species basal cover was also highest at LAI <0.5. An SEM model indicated that herbaceous diversity, basal cover and richness responded both to light availability and to the structure of the woody vegetation directly (R2 = 0.53). While the effect of light transmittance on herbaceous communities was strong (0.41), there was little difference between the effect of light transmittance and canopy characteristics (-0.35) on herbaceous communities. Two possible threshold points, relating to two types of transitions in vegetation structure, could be deduced from this study. The first threshold occurred at canopy cover ~ 40% (LAI < ~ 0.5, light transmittance ~ 75%), at which point many of the common herbaceous species, including the dominant C4 grasses, began to decline in abundance while the composition remained characteristic of the savanna state. A canopy cover of less than ~ 40% at a site provides a suitable state for a high abundance of grass and forb species which help maintain an open system by facilitating fires. The second threshold marked a compositional shift between savanna and closed-canopy vegetation states. Savanna species (trees, grasses and forbs) dominated at high light transmittances (>50%) and were significantly reduced at low light transmittances (< 50%), indicating a possible species composition threshold at ~50% light transmittance at which a savanna state switches to a thicket (LAI ~ 1 and canopy cover ~70%). This point indicated the point where there was a significant difference in both tree and herbaceous plant compositions, with a marked reduction in the occurrence of C4 grasses at light transmittance <50%. Fire is supressed when the C4 grass layer is lost, and further thicket encroachment will take place causing complete canopy closure. Land managers in this system should start becoming concerned about a reduction in grass biomass when canopy cover reaches about 40% and would have to reduce tree cover before the threshold of 50% light transmittance (70% canopy cover from aerial photos) is reached to maintain a savanna system. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Botany, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04-06
Thicket expansion in a vachellia karroo-dominated landscape and its effect on herbaceous communities
- Authors: Khoza, Marina Rindzani
- Date: 2022-04-06
- Subjects: Savanna ecology South Africa , Forbs South Africa , Grasslands South Africa , Herbaceous plants South Africa , Vegetation dynamics South Africa , Forest canopies South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/291015 , vital:56808
- Description: Grass and forb species found in savannas are highly diverse, contributing to the structure and function of the savanna system. Where mean annual rainfall is seasonal and high enough to support closed canopy vegetation such as forests or thickets, savannas can exist as an alternative stable state maintained by disturbances such as fire and browsing. Biotic and abiotic processes act on savanna and forest (or thicket) systems maintaining both their tree and herbaceous cover at levels that ensure their persistence in those states. Studies have shown that many semi-arid rangelands in South Africa have undergone a rapid increase in tree cover (of both native and non-native species) over the past several decades. This process of increasing tree cover in semi-arid savannas, termed bush encroachment, results in a biome shift, changing landscapes that were once grasslands with few trees to ones dominated by broad-leaved trees with fewer sun-adapted forbs and grasses. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of changing woody cover and its associated changes in tree composition, tree canopy structure, light dynamics in the understory and herbaceous community composition on Endwell farm in the Eastern Cape. Canopy cover changes between the years 1949 and 2019 were analysed at 51 sites on the farm and related to historical rainfall patterns. There had been a general increase in tree cover over the past several decades on the farm, and many sites showed a change from open (0-15%) in 1949 to low (1635%), moderate (36-50%) and high (51-100%) canopy cover in 2019. In earlier years most sites had a canopy cover below 50%, and the higher canopy cover values (>65%) occurred in more recent decades. Canopy cover of ~ 50% was found to be rare in each decade. This suggests that ~50% canopy cover maybe a transient, unstable state. The period with the highest rate of canopy cover increase was 2002-2013, and this increase coincided with a high mean annual rainfall 10 years prior to 2002 and a high mean annual rainfall in most years between the 20022013 period. The period between 2002 and 2013 also had the highest number of sites transitioning from lower to higher tree canopy cover classes, indicating that rainfall may have been a factor driving bush encroachment during the past several decades. An increase in canopy cover (a decrease in light transmittance) was accompanied by changes in woody species composition during thicket formation. The low canopy cover (high light transmittance) sites were dominated by Vachellia karroo and Scutia myrtina trees, while high tree cover sites had fewer V. karroo and S. myrtina trees and were rather characterised by an abundance of thicket tree species. Species proportion, NMDS and dendrogram plots indicated that sites with a light transmittance range between 50-100% had similar tree species compositions, different from sites with light transmittances <50%. An increase in tree density was strongly correlated to an increase in canopy cover (from 2019 satellite imagery), density of trees > 3m, maximum height reached by trees, diversity of trees, total canopy volume, total canopy area and leaf area index (LAI), and a decrease in light transmittance. A structural equation model (SEM) was used to explore the relationships between canopy characteristics (maximum canopy area, canopy volume, tree diversity, density of trees, density of trees >3m, individual trees and maximum canopy height), aerial canopy cover in 2019, and light transmittance. The model explained 73% of the variation in light transmittance, mostly via the direct effect of canopy characteristics. Canopy characteristics had a strong influence on both aerial cover in 2019 and directly on light transmittance, but canopy cover in 2019 had a weak influence on light transmittance. The herbaceous layer was rich and dominated by C4 grasses such as Eragrostis plana, Sporobolus fimbriatus, Themeda triandra and Digitaria eriantha) and forbs including Hibiscus aethiopicus, Helichrysum dregeanum, Helichrysum nudifolium and Gerbera viridifolia at low canopy cover sites with high light transmittance. In contrast, high tree cover sites had fewer herbaceous species in general. Grass and forb species characteristic of these sites high canopy cover sites were Panicum maximum, Loudetia flavida, Pellaea viridis and Cyperus spp. Different sites with low light transmittance (<50%) had similar herbaceous species composition. Basal cover, richness, abundance and diversity of herbaceous plants decreased significantly with an increase in tree density, density of trees >3 m, canopy volume, canopy area, canopy cover, LAI, and increased significantly with increasing light transmittance. Most grasses had their highest densities at LAI <0.5, which was estimated to correspond to ~75% light transmittance and ~38% canopy cover and then started to decline thereafter. Herbaceous species basal cover was also highest at LAI <0.5. An SEM model indicated that herbaceous diversity, basal cover and richness responded both to light availability and to the structure of the woody vegetation directly (R2 = 0.53). While the effect of light transmittance on herbaceous communities was strong (0.41), there was little difference between the effect of light transmittance and canopy characteristics (-0.35) on herbaceous communities. Two possible threshold points, relating to two types of transitions in vegetation structure, could be deduced from this study. The first threshold occurred at canopy cover ~ 40% (LAI < ~ 0.5, light transmittance ~ 75%), at which point many of the common herbaceous species, including the dominant C4 grasses, began to decline in abundance while the composition remained characteristic of the savanna state. A canopy cover of less than ~ 40% at a site provides a suitable state for a high abundance of grass and forb species which help maintain an open system by facilitating fires. The second threshold marked a compositional shift between savanna and closed-canopy vegetation states. Savanna species (trees, grasses and forbs) dominated at high light transmittances (>50%) and were significantly reduced at low light transmittances (< 50%), indicating a possible species composition threshold at ~50% light transmittance at which a savanna state switches to a thicket (LAI ~ 1 and canopy cover ~70%). This point indicated the point where there was a significant difference in both tree and herbaceous plant compositions, with a marked reduction in the occurrence of C4 grasses at light transmittance <50%. Fire is supressed when the C4 grass layer is lost, and further thicket encroachment will take place causing complete canopy closure. Land managers in this system should start becoming concerned about a reduction in grass biomass when canopy cover reaches about 40% and would have to reduce tree cover before the threshold of 50% light transmittance (70% canopy cover from aerial photos) is reached to maintain a savanna system. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Botany, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04-06
Composition portfolio
- Authors: Lemmer, Elizabeth Kate
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Composition (Music) , Music South Africa , COVID-19 (Disease) and the arts , Emotions in music , Violin music Scores , String quartets Scores , Chamber music Scores
- Language: English
- Type: Master's thesis , text , sheet music
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/232624 , vital:50008
- Description: In this portfolio I reflect on issues Covid-19 has brought to our communities and the possibilities of creating a brighter future. My music reflects the struggle that most people have faced in the last two years, the emotions and the conspiracies surrounding the experience, and the effect of solitude. In a time such as this it is almost inevitable that the music being composed is connected to the struggle in society at large. For ma composition is a journal of the heart. The pandemic has created a situation where most are out of touch with each other, have lost all previous routine and structure, where relationships are broken due to lack of personal contact, and almost everyone has unwillingly (or unwittingly) been thrust into self-reflection. Every day sees a new struggle to squeeze in all those pre-pandemic ideals so that some normalcy can be obtained, but this is not a time to be looking back. It’s a time to understand what we are going through, build new joy and excitement for this different life and learn to live the best we can with the opportunities we are given. There has not been a more important time to foster some form of connection with friends and family, and to be as strong and supportive as possible. The portfolio begins with a solo violin piece, Unwelcome Solitude, which exemplifies the loneliness and sadness during the various lockdowns over the last two years, with hints of the past and the difficulties in trying to resurrect pre-Covid-19 times. There are some unusual expressive markings to add to the descriptive effect within the piece. This is followed by The Pandemic, two serialism works: Panic and Pain scored for a string quartet. Both of these pieces apply a flexible use of serialism to emphasize out the emotional aspects of the music, and quite simply; the panic and the pain caused by Covid-19 and the country’s response to the pandemic as a whole. Finally there is a three movement chamber piece titled A Storm Series which quite literally represents the series of events that occur from the upcoming to the closure of a typical Highveld storm. Further than this, these pieces represent the series of events that occurred in South Africa from the first rumour of the Covid-19 virus starting to circle around the world, through the various lockdowns and progression of events in our country and abroad. The final movement of this series, Re-awakening, ends on a positive note representing the rainbow at the end of the storm, and the positive outlook for South Africa to keep persevering through the pandemic. , Thesis (MMus) -- Faculty of Humanities, Music and Musicology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
- Authors: Lemmer, Elizabeth Kate
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Composition (Music) , Music South Africa , COVID-19 (Disease) and the arts , Emotions in music , Violin music Scores , String quartets Scores , Chamber music Scores
- Language: English
- Type: Master's thesis , text , sheet music
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/232624 , vital:50008
- Description: In this portfolio I reflect on issues Covid-19 has brought to our communities and the possibilities of creating a brighter future. My music reflects the struggle that most people have faced in the last two years, the emotions and the conspiracies surrounding the experience, and the effect of solitude. In a time such as this it is almost inevitable that the music being composed is connected to the struggle in society at large. For ma composition is a journal of the heart. The pandemic has created a situation where most are out of touch with each other, have lost all previous routine and structure, where relationships are broken due to lack of personal contact, and almost everyone has unwillingly (or unwittingly) been thrust into self-reflection. Every day sees a new struggle to squeeze in all those pre-pandemic ideals so that some normalcy can be obtained, but this is not a time to be looking back. It’s a time to understand what we are going through, build new joy and excitement for this different life and learn to live the best we can with the opportunities we are given. There has not been a more important time to foster some form of connection with friends and family, and to be as strong and supportive as possible. The portfolio begins with a solo violin piece, Unwelcome Solitude, which exemplifies the loneliness and sadness during the various lockdowns over the last two years, with hints of the past and the difficulties in trying to resurrect pre-Covid-19 times. There are some unusual expressive markings to add to the descriptive effect within the piece. This is followed by The Pandemic, two serialism works: Panic and Pain scored for a string quartet. Both of these pieces apply a flexible use of serialism to emphasize out the emotional aspects of the music, and quite simply; the panic and the pain caused by Covid-19 and the country’s response to the pandemic as a whole. Finally there is a three movement chamber piece titled A Storm Series which quite literally represents the series of events that occur from the upcoming to the closure of a typical Highveld storm. Further than this, these pieces represent the series of events that occurred in South Africa from the first rumour of the Covid-19 virus starting to circle around the world, through the various lockdowns and progression of events in our country and abroad. The final movement of this series, Re-awakening, ends on a positive note representing the rainbow at the end of the storm, and the positive outlook for South Africa to keep persevering through the pandemic. , Thesis (MMus) -- Faculty of Humanities, Music and Musicology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
Recruitment disruptors: an exploratory study on the perception of artificial intelligence amongst selected Eastern Cape Province recruiters
- Authors: Sobekwa, Sinazo
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/232238 , vital:49974
- Description: Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
- Authors: Sobekwa, Sinazo
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/232238 , vital:49974
- Description: Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
Representations of adult women who have experienced 'absent' fathers: a thematic analysis of True Love magazine
- Authors: Moola, Lubayna Codelia
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Absentee fathers South Africa , Fathers and daughters South Africa , Fathers and daughters in literature South Africa , Mass media and families South Africa , Mass media and women South Africa , Families Psychological aspects , Self-actualization (Psychology) in women South Africa , True Love magazine , Thematic analysis
- Language: English
- Type: Master's thesis , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/232568 , vital:50003
- Description: This study explored how adult women who have experienced father 'absence' are represented in True Love magazine, a popular South African women's magazine targeting black women readers. The study examined nineteen articles published between 2016 and 2021 in True Love, featuring black women’s stories and clinical psychologists, which mentioned ‘absent’ fathers. Through the lenses of psychoanalytic, traditional African cultural, and feminist theoretical frameworks and their key concepts, the articles were examined in relation to how the effects on the adult women of complicated relationships with their fathers while they were growing up, were represented. The selected articles were analysed using Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis, and representational themes were identified guided by theoretical frameworks and familiarity with the scholarly literature on father ‘absence’ in South Africa. A wide range of childhood and young adult experiences of father-daughter relationships, and household circumstances, appeared alongside the strong maternal networks which supported these girls and women. Representations and themes of clinical psychologists involved Freudian psychoanalytic frameworks to describe the damaging psychological implications of ‘absent’ fathers, particularly affecting adult women’s capacities to form trusting intimate relationships with men. The adult women’s stories – largely successful businesswomen and/or celebrities in the arts, as represented by True Love feature writers and editors – presented themes of what the women had learnt from their mothers, and how they had overcome difficulties and obstacles. These themes included representations of resilience, and of being ‘survivors’, informed by empowerments from a feminist theoretical framework. These themes also represented the women as working psychotherapeutically to manage their past experiences and psychological distress, to transform their retriggering in adult heterosexual relationships, and to pursue healing and self-actualisation. These representations and themes are argued to have inspirational and motivating implications for girls and women in contemporary South Africa. They generate alternate stories about the longer-term effects and outcomes of father ‘absence’, rather than the prominent 'victim' stories in media and scholarly literature of young women doomed to suffer poor relationships and depression forever. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
- Authors: Moola, Lubayna Codelia
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Absentee fathers South Africa , Fathers and daughters South Africa , Fathers and daughters in literature South Africa , Mass media and families South Africa , Mass media and women South Africa , Families Psychological aspects , Self-actualization (Psychology) in women South Africa , True Love magazine , Thematic analysis
- Language: English
- Type: Master's thesis , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/232568 , vital:50003
- Description: This study explored how adult women who have experienced father 'absence' are represented in True Love magazine, a popular South African women's magazine targeting black women readers. The study examined nineteen articles published between 2016 and 2021 in True Love, featuring black women’s stories and clinical psychologists, which mentioned ‘absent’ fathers. Through the lenses of psychoanalytic, traditional African cultural, and feminist theoretical frameworks and their key concepts, the articles were examined in relation to how the effects on the adult women of complicated relationships with their fathers while they were growing up, were represented. The selected articles were analysed using Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis, and representational themes were identified guided by theoretical frameworks and familiarity with the scholarly literature on father ‘absence’ in South Africa. A wide range of childhood and young adult experiences of father-daughter relationships, and household circumstances, appeared alongside the strong maternal networks which supported these girls and women. Representations and themes of clinical psychologists involved Freudian psychoanalytic frameworks to describe the damaging psychological implications of ‘absent’ fathers, particularly affecting adult women’s capacities to form trusting intimate relationships with men. The adult women’s stories – largely successful businesswomen and/or celebrities in the arts, as represented by True Love feature writers and editors – presented themes of what the women had learnt from their mothers, and how they had overcome difficulties and obstacles. These themes included representations of resilience, and of being ‘survivors’, informed by empowerments from a feminist theoretical framework. These themes also represented the women as working psychotherapeutically to manage their past experiences and psychological distress, to transform their retriggering in adult heterosexual relationships, and to pursue healing and self-actualisation. These representations and themes are argued to have inspirational and motivating implications for girls and women in contemporary South Africa. They generate alternate stories about the longer-term effects and outcomes of father ‘absence’, rather than the prominent 'victim' stories in media and scholarly literature of young women doomed to suffer poor relationships and depression forever. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
A critical exploration of the attitudes towards and knowledge of natural resource management amongst first-year Natural Resource Management students
- Authors: Jooste, Eileen
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53666 , vital:45688
- Description: Available literature suggests that there is a need to gain more understanding of what students’ environmental attitudes and knowledge are and how they are developed by education systems. Education, in general, plays an important role in students’ attitudes and their knowledge of the world around them. It can shape students’ awareness of their natural environment and contribute to their understanding of environmental issues. Education can also strengthen students’ critical thinking, build awareness, stimulate problem solving, and promote sustainable practices. It has the potential to empower students to address global challenges from their own diverse perspectives and prepare them to uphold the economy. Education can improve and maintain societal wellbeing and can help students to maintain the natural environment, along with achieving sustainable development. Environmental education, specifically, can play a big role in how students deal with the natural environment. The primary aim of this qualitative research study was to examine first-year students’ environmental attitudes and knowledge in the School of Natural Resource Management at the Nelson Mandela University George Campus, South Africa. First-year students’ environmental attitudes and knowledge were examined as they entered the university, and then again at the end of the first semester once they had completed a module in ecology. More specifically, at the outset of the research the objectives were (1) to establish an understanding of the baseline environmental attitudes and knowledge of first-year students who were undertaking three ecological modules being offered by the School of Natural Resource Management; (2) to assess the changes in the first-year students’ environmental attitudes and knowledge, using a post-intervention strategy; (3) to understand what type of teaching approaches were used by the lecturers teaching the ecological modules; and (4) to evaluate how the teaching approaches of the lecturers influenced the baseline environmental attitudes and knowledge of the student group. This research took place in the midst of the Corona Virus pandemic, which had significantly influenced the teaching and learning environment. Multiple education systems, including those of the Nelson Mandela University George Campus, had to rapidly transition to online teaching and learning. So, although unplanned for, this research could not ignore the rapid transition to online teaching and learning and the role it played in shaping the first-year School of Natural Resource Management students’ environmental attitudes and knowledge. It also impacted the teaching approaches of the environmental lecturers. An additional objective in response to the rapid transition to online teaching and learning was, therefore, added: (5) to understand the experiences of the first-year School of Natural Resource Management students and the three environmental lecturers who had to rapidly transition to online teaching and learning. Data was collected via questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with students and staff in the School of Natural Resource Management at Nelson Mandela University George Campus within three different natural resource management programs, namely Agriculture, Nature Conservation, and Forestry. Baseline questionnaires were conducted with 107 students for a baseline assessment as the students entered the university. An online post-intervention questionnaire was conducted with 33 of the initial group of students at the end of the semester for a post-intervention assessment. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with three environmental lectures before they taught their three ecology modules in each of the programs. Additional online semi-structured interviews were also done with the same three environmental lectures after the rapid transition to online teaching and learning took place. The significant findings from this research were analyzed and discussed. This included the baseline environmental attitudes and knowledge of the student body upon arrival at the university and the changes in their environmental attitudes and knowledge after they were exposed to the ecology modules taught in each of the programs. The discussion also included the teaching approaches adopted by the environmental lecturers and the influence their teaching approaches had on the students’ environmental attitudes and knowledge. In addition, the results shed light on the experiences of students and lecturers during the rapid transition to online teaching and learning. The main conclusions reached were that the first-year School of Natural Resource Management students did not have a deep understanding of ecological concepts prior to arriving at university, but they did show a concern for the natural environment. Their lack of understanding was reduced as the students progressed with the ecology module. A greater understanding resulted in a change in students’ perspectives on the ecological module, their program, and the industry they were preparing to enter after being exposed to the ecology module. The environmental lecturers’ teaching approaches contributed to improving the students’ environmental attitudes and knowledge. When it came to the rapid transition to online teaching and learning, both the first-year School of Natural Resource Management students and environmental lecturers experienced benefits and challenges. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, School of Natural Resource Management, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
- Authors: Jooste, Eileen
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Port Elizabeth (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/53666 , vital:45688
- Description: Available literature suggests that there is a need to gain more understanding of what students’ environmental attitudes and knowledge are and how they are developed by education systems. Education, in general, plays an important role in students’ attitudes and their knowledge of the world around them. It can shape students’ awareness of their natural environment and contribute to their understanding of environmental issues. Education can also strengthen students’ critical thinking, build awareness, stimulate problem solving, and promote sustainable practices. It has the potential to empower students to address global challenges from their own diverse perspectives and prepare them to uphold the economy. Education can improve and maintain societal wellbeing and can help students to maintain the natural environment, along with achieving sustainable development. Environmental education, specifically, can play a big role in how students deal with the natural environment. The primary aim of this qualitative research study was to examine first-year students’ environmental attitudes and knowledge in the School of Natural Resource Management at the Nelson Mandela University George Campus, South Africa. First-year students’ environmental attitudes and knowledge were examined as they entered the university, and then again at the end of the first semester once they had completed a module in ecology. More specifically, at the outset of the research the objectives were (1) to establish an understanding of the baseline environmental attitudes and knowledge of first-year students who were undertaking three ecological modules being offered by the School of Natural Resource Management; (2) to assess the changes in the first-year students’ environmental attitudes and knowledge, using a post-intervention strategy; (3) to understand what type of teaching approaches were used by the lecturers teaching the ecological modules; and (4) to evaluate how the teaching approaches of the lecturers influenced the baseline environmental attitudes and knowledge of the student group. This research took place in the midst of the Corona Virus pandemic, which had significantly influenced the teaching and learning environment. Multiple education systems, including those of the Nelson Mandela University George Campus, had to rapidly transition to online teaching and learning. So, although unplanned for, this research could not ignore the rapid transition to online teaching and learning and the role it played in shaping the first-year School of Natural Resource Management students’ environmental attitudes and knowledge. It also impacted the teaching approaches of the environmental lecturers. An additional objective in response to the rapid transition to online teaching and learning was, therefore, added: (5) to understand the experiences of the first-year School of Natural Resource Management students and the three environmental lecturers who had to rapidly transition to online teaching and learning. Data was collected via questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with students and staff in the School of Natural Resource Management at Nelson Mandela University George Campus within three different natural resource management programs, namely Agriculture, Nature Conservation, and Forestry. Baseline questionnaires were conducted with 107 students for a baseline assessment as the students entered the university. An online post-intervention questionnaire was conducted with 33 of the initial group of students at the end of the semester for a post-intervention assessment. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with three environmental lectures before they taught their three ecology modules in each of the programs. Additional online semi-structured interviews were also done with the same three environmental lectures after the rapid transition to online teaching and learning took place. The significant findings from this research were analyzed and discussed. This included the baseline environmental attitudes and knowledge of the student body upon arrival at the university and the changes in their environmental attitudes and knowledge after they were exposed to the ecology modules taught in each of the programs. The discussion also included the teaching approaches adopted by the environmental lecturers and the influence their teaching approaches had on the students’ environmental attitudes and knowledge. In addition, the results shed light on the experiences of students and lecturers during the rapid transition to online teaching and learning. The main conclusions reached were that the first-year School of Natural Resource Management students did not have a deep understanding of ecological concepts prior to arriving at university, but they did show a concern for the natural environment. Their lack of understanding was reduced as the students progressed with the ecology module. A greater understanding resulted in a change in students’ perspectives on the ecological module, their program, and the industry they were preparing to enter after being exposed to the ecology module. The environmental lecturers’ teaching approaches contributed to improving the students’ environmental attitudes and knowledge. When it came to the rapid transition to online teaching and learning, both the first-year School of Natural Resource Management students and environmental lecturers experienced benefits and challenges. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, School of Natural Resource Management, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
A data-driven decision-making model for the third-party logistics industry in Africa
- Authors: Moyo, Faith
- 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/10948/53875 , vital:46022
- Description: Third-party logistics (3PL) providers have continued to be key players in the supply chain network and have witnessed a growth in the usage of information technology. This growth has enhanced the volume of structured and unstructured data that is collected at a high velocity, and is of rich variety, sometimes described as “Big Data”. Leaders in the 3PL industry are constantly seeking to effectively and efficiently mature their abilities to exploit this data to gain business value through data-driven decision-making (DDDM). DDDM helps the leaders to reduce the reliance they place on observations and intuition to make crucial business decisions in a volatile business environment. The aim of this research was to develop a prescriptive model for DDDM in 3PLs. The model consists of iterative elements that prescribe guidelines to decision-makers in the 3PL industry on how to adopt DDDM. A literature review of existing theoretical frameworks and models for DDDM was conducted to determine the extent to which they contribute towards DDDM for 3PLs. The Design-Science Research Methodology (DSRM) was followed to address the aim of the research and applied to pragmatically and iteratively develop and evaluate the artefact (the model for DDDM) in the real-world context of a 3PL. The literature findings revealed that the challenges with DDDM in organisations include three main categories of challenges related to data quality, data management, vision and capabilities. Once the challenges with DDDM were established, a prescriptive model was designed and developed for DDDM in 3PLs. Qualitative data was collected from semi-structured interviews to gain an understanding of the problems and possible solutions in the real-world context of 3PLs. An As-Is Analysis in the real-world case 3PL company confirmed the challenges identified in literature, and that data is still used in the 3PL company for descriptive and diagnostic analytics to aid with the decision-making processes. This highlights that there is still room for maturity into using data for predictive and prescriptive analytics that will, in turn, improve the decision-making process. An improved second version of the model was demonstrated to the participants (the targeted users), who had the opportunity to evaluate the model. The findings revealed that the model provided clear guidelines on how to make data-driven decisions and that the feedback loop and the data culture aspects highlighted in the design were some of the important features of the model. Some improvements were suggested by participants. A field study of three data analytics tools was conducted to identify the advantages and disadvantages of each as well as to highlight the status of DDDM at the real-world case 3PL. The limitations of the second version of the model, together with the recommendations from the participants were used to inform the improved and revised third version of the model. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, School of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
- Authors: Moyo, Faith
- 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/10948/53875 , vital:46022
- Description: Third-party logistics (3PL) providers have continued to be key players in the supply chain network and have witnessed a growth in the usage of information technology. This growth has enhanced the volume of structured and unstructured data that is collected at a high velocity, and is of rich variety, sometimes described as “Big Data”. Leaders in the 3PL industry are constantly seeking to effectively and efficiently mature their abilities to exploit this data to gain business value through data-driven decision-making (DDDM). DDDM helps the leaders to reduce the reliance they place on observations and intuition to make crucial business decisions in a volatile business environment. The aim of this research was to develop a prescriptive model for DDDM in 3PLs. The model consists of iterative elements that prescribe guidelines to decision-makers in the 3PL industry on how to adopt DDDM. A literature review of existing theoretical frameworks and models for DDDM was conducted to determine the extent to which they contribute towards DDDM for 3PLs. The Design-Science Research Methodology (DSRM) was followed to address the aim of the research and applied to pragmatically and iteratively develop and evaluate the artefact (the model for DDDM) in the real-world context of a 3PL. The literature findings revealed that the challenges with DDDM in organisations include three main categories of challenges related to data quality, data management, vision and capabilities. Once the challenges with DDDM were established, a prescriptive model was designed and developed for DDDM in 3PLs. Qualitative data was collected from semi-structured interviews to gain an understanding of the problems and possible solutions in the real-world context of 3PLs. An As-Is Analysis in the real-world case 3PL company confirmed the challenges identified in literature, and that data is still used in the 3PL company for descriptive and diagnostic analytics to aid with the decision-making processes. This highlights that there is still room for maturity into using data for predictive and prescriptive analytics that will, in turn, improve the decision-making process. An improved second version of the model was demonstrated to the participants (the targeted users), who had the opportunity to evaluate the model. The findings revealed that the model provided clear guidelines on how to make data-driven decisions and that the feedback loop and the data culture aspects highlighted in the design were some of the important features of the model. Some improvements were suggested by participants. A field study of three data analytics tools was conducted to identify the advantages and disadvantages of each as well as to highlight the status of DDDM at the real-world case 3PL. The limitations of the second version of the model, together with the recommendations from the participants were used to inform the improved and revised third version of the model. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, School of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
A spatial assessment of riparian vegetation density and implications for streambank erosion in relation to land tenure in the Mgwalana Catchment, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
- Authors: Maxama, Asakhile
- 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/10948/53864 , vital:46026
- Description: Riparian vegetation provides an array of various ecosystem functions and has significantly shaped the conditions of catchments. It has strong controls on fluvial geomorphology and erosion processes. The Mgwalana catchment has been intensively studied over the years and the current environmental condition of the study has been linked to land use history. The catchment has been subjected to land use/cover changes (LUCC) over the years. However, spatial variations in riparian vegetation, their implications for stream bank stability and the contribution of land tenure systems to stream channel degradation are poorly understood. The study sought to assess the implications of the spatial variations in riparian vegetation density for stream bank erosion in relation to land tenure on a catchment scale. Land tenure units comprising the catchment of study are traditional and betterment villages (communal lands), and former white commercial farms. A three-pronged approach using GIS and remote sensing, field investigations and laboratory procedures for soil analysis was employed in this study. Variations of riparian vegetation density in the catchment were mapped using ArcGIS for the two land tenure units to assess the spatial variations of riparian density along stream reaches and to determine the spatial relationship between land tenure units and riparian vegetation diminution. Other mapped shape files include sediment accumulation zones to analyse the spatial relationship between riparian vegetation density and sediment sinks. LUCC classification and analysis of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were carried out in IDRISI Selva, using Landsat 8 TM imagery of 2018 to represent the current spatial riparian vegetation variations in the catchment. Field investigations were conducted to determine the coupling among hillslope gully erosion, riparian vegetation density and sink areas; and to assess physical characteristics of soil. This would permit an assessment of the implications of riparian vegetation for stream bank erosion and sediment accumulation within the tenure units. Soil samples were taken from scantily and densely vegetated stream reaches, as well as measurements of channel widths and depths. Analyses of soil physical properties viz; grain size distribution, bulk density, soil texture and aggregate stability were done. Results demonstrated that a sparse riparian vegetation distribution was consistent with the communal villages, confined to the upper catchment area. Dense riparian vegetation distribution was consistent with former commercial farms in the lower catchment area. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, School of Environmental Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
- Authors: Maxama, Asakhile
- 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/10948/53864 , vital:46026
- Description: Riparian vegetation provides an array of various ecosystem functions and has significantly shaped the conditions of catchments. It has strong controls on fluvial geomorphology and erosion processes. The Mgwalana catchment has been intensively studied over the years and the current environmental condition of the study has been linked to land use history. The catchment has been subjected to land use/cover changes (LUCC) over the years. However, spatial variations in riparian vegetation, their implications for stream bank stability and the contribution of land tenure systems to stream channel degradation are poorly understood. The study sought to assess the implications of the spatial variations in riparian vegetation density for stream bank erosion in relation to land tenure on a catchment scale. Land tenure units comprising the catchment of study are traditional and betterment villages (communal lands), and former white commercial farms. A three-pronged approach using GIS and remote sensing, field investigations and laboratory procedures for soil analysis was employed in this study. Variations of riparian vegetation density in the catchment were mapped using ArcGIS for the two land tenure units to assess the spatial variations of riparian density along stream reaches and to determine the spatial relationship between land tenure units and riparian vegetation diminution. Other mapped shape files include sediment accumulation zones to analyse the spatial relationship between riparian vegetation density and sediment sinks. LUCC classification and analysis of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were carried out in IDRISI Selva, using Landsat 8 TM imagery of 2018 to represent the current spatial riparian vegetation variations in the catchment. Field investigations were conducted to determine the coupling among hillslope gully erosion, riparian vegetation density and sink areas; and to assess physical characteristics of soil. This would permit an assessment of the implications of riparian vegetation for stream bank erosion and sediment accumulation within the tenure units. Soil samples were taken from scantily and densely vegetated stream reaches, as well as measurements of channel widths and depths. Analyses of soil physical properties viz; grain size distribution, bulk density, soil texture and aggregate stability were done. Results demonstrated that a sparse riparian vegetation distribution was consistent with the communal villages, confined to the upper catchment area. Dense riparian vegetation distribution was consistent with former commercial farms in the lower catchment area. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, School of Environmental Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
A value alignment smart city stakeholder model
- Van der Hoogen, Anthea Vivian
- Authors: Van der Hoogen, Anthea Vivian
- 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/10948/54129 , vital:46309
- Description: The concept of a Smart City has evolved over the last three decades and has attracted the increasing interest of the scientific research community. Unfortunately, many Smart City projects and initiatives do not provide the value expected by all the stakeholders. Many of the reasons for this relate to a lack of data management, data integration, data access and stakeholder participation. People are an integral part of any city’s ecosystem, and the Smart City concept was introduced to address the challenges of an ever-growing global population leading to the risk of depletion of economic, environmental and social resources. The problem addressed in this study is based on the challenges preventing the creation of the value of smart cities or stakeholders. Limited research has been published on the status of Smart City initiatives or on the impact of various success factors on the potential value creation for stakeholders including citizens. Studies on initiatives in developing countries, such as South Africa are even less. Whilst some challenges and constraints related to smart cities in Africa have been reported, there are no studies reporting on initiatives across the data value chain that consider all types of stakeholders, nor the impact of these initiatives. This study addressed this gap in research and designed a theoretical Value Alignment Smart City Stakeholder (VASCS) Model based on a Systematic Literature Review and a review of related theories. The model has important components that should form part of any Smart City project or Smart City initiative. These five main components are: 1) nine Smart City dimensions with related success factors; 2) four stakeholder roles (enablers, providers, utilisers and users); 3) the data value chain; and 4) the five phases of stakeholder benefits/value realisation that can be linked to; 5) stakeholder value alignment. This study applied the VASCS Model to Smart City initiatives in two case studies in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, which were the Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City to investigate and understand the status of such initiatives and the alignment of value thereof. The stakeholder interviews were conducted in two rounds with various stakeholders of Smart City initiatives, referred to as cases in the two case studies. An expert review of the VASCS Model was conducted with eight experts in the field of Information Systems and Smart Cities. The findings of this review served to confirm the components of the model, with only minor improvements recommended. It was confirmed that all of the components need to be considered in planning Smart City projects. The first round consisted of six interviews with enablers and providers and the second round consisted of 22 interviews with users, utilisers and citizens. The interviews investigated the value and impact experienced by stakeholders of these initiatives, with a particular focus on the users, utilisers and citizens of the cases. The interview data was transcribed and qualitatively analysed by using Atlas.tiand Excel. The data was analysed according to the Technological, Organisational and Environmental theory constructs and other identified themes. The interview analysis findings revealed several drivers for these initiatives, which were primarily cost reduction, integration and quality assurance. The results also highlighted access to resources, such as technical skills as a challenge. Another challenge identified was connectivity related to access to data and the digital and physical divide that can impact decision making. The main benefits of Smart City initiatives highlighted were the provision of infrastructure, education and training and digitalisation. The theoretical contribution of this study is the VASCS Model, which can assist other researchers and practitioners with knowledge of the factors, drivers, challenges and value obtained in Smart City initiatives. The model has two supplementary components: A Stakeholder Classification Model and a Smart City Success Factor Evaluation Template. The practical contribution of this study is the potential use of the VASCS Model by practitioners, city management, researchers and other stakeholders, who can use the model, with the related model and template for planning and evaluating Smart City initiatives. The model can be used to classify the digital activities according to a Smart City’s success factors while evaluating the value created by these activities. The impact of these initiatives can then be assessed through value realisation and alignment for stakeholders. The scientific contribution is the adoption of the model to the cases in the Eastern Cape. To reveal in depth, rich, interview findings that provide important lessons learnt relating to the value created for the stakeholders and the addition of these findings to the body of knowledge. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
- Authors: Van der Hoogen, Anthea Vivian
- 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/10948/54129 , vital:46309
- Description: The concept of a Smart City has evolved over the last three decades and has attracted the increasing interest of the scientific research community. Unfortunately, many Smart City projects and initiatives do not provide the value expected by all the stakeholders. Many of the reasons for this relate to a lack of data management, data integration, data access and stakeholder participation. People are an integral part of any city’s ecosystem, and the Smart City concept was introduced to address the challenges of an ever-growing global population leading to the risk of depletion of economic, environmental and social resources. The problem addressed in this study is based on the challenges preventing the creation of the value of smart cities or stakeholders. Limited research has been published on the status of Smart City initiatives or on the impact of various success factors on the potential value creation for stakeholders including citizens. Studies on initiatives in developing countries, such as South Africa are even less. Whilst some challenges and constraints related to smart cities in Africa have been reported, there are no studies reporting on initiatives across the data value chain that consider all types of stakeholders, nor the impact of these initiatives. This study addressed this gap in research and designed a theoretical Value Alignment Smart City Stakeholder (VASCS) Model based on a Systematic Literature Review and a review of related theories. The model has important components that should form part of any Smart City project or Smart City initiative. These five main components are: 1) nine Smart City dimensions with related success factors; 2) four stakeholder roles (enablers, providers, utilisers and users); 3) the data value chain; and 4) the five phases of stakeholder benefits/value realisation that can be linked to; 5) stakeholder value alignment. This study applied the VASCS Model to Smart City initiatives in two case studies in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, which were the Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City to investigate and understand the status of such initiatives and the alignment of value thereof. The stakeholder interviews were conducted in two rounds with various stakeholders of Smart City initiatives, referred to as cases in the two case studies. An expert review of the VASCS Model was conducted with eight experts in the field of Information Systems and Smart Cities. The findings of this review served to confirm the components of the model, with only minor improvements recommended. It was confirmed that all of the components need to be considered in planning Smart City projects. The first round consisted of six interviews with enablers and providers and the second round consisted of 22 interviews with users, utilisers and citizens. The interviews investigated the value and impact experienced by stakeholders of these initiatives, with a particular focus on the users, utilisers and citizens of the cases. The interview data was transcribed and qualitatively analysed by using Atlas.tiand Excel. The data was analysed according to the Technological, Organisational and Environmental theory constructs and other identified themes. The interview analysis findings revealed several drivers for these initiatives, which were primarily cost reduction, integration and quality assurance. The results also highlighted access to resources, such as technical skills as a challenge. Another challenge identified was connectivity related to access to data and the digital and physical divide that can impact decision making. The main benefits of Smart City initiatives highlighted were the provision of infrastructure, education and training and digitalisation. The theoretical contribution of this study is the VASCS Model, which can assist other researchers and practitioners with knowledge of the factors, drivers, challenges and value obtained in Smart City initiatives. The model has two supplementary components: A Stakeholder Classification Model and a Smart City Success Factor Evaluation Template. The practical contribution of this study is the potential use of the VASCS Model by practitioners, city management, researchers and other stakeholders, who can use the model, with the related model and template for planning and evaluating Smart City initiatives. The model can be used to classify the digital activities according to a Smart City’s success factors while evaluating the value created by these activities. The impact of these initiatives can then be assessed through value realisation and alignment for stakeholders. The scientific contribution is the adoption of the model to the cases in the Eastern Cape. To reveal in depth, rich, interview findings that provide important lessons learnt relating to the value created for the stakeholders and the addition of these findings to the body of knowledge. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
Administrative justice and the implementation of the reconstruction and development program in Berlin Town, Eastern Cape
- Authors: Makie, Fundiswa
- 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/10948/54460 , vital:46577
- Description: Housing delivery in South Africa is a crucial and topical issue affecting many citizens. The primary objective of the study was to determine the role of administrative justice in the implementation of the Reconstructive and Development Programme (RDP) in Berlin Town, in the province of the Eastern Cape in South Africa. In addition, the aim of this study was to explore the challenges of RDP housing in the study area, as a way of probing whether housing needs were being met. The study was conducted using a qualitative research methodology in gathering data from Berlin Town residents, Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality staff and Berlin Town councillors. The data analysis revealed that respondents affirmed the importance of administrative justice and the effective implementation of the RDP with regard to housing. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommends that the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality prioritise the full implementation of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) in dealing with the housing backlog and challenges in Berlin Town. Moreover, the findings of this study revealed that it is possible to highlight specific recommendations that can be used by various other local municipalities. Thus, the research study showed that efficient local municipal operations have a direct impact on the delivery of RDP houses. Relating to ethical considerations, the researcher ensured that all the requirements for credible research were met throughout the study. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Governmental and Social Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
- Authors: Makie, Fundiswa
- 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/10948/54460 , vital:46577
- Description: Housing delivery in South Africa is a crucial and topical issue affecting many citizens. The primary objective of the study was to determine the role of administrative justice in the implementation of the Reconstructive and Development Programme (RDP) in Berlin Town, in the province of the Eastern Cape in South Africa. In addition, the aim of this study was to explore the challenges of RDP housing in the study area, as a way of probing whether housing needs were being met. The study was conducted using a qualitative research methodology in gathering data from Berlin Town residents, Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality staff and Berlin Town councillors. The data analysis revealed that respondents affirmed the importance of administrative justice and the effective implementation of the RDP with regard to housing. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommends that the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality prioritise the full implementation of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) in dealing with the housing backlog and challenges in Berlin Town. Moreover, the findings of this study revealed that it is possible to highlight specific recommendations that can be used by various other local municipalities. Thus, the research study showed that efficient local municipal operations have a direct impact on the delivery of RDP houses. Relating to ethical considerations, the researcher ensured that all the requirements for credible research were met throughout the study. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Governmental and Social Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
Applying a systems analysis approach to support marine spatial planning in Algoa Bay, South Africa
- Authors: Vermeulen, Estee Ann
- 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/10948/54121 , vital:46312
- Description: Ocean health provides the foundation for human health through the provisioning of ecosystem services. Increasing demands on ocean space and resources are, however, resulting in a decline in ocean health, with direct and indirect knock-on effects on marine uses and ultimately on human health. In response, there is a growing need to acknowledge and better manage complex human-ocean interactions. This has been recognised in global sustainable development goals and in integrated ocean management processes, leading to widespread endorsement of an ecosystem-based marine spatial planning (MSP) process, including in South Africa. In support of the national MSP process, significant progress has been made in understanding the spatial extent of marine activities and associated marine pressures, but the temporal dynamics of marine activities and interconnections with the marine environment are less well understood. To plan for the growth of marine activities and associated user conflicts, the drivers of these temporal dynamics and associated feedback effects need to be analysed and potential policy and management interventions identified and tested. To support South Africa’s national MSP process, this study adopts a systems analysis approach, using system dynamics modelling, to explore the temporal change in marine uses under alternative growth scenarios in Algoa Bay. Algoa Bay is an appropriate study area because it is experiencing a rapid expansion of marine activities, coupled with a growing uncertainty regarding marine sustainability outcomes. To assist future marine management decisions, the Algoa Marine Systems Analysis Tool (Algoa MSAT) was developed, comprising seven sub-models. Five of the sub-models represent selected marine uses in Algoa Bay, whereas the sixth and seventh integrate the outputs from each marine use in terms of sustainable management indicators (marine health, marine wealth and marine labour). Model development primarily adopted an expert-based model ling approach, although the involvement of stakeholders, through a collaborative modelling process, assisted in integrating knowledge on different marine sectors’ activities, impacts and planning visions into the model framework. Model results were generated under different scenarios to investigate changes in the growth of marine activities and marine sustainability indicators under different levels of ocean governance. Under the baseline (or business-as-usual) model scenario, marine activities were shown to grow increasingly within their respective management limits, with an increase in marine wealth and labour and a consequential decrease in marine health. This scenario particularly highlights that current ocean governance practices are ineffective in sustaining the projected growth of the marine uses, particularly for those that are vulnerable to negative changes in marine health. Conversely, sectors that hold more value in marine wealth and are more resilient to changes in marine health, may continue to grow regardless of negative knock-on effects of the health of the marine environment and on other uses in the bay. This emphasises that an alternative governance strategy is needed to achieve the long-term goal of an ecosystem-based MSP process, as required by South African MSP legislation. To achieve this will require multiple, adaptive cross-sectoral management interventions that are directed towards the ‘deeper leverage points’ that are able to maintain the growth of marine activities within appropriate limits defined by marine health. Using the model interface developed in this project, decision-makers and stakeholders can use the model to explore the temporal dynamics in marine activities under different governance scenarios. Although the model is limited to Algoa Bay, the model boundary can be adapted to assist in marine planning processes at national or trans-national scales. Such analytical assessments and tools are critical to progress the ecosystem-based management approach in MSP, as is required to achieve global sustainable development goals. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Coastal and Marine Research Unit, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
- Authors: Vermeulen, Estee Ann
- 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/10948/54121 , vital:46312
- Description: Ocean health provides the foundation for human health through the provisioning of ecosystem services. Increasing demands on ocean space and resources are, however, resulting in a decline in ocean health, with direct and indirect knock-on effects on marine uses and ultimately on human health. In response, there is a growing need to acknowledge and better manage complex human-ocean interactions. This has been recognised in global sustainable development goals and in integrated ocean management processes, leading to widespread endorsement of an ecosystem-based marine spatial planning (MSP) process, including in South Africa. In support of the national MSP process, significant progress has been made in understanding the spatial extent of marine activities and associated marine pressures, but the temporal dynamics of marine activities and interconnections with the marine environment are less well understood. To plan for the growth of marine activities and associated user conflicts, the drivers of these temporal dynamics and associated feedback effects need to be analysed and potential policy and management interventions identified and tested. To support South Africa’s national MSP process, this study adopts a systems analysis approach, using system dynamics modelling, to explore the temporal change in marine uses under alternative growth scenarios in Algoa Bay. Algoa Bay is an appropriate study area because it is experiencing a rapid expansion of marine activities, coupled with a growing uncertainty regarding marine sustainability outcomes. To assist future marine management decisions, the Algoa Marine Systems Analysis Tool (Algoa MSAT) was developed, comprising seven sub-models. Five of the sub-models represent selected marine uses in Algoa Bay, whereas the sixth and seventh integrate the outputs from each marine use in terms of sustainable management indicators (marine health, marine wealth and marine labour). Model development primarily adopted an expert-based model ling approach, although the involvement of stakeholders, through a collaborative modelling process, assisted in integrating knowledge on different marine sectors’ activities, impacts and planning visions into the model framework. Model results were generated under different scenarios to investigate changes in the growth of marine activities and marine sustainability indicators under different levels of ocean governance. Under the baseline (or business-as-usual) model scenario, marine activities were shown to grow increasingly within their respective management limits, with an increase in marine wealth and labour and a consequential decrease in marine health. This scenario particularly highlights that current ocean governance practices are ineffective in sustaining the projected growth of the marine uses, particularly for those that are vulnerable to negative changes in marine health. Conversely, sectors that hold more value in marine wealth and are more resilient to changes in marine health, may continue to grow regardless of negative knock-on effects of the health of the marine environment and on other uses in the bay. This emphasises that an alternative governance strategy is needed to achieve the long-term goal of an ecosystem-based MSP process, as required by South African MSP legislation. To achieve this will require multiple, adaptive cross-sectoral management interventions that are directed towards the ‘deeper leverage points’ that are able to maintain the growth of marine activities within appropriate limits defined by marine health. Using the model interface developed in this project, decision-makers and stakeholders can use the model to explore the temporal dynamics in marine activities under different governance scenarios. Although the model is limited to Algoa Bay, the model boundary can be adapted to assist in marine planning processes at national or trans-national scales. Such analytical assessments and tools are critical to progress the ecosystem-based management approach in MSP, as is required to achieve global sustainable development goals. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Coastal and Marine Research Unit, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
Applying insights from machine learning towards guidelines for the detection of text-based fake news
- Authors: Ngada, Okuhle
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Machine learning , Fake News
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/60243 , vital:64141
- Description: Web-based technologies have fostered an online environment where information can be disseminated in a fast and cost-effective manner whilst targeting large and diverse audiences. Unfortunately, the rise and evolution of web-based technologies have also created an environment where false information, commonly referred to as “fake news”, spreads rapidly. The effects of this spread can be catastrophic. Finding solutions to the problem of fake news is complicated for a myriad of reasons, such as: what is defined as fake news, the lack of quality datasets available to researchers, the topics covered in such data, and the fact that datasets exist in a variety of languages. The effects of false information dissemination can result in reputational damage, financial damage to affected brands, and ultimately, misinformed online news readers who can make misinformed decisions. The objective of the study is to propose a set of guidelines that can be used by other system developers to implement misinformation detection tools and systems. The guidelines are constructed using findings from the experimentation phase of the project and information uncovered in the literature review conducted as part of the study. A selection of machine and deep learning approaches are examined to test the applicability of cues that could separate fake online articles from real online news articles. Key performance metrics such as precision, recall, accuracy, F1-score, and ROC are used to measure the performance of the selected machine learning and deep learning models. To demonstrate the practicality of the guidelines and allow for reproducibility of the research, each guideline provides background information relating to the identified problem, a solution to the problem through pseudocode, code excerpts using the Python programming language, and points of consideration that may assist with the implementation. , Thesis (MA) --Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
Applying insights from machine learning towards guidelines for the detection of text-based fake news
- Authors: Ngada, Okuhle
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Machine learning , Fake News
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/60243 , vital:64141
- Description: Web-based technologies have fostered an online environment where information can be disseminated in a fast and cost-effective manner whilst targeting large and diverse audiences. Unfortunately, the rise and evolution of web-based technologies have also created an environment where false information, commonly referred to as “fake news”, spreads rapidly. The effects of this spread can be catastrophic. Finding solutions to the problem of fake news is complicated for a myriad of reasons, such as: what is defined as fake news, the lack of quality datasets available to researchers, the topics covered in such data, and the fact that datasets exist in a variety of languages. The effects of false information dissemination can result in reputational damage, financial damage to affected brands, and ultimately, misinformed online news readers who can make misinformed decisions. The objective of the study is to propose a set of guidelines that can be used by other system developers to implement misinformation detection tools and systems. The guidelines are constructed using findings from the experimentation phase of the project and information uncovered in the literature review conducted as part of the study. A selection of machine and deep learning approaches are examined to test the applicability of cues that could separate fake online articles from real online news articles. Key performance metrics such as precision, recall, accuracy, F1-score, and ROC are used to measure the performance of the selected machine learning and deep learning models. To demonstrate the practicality of the guidelines and allow for reproducibility of the research, each guideline provides background information relating to the identified problem, a solution to the problem through pseudocode, code excerpts using the Python programming language, and points of consideration that may assist with the implementation. , Thesis (MA) --Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
Assessing service delivery protests in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality: the case of Walmer Township
- Authors: Mdanyana, Esethu
- 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/10948/54492 , vital:46609
- Description: In many South Africa’s areas, citizen’s frustration with poor or slow service delivery has resulted in a surge of service delivery protests. Some of these service delivery protests are violent in nature, resulting in the damage of public and private property. Therefore, it is imperative to scrutinize service delivery protests. The South African constitution states that municipalities have the responsibility to make sure that all citizens are provided with services to satisfy their basic needs. These services include water supply, sewage collection and disposal electricity, gas supply health services, roads, storm water drainage, street lighting, municipal parks and recreation. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Governmental and Social Sciences, 2021
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2021-12
- Authors: Mdanyana, Esethu
- 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/10948/54492 , vital:46609
- Description: In many South Africa’s areas, citizen’s frustration with poor or slow service delivery has resulted in a surge of service delivery protests. Some of these service delivery protests are violent in nature, resulting in the damage of public and private property. Therefore, it is imperative to scrutinize service delivery protests. The South African constitution states that municipalities have the responsibility to make sure that all citizens are provided with services to satisfy their basic needs. These services include water supply, sewage collection and disposal electricity, gas supply health services, roads, storm water drainage, street lighting, municipal parks and recreation. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Governmental and Social Sciences, 2021
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2021-12
Assessing the implementation of environmental education school policy in Buffalo City Metro Education District South Africa
- Authors: Damoah, Benjamin
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Environmental education , Environmental policy -- South Africa , Education and state -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/21602 , vital:51703
- Description: Environmental Education (EE) is essential for addressing environmental challenges.The advantages of EE are undeniable; it might be used to address specific environmental concerns and their implications, as well as to modify behaviours that lead to environmental catastrophes.EE strengthens people's resilience to climaterelated hazards. Global environmental issues have heightened interest in educational policy outcomes and their implications for economic growth and social citizenship. It is worth noting that an effective EE policy has a significant influence on the development of learners' environmental literacy. This study assessed the implementation of environmental education school policy in the Buffalo City Metro Education District, South Africa. This study adopted the pragmatism paradigm of Mixed Method Research(MMR). Concurrent triangulation, which is a design that employs a single data collection technique in which quantitative and qualitative data gathering and analysis are carried out independently yet concurrently, was used for this study. The target population of this study involved 60,412 teachers, 1,770,289 learners in 5205 public schools, and 1 Pro-EE civil society organisation in the Eastern Cape province. This was narrowed down to over 268 public and independent schools, teachers, and principals within the enclave of the Buffalo Metropolitan education district. The study adopted stratified purposeful and simple random probability sampling. In this technique, the sampling frame of the study was divided into strata or groups (principals, teachers, learners, and CSOs) and a sample was purposefully selected from each stratum (Migiro & Magangi, 2011). The stratified purposeful random sampling techniques draw data from 10 principals, 175 teachers, 1500 learners, and 1 CSO. Structured questionnaire; Implementation of EE Policy Questionnaire (IEEPQ) whose reliability co-efficient value using Cronbach Alpha was 0.74, semi-structured interview and documents were the instruments used to collect data for this study. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics of percentage, mean, and standard deviation for the quantitative data while the thematic approach of sorting, coding, transcribing, and categorization was used for the qualitative data. The study revealed the following. When asked whether teachers had studied environmental education in tertiary institutions as part of their professional training, the majority of the teachers'respondents, 108, representing 61.7percent, disagreed with this view. On the flip side, a handful of teachers 67, (38.3percent) agreed with the view of having had some sort of EE knowledge during their professional training as teachers. With regards to the view that learners learn environmental issues through other subjects, most of the learner respondents, 1316 representing 87.7percent, agreed with this view. On the contrary, a minority of the respondents 184 (12,3percent) had a dissenting opinion. This indicates that most learners in school learn about environmental concerns through other traditional subjects. The study established that EE content is manifest in teachers' and learners' textbooks, teaching methods, and co-curricular activities. However, the study identified lapses in how teachers and learners integrate EE into their day-to-day practices. Therefore, the implementation of the EE policy seems to be an exercise in futility. The absence of a policy guideline document has made teachers and school administrators incapacitated in the implementation of EE school policy. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
- Authors: Damoah, Benjamin
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Environmental education , Environmental policy -- South Africa , Education and state -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/21602 , vital:51703
- Description: Environmental Education (EE) is essential for addressing environmental challenges.The advantages of EE are undeniable; it might be used to address specific environmental concerns and their implications, as well as to modify behaviours that lead to environmental catastrophes.EE strengthens people's resilience to climaterelated hazards. Global environmental issues have heightened interest in educational policy outcomes and their implications for economic growth and social citizenship. It is worth noting that an effective EE policy has a significant influence on the development of learners' environmental literacy. This study assessed the implementation of environmental education school policy in the Buffalo City Metro Education District, South Africa. This study adopted the pragmatism paradigm of Mixed Method Research(MMR). Concurrent triangulation, which is a design that employs a single data collection technique in which quantitative and qualitative data gathering and analysis are carried out independently yet concurrently, was used for this study. The target population of this study involved 60,412 teachers, 1,770,289 learners in 5205 public schools, and 1 Pro-EE civil society organisation in the Eastern Cape province. This was narrowed down to over 268 public and independent schools, teachers, and principals within the enclave of the Buffalo Metropolitan education district. The study adopted stratified purposeful and simple random probability sampling. In this technique, the sampling frame of the study was divided into strata or groups (principals, teachers, learners, and CSOs) and a sample was purposefully selected from each stratum (Migiro & Magangi, 2011). The stratified purposeful random sampling techniques draw data from 10 principals, 175 teachers, 1500 learners, and 1 CSO. Structured questionnaire; Implementation of EE Policy Questionnaire (IEEPQ) whose reliability co-efficient value using Cronbach Alpha was 0.74, semi-structured interview and documents were the instruments used to collect data for this study. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics of percentage, mean, and standard deviation for the quantitative data while the thematic approach of sorting, coding, transcribing, and categorization was used for the qualitative data. The study revealed the following. When asked whether teachers had studied environmental education in tertiary institutions as part of their professional training, the majority of the teachers'respondents, 108, representing 61.7percent, disagreed with this view. On the flip side, a handful of teachers 67, (38.3percent) agreed with the view of having had some sort of EE knowledge during their professional training as teachers. With regards to the view that learners learn environmental issues through other subjects, most of the learner respondents, 1316 representing 87.7percent, agreed with this view. On the contrary, a minority of the respondents 184 (12,3percent) had a dissenting opinion. This indicates that most learners in school learn about environmental concerns through other traditional subjects. The study established that EE content is manifest in teachers' and learners' textbooks, teaching methods, and co-curricular activities. However, the study identified lapses in how teachers and learners integrate EE into their day-to-day practices. Therefore, the implementation of the EE policy seems to be an exercise in futility. The absence of a policy guideline document has made teachers and school administrators incapacitated in the implementation of EE school policy. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
Bayesian spatio-temporal zero-inflated mixed models for overdispersion on chronic disease mapping
- Osuji, Georgeleen O https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8408-3928
- Authors: Osuji, Georgeleen O https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8408-3928
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Medical mapping , Bayesian statistical decision theory
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/23644 , vital:58230
- Description: Background: Life expectancy in most developing countries has remarkably increased and decreased in mortality, but under 5 years old mortality has increased due to HIV and Tuberculosis incidence. Many factors have been established to influence the mortality rate among HIV patients and understanding the factors contribution to the risk of under 5-year-old mortality is important for designing appropriate health interventions. Excess zeros usually occur in such HIV mortality count data. Mixed models consisting of count part and zero part are often used to describe the observed excess zero in the data. Poisson models are popular modeling inference, but Negative-Binomial models are more flexible in analyzing count data and dealing with overdispersion. Method: This research proposed to develop two-part hurdle models in analyzing areal zero count data. A spatial Bayesian lognormal-logit hurdle model (BLLHM) with random effects characterizes and cross-spatial dependencies were introduced. The parameter inferences and predictions were evaluated using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm. The model proposed was applied to HIV-positive under 5-year-old mortality collected from the Eastern Cape Department of Health. Results: Bayesian lognormal-logit hurdle model is selected as the best model fit. It is observed that the total number of HIV patients not on ART-HIVnotTB (0.000612, p <0.000) was positively and statistically significantly associated with the HIV-positive mortality of under 5 years patients. Both CD4 counts were done on newly diagnosed HIV rate (CD4count) and HIV-positive new patients screened for TB rate (HIVTBrate) were negatively and statistically significantly associated with the HIV-positive mortality of under 5 years patients (-0.6294, p = 0.000 and -0.00056, p = 0.0052). However, the covariate HIV positive Tuberculosis Preventive therapy (TPT) uptake rate (HIVandTB) was not statistically significantly associated with the HIV-positive mortality of under 5 years patients (-0.00155, p = 0.5392). Conclusion: The model is flexible to deal with zero-inflated and over-dispersed count data. There is a need to consider the risk of cause-specific under-5-year-old mortality in terms of spatial effects. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science and Agriculture, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
- Authors: Osuji, Georgeleen O https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8408-3928
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Medical mapping , Bayesian statistical decision theory
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/23644 , vital:58230
- Description: Background: Life expectancy in most developing countries has remarkably increased and decreased in mortality, but under 5 years old mortality has increased due to HIV and Tuberculosis incidence. Many factors have been established to influence the mortality rate among HIV patients and understanding the factors contribution to the risk of under 5-year-old mortality is important for designing appropriate health interventions. Excess zeros usually occur in such HIV mortality count data. Mixed models consisting of count part and zero part are often used to describe the observed excess zero in the data. Poisson models are popular modeling inference, but Negative-Binomial models are more flexible in analyzing count data and dealing with overdispersion. Method: This research proposed to develop two-part hurdle models in analyzing areal zero count data. A spatial Bayesian lognormal-logit hurdle model (BLLHM) with random effects characterizes and cross-spatial dependencies were introduced. The parameter inferences and predictions were evaluated using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm. The model proposed was applied to HIV-positive under 5-year-old mortality collected from the Eastern Cape Department of Health. Results: Bayesian lognormal-logit hurdle model is selected as the best model fit. It is observed that the total number of HIV patients not on ART-HIVnotTB (0.000612, p <0.000) was positively and statistically significantly associated with the HIV-positive mortality of under 5 years patients. Both CD4 counts were done on newly diagnosed HIV rate (CD4count) and HIV-positive new patients screened for TB rate (HIVTBrate) were negatively and statistically significantly associated with the HIV-positive mortality of under 5 years patients (-0.6294, p = 0.000 and -0.00056, p = 0.0052). However, the covariate HIV positive Tuberculosis Preventive therapy (TPT) uptake rate (HIVandTB) was not statistically significantly associated with the HIV-positive mortality of under 5 years patients (-0.00155, p = 0.5392). Conclusion: The model is flexible to deal with zero-inflated and over-dispersed count data. There is a need to consider the risk of cause-specific under-5-year-old mortality in terms of spatial effects. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science and Agriculture, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
Beneficiation of pyrolysis-derived waste tyre char by blending with torrefied wood and microalgae to produce solid fuel
- Authors: Dube, Cleopatra Thulani
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Pyrolysis , Solid fuel reactors
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58439 , vital:59241
- Description: he thermal decomposition of waste tyres via pyrolysis is considered to be amongst the most promising methods of recycling tyres due to its minimal environmental impact (in terms of reduction in pollution). During pyrolysis, tyres are thermally degraded in an inert environment to produce gas, oil and char. The gas and oil have promising commercialization prospects while the char remains a pollutant despite the strides made in a lot of research to upgrade the char to carbon black, activated carbon and even for reuse as a filler in tyre manufacture. For pyrolysis to be profitable, or worthy of investments, all three of its products (oil, char and gas) need to be valorised. Pyrolysis-derived tyre chars (PT-char) have an energy value equivalent to high rank coals, however, the use of PT char as a solid fuel is uncommon due to the high contents of sulphur and mineral matter as well as low volatile matter content of the PT-char. As such, the combustion of PT-char is characterised by high ignition temperature, low thermal reactivity, and no flame formation due to the low amounts of volatile matter. On the other hand, biomass are clean, renewable feedstock, having low sulphur and mineral matter contents, as well as high thermal reactivity. The blending of PT-char with biomass could potentially improve the combustion properties of PT-char and minimise the release of toxic emissions from the char, and thus, could make PT-char suitable for use as a fuel source. In this study, PT-char was blended with torrefied wood and microalgae biomass to demonstrate the suitability of using PT-char-biomass-fuel blend as an energy feedstock. To this effect, a mixture design of experiments was used to formulate the PT-char biomass blends and regression analysis was employed to select an optimum blend formulation for the combustion and mechanical properties of the blends. Proximate analysis results showed a non-linear increase in the volatile matter and a non-linear decrease in the fixed carbon and ash yield as the biomass ratio increased. The calorific value also increased on an additive basis with increasing biomass proportion. The elemental analysis results showed a decrease in the calcium, zinc and bromine contents and an increase in the potassium and iron contents increased with increasing biomass proportion. Likewise, the sulphur content decreased while the oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen contents increased with increasing biomass ratio. vi Thus, the fuel properties of the blends improved with increasing biomass ratio and without compromising the calorific value of the PT-char. Moreover, the TG-MS analysis showed that the PT-char and the respective blends did not show any release SO2 up to 650°C. Thus, making the fuel suitable for use in low temperature applications such as household and certain boilers. The results of the regression analysis showed that the blend formulation with the highest proportions of biomass, thus C55-T30-M15, is the optimum blend to produce a solid fuel with a low initial decomposition (214°C) and char ignition temperatures (532°C) as well as maximum burn-out temperature (640°C). In essence, the high thermal reactivity of PT-char is improved when both biomasses are loaded at maximum ratios as per the experimental design. The results of the MS showed a decrease in CO2 and NO2 emissions with increasing biomass proportion. The optimum blend (C55-T30-M15) was found to have a comparably higher gross calorific value (26 MJ/kg), lower sulphur content (1.1 wt.%), low ash yield (11wt.%) and lower concentration of minerals (i.e. zinc) than raw PT-char. In addition, the volatile matter content of the blend (20 wt.%) was found to be higher than that of PT-char and the ignition temperature of the optimum fuel blend was relatively lower and its burnout temperature higher than that of PT char. The MS results revealed that the CO2 and NO2 emissions were higher in the optimum blend than the PT-char. The mechanical properties of the pellets; impact resistance and compressive strength increased with increasing biomass blending ratio and even more so with increasing microalgae ratio. The C55-T30-M15 and C75-T10-M15 were selected as optimum blends using regression analysis and both blends exceeded the benchmark for mechanical properties except for water resistance. The blending did not improve the water resistance and all the blends did not meet the minimum threshold for water resistance. Overall, the blending of PT-char with torrefied wood and microalgae biomass has shown to improve the fuel properties PT-char, and therefore, making it a suitable potential fuel source. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
- Authors: Dube, Cleopatra Thulani
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Pyrolysis , Solid fuel reactors
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58439 , vital:59241
- Description: he thermal decomposition of waste tyres via pyrolysis is considered to be amongst the most promising methods of recycling tyres due to its minimal environmental impact (in terms of reduction in pollution). During pyrolysis, tyres are thermally degraded in an inert environment to produce gas, oil and char. The gas and oil have promising commercialization prospects while the char remains a pollutant despite the strides made in a lot of research to upgrade the char to carbon black, activated carbon and even for reuse as a filler in tyre manufacture. For pyrolysis to be profitable, or worthy of investments, all three of its products (oil, char and gas) need to be valorised. Pyrolysis-derived tyre chars (PT-char) have an energy value equivalent to high rank coals, however, the use of PT char as a solid fuel is uncommon due to the high contents of sulphur and mineral matter as well as low volatile matter content of the PT-char. As such, the combustion of PT-char is characterised by high ignition temperature, low thermal reactivity, and no flame formation due to the low amounts of volatile matter. On the other hand, biomass are clean, renewable feedstock, having low sulphur and mineral matter contents, as well as high thermal reactivity. The blending of PT-char with biomass could potentially improve the combustion properties of PT-char and minimise the release of toxic emissions from the char, and thus, could make PT-char suitable for use as a fuel source. In this study, PT-char was blended with torrefied wood and microalgae biomass to demonstrate the suitability of using PT-char-biomass-fuel blend as an energy feedstock. To this effect, a mixture design of experiments was used to formulate the PT-char biomass blends and regression analysis was employed to select an optimum blend formulation for the combustion and mechanical properties of the blends. Proximate analysis results showed a non-linear increase in the volatile matter and a non-linear decrease in the fixed carbon and ash yield as the biomass ratio increased. The calorific value also increased on an additive basis with increasing biomass proportion. The elemental analysis results showed a decrease in the calcium, zinc and bromine contents and an increase in the potassium and iron contents increased with increasing biomass proportion. Likewise, the sulphur content decreased while the oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen contents increased with increasing biomass ratio. vi Thus, the fuel properties of the blends improved with increasing biomass ratio and without compromising the calorific value of the PT-char. Moreover, the TG-MS analysis showed that the PT-char and the respective blends did not show any release SO2 up to 650°C. Thus, making the fuel suitable for use in low temperature applications such as household and certain boilers. The results of the regression analysis showed that the blend formulation with the highest proportions of biomass, thus C55-T30-M15, is the optimum blend to produce a solid fuel with a low initial decomposition (214°C) and char ignition temperatures (532°C) as well as maximum burn-out temperature (640°C). In essence, the high thermal reactivity of PT-char is improved when both biomasses are loaded at maximum ratios as per the experimental design. The results of the MS showed a decrease in CO2 and NO2 emissions with increasing biomass proportion. The optimum blend (C55-T30-M15) was found to have a comparably higher gross calorific value (26 MJ/kg), lower sulphur content (1.1 wt.%), low ash yield (11wt.%) and lower concentration of minerals (i.e. zinc) than raw PT-char. In addition, the volatile matter content of the blend (20 wt.%) was found to be higher than that of PT-char and the ignition temperature of the optimum fuel blend was relatively lower and its burnout temperature higher than that of PT char. The MS results revealed that the CO2 and NO2 emissions were higher in the optimum blend than the PT-char. The mechanical properties of the pellets; impact resistance and compressive strength increased with increasing biomass blending ratio and even more so with increasing microalgae ratio. The C55-T30-M15 and C75-T10-M15 were selected as optimum blends using regression analysis and both blends exceeded the benchmark for mechanical properties except for water resistance. The blending did not improve the water resistance and all the blends did not meet the minimum threshold for water resistance. Overall, the blending of PT-char with torrefied wood and microalgae biomass has shown to improve the fuel properties PT-char, and therefore, making it a suitable potential fuel source. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
Bicultural voice in three works
- Authors: Nkuna, Musa Duke
- 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/10948/54607 , vital:46769
- Description: This portfolio of compositions is made up of two parts: Part one is a commentary on the works presented in the portfolio. As required by Nelson Mandela University for the degree of DMus, the commentary is a descriptive narrative, rather than an analysis, of the works. It forms a basic guide for the listener as to how these works were conceived and constructed, and how both African and Western music elements have been used in order to achieve a syncretism. My commentary endeavours to show the compositional techniques applied when writing these works, and how my cultural interactions, music training and experience as a professional opera singer influence my compositional output. Part two contains the creative content of the portfolio: a set of scores of the three works themselves, as well as accompanying recordings of these works, with a total duration of ca. 100 minutes of music. It forms the main part of the submission. , Thesis (DMA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Department of Music and Performing Arts, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
- Authors: Nkuna, Musa Duke
- 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/10948/54607 , vital:46769
- Description: This portfolio of compositions is made up of two parts: Part one is a commentary on the works presented in the portfolio. As required by Nelson Mandela University for the degree of DMus, the commentary is a descriptive narrative, rather than an analysis, of the works. It forms a basic guide for the listener as to how these works were conceived and constructed, and how both African and Western music elements have been used in order to achieve a syncretism. My commentary endeavours to show the compositional techniques applied when writing these works, and how my cultural interactions, music training and experience as a professional opera singer influence my compositional output. Part two contains the creative content of the portfolio: a set of scores of the three works themselves, as well as accompanying recordings of these works, with a total duration of ca. 100 minutes of music. It forms the main part of the submission. , Thesis (DMA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Department of Music and Performing Arts, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
Coordination polymers for denitrogenation of fuel oils
- Authors: Dembaremba, Tendai O
- 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/10948/53630 , vital:45682
- Description: In this thesis, we present adsorptive removal of nitrogen-containing compounds from fuel oil as an alternative to complement conventional hydrotreatment to obtain ultra-low sulfur and nitrogen levels. This is in cognizance of the challenges nitrogen-containing compounds pose to the hydrotreatment process, particularly their inhibition and/or poisoning of the catalysts used in the process, of which basic nitrogen-containing compounds are the major culprits. Selectivity is the biggest challenge for adsorptive removal of nitrogen-containing compounds. We explore reticular synthesis of metal organic frameworks and the use of coordinatively unsaturated metal sites in 1-dimensional coordination polymers to achieve good selectivity for nitrogen-containing compounds. In the first part of the thesis, reticular synthesis of metal organic frameworks to control the size of the cavity, and strategically use the linkers and metal centres was envisaged. In this work we explored variation of the metal centres in the secondary building units (SBUs of the MOFs as the first step to the testing and implementation of the design strategies. Carbazole, representing carbazoles which the major compounds that remain in hydrotreated fuel, was the target compound. Four MOFs of zinc (Zn-CDC-bpe), copper (Cu-CDC-bpe), nickel (Ni-CDC-bpe) and cobalt (Co-CDC-bpe) based on the formation of a dinuclear metal paddlewheel SBUs with the ligand 9H-Carbazole-3,6-dicarboxylic acid (H2CDC) and occupation of the axial positions of the paddlewheel by 1,2-Bis(4-pyridyl)ethane (bpe) to form porous networks were synthesized. A fifth MOF containing only CDC which forms a [Zn4O(O2C-R)5(O2HC-R)] SBU was also synthesized (Zn-CDC). The ligand H2CDC was inspired by the possibility of improving selectivity for carbazole via π–π interactions through the more preferred parallel-offset stacking as well as the possibility for further substitution of the carbazole N-H to add groups that improve selectivity. The sizes of the MOF cavities can then be controlled by choosing different lengths of ligands analogous to 1,2-Bis(4-pyridyl)ethane (bpe), e.g. 4,4’-bipyridine and pyrazine. All the MOFs showed good selectivity of carbazole. The Zn-CDC MOF also had good selectivity for the basic nitrogen-containing compounds tested: quinoline, isoquinoline, quinaldine and 1-naphthylamine. Its uptake of carbazole was also slightly higher. This was attributed to the presence of an unsaturated Zn site in the SBU. Adsorption in all the MOFs was primarily due to physisorption. It was concluded that the role of the metal centre does not play a significant role in the adsorption of carbazole besides providing a template for reticular synthesis. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences, 2021
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2021-12
- Authors: Dembaremba, Tendai O
- 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/10948/53630 , vital:45682
- Description: In this thesis, we present adsorptive removal of nitrogen-containing compounds from fuel oil as an alternative to complement conventional hydrotreatment to obtain ultra-low sulfur and nitrogen levels. This is in cognizance of the challenges nitrogen-containing compounds pose to the hydrotreatment process, particularly their inhibition and/or poisoning of the catalysts used in the process, of which basic nitrogen-containing compounds are the major culprits. Selectivity is the biggest challenge for adsorptive removal of nitrogen-containing compounds. We explore reticular synthesis of metal organic frameworks and the use of coordinatively unsaturated metal sites in 1-dimensional coordination polymers to achieve good selectivity for nitrogen-containing compounds. In the first part of the thesis, reticular synthesis of metal organic frameworks to control the size of the cavity, and strategically use the linkers and metal centres was envisaged. In this work we explored variation of the metal centres in the secondary building units (SBUs of the MOFs as the first step to the testing and implementation of the design strategies. Carbazole, representing carbazoles which the major compounds that remain in hydrotreated fuel, was the target compound. Four MOFs of zinc (Zn-CDC-bpe), copper (Cu-CDC-bpe), nickel (Ni-CDC-bpe) and cobalt (Co-CDC-bpe) based on the formation of a dinuclear metal paddlewheel SBUs with the ligand 9H-Carbazole-3,6-dicarboxylic acid (H2CDC) and occupation of the axial positions of the paddlewheel by 1,2-Bis(4-pyridyl)ethane (bpe) to form porous networks were synthesized. A fifth MOF containing only CDC which forms a [Zn4O(O2C-R)5(O2HC-R)] SBU was also synthesized (Zn-CDC). The ligand H2CDC was inspired by the possibility of improving selectivity for carbazole via π–π interactions through the more preferred parallel-offset stacking as well as the possibility for further substitution of the carbazole N-H to add groups that improve selectivity. The sizes of the MOF cavities can then be controlled by choosing different lengths of ligands analogous to 1,2-Bis(4-pyridyl)ethane (bpe), e.g. 4,4’-bipyridine and pyrazine. All the MOFs showed good selectivity of carbazole. The Zn-CDC MOF also had good selectivity for the basic nitrogen-containing compounds tested: quinoline, isoquinoline, quinaldine and 1-naphthylamine. Its uptake of carbazole was also slightly higher. This was attributed to the presence of an unsaturated Zn site in the SBU. Adsorption in all the MOFs was primarily due to physisorption. It was concluded that the role of the metal centre does not play a significant role in the adsorption of carbazole besides providing a template for reticular synthesis. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences, 2021
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2021-12
Corrosion and hydrogen resistant modified zirlo surfaces for nuclear fuel cladding
- Authors: Ngongo, Sinoyolo
- 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/10948/54077 , vital:46252
- Description: Zirconium (Zr) alloys are used as fuel cladding material in all modern water cooled commercial nuclear reactors. Zr alloys have many desirable properties for the nuclear reactor core environment, however, it also has a weakness in that overheated zirconium alloy fuel rods react with hot steam resulting in the release of hydrogen. High temperatures increase the oxidation rate and hence the hydrogen production rate which in turn increase the risk of a hydrogen gas explosion such as what is surmised to have happened in the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant incident. The some of the hydrogen produced will also diffuse into the zirconium alloy and form zirconium hydrides which will weaken the original zirconium alloy material. The development of accident tolerant fuel became a major focus area after the Fukushima event in March 2011 with the U.S. congress directing the U.S. Department of Energy to develop fuel with enhanced accident tolerance at high temperatures. The main objective in the case of zirconium alloy cladding has been the modification of cladding surface layers by coating or doping in order to reduce the oxidation rate and hydrogen generation rate by the reaction of steam with zirconium alloy cladding at high temperatures. This thesis focuses on two surface modifications to decrease the surface corrosion rate of ZIRLOTM (the Zr alloy used in this study) and reduce hydrogen uptake by ZIRLO. The first modification involves an oxidation-resistant nano-crystalline diamond (NCD) film deposited on ZIRLO. The NCD layer was deposited in a microwave plasma-enhanced linear antenna chemical vapor deposition (MW-LA-PECVD) system after immersion of the ZIRLO tubes in a water-based solution containing nanodiamonds. ZIRLO tube samples were coated with 200 nm and 500 nm thick NCD layers. The 200 nm thick NCD coated ZIRLO was kept as control sample whereas the 500 nm thick NCD coated ZIRLO was exposed to steam oxidation at 360 °C for 90 days. The results revealed that the NCD exfoliated in some areas leaving the ZIRLO exposed to the steam. In the areas where the diamond did not exfoliate, the diamond was still attached to the ZIRLO with an amorphous carbon layer present between the NCD and the zirconium oxide layer.The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results of this study indicate the presence a sp3 – hybridised diamond phase for the NCD layer as well as an intermediate amorphous carbon layer between the NCD and ZrO2 layers. Analyses of the area where the NCD layer had exfoliated showed no evidence of an NCD layer. It is possible that the amorphous carbon layer between the diamond and the zirconium oxide is responsible for weak interfacial bonding leading to partial exfoliation during oxidation in steam 360 °C for 90 days. In the second modification, the effectiveness of a Cr doped ZrO2 layer to reduce the migration rate of hydrogen in ZrO2 was investigated. The ZIRLO tube used for this part of the study did not have a thin oxide passivation surface layer. Two different procedures were used to create chromium doped zirconium oxide surface layers on ZIRLO. The ZIRLO surface was coated with chromium using cathodic arc deposition followed compression plasma flow (CPF) treatment to facilitate intermixing of the Cr and the ZIRLO. In procedure 1, the surface modification was achieved through the incorporation of chromium into the zirconium surface layer using a compression plasma flow (CPF) technique, followed by the oxidation of the chromium doped zirconium. The oxidation process was conducted at 500 °C for 6 hours. In procedure 2, the chromium was incorporated into the zirconium oxide layer again using the CPF technique. Hydrogen desorption was measured from pure ZIRLO and CPF modified samples using a special gas reaction controller system. The key finding of the results is that the chromium doped (incorporated) zirconium oxide layer on ZIRLO sample exhibited the lowest hydrogen desorption rate of all the samples analysed. This indicates that H in the Cr doped zirconium oxide layer had the lowest mobility of all the samples investigated. This is consistent with the theoretical predictions that the doping of ZrO2 by Cr reduces the solubility of hydrogen in ZrO2. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, 2021
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2021-12
- Authors: Ngongo, Sinoyolo
- 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/10948/54077 , vital:46252
- Description: Zirconium (Zr) alloys are used as fuel cladding material in all modern water cooled commercial nuclear reactors. Zr alloys have many desirable properties for the nuclear reactor core environment, however, it also has a weakness in that overheated zirconium alloy fuel rods react with hot steam resulting in the release of hydrogen. High temperatures increase the oxidation rate and hence the hydrogen production rate which in turn increase the risk of a hydrogen gas explosion such as what is surmised to have happened in the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant incident. The some of the hydrogen produced will also diffuse into the zirconium alloy and form zirconium hydrides which will weaken the original zirconium alloy material. The development of accident tolerant fuel became a major focus area after the Fukushima event in March 2011 with the U.S. congress directing the U.S. Department of Energy to develop fuel with enhanced accident tolerance at high temperatures. The main objective in the case of zirconium alloy cladding has been the modification of cladding surface layers by coating or doping in order to reduce the oxidation rate and hydrogen generation rate by the reaction of steam with zirconium alloy cladding at high temperatures. This thesis focuses on two surface modifications to decrease the surface corrosion rate of ZIRLOTM (the Zr alloy used in this study) and reduce hydrogen uptake by ZIRLO. The first modification involves an oxidation-resistant nano-crystalline diamond (NCD) film deposited on ZIRLO. The NCD layer was deposited in a microwave plasma-enhanced linear antenna chemical vapor deposition (MW-LA-PECVD) system after immersion of the ZIRLO tubes in a water-based solution containing nanodiamonds. ZIRLO tube samples were coated with 200 nm and 500 nm thick NCD layers. The 200 nm thick NCD coated ZIRLO was kept as control sample whereas the 500 nm thick NCD coated ZIRLO was exposed to steam oxidation at 360 °C for 90 days. The results revealed that the NCD exfoliated in some areas leaving the ZIRLO exposed to the steam. In the areas where the diamond did not exfoliate, the diamond was still attached to the ZIRLO with an amorphous carbon layer present between the NCD and the zirconium oxide layer.The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results of this study indicate the presence a sp3 – hybridised diamond phase for the NCD layer as well as an intermediate amorphous carbon layer between the NCD and ZrO2 layers. Analyses of the area where the NCD layer had exfoliated showed no evidence of an NCD layer. It is possible that the amorphous carbon layer between the diamond and the zirconium oxide is responsible for weak interfacial bonding leading to partial exfoliation during oxidation in steam 360 °C for 90 days. In the second modification, the effectiveness of a Cr doped ZrO2 layer to reduce the migration rate of hydrogen in ZrO2 was investigated. The ZIRLO tube used for this part of the study did not have a thin oxide passivation surface layer. Two different procedures were used to create chromium doped zirconium oxide surface layers on ZIRLO. The ZIRLO surface was coated with chromium using cathodic arc deposition followed compression plasma flow (CPF) treatment to facilitate intermixing of the Cr and the ZIRLO. In procedure 1, the surface modification was achieved through the incorporation of chromium into the zirconium surface layer using a compression plasma flow (CPF) technique, followed by the oxidation of the chromium doped zirconium. The oxidation process was conducted at 500 °C for 6 hours. In procedure 2, the chromium was incorporated into the zirconium oxide layer again using the CPF technique. Hydrogen desorption was measured from pure ZIRLO and CPF modified samples using a special gas reaction controller system. The key finding of the results is that the chromium doped (incorporated) zirconium oxide layer on ZIRLO sample exhibited the lowest hydrogen desorption rate of all the samples analysed. This indicates that H in the Cr doped zirconium oxide layer had the lowest mobility of all the samples investigated. This is consistent with the theoretical predictions that the doping of ZrO2 by Cr reduces the solubility of hydrogen in ZrO2. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, 2021
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2021-12
Deconstructing the Challenges of COVID-19 on First-Year Rural University Students in South Africa
- Authors: Omodan, Bunmi Isaiah
- Date: 2021 -12
- Subjects: COVID-1 (Desease) College freshmen Article
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/7664 , vital:54733 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.51415/ajims.v3i1.930"
- Description: Assumptions and facts exist about the various challenges rural learners face when transitioning into university education in South Africa due to the pedagogical differences between secondary and university education. However, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic compounded the transitioning challenges of students because most of the universities, especially the selected university, utilise online learning, which is alien to first-year students who are transitioning from rural high schools to the university. This study explores the challenges and solutions associated with first-year students transitioning to a new level of education during the COVID-19 pandemic. An asset-based approach was used to theorise the study within the Transformative Paradigm (TP), while Participatory Research (PR) was used to design the study. These are relevant because both TP and PR are targeted towards transforming people’s predicaments. The participants consisted of ten first-year students selected using a convenient sampling technique. Data was collected using electronic interviews such as email, WhatsApp messages, and phone calls. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The study revealed that first-year rural university students’ inability to use online learning tools effectively and unstable internet connections in the rural community are major challenges. The study, therefore, concludes that the provision of internet access and students’ readiness for adaptability are the possible solutions. Keywords: COVID-19; first-year students; rural communities; rural university
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021 -12
- Authors: Omodan, Bunmi Isaiah
- Date: 2021 -12
- Subjects: COVID-1 (Desease) College freshmen Article
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/7664 , vital:54733 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.51415/ajims.v3i1.930"
- Description: Assumptions and facts exist about the various challenges rural learners face when transitioning into university education in South Africa due to the pedagogical differences between secondary and university education. However, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic compounded the transitioning challenges of students because most of the universities, especially the selected university, utilise online learning, which is alien to first-year students who are transitioning from rural high schools to the university. This study explores the challenges and solutions associated with first-year students transitioning to a new level of education during the COVID-19 pandemic. An asset-based approach was used to theorise the study within the Transformative Paradigm (TP), while Participatory Research (PR) was used to design the study. These are relevant because both TP and PR are targeted towards transforming people’s predicaments. The participants consisted of ten first-year students selected using a convenient sampling technique. Data was collected using electronic interviews such as email, WhatsApp messages, and phone calls. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The study revealed that first-year rural university students’ inability to use online learning tools effectively and unstable internet connections in the rural community are major challenges. The study, therefore, concludes that the provision of internet access and students’ readiness for adaptability are the possible solutions. Keywords: COVID-19; first-year students; rural communities; rural university
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021 -12
Demarcation of municipalities and service delivery capacity: a case of selected eastern cape municipalities
- Authors: Sokopo, Johannes
- 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/10948/54574 , vital:46715
- Description: The study examines the relationship between demarcation of municipal boundaries and the capacity of a municipality to deliver services. The case of the amalgamation of Baviaans, Camdeboo, and Ikwezi local municipalities which has led to the establishment of the Dr Beyers Naudè Municipality in the Sara Baartman District Municipality in the Eastern Cape has been used to determine this relationship in this study. The amalgamation of these municipalities has led to the redetermination and dismantling of their boundaries and the establishment of the boundaries of the newly created and larger Dr Beyers Naudè Local Municipality. The study investigated whether the demarcation of municipal boundaries has, in this instance, enhanced the capacity of the municipality to deliver basic services. Organisational Theory was used to interpret the amalgamation of municipalities. This theory was used for the theoretical basis of organisational structure and highlighting the need for the alignment of organizational structure with the municipalities’ mandate, of effective and efficient service delivery. The study adopted a qualitative research method and employed a non-probability purposive sampling technique to select participants. Interviews were used for data collection. 38 participants were interviewed, namely 7 councillors, 5 municipal officials, 5 members of the ratepayers’ association and 21 members of the community. Mixed views were expressed by participants regarding the enhancement of the state on basic service delivery after the merger of the three local municipalities. Furthermore, the study did not find evidence of a feasibility study prior to the implementation of the amalgamation process. Subsequently, the study could not find conclusive evidence relating to the enhancement of the capacity of the municipality to deliver services after the redetermination of municipal boundaries. The study recommends, among others, that the demarcation of municipal boundaries should be preceded by an appropriate feasibility study and be done such that there is compliance with the relevant legislation, and it must also have an effective public participation. The study also recommends that the newly established Dr Beyers Naudè Local Municipality should focus on maintaining the service delivery infrastructure it has inherited from the merger of its three predecessor municipalities, enhance public participation in its programmes, and priorities community beneficiation as a critical aspect of its service delivery mandate. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Governmental and Social Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
- Authors: Sokopo, Johannes
- 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/10948/54574 , vital:46715
- Description: The study examines the relationship between demarcation of municipal boundaries and the capacity of a municipality to deliver services. The case of the amalgamation of Baviaans, Camdeboo, and Ikwezi local municipalities which has led to the establishment of the Dr Beyers Naudè Municipality in the Sara Baartman District Municipality in the Eastern Cape has been used to determine this relationship in this study. The amalgamation of these municipalities has led to the redetermination and dismantling of their boundaries and the establishment of the boundaries of the newly created and larger Dr Beyers Naudè Local Municipality. The study investigated whether the demarcation of municipal boundaries has, in this instance, enhanced the capacity of the municipality to deliver basic services. Organisational Theory was used to interpret the amalgamation of municipalities. This theory was used for the theoretical basis of organisational structure and highlighting the need for the alignment of organizational structure with the municipalities’ mandate, of effective and efficient service delivery. The study adopted a qualitative research method and employed a non-probability purposive sampling technique to select participants. Interviews were used for data collection. 38 participants were interviewed, namely 7 councillors, 5 municipal officials, 5 members of the ratepayers’ association and 21 members of the community. Mixed views were expressed by participants regarding the enhancement of the state on basic service delivery after the merger of the three local municipalities. Furthermore, the study did not find evidence of a feasibility study prior to the implementation of the amalgamation process. Subsequently, the study could not find conclusive evidence relating to the enhancement of the capacity of the municipality to deliver services after the redetermination of municipal boundaries. The study recommends, among others, that the demarcation of municipal boundaries should be preceded by an appropriate feasibility study and be done such that there is compliance with the relevant legislation, and it must also have an effective public participation. The study also recommends that the newly established Dr Beyers Naudè Local Municipality should focus on maintaining the service delivery infrastructure it has inherited from the merger of its three predecessor municipalities, enhance public participation in its programmes, and priorities community beneficiation as a critical aspect of its service delivery mandate. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Governmental and Social Sciences, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12