The economics of greening the Grahamstown National Arts Festival in South Africa
- Dobson, Blaise, Snowball, Jeanette D
- Authors: Dobson, Blaise , Snowball, Jeanette D
- Date: 2012
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/71445 , vital:29851 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC132010
- Description: The article analyses the broad history underpinning the notion of sustainable development and its context within the events industry in South Africa. It explores the willingness of festival-goers to pay for a hypothetical recycling programme to reduce the negative externalities of the Festival. Results show that festival-goers were, on average, willing to pay an additional R2.30 per "green" ticket to fund the proposed programme. A statistical regression was used to explore the determinants of willing-to-pay. If applied to all tickets, the total willing-to-pay amount far exceeded the actual cost of the recycling programme.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Dobson, Blaise , Snowball, Jeanette D
- Date: 2012
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/71445 , vital:29851 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC132010
- Description: The article analyses the broad history underpinning the notion of sustainable development and its context within the events industry in South Africa. It explores the willingness of festival-goers to pay for a hypothetical recycling programme to reduce the negative externalities of the Festival. Results show that festival-goers were, on average, willing to pay an additional R2.30 per "green" ticket to fund the proposed programme. A statistical regression was used to explore the determinants of willing-to-pay. If applied to all tickets, the total willing-to-pay amount far exceeded the actual cost of the recycling programme.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2012
The narrative of vulnerability and deprivation in protection regimes for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Africa: an appraisal of the Kampala Convention
- Authors: Juma, Laurence
- Date: 2012
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/128448 , vital:36110 , https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/laacydev16amp;div=14amp;g_sent=1amp;casa_token=amp;collection=journals
- Description: Prior to the 1990s, the phenomenon of internal displacement did not attract much attention from the international community. Most states, suspicious of the external interests in what they considered to be a purely internal matter were not keen to expose difficulties or suffering of their displaced citizens. And insistence on protection of the internally displaced by international organisations was seen as an affront to sovereignty.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Juma, Laurence
- Date: 2012
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/128448 , vital:36110 , https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/laacydev16amp;div=14amp;g_sent=1amp;casa_token=amp;collection=journals
- Description: Prior to the 1990s, the phenomenon of internal displacement did not attract much attention from the international community. Most states, suspicious of the external interests in what they considered to be a purely internal matter were not keen to expose difficulties or suffering of their displaced citizens. And insistence on protection of the internally displaced by international organisations was seen as an affront to sovereignty.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2012
The recognition of unenumerated rights in South Africa
- Krüger, Rósaan, Govindjee, Avinash
- Authors: Krüger, Rósaan , Govindjee, Avinash
- Date: 2012
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/71093 , vital:29783 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC153177
- Description: In 1997 a South African man married a woman who, at the time of the conclusion of their marriage, was a national of a foreign country. The couple decided to set up home and start a family in South Africa. They were advised that the granting of a permanent residence permit to the wife would only be considered upon payment of a hefty application fee, and that she had to apply for the permit from outside South Africa. The couple was of the view that the high cost of the application coupled with their temporary separation at the time of the lodging of the application amounted to an unjustifiable limitation of their right to family life. One of the obstacles faced by the couple was the silence of the South Africa Constitution on the right to family life.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Krüger, Rósaan , Govindjee, Avinash
- Date: 2012
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/71093 , vital:29783 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC153177
- Description: In 1997 a South African man married a woman who, at the time of the conclusion of their marriage, was a national of a foreign country. The couple decided to set up home and start a family in South Africa. They were advised that the granting of a permanent residence permit to the wife would only be considered upon payment of a hefty application fee, and that she had to apply for the permit from outside South Africa. The couple was of the view that the high cost of the application coupled with their temporary separation at the time of the lodging of the application amounted to an unjustifiable limitation of their right to family life. One of the obstacles faced by the couple was the silence of the South Africa Constitution on the right to family life.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2012
Understanding student performance in a large class
- Snowball, Jeanette D, Boughey, Chrissie
- Authors: Snowball, Jeanette D , Boughey, Chrissie
- Date: 2012
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/71333 , vital:29834 , https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14703297.2012.677658
- Description: Across the world, university teachers are increasingly being required to engage with diversity in the classes they teach. Using the data from a large Economics 1 class at a South African university, this attempts to understand the effects of diversity on chances of success and how assessment can impact on this. By demonstrating how theory can be used to understand results, the paper aims to encourage university teachers to adopt proactive strategies in managing diversity, rather than simply explaining it using student characteristics.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Snowball, Jeanette D , Boughey, Chrissie
- Date: 2012
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/71333 , vital:29834 , https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14703297.2012.677658
- Description: Across the world, university teachers are increasingly being required to engage with diversity in the classes they teach. Using the data from a large Economics 1 class at a South African university, this attempts to understand the effects of diversity on chances of success and how assessment can impact on this. By demonstrating how theory can be used to understand results, the paper aims to encourage university teachers to adopt proactive strategies in managing diversity, rather than simply explaining it using student characteristics.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2012
Where angels fear to tread: online peer-assessment in a large first-year class
- Mostert, Markus, Snowball, Jeanette D
- Authors: Mostert, Markus , Snowball, Jeanette D
- Date: 2012
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/69289 , vital:29480 , https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2012.683770
- Description: In the context of widening participation, large classes and increased diversity, assessment of student learning is becoming increasingly problematic in that providing formative feedback aimed at developing student writing proves to be particularly laborious. Although the potential value of peer assessment has been well documented in the literature, the associated administrative burden, also in relation to managing anonymity and intellectual ownership, makes this option less attractive, particularly in large classes. A potential solution involves the use of information and communication technologies to automate the logistics associated with peer assessment in a time-efficient way. However, uptake of such systems in the higher education community is limited, and research in this area is only beginning. This case study reports on the use of the Moodle Workshop module for formative peer assessment of students’ individual work in a first-year introductory macro-economics class of over 800 students. Data were collected through an end-of-course evaluation survey of students. The study found that using the feature-rich Workshop module not only addressed many of the practical challenges associated with paper-based peer assessments, but also provided a range of additional options for enhancing validity and reliability of peer assessments that would not be possible with paper-based systems.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Mostert, Markus , Snowball, Jeanette D
- Date: 2012
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/69289 , vital:29480 , https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2012.683770
- Description: In the context of widening participation, large classes and increased diversity, assessment of student learning is becoming increasingly problematic in that providing formative feedback aimed at developing student writing proves to be particularly laborious. Although the potential value of peer assessment has been well documented in the literature, the associated administrative burden, also in relation to managing anonymity and intellectual ownership, makes this option less attractive, particularly in large classes. A potential solution involves the use of information and communication technologies to automate the logistics associated with peer assessment in a time-efficient way. However, uptake of such systems in the higher education community is limited, and research in this area is only beginning. This case study reports on the use of the Moodle Workshop module for formative peer assessment of students’ individual work in a first-year introductory macro-economics class of over 800 students. Data were collected through an end-of-course evaluation survey of students. The study found that using the feature-rich Workshop module not only addressed many of the practical challenges associated with paper-based peer assessments, but also provided a range of additional options for enhancing validity and reliability of peer assessments that would not be possible with paper-based systems.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2012
Equality and unfair discrimination: refining the Harksen test
- Authors: Krüger, Rósaan
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68890 , vital:29336 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC53981
- Description: Publisher version , The 1997 formulation of the test in Harksen by Constitutional Court seemed to settle the constitutional standards in respect of equality and unfair discrimination. In this article this test is scrutinised closely with a view to clarify the different aspects of the right protected in s 9. Reliance is further placed on Canadian commentary which interrogates the dignity-centred analysis of the Canadian Supreme Court in relation to the Canadian Charter's prohibition of discrimination. The similar insistence on dignity as the interest protected by the right to equality opens up new possibilities in the South African context. Accordingly, specific 'wrongs' or 'indignities' of inequality are identified, which refines the Harksen test. The identification of the indignities, it is suggested, assists litigants and the court on a practical level when determining the fairness or otherwise of discrimination.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Krüger, Rósaan
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68890 , vital:29336 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC53981
- Description: Publisher version , The 1997 formulation of the test in Harksen by Constitutional Court seemed to settle the constitutional standards in respect of equality and unfair discrimination. In this article this test is scrutinised closely with a view to clarify the different aspects of the right protected in s 9. Reliance is further placed on Canadian commentary which interrogates the dignity-centred analysis of the Canadian Supreme Court in relation to the Canadian Charter's prohibition of discrimination. The similar insistence on dignity as the interest protected by the right to equality opens up new possibilities in the South African context. Accordingly, specific 'wrongs' or 'indignities' of inequality are identified, which refines the Harksen test. The identification of the indignities, it is suggested, assists litigants and the court on a practical level when determining the fairness or otherwise of discrimination.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2011
Going against the tide: seeking regulations for private military/security companies in a globalized world
- Authors: Juma, Laurence
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/128822 , vital:36163 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC85398
- Description: This article discusses the role of privatization of security in Africa, but its focus is on private military and security companies (PMSCs). The article proceeds on the basis that there is need for effective regulatory frameworks for PMSCs that operate in conflict zones of Africa. Thus, it begins by appraising the existing normative standards at the international, regional and domestic level that apply to these companies, and thereafter, identifies their shortcomings in light of the prevailing security conditions within the continent. The article then posits broad theoretical imperatives for designing a more effective regulatory framework for PMSCs and concludes by proposing the establishment an overarching continental regime constructed on the basis of the suggested imperatives.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Juma, Laurence
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/128822 , vital:36163 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC85398
- Description: This article discusses the role of privatization of security in Africa, but its focus is on private military and security companies (PMSCs). The article proceeds on the basis that there is need for effective regulatory frameworks for PMSCs that operate in conflict zones of Africa. Thus, it begins by appraising the existing normative standards at the international, regional and domestic level that apply to these companies, and thereafter, identifies their shortcomings in light of the prevailing security conditions within the continent. The article then posits broad theoretical imperatives for designing a more effective regulatory framework for PMSCs and concludes by proposing the establishment an overarching continental regime constructed on the basis of the suggested imperatives.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2011
Pecuniary interests and the rule against adjudicative bias: the automatic disqualification or objective reasonable approach?
- Okpaluba, Chuks, Juma, Laurence
- Authors: Okpaluba, Chuks , Juma, Laurence
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/129093 , vital:36217 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC122974
- Description: This article deals with the issue of bias arising from pecuniary interest of a judge. Essentially, it asks the question: when does the pecuniary interest of a judge diminish his/her ability to apply his/her mind impartially to the dispute before him/her. To answer this question, the article undertakes a synthesis of the various rules and tests applied across Commonwealth jurisdictions and then compares them with the South African approach as outlined in two recent cases, namely Bernert v ABSA Bank Ltd 2011 (3) SA 92 (CC) and Ndimeni v Meeg Bank Ltd (Bank of Transkei) 2011 (1) SA 560 (SCA). Broadly, the article discusses the key aspects of the automatic disqualification approach preferred by the English courts, the Canadian objective reasonable approach and the realistic possibility approach recently adopted by the Australian courts. The article concludes that the South African approach that places emphasis on the objective reasonable test, complemented by the realistic possibility approach, may be most suitable, given the nature of complaints so far dealt with by the courts and the full propriety of the injunction in section 34 of the Constitution.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Okpaluba, Chuks , Juma, Laurence
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/129093 , vital:36217 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC122974
- Description: This article deals with the issue of bias arising from pecuniary interest of a judge. Essentially, it asks the question: when does the pecuniary interest of a judge diminish his/her ability to apply his/her mind impartially to the dispute before him/her. To answer this question, the article undertakes a synthesis of the various rules and tests applied across Commonwealth jurisdictions and then compares them with the South African approach as outlined in two recent cases, namely Bernert v ABSA Bank Ltd 2011 (3) SA 92 (CC) and Ndimeni v Meeg Bank Ltd (Bank of Transkei) 2011 (1) SA 560 (SCA). Broadly, the article discusses the key aspects of the automatic disqualification approach preferred by the English courts, the Canadian objective reasonable approach and the realistic possibility approach recently adopted by the Australian courts. The article concludes that the South African approach that places emphasis on the objective reasonable test, complemented by the realistic possibility approach, may be most suitable, given the nature of complaints so far dealt with by the courts and the full propriety of the injunction in section 34 of the Constitution.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2011
Small steps to equal dignity: the work of the South African equality courts
- Authors: Krüger, Rósaan
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68920 , vital:29339 , http://www.equalrightstrust.org/ertdocumentbank/ERR7_kruger.pdf
- Description: Publisher version , Introduction: “The South African Constitution is primarily and emphatically an egalitarian constitution. The supreme laws of comparable constitutional states may underscore other principles and rights. But in the light of our own particular history, and our vision for the future, a constitution was written with equality at its centre. Equality is our Constitution’s focus and organising principle.” Given the foundational role of equality in the South African constitutional framework, the drafters of the South African Constitution (the Constitution) directed the South African Parliament (Parliament) to enact legislation to “prevent or prohibit unfair discrimination” between individuals within three years of the enactment of the Constitution.3 Under great pressure, Parliament finalised and passed the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (the Equality Act) within two days of the constitutional deadline.4 The Equality Act, as the title indicates, addresses the promotion of equality on the one hand, and provides for reactive measures where the equality right is breached, on the other. The reactive provisions include the prohibition of unfair discrimination and related infringements of the equality right. The Equality Act expressly provides for the enforcement of its provisions in specifically created equality courts. The majority of the reactive provisions of the Equality Act have been operational since 16 June 2003. More than a decade after the enactment of the legislation, the promotional aspects of the Equality Act are yet to come into operation. This article focuses on the reactive provisions of the Equality Act by providing a snapshot of the work of selected South African equality courts for the period from June 2003 to December 2007 insofar as complaints of racism are concerned. In order to contextualise the application of the Equality Act, the article provides a brief overview of the reactive provisions of the Equality Act and the mechanisms for its enforcement.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Krüger, Rósaan
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68920 , vital:29339 , http://www.equalrightstrust.org/ertdocumentbank/ERR7_kruger.pdf
- Description: Publisher version , Introduction: “The South African Constitution is primarily and emphatically an egalitarian constitution. The supreme laws of comparable constitutional states may underscore other principles and rights. But in the light of our own particular history, and our vision for the future, a constitution was written with equality at its centre. Equality is our Constitution’s focus and organising principle.” Given the foundational role of equality in the South African constitutional framework, the drafters of the South African Constitution (the Constitution) directed the South African Parliament (Parliament) to enact legislation to “prevent or prohibit unfair discrimination” between individuals within three years of the enactment of the Constitution.3 Under great pressure, Parliament finalised and passed the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (the Equality Act) within two days of the constitutional deadline.4 The Equality Act, as the title indicates, addresses the promotion of equality on the one hand, and provides for reactive measures where the equality right is breached, on the other. The reactive provisions include the prohibition of unfair discrimination and related infringements of the equality right. The Equality Act expressly provides for the enforcement of its provisions in specifically created equality courts. The majority of the reactive provisions of the Equality Act have been operational since 16 June 2003. More than a decade after the enactment of the legislation, the promotional aspects of the Equality Act are yet to come into operation. This article focuses on the reactive provisions of the Equality Act by providing a snapshot of the work of selected South African equality courts for the period from June 2003 to December 2007 insofar as complaints of racism are concerned. In order to contextualise the application of the Equality Act, the article provides a brief overview of the reactive provisions of the Equality Act and the mechanisms for its enforcement.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2011
The dialogue between the bench and the bar: implications for adjudicative impartiality
- Okpaluba, Chuks, Juma, Laurence
- Authors: Okpaluba, Chuks , Juma, Laurence
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/129078 , vital:36215 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC53998
- Description: What is the role of the judge in the conduct of a trial? Can he or she engage counsel in legal argument and ask questions on legal issues without breaking the brittle bond of justice or be said to have 'descended into the arena'? Assuming that these actions are permissible, at what point will the judge's dialogue with counsel or line of questioning go beyond permissible limits? These are the questions with which this article grapples. Based on an analysis of the Constitutional Court decisions in State v Basson (2) 2007 (1) SACR 566 (CC) and Bernert v ABSA Bank Ltd 2011 (3) SA 92 (CC), and several Supreme Court of Appeal and other Commonwealth decisions, the article explores the circumstances in which the recusal of judges has been sought, or judicial decisions have been challenged on appeal on the basis of an allegation that there have been violations of the principle of fair hearing as enshrined in the Constitution. The article draws on the 'apprehension of bias' jurisprudence to establish the utility of the presumption of impartiality and the hybrid test of double-reasonableness in contexts where a judge's conduct is in question. The article concludes that the dialogue between the bench and bar is a useful component of adjudication in our adversarial system and should be limited by the rules of impartiality only in very exceptional circumstances.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Okpaluba, Chuks , Juma, Laurence
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/129078 , vital:36215 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC53998
- Description: What is the role of the judge in the conduct of a trial? Can he or she engage counsel in legal argument and ask questions on legal issues without breaking the brittle bond of justice or be said to have 'descended into the arena'? Assuming that these actions are permissible, at what point will the judge's dialogue with counsel or line of questioning go beyond permissible limits? These are the questions with which this article grapples. Based on an analysis of the Constitutional Court decisions in State v Basson (2) 2007 (1) SACR 566 (CC) and Bernert v ABSA Bank Ltd 2011 (3) SA 92 (CC), and several Supreme Court of Appeal and other Commonwealth decisions, the article explores the circumstances in which the recusal of judges has been sought, or judicial decisions have been challenged on appeal on the basis of an allegation that there have been violations of the principle of fair hearing as enshrined in the Constitution. The article draws on the 'apprehension of bias' jurisprudence to establish the utility of the presumption of impartiality and the hybrid test of double-reasonableness in contexts where a judge's conduct is in question. The article concludes that the dialogue between the bench and bar is a useful component of adjudication in our adversarial system and should be limited by the rules of impartiality only in very exceptional circumstances.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2011
Government failure and state incapacity: the South African public sector in the 1990s
- Dollery, Brian, Snowball, Jeanette D
- Authors: Dollery, Brian , Snowball, Jeanette D
- Date: 2010
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/71343 , vital:29835 , https://doi.org/10.1080/10113430309511164
- Description: In their editorial introduction to the 1994 Special Issue of the South African Journal of Economic History devoted to a sectoral analysis of the South African economy during the 1980s, Stuart Jones and Jon Inggs described this period as a "lost decade", with per capita incomes even lower in 1990 than they had been in 1980. Moreover, "no other Western country experienced a comparable decline in the 1980s and South Africa herself had never experienced anything like it since the formation of Union in 1910". Thus, from the perspective of economic growth, the decade of the 1990s could not have had a less auspicious beginning.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Dollery, Brian , Snowball, Jeanette D
- Date: 2010
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/71343 , vital:29835 , https://doi.org/10.1080/10113430309511164
- Description: In their editorial introduction to the 1994 Special Issue of the South African Journal of Economic History devoted to a sectoral analysis of the South African economy during the 1980s, Stuart Jones and Jon Inggs described this period as a "lost decade", with per capita incomes even lower in 1990 than they had been in 1980. Moreover, "no other Western country experienced a comparable decline in the 1980s and South Africa herself had never experienced anything like it since the formation of Union in 1910". Thus, from the perspective of economic growth, the decade of the 1990s could not have had a less auspicious beginning.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2010
Introducing a learning management system in a large first year class: impact on lecturers and students
- Snowball, Jeanette D, Mostert, Markus
- Authors: Snowball, Jeanette D , Mostert, Markus
- Date: 2010
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68631 , vital:29297 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC37639
- Description: Publisher version , The challenges of teaching large classes are well documented in the literature on teaching in higher education. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have the potential to address some of these challenges, but, used inappropriately, technology can perpetuate entrenched practices and simply support performance models of teaching that encourage transmission approaches to learning. This article reports on the impact of implementing a learning management system (LMS) in a first year introductory macroeconomics course with 600 students in a blended learning context. Experiences of the course coordinator, lecturers and an educational technologist are discussed and data was also collected on student perceptions via a course evaluation questionnaire. Results show that the LMS was successful in a number of areas, particularly in improving the lecturers' accessibility to students and in encouraging interaction and participations in online discussion forums.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Snowball, Jeanette D , Mostert, Markus
- Date: 2010
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68631 , vital:29297 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC37639
- Description: Publisher version , The challenges of teaching large classes are well documented in the literature on teaching in higher education. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have the potential to address some of these challenges, but, used inappropriately, technology can perpetuate entrenched practices and simply support performance models of teaching that encourage transmission approaches to learning. This article reports on the impact of implementing a learning management system (LMS) in a first year introductory macroeconomics course with 600 students in a blended learning context. Experiences of the course coordinator, lecturers and an educational technologist are discussed and data was also collected on student perceptions via a course evaluation questionnaire. Results show that the LMS was successful in a number of areas, particularly in improving the lecturers' accessibility to students and in encouraging interaction and participations in online discussion forums.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2010
Monitoring perceptions of social progress and pride of place in a South African community
- Moller, Valerie, Radloff, Sarah E
- Authors: Moller, Valerie , Radloff, Sarah E
- Date: 2010
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68468 , vital:29261 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-010-9092-8 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-011-9145-7
- Description: Publisher version , A social indicators community project was conducted in 2007 to monitor living standards and quality of life in Rhini, a low-income suburb of Grahamstown, Makana Municipality, South Africa. Since 1994, under democratic rule, considerable progress has been made in service delivery to the formerly disadvantaged in South African society in terms of access to housing, infrastructure, and a social safety net to mitigate the high rate of unemployment. A representative cross-sectional household study (n 1020) conducted in 2007 in Rhini found that a positive assessment of the household’s situation and personal life satisfaction did not reflect better living conditions. Lack of income and employment opportunities appeared to dilute gains from higher living standards. The project also inquired into attitudes to place names and a proposed name change for the city under discussion at the time of the survey. It is argued that a place name with which one can identify may be as important as service delivery to enhance community satisfaction and overall quality of life. Dissatisfied residents who had limited access to services and expressed less civic pride were more likely than others to opt for a proposed name change for the city of Grahamstown that would better reflect the country’s new identity and multicultural heritage. It is concluded that a useful pursuit for community quality-of-life studies in countries undergoing social transformation will be to inquire into the complex combination of factors that drive perceptions of material and symbolic progress.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Moller, Valerie , Radloff, Sarah E
- Date: 2010
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68468 , vital:29261 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-010-9092-8 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-011-9145-7
- Description: Publisher version , A social indicators community project was conducted in 2007 to monitor living standards and quality of life in Rhini, a low-income suburb of Grahamstown, Makana Municipality, South Africa. Since 1994, under democratic rule, considerable progress has been made in service delivery to the formerly disadvantaged in South African society in terms of access to housing, infrastructure, and a social safety net to mitigate the high rate of unemployment. A representative cross-sectional household study (n 1020) conducted in 2007 in Rhini found that a positive assessment of the household’s situation and personal life satisfaction did not reflect better living conditions. Lack of income and employment opportunities appeared to dilute gains from higher living standards. The project also inquired into attitudes to place names and a proposed name change for the city under discussion at the time of the survey. It is argued that a place name with which one can identify may be as important as service delivery to enhance community satisfaction and overall quality of life. Dissatisfied residents who had limited access to services and expressed less civic pride were more likely than others to opt for a proposed name change for the city of Grahamstown that would better reflect the country’s new identity and multicultural heritage. It is concluded that a useful pursuit for community quality-of-life studies in countries undergoing social transformation will be to inquire into the complex combination of factors that drive perceptions of material and symbolic progress.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2010
The largest volcanic eruptions on Earth
- Bryan, Scott E, Peate, Ingrid Ukstins, Peate, David W, Self, Stephen, Jerram, Dougal A, Mawby, Michael R, Marsh, Julian S, Miller, Jodie A
- Authors: Bryan, Scott E , Peate, Ingrid Ukstins , Peate, David W , Self, Stephen , Jerram, Dougal A , Mawby, Michael R , Marsh, Julian S , Miller, Jodie A
- Date: 2010
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/132887 , vital:36902 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2010.07.001
- Description: Large igneous provinces (LIPs) are sites of the most frequently recurring, largest volume basaltic and silicic eruptions in Earth history. These large-volume (> 1000 km3 dense rock equivalent) and large-magnitude (> M8) eruptions produce really extensive (104–105 km2) basaltic lava flow fields and silicic ignimbrites that are the main building blocks of LIPs.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Bryan, Scott E , Peate, Ingrid Ukstins , Peate, David W , Self, Stephen , Jerram, Dougal A , Mawby, Michael R , Marsh, Julian S , Miller, Jodie A
- Date: 2010
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/132887 , vital:36902 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2010.07.001
- Description: Large igneous provinces (LIPs) are sites of the most frequently recurring, largest volume basaltic and silicic eruptions in Earth history. These large-volume (> 1000 km3 dense rock equivalent) and large-magnitude (> M8) eruptions produce really extensive (104–105 km2) basaltic lava flow fields and silicic ignimbrites that are the main building blocks of LIPs.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2010
Transcending objectifications and dualisms: farm workers and civil society in contemporary Zimbabwe
- Sadomba, Zvakanyorwa W, Helliker, Kirk D
- Authors: Sadomba, Zvakanyorwa W , Helliker, Kirk D
- Date: 2010
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/71242 , vital:29822 , https://doi.org/10.1177/0021909609357417
- Description: In the academic literature, civil society is often conceptualized in terms of objectifications and subject—object dichotomies. This is the case with regard to both social movements and non-governmental organizations. This article seeks to transcend such argumentation by providing ‘thick descriptions’ of the agency of farm workers and civil society in the context of land reform in contemporary Zimbabwe. We examine a land-based social movement (and the role of farm workers within it) and the involvement of a particular non-governmental organization in farm worker livelihoods. On this basis, we offer a re-formulation of civil society as a social field marked by ambivalences and tensions.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Sadomba, Zvakanyorwa W , Helliker, Kirk D
- Date: 2010
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/71242 , vital:29822 , https://doi.org/10.1177/0021909609357417
- Description: In the academic literature, civil society is often conceptualized in terms of objectifications and subject—object dichotomies. This is the case with regard to both social movements and non-governmental organizations. This article seeks to transcend such argumentation by providing ‘thick descriptions’ of the agency of farm workers and civil society in the context of land reform in contemporary Zimbabwe. We examine a land-based social movement (and the role of farm workers within it) and the involvement of a particular non-governmental organization in farm worker livelihoods. On this basis, we offer a re-formulation of civil society as a social field marked by ambivalences and tensions.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2010
A new species of Diplacanthus from the Late Devonian (Famennian) of South Africa
- Authors: Gess, Robert W
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/73873 , vital:30237 , https://doi.org/10.1016/S0753-3969(01)88002-2
- Description: An advanced diplacanthid (Climatiiformes) is described from a Famennian estuarine environment of South Africa. It is characterized by having exceptionally long thin fin spines and a deep body form. Unusual details of the fins and fin spine insertions are preserved. This is the first record of a diplacanthid from the Southern Hemisphere.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Gess, Robert W
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/73873 , vital:30237 , https://doi.org/10.1016/S0753-3969(01)88002-2
- Description: An advanced diplacanthid (Climatiiformes) is described from a Famennian estuarine environment of South Africa. It is characterized by having exceptionally long thin fin spines and a deep body form. Unusual details of the fins and fin spine insertions are preserved. This is the first record of a diplacanthid from the Southern Hemisphere.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2009
Mulch tower treatment system for greywater reuse Part II: destructive testing and effluent treatment
- Tandlich, Roman, Zuma, Bongumusa M, Whittington-Jones, Kevin J, Burgess, Jo E
- Authors: Tandlich, Roman , Zuma, Bongumusa M , Whittington-Jones, Kevin J , Burgess, Jo E
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/71547 , vital:29863 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2008.03.031
- Description: The mulch tower (MT) system described in Part I was tested to failure to determine its range of operating conditions. An increase in the influent temperature led to a statistically significant release of components of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and the five day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), as well as phosphates from the MT system. Heterotrophic plate count (HPC) of the mulch layer dropped from 1.2 (± 0.6) × 106/g dry weight to 1.5 (± 0.3) × 105/g dry weight of the mulch layer with increases of the influent temperature. This indicates that the increase in influent temperature killed off some of the active biomass in the MT biofilm. After a five day drying period under active aeration, the MT system retained the ability to remove COD, total suspended solids (TSS), and nitrates. Greywater treatment by the MT system became impossible after a 48 day drying period under active aeration. Chlorination of the simulated MT effluent with a mixture of sodium dichloroisocyanurate and trichloroisocyanuric acid decreased the faecal coliform concentrations (FC) and the total coliform concentrations (TC) below 800 CFUs/100 ml within 65 h. Beyond 65 h, the pH of the effluent became highly acidic. To maintain optimum performance influent should be fed into the MT system at least once every 5 days, sufficient aeration should be guaranteed, and the MT effluent should be chlorinated for 65 h to eliminate all pathogens before any reuse.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2009
Mulch tower treatment system for greywater reuse Part II: destructive testing and effluent treatment
- Authors: Tandlich, Roman , Zuma, Bongumusa M , Whittington-Jones, Kevin J , Burgess, Jo E
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/71547 , vital:29863 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2008.03.031
- Description: The mulch tower (MT) system described in Part I was tested to failure to determine its range of operating conditions. An increase in the influent temperature led to a statistically significant release of components of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and the five day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), as well as phosphates from the MT system. Heterotrophic plate count (HPC) of the mulch layer dropped from 1.2 (± 0.6) × 106/g dry weight to 1.5 (± 0.3) × 105/g dry weight of the mulch layer with increases of the influent temperature. This indicates that the increase in influent temperature killed off some of the active biomass in the MT biofilm. After a five day drying period under active aeration, the MT system retained the ability to remove COD, total suspended solids (TSS), and nitrates. Greywater treatment by the MT system became impossible after a 48 day drying period under active aeration. Chlorination of the simulated MT effluent with a mixture of sodium dichloroisocyanurate and trichloroisocyanuric acid decreased the faecal coliform concentrations (FC) and the total coliform concentrations (TC) below 800 CFUs/100 ml within 65 h. Beyond 65 h, the pH of the effluent became highly acidic. To maintain optimum performance influent should be fed into the MT system at least once every 5 days, sufficient aeration should be guaranteed, and the MT effluent should be chlorinated for 65 h to eliminate all pathogens before any reuse.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2009
Mulch tower treatment system Part I: Overall performance in greywater treatment
- Zuma, Bongumusa M, Tandlich, Roman, Whittington-Jones, Kevin J, Burgess, Jo E
- Authors: Zuma, Bongumusa M , Tandlich, Roman , Whittington-Jones, Kevin J , Burgess, Jo E
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/71537 , vital:29862 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2008.03.030
- Description: A mulch tower (MT) system for greywater treatment is introduced in this paper. Materials used to assemble the MT system included mulch, coarse sand, fine and coarse gravel. Limited removal efficiency of the MT system was demonstrated for alkalinity, total hardness, pH, Cl–, PO43–, NH4+, and SO42–, with the estimated cumulative removals ranging from 7 to 12%. Intermediate removal efficiency was observed for chemical oxygen demand (COD), NO3–, and S2– with the estimated cumulative removals ranging from 24 to 28%. The highest removal efficiency was observed for the total suspended solids (TSS) with the estimated cumulative removal equal to 52%. Given the minute residence time in the MT system, the results obtained were promising and justify scale-up studies for potential on-site applications. The MT effluent did not meet hygienic norms with respect to the faecal coliform concentration (FC) and the total coliform concentration (TC), and further effluent treatment is required before any discharge or reuse of the treated greywater. Further research should focus on characterisation of the microbial community of the MT, and the fate of Cl–, PO43–, NH4+, and SO42–.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Zuma, Bongumusa M , Tandlich, Roman , Whittington-Jones, Kevin J , Burgess, Jo E
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/71537 , vital:29862 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2008.03.030
- Description: A mulch tower (MT) system for greywater treatment is introduced in this paper. Materials used to assemble the MT system included mulch, coarse sand, fine and coarse gravel. Limited removal efficiency of the MT system was demonstrated for alkalinity, total hardness, pH, Cl–, PO43–, NH4+, and SO42–, with the estimated cumulative removals ranging from 7 to 12%. Intermediate removal efficiency was observed for chemical oxygen demand (COD), NO3–, and S2– with the estimated cumulative removals ranging from 24 to 28%. The highest removal efficiency was observed for the total suspended solids (TSS) with the estimated cumulative removal equal to 52%. Given the minute residence time in the MT system, the results obtained were promising and justify scale-up studies for potential on-site applications. The MT effluent did not meet hygienic norms with respect to the faecal coliform concentration (FC) and the total coliform concentration (TC), and further effluent treatment is required before any discharge or reuse of the treated greywater. Further research should focus on characterisation of the microbial community of the MT, and the fate of Cl–, PO43–, NH4+, and SO42–.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2009
Of fences and peace between neighbours
- Authors: Krüger, Rósaan
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68909 , vital:29338 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC85309
- Description: Publisher version , The speaker in the poem "Mending Wall" by American poet Robert Frost questions the wisdom of the saying that "Good Fences Make Good Neighbo[u]rs" (1914 North of Boston lines 27 and 45). The walls or fences referred to in the poem represent more than just physical barriers separating adjacent premises; the speaker sees them as representing obstacles to communication and friendship between individuals. Seen from the perspective of the speaker, a fence or wall is a "bad" thing. But the speaker is but one of the parties to the neighbourly relationship. For the speaker's neighbour, a wall or a fence is "a protector of privacy" (Watson "Frost's Wall : The View from the Other Side" 1971 44 The New England Quarterly 653 655). Thus there are two views on walls or fences: they can be seen negatively as obstructing good relations, or positively as dividers that secure good relations between neighbours by separating them and protecting their privacy rights.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Krüger, Rósaan
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68909 , vital:29338 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC85309
- Description: Publisher version , The speaker in the poem "Mending Wall" by American poet Robert Frost questions the wisdom of the saying that "Good Fences Make Good Neighbo[u]rs" (1914 North of Boston lines 27 and 45). The walls or fences referred to in the poem represent more than just physical barriers separating adjacent premises; the speaker sees them as representing obstacles to communication and friendship between individuals. Seen from the perspective of the speaker, a fence or wall is a "bad" thing. But the speaker is but one of the parties to the neighbourly relationship. For the speaker's neighbour, a wall or a fence is "a protector of privacy" (Watson "Frost's Wall : The View from the Other Side" 1971 44 The New England Quarterly 653 655). Thus there are two views on walls or fences: they can be seen negatively as obstructing good relations, or positively as dividers that secure good relations between neighbours by separating them and protecting their privacy rights.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2009
Peacekeeping in Africa: problems and prospects
- Authors: Juma, Laurence
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/129113 , vital:36219 , https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/unbotslj9amp;i=3
- Description: Against the background of an expanded need for peacekeeping, the complexity that its programmes entail, and the belief that it will endure for a long time to come, this article discusses the propriety of international peacekeeping operations, its inherent features and weaknesses in creating or preserving peace, and the role that regional organisations play, or should play, in its enhancement.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Juma, Laurence
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/129113 , vital:36219 , https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/unbotslj9amp;i=3
- Description: Against the background of an expanded need for peacekeeping, the complexity that its programmes entail, and the belief that it will endure for a long time to come, this article discusses the propriety of international peacekeeping operations, its inherent features and weaknesses in creating or preserving peace, and the role that regional organisations play, or should play, in its enhancement.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2009