The projection of gender based violence through characterisation and theme in Magqashela’s works, Isangxa siyawhuza, Umlindi and Amathaf’entandabuzo
- Authors: Somlata, B
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3971 , vital:20575
- Description: This study focuses on literature. The dissertation seeks to explore how Magqashela’s works Isangxa siyawhuza (2006), Amathaf’entandabuzo (2006) and Umlindi (2015) represent her characters to reveal gender based violence and stereotypes. As we, South Africans enfranchised and given the Act 108, a South African Constitution with Bill of rights, but it seems as if women and children do not enjoy these privileges because of high rate of violence against them. Through observation it is clear that theoretically every South African is free but practically some humans particularly women and young girls and discrimination. The researcher decided to choose female writer assuming that she is addressing women challenges as male writers are less interested to excavate women’s issues in their literary works. The reseacher also wanted to find out whether our female writer is disseminating women’s predicaments. By means of textual analysis the study investigates how gender based violence violates survivors and victims’ rights in chapter 3, and chapter 4 explores how unfaithful partners cause violence. It also explores the intervention of traditional justice and formal justice system in violent behavior caused by anger, jealousy and acquaintance of violent environment. Chapter 5 projects a stereotypical character in three selected literary texts. The whole thesis brings the prominent picture of how Gender Based Violence bodily harm the survivors and victims psychologically, physically and economically. It reveals rural women and young girls as the most vulnerable people and men as the worst perpetrators of Gender Based Violence in these literary texts. The thesis explains that the perpetrators are known by the survivors and victims hence there is a culture of silence. They are afraid of multiple abuses. The thesis relates character depiction of violence and stereotypes with current societal incidents quoting from newspapers, articles, journals and SABC online news as to disclose the accuracy of the author’s projection. Character analysis reveals that women are still discriminated and oppressed by their counterparts. The discussions succinctly elucidate that the underestimation of women and children are rooted by cultural traditional norms and values as well as Christian religion .These societal factors are promoting patriarchal perception which says men are dominant and women are submissive. It says men are obliged to take control over women. African feminist theory; Feminism, Womanism and Stiwanism and Motherism are employed as a theoretical framework. These theories are against gender inequality, they are against African women and children maltreatment .The changes of the current society including women’s independency propels insecurity, unemployed, illiterate and underprivileged men to use violence as the way of taking back control over their intimate partners and the whole family. Relevant quotations from selected texts are employed to project character portrayal of gender based violence and stereotypes.
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- Date Issued: 2016
The relationship between leaders’ emotional intelligence and followers’ motivational behaviour and organisational commitment
- Authors: Chipumuro, Juliet
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/484 , vital:19963
- Description: Over the past few years, emotional intelligence (EI) has generated significant interest and a wealth of research as a possible area of insight into what determines outstanding performance in the workplace (Ashworth, 2013:8; Pillay, Viviers and Mayer, 2013:1). The internal environment of organisations in the labour-intense hospitality industry is complex and dynamic. Given the unpredictability of change, the researcher found the hospitality industry to be an intriguing milieu within which to ascertain the importance of EI in predicting leaders’ effectiveness as a measure of outstanding performance. As employees are the internal customers of any hotel organisation, representing many hotel organisations’ only true competitive advantage, the purpose of this quantitative investigation was to examine the relationship between leaders’ EI and followers’ motivational behaviour and organisational commitment. Despite the intuitive plausibility of the assumption that leaders who exhibit EI competencies contribute to outstanding performance, the issue of followers’ motivational behaviour and organisational commitment as leadership indices has received little empirical attention. This study sets out to integrate prior findings on EI, motivation and organisational commitment, to support these findings in literature, and to incorporate these findings into a comprehensive conceptual framework. Using critical realists’ post-positivistic philosophical assumptions, the researcher used the Emotional and Social Competencies Inventory (ESCI) to assess leaders’ EI. Furthermore, the Motivational Sources Inventory (MSI) was used to assess followers’ motivational behaviour, while Organisational Commitment Scales (OCS) were used to assess followers’ organisational commitment. The survey respondents consisted of 120 leaders and 435 followers from 13 hotels in four prominent hotel groups in South Africa. The quantitative data collected from the surveys was analysed quantitatively using SPSS to reach substantial results with inferences. The analysis of variance revealed an overall positive relationship between demographic variables and Leaders EI, followers’ motivational behaviour and followers’ organisational commitment. The correlational analysis revealed positive relationships between leaders’ EI and followers’ motivational behaviour and organisational commitment (R= 0.05-, p<0.01) except for instrumental motivation. The correlation between leaders’ emotional self-awareness and followers’ intrinsic process motivation was somewhat weak while the relationship between leaders’ emotional self-awareness and instrumental motivation was found to be sufficient, but statistically not significant. The researcher can conclude that generally the results of this study reveal that organisational leaders can positively influence the motivational behaviour and organisational commitment of their followers by enhancing their own EI competencies. The results add to the leadership literature by illuminating possible antecedents to leadership effectiveness. It is believed that this research will help the hospitality industry at large in clarifying the importance of EI competencies in leadership as a means of obtaining positive motivation behaviour and commitment from followers. Furthermore, the findings have both managerial and research implications for hospitality operations strategy formulation in order to gain competitive advantage and improve the financial position of the businesses.
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- Date Issued: 2016
The relationship between the alcohol use patterns and cognitive and symptomatic functioning of Rhodes University students
- Authors: Mayson, Tamara Ann
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Drinking of alcholic beverages -- South Africa , Rhodes University -- Students -- Alcohol use , Alcohol -- Physiological effect
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3270 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020327
- Description: Introduction: Studies reveal differential cognitive effects of alcohol use, with moderate to heavy alcohol having some beneficial effects in older adults, whereas in young adulthood, heavier alcohol use produces deficits. The aim of the research was to investigate the relationship between patterns of alcohol use and the cognitive and symptomatic functioning of university students over one year, and to discern which demographic, clinical and alcohol factors might moderate cognitive outcomes. Method: The sample included undergraduate Psychology students from a South African University, aged 18 to 23 years (n = 86). The sample was divided into two alcohol use groups based on four categories from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) (Babor et al., 2001), including a lighter drinking group (Safe/Hazardous, n = 74) and a heavier drinking group (Harmful/Dependent, n = 12). The two drinking groups were statistically equivalent for distribution of age, gender, English first language, race groups, history of neurological or psychiatric vulnerability, a measure of initial intelligence/cognitive reserve (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test: PPVT-4) (Dunn & Dunn, 2007) and for a measure of test-taking validity (Immediate Postconcussion Assessment and Cognitive Test: ImPACT Impulse Control) (p = < 0.05 in all instances). Participants were tested on the computerized ImPACT battery (ImPACT, 2007) at three intervals over an academic year (May, August, October 2012). Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to investigate cognitive and symptomatic differences between the two alcohol use groups, in association with moderating factors. Results: The heavier drinking group revealed: (i) poorer performance on ImPACT Visual Motor Speed, Reaction Time and Cognitive Efficiency Index scores, including less ability to benefit from practice over time; (ii) symptom reports of severe Numbness/Tingling, Balance problems and Dizziness. Deleterious cognitive outcome was exacerbated by longer lifetime duration of alcohol use, passing out monthly, beer or wine drinking, smoking or substance use. Conclusion: Deleterious cognitive and symptomatic effects of heavy alcohol use are in evidence for undergraduate university students implicating current and/or cumulative alcohol induced brain impairment. The results of the study are of concern for optimal academic performance of students at an early stage of university level study, who engage in heavier (Harmful/Dependent) drinking patterns, with negative implications for future career attainment.
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- Date Issued: 2016
The removal of toxic anions from wastewater using electrospun nanofibers
- Authors: Moronkola, Bridget Adekemi
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:4564 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020991
- Description: The presence of arsenic and phosphate in waters, especially wastewater, has become a worldwide problem even till the present time. The current regulation of drinking standard water has become more stringent and requires arsenic content to be reduced to a few parts per billion. Nevertheless, phosphorous pollution, known as the eutrophication, is regarded as one of the main causes of water quality deterioration. Hence, the decontamination of phosphorous from aqueous solutions is of importance for eutrophication control and phosphorous recovery. Efforts are being made to remove these contaminants, arsenic (v) and phosphate from wastewater using low cost adsorbents. In the present study, removal of arsenic(v) and phosphate from wastewater using two novel fabricated sorbent materials; polyvinylmethylketone functionalized 2-amino4,6-dihydroxylpyrimidine (APPMKNFs) prepared via a Schiff base condensation reaction and aminated polyvinylbenzylchloride (PVBC) prepared through a substitution reaction and then quaternized using three alkyl groups (R’ = CH₃, C₂H₅ and C₃H₇) were investigated. The experiments were carried out in batch and solid phase extraction mode. Preliminary experiments were done with series of four sorbent materials (APPMKNFs, R’ = CH₃, C₂H₅ and C₃H₇) in order to find out a suitable and low cost adsorbents for the effective removal of arsenic (v) and phosphate. The best sorbent materials were obtained after the optimization and preparation experiments. The APPMKNFs and R’ = CH₃ were effective for arsenic (v) and phosphate removal from wastewater. The effect of pH, initial sorbate concentration, amount of sorbent, effect of co-exisiting anions and the reusability in batch and solid phase extraction mode were also investigated. From the experiment conducted, the pH shows a decisive factor on arsenic and phosphate removal. Analysis of adsorbent dosage, Kinetic studies and co-existing anions were carried out in order to evaluate sorption parameters. The adsorption isotherms were well fitted by Langmuir than Freundlch isotherm for (APPMKNFs). And more...
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- Date Issued: 2016
The Representation of Adult Family Members in Selected Children’s Books by Roald Dahl
- Authors: Kerford, Justine
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2387 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021254
- Description: This thesis focuses on the representation of the five adult family members (mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers and aunts) that are present in a specialised corpus of Roald Dahl’s children’s literature. Children’s fiction provides insight into how society views childhood as it reflects the dominant ideologies in society (Larkin-Lieffers 2010).The family is “central to most children’s literature” (Alston 2008: 2) which makes the analysis of the family in children’s fiction important. Society favours particular representations of the family, as well as men and women, and these representations are also reflected in the fiction available to readers. I have used Critical Discourse Analysis and Corpus Linguistics in order to establish how adult family members are represented in Dahl’s fiction. The physical description and the verbs of speech that collocate significantly with the different tagged characters are analysed to establish patterns in representation. Verbs of speech give the reader information that allows them to establish the emotion and attitude of the character and this helps the reader make judgements with regards to the positive or negative perception of the character. The repeated use of particular descriptions and verbs of speech primes the reader to associate particular features with certain characters and the evaluation provided by these features bleeds over onto the characters. There is evidence of a continuum of verbs of speech moving from verbs of speech with low pitch and low volume like ‘said’ to ones with a high pitch and high volume like ‘shrieked’. The tagged characters are discussed according to the continuum to establish any patterns the verb of speech use. Women were found to collocate with verbs of speech like ‘shrieked, ‘screamed’ and ‘wailed’ which suggests that women are more hysterically emotional while men collocate with verbs of speech like ‘shouted’ and ‘yelled’ which were less hysterical and suggest aggression. Aunts were the exception to this pattern as they collocated with more masculine verbs of speech, like ‘shouted’. These patterns help establish whether or not the representations follow the dominant ideologies of women being emotional and home bound and men being aggressive and more active in the public sphere.
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- Date Issued: 2016
The role of leadership in shaping organisational culture in a school in Namibia.
- Authors: Nangolo, Filemon
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2075 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021303
- Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of leadership in shaping the culture of a rural combined school in Oshikoto Region, northern Namibia. This school had previously performed poorly in terms of Grade 10 examination statistics for many years. However, after the appointment of a new Principal, the academic performance of the school has improved tremendously over for the past five years. Having been a teacher, Head of Department, Deputy Principal, Principal, and later an Inspector of Education, I had long held the view that the academic performance of the school depended entirely on the type of leadership the school had. Equally, I have always been aware of the negative impact of the past segregation and the discriminatory education provided by the colonial masters in South Africa and South West Africa/Namibia. The poor education provided to South Africans and the then South West Africa /Namibia posed a serious challenge to the leadership and management of schools as the majority of Principals, if not all, were poorly and inadequately trained to provide the necessary skills needed for one to be a successful Principal. Given this background, I tried to use a case study to explore the role of leadership in shaping the culture of the organisation. Research suggests that there is a strong relationship between organisational culture and school effectiveness. This study was guided by Schein’s three levels of organisational culture namely artifacts, espoused values and basic assumptions (Schein, 1992, p. 17). From these arise the following research questions: What do artifacts (symbols, structures, procedures and policies) reveal about the school culture? What are the espoused values shaping the school culture? What basic assumptions underpin the leadership of the school culture? How does leadership contribute to the creation and maintenance of a positive organisational culture at a school? The data was collected by using three different data collection methods namely, observation, document analysis and interviewing different people who hold leadership positions in the school. These were the Principal, a Head of Department, School Board chairperson, a teacher in the school management team (SMT) and a class monitor. With regard to data analysis, I first immersed myself in the data and I developed themes that formed the basis of my discussion with my research questions in mind. The analysis revealed that leadership plays a pivotal role in shaping the culture at the case study school. However, it emerged that despite the existence of a strong culture at the case study school, as with all other organisations, there are some challenges that limit the school to realise its goal of 100 % A-B symbols in all subjects.
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- Date Issued: 2016
The role of training and organizational support in strengthening GIS interns’ (‘incubants’) participation in workplace occupations: a case study of the Groen Sebenza internship project
- Authors: Madiba, Morakane
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1330 , vital:20047
- Description: The cases in this study are embedded within a multi-layered, nested case study design. An in-depth exploration of each case is provided with a view to understand the ways in which the internship training in the incubation model strengthens the learning, experience, knowledge, skills and interest of the university graduate interns/incubants to prepare them for full participation in their communities of practice in workplaces. The case study of Groen Sebenza internship project works across more than 40 partnering organisations. It is using incubation model for the first time in the biodiversity sector which is why its training needs to be investigated. To examine this question “In what way can training and the organizational support, of the incubation model strengthen the learning, experience, knowledge, skills and interest of interns/incubants to prepare them towards full participation in workplace roles and responsibilities in biodiversity occupations?” the research was undertaken in the context of university graduate incubants/interns in the Geographic Information System (GIS) field from three host-organizations; Limpopo Economic Development Environment and Tourism (LEDET), Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) and South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). The participants of the study were purposefully selected. Data was collected twice (i.e. after the first seven months and then a follow-up interview was conducted after a further five months) during the first twelve months of the project in the form of interviews and observations. There was also ongoing data collected in the form of documents which focused on their participation in workplaces and training. Data was analysed using different layers of qualitative content analysis and examination of documents at different stages of the study. Through immersion with the data and literature insights were developed regarding the enablers and constraints of the training in the incubation model related to the GIS interns. These included:- 1. The twelve months period spent by the GIS incubants in the Groen Sebenza internship project was not enough to prepare them towards full participation in workplace roles and responsibilities in biodiversity occupations. 2. Internship training is not just a ‘passing insignificant episode of the lives of the incubants/newcomers’ [specifically those from disadvantaged communities] but is a ‘real source of hope’. 3. The investigated institutions (and their members) need to make a real effort to improve if they want to stay relevant and useful in the Groen Sebenza internship project. 4. The incubants and mentors need to make the process of reflexivity real and practical. 5. The 2.5 years incubation model has high potential to work if the institutions, the mentors and the mentees involved in GIS improve the challenges mentioned in the study. Drawing from the data and literature I have discussed and recommended a model which could assist in improving the internship programmes specifically for the university students who are from underprivileged communities.
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- Date Issued: 2016
The smell hits you first
- Authors: Ndoro, Tariro
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:6016 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021236
- Description: This collection of poems and prose poems is a record of my life, from growing up in the small town of Bindura in Zimbabwe to landing in the small town of Grahamstown in South Africa. It is a story of dislocation: physical, emotional, and political. It is a story about borders and boundaries; although not rich, I was raised among the rich; although not white, I spent a considerable part of my childhood in white spaces. These fragments are told through the voice of my younger self and also retrospectively by my adult self. Two important influences on my style and my struggle to write about my identity have been Woman Hollering Creek by Latino American author Sandra Cisneros and Citizen: An American Lyric by US poet Claudia Rankine.
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- Date Issued: 2016
The tax benefits available to investors in immovable property in South Africa
- Authors: Baines, Daniel
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4026 , vital:20589
- Description: The object of this thesis is to provide guidelines relating to the tax benefits that are available to investors in immovable property in South Africa. This was done by analysing the various sections of the Income Tax Act, as well as case law and South African Revenue Service guidelines that interpret these sections, which provide for expenditure which may be deducted by taxpayers from their income when conducting the trade of letting immovable property in order to reduce their overall tax liability. The thesis also includes a chapter dealing with the four different types of vehicles that taxpayers may use when investing in property. It was found that there are significant tax benefits available to investors in immovable property through the general deductions provided in terms of section 11(a) of the Act, as well as the specific deductions that the legislature has promulgated for investors in immovable property. It was also found that each of the four vehicles has its own advantages and that a taxpayer’s personal circumstances will dictate which of the vehicles will best suit his or her needs.
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- Date Issued: 2016
The trophic and spatial ecology of juvenile porcupine rays Urogymnus asperrimus at the remote St. Joseph Atoll
- Authors: Elston, Chantel
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/965 , vital:20007
- Description: Little information exists for the widely occurring but rare porcupine ray Urogymnus asperrimus. This is a concern given that it is a vulnerable species and likely plays an important ecological role in tropical atoll ecosystems. The aims of this thesis were to investigate the trophic and spatial ecology of juvenile porcupine rays within the St. Joseph Atoll, which is hypothesized to be functioning as a nursery for this species. Specific objectives were to determine i) the dietary composition and resource selectivity displayed by juvenile porcupine rays, ii) residency to the atoll, space use, and seasonality in movements, and iii) whether environmental factors affect short-term movements. Gastric lavage was used to collect stomach contents from 55 juveniles and sediment samples were collected. Thirteen juveniles were implanted with acoustic transmitters and monitored for a year by an array of 88 acoustic receivers situated in and around the St. Joseph Atoll. Porcupine rays appeared to be generalist and opportunistic feeders, foraging predominantly on annelids with the highest environmental availability. Polychaetes of the family Capitellidae were the most important prey item (Index of Importance = 35%). Rays only fed on deep infaunal prey, likely because of their foraging behaviour, suggesting they may influence this community. There was a size-related shift in the crustacean families consumed. The tagged rays displayed high residency to the atoll (mean residency index of 64%) and restricted movements, with small core use and activity space areas (mean of 0.5km² and 3km² respectively) and the majority of detections were recorded within 1km of their tagging locations. The rays favoured the sand ats where 88% of detections occurred. Transient use of the lagoon and fringe reef peaked in the north-west monsoon season, indicating a seasonal usage of these habitats. The effects of temperature and water depth on movements were manifested as diel and tidal cyclical patterns in presence. Evidence illustrates that the St. Joseph Atoll constitutes an important nursery for this species, which has been declared a Marine Protected Area. A major determinant behind the dependence of this nursery habitat is related to predator avoidance. Thermoregulatory behaviours were identified, suggesting that this species is vulnerable to climate change.
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- Date Issued: 2016
The trophic ecology of waterbirds in a small temperate estuary: a stable isotope and lipid tracer approach
- Authors: Hean, Jeffrey William
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54356 , vital:26557
- Description: Waterbirds are often overlooked as predators in aquatic ecosystems, despite the fact that waterbirds congregate in great numbers in and around waterways, notably estuaries. To fully appreciate the effect that aquatic feeding waterbird species may have on aquatic prey communities and the role that they play in estuarine food webs, stable isotopes and fatty acid profiles were employed to examine the seasonal diet of selected waterbirds in the Kowie Estuary, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Population counts were conducted every month for four seasons to examine the demography of waterbirds in the lower reaches of the estuary. The mean monthly energy consumption, along with dry matter intake of all waterbird species observed, were calculated and compared to similar estuaries in South Africa and elsewhere. Three duck species, one migrant sandpiper and one piscivore were selected for more detailed investigation at several temporal scales. This thesis has revealed that stable isotope analysis of waterbird tissues provides more informative data than fatty acid analysis for investigating waterbird diet and basal resource-tertiary consumer nutrient coupling. Stable δ15N and δ13C isotopes from several body tissues, in conjunction with SIAR models, were used to determine the seasonal diet of each waterbird species, while fatty acid profiles were investigated to examine the trophic transfer of fatty acids from basal resources to waterbird predators via the benthic fauna. Stable isotopes revealed that Cape Shoveller, Cape Teal and Yellow-Billed Duck shifted their diet over both long and short temporal scales, while the migratory Ruff and piscivorous Little Egret maintained a relatively consistent diet over time. Isopods, amphipods, copepods and Mysidacea were the main foods of all three duck species and the Ruff (>30%). Little Egret fed mainly on flathead mullet throughout the year. Fatty acid analysis revealed evidence for trophic transfer of specific fatty acids from basal resources to waterbirds in the Kowie Estuary but provided little information on seasonal diet of waterbirds. Waterbirds foraging in the Kowie Estuary appeared to shift their diet to coincide with resource abundance pulses, but also displayed seasonal dietary overlap. This study highlights the role that waterbirds play in aquatic food webs. The subject requires more attention so that we can better understand all the predatory drivers on aquatic communities.
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- Date Issued: 2016
The use of treated brewery effluent as a water and nutrient source in crop irrigation
- Authors: Taylor, Richard Peter
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5390 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021265
- Description: Brewery effluent (BE) needs to be treated before it can be released into the environment, reused or used in down-stream activities. Current technologies used to address this concern at the experimental wastewater treatment plant at Ibahyi Brewery (SAB Ltd) include anaerobic digestion (AD), primary facultative ponds (PFP), high rate algal ponds (HRAP) and constructed wetlands (CW). The aim of this work was to determine if BE treated in these systems might be suitable for crop irrigation. A test crop, cabbage (Brassica oleracea cv. Star 3301), grew best on post-AD and post-PFP BE compared to those irrigated with post-HRAP or post-CW effluent. However, the yield was 13% lower than cabbage plants irrigated with a commercial nutrient solution and fresh water. The relatively high conductivity (3019.05 ± 48.72 μs/cm2) of BE may be the main factor reducing the cabbage yields. Post-HRAP and post-CW BE were the least suitable for irrigated crop production due to the higher conductivity and lower nutrient content of these treated effluents. After three months, soils irrigated with post-AD and post-PFP BE had a significantly higher sodium content and sodium adsorption ratio (3919 ± 94.77 mg/kg & 8.18 ± 0.17) than soil irrigated with a commercial nutrient solution (920.58 ± 27.46 mg/kg & 2.20 ± 0.05; p<0.05). However, this was not accompanied by a deterioration in the soil’s hydro-physical properties, nor a change in the metabolic community structure of the soil (p>0.05). After prolonged irrigation with treated BE, sodium is likely to build up in the soil and this can be expected to be accompanied by a deterioration in the soil physical structure. However, crops species such as millet (Echinochloa esculenta), lucerne (Medicago sativa) and saltbush (Atriplex nummularia) reduced the build-up of sodium in the soil. The results suggest that sodium was mainly removed from the soil through plant-assisted leaching. Of the crops grown, lucerne showed the most promise because it improved the soil physical properties, is able to grow well in alkaline environments, is a popular fodder crop and can be harvested multiple times from a single stand. Brewery effluent is more suitable for soil production systems than hydroponic production systems because the soil was able to act as a buffer against the high pH of post-AD BE, whereas in a hydroponics systems the high pH reduced the availability of key minerals to plants. In conclusion brewery effluent contains sufficient plants nutrients to support the growth of cabbages, saltbush, lucerne and millet. However the sodium content of BE is a concern as it accumulates in the soil, and in the long-term it may lead to soil degradation. It is suggested that the brewery change the pH neutralising treatment of BE from sodium hydroxide to potassium hydroxide, or dolomitic lime (calcium and magnesium carbonate) because this would reduce the introduction of sodium into the system, and would increase the suitability of BE for crop production, given potassium and calcium are plant nutrients. The benefits of developing this nutrient and water resource could contribute to cost-reductions at the brewery, more efficient water, nutrient and energy management, create job opportunities with the potential of improving food security in the local community.
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- Date Issued: 2016
Thermoluminescence of annealed synthetic quartz
- Authors: Atang, Elizabeth Fende Midiki
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/420 , vital:19957
- Description: The kinetic and dosimetric features of the main thermoluminescent peak of synthetic quartz have been investigated in quartz ordinarily annealed at 500_C as well as quartz annealed at 500_C for 10 minutes. The main peak is found at 78 _C for the samples annealed at 500_C for 10 minutes irradiated to 10 Gy and heated at 1.0 _C/s. For the samples ordinarily annealed at 500_C the main peak is found at 106 _C after the sample has been irradiated to 30 Gy and heated at 5.0 _C/s. In these samples, the intensity of the main peak is enhanced with repetitive measurement whereas its maximum temperature is unaffected. The peak position of the main peak in the sample is independent of the irradiation dose and this, together with its fading characteristics, are consistent with first-order kinetics. For doses between 5 and 25 Gy, the dose response of the main peak of the annealed sample is superlinear. The half-life of the main TL peak of the annealed sample is about 1 h. The activation energy E of the main peak is around 0.90 eV. For a heating rate of 0.4 _C/s, its order of kinetics b derived from the whole curve method of analysis is 1.0. Following irradiation, preheating and illumination with 470 nm blue light, the main peak in the annealed sample is regenerated during heating. The resulting phototransferred peak occurs at the same temperature as the original peak and has similar kinetic and dosimetric features, with a half-life of about 1 h. For a preheat temperature of 200 _C, the intensity of the phototransferred peak in the sample increases with illumination time up to a maximum and decreases thereafter. At longer illumination times, no further decrease in the intensity of the phototransferred peak is observed. The traps associated with the 325 _C peak are the main source of the electrons responsible for the regenerated peak.
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- Date Issued: 2016
Toward an automated botnet analysis framework: a darkcomet case-study
- Authors: du Bruyn, Jeremy Cecil
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/2937 , vital:20344
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- Date Issued: 2016
Towards an alternative spatial-based management approach for estuarine fisheries in South Africa, with a case study from the Sundays Estuary
- Authors: Kramer, Rachel
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1007 , vital:20012
- Description: Estuaries are productive habitats and biologically important ecosystems which serve as juvenile nursery areas and feeding grounds for adults from a host of fish species. They are, however, threatened habitats, increasingly exposed to human disturbance and exploitation. The stocks of several South African estuary-dependent linefish species are now considered as either overexploited or collapsed. It is clear that their dependence on estuaries would warrant the inclusion of these ecosystems into marine reserve planning exercises. Since traditional management strategies (e.g. bag and size limit restrictions) have proven ineffective for estuarine fisheries, there is a need for alternative management measures, such as spatial and temporal restrictions, to ensure increased survival of juveniles and recovery of adult breeding populations. This thesis explored the potential for an ecosystem-based approach through the application of a rapid sustainability assessment technique, and a spatial-based management approach for an important fishery species, using conservation planning software. The Sundays Estuary, Eastern Cape, South Africa falls within the footprint of the Addo Elephant National Park, with a proposed expansion to include a marine protected area (MPA). However the estuaries resources were not considered during the planning of the proposed MPA. This study conducted an indicator-based sustainability assessment based on the principles of sustainable development. The results showed that present levels of exploitation, due to non-compliance and a lack of law enforcement are unsustainable. The sustainability of the Sundays Estuary had a low overall sustainability score of only 23.8%. With limited enforcement of estuarine fisheries regulations in South Africa, alternative management measures such as spatial regulations may provide a viable option forward. The sustainability of fishery resources depends on the comprehensive understanding of the fishery resource. Acoustic telemetry is a technique that has been widely adopted to infer habitat and area use patterns of fish species. The second component of this study made use of high resolution telemetry data collected on juvenile dusky kob Argyrosomus japonicus movements within the Sundays Estuary to conduct a scenario-based approach using Marxan conservation planning software. The best solution given by Marxan, in the form of a protected area for the conservation of juvenile A. japonicus in the Sundays Estuary was identified in the middle (starting 7km from the mouth) to the upper reaches (approximately 16km from the mouth) of the estuary, ultimately providing protection to tagged individuals for 61% of their time in the estuary. Although Marxan presented a best solution, the Sundays Estuary’s small size and shape, and minimal features used, was too simplistic to be included into a Marxan analysis. However, new methods and tools to analyse and plan spatial-based management options at this scale are currently being developed. Using the Sundays Estuary as a case study, a decision tree was then developed as a protocol to assist management address the challenges of effective estuarine management depending on the unique biological and socio-economic characteristics of individual estuaries in South Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2016
Towards determining the dietary lysine requirement in the South African abalone, Haliotis midae
- Authors: Lloyd, Kyle Everett
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1024 , vital:20014
- Description: Animals generally do not have a requirement for protein, but instead have a requirement for specific essential amino acids (EAAs) and non-essential amino acids (NEAAs). The NEAAs are those that can be synthesised by the animal, however, EAAs cannot be synthesised and must therefore be supplied as part of the diet. When these amino acids (AAs) are supplied in the correct ratios and with the correct level of digestible energy, nutritionists can maximise somatic growth from proteins. This has resulted in increased research into the use of crystalline AAs as a tool in feed formulation research in order to quantify the AA requirements in aquaculture species, and allow for alternative protein sources (other than fishmeal) to be utilised. In common with other water soluble nutrients, leaching of crystalline AAs from diets prior to ingestion is of concern in an aquatic environment. Microencapsulation techniques have been successfully employed to restrict micronutrient leaching, and improve ingestion rates. In this research, LysiPEARL™ (Kemin®) was used as a means to determine the lysine requirement in Haliotis. midae. This encapsulated lysine product is used in the dairy cattle industry as an effective source of rumen bypass for intestinal release of lysine. It has previously been proposed that crystalline AAs are not suitable for AA studies in H. midae due to the slow feeding rates of the species as well as the solubility of these AAs. However, 90.00 % of supplemented lysine was maintained in this study after a six hour period of leaching, showing that if effective microencapsulation techniques are used, it is possible to use crystalline amino acids to supplement protein bound lysine in abalone feeds. Six isoenergetic (15.90 MJ/kg), isolipidic (6.00 %) and isonitrogenous (29.00 %) diets enriched with 5.52, 6.40, 7.28, 8.14, 9.00 and 9.86 % lysine (as a % of protein) were fed to triplicate groups of 20 H. midae (20.41 ± 1.95 mm SL 1.51 ± 0.44 g w.wt) for 90 days. Wet weight and shell length measurements were taken every 30 days and specific growth rate (SGR) (% body weight.day-1), feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), feed consumption (% body weight.day-1) and condition factor were calculated for each dietary treatment. Linear regression showed that FCR increased as dietary lysine increased (Regression analysis, p=0.031), and that PER reduced as dietary lysine increased (Regression analysis, p=0.026). Feed consumption also increased as dietary lysine increased (Regression analysis, p<0.001). The inclusion of lysine at 7.28 % of the total protein in the diet resulted in significantly superior SGR (0.57±0.01 % body weight.day-1) to that of 5.52 % (0.42±0.05 % body weight.day-1), FCR (1.51±0.05) to that of 8.14 % (1.99±0.21) and PER (2.45±0.07) to that of 8.14 % (1.99±0.18; ANOVA, p<0.05). There was a significant difference found in feed consumption (% body wt.d-1), with consumption increasing significantly between the first three dietary treatments and the last three dietary treatments (ANOVA, p<0.001). There was no significant improvement in SGR when dietary lysine increased above 7.28 % of the dietary protein in the diet, indicating that dietary lysine requirement was being met at 7.28 %, after which excess lysine promoted no growth response. The diet producing the best SGR, PER and FCR in this study was diet 3 which had a measured lysine content of 6.90 %. The results of the present study suggest that the lysine requirement in H. midae is in the range of 6.00 - 7.00 % of dietary protein. From these data amino acid ratios were used to estimate optimum inclusion levels of other essential amino acids. However, lysine availability in LysiPEARL™ may have resulted in over estimations due to the lipid encapsulation technique used, and haliotids limited ability to efficiently digest lipids. For this reason EAA requirements were suggested based on three different hypothetical scenarios of lysine availability from LysiPEARL™.
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- Date Issued: 2016
Transitions into informal employment: an analysis of South African panel data: 2008-2012
- Authors: Muttze, Takudzwa
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEcon
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4498 , vital:20682
- Description: South Africa’s labour market is characterised by high unemployment but relatively low levels of informal employment, making it distinct from other developing countries. The existing literature appears to show evidence of high mobility rates of labour across labour market states. The coexistence of high labour mobility rates, yet high unemployment and weak informal employment in South Africa’s labour market is therefore puzzling. Considerable research has been done to explain this phenomenon and has suggested that barriers to informal entrepreneurship form the key reason why informal employment is relatively low in South Africa compared to other developing countries. Worker transitions have however not been a focal question in the literature. Using data from the National Tncome Dynamics Study (NTDS 2008-2012), this study sought to examine the characteristics of workers who move into informal employment, attaching importance to those who become self-employed. Transition matrices are constructed showing the proportion of workers who stayed or moved into different labour market states between 2008 and 2012, and linking the movements to 2008 personal characteristics. Churning between labour market states was found to be relatively high, albeit formal wage employment exhibiting immobility. Transitions out of informal employment were high, reflecting its survivalist nature. Conversely, those from unemployment into informal employment, particularly self-employment were low. Using the probit regression model, transitions to informal employment were found to be more associated with workers who are generally marginalised from formal employment opportunities. The results suggest that the South African labour market is to a larger extent not reflective of the Dualist narrative of ease of movement of workers from unemployment into informal employment and barriers into informal entrepreneurship are high. To date, policies which have sought to encourage informal entrepreneurship have not been a success. A central challenge to policymakers is to create an enabling environment for the unemployed to start their own informal businesses. This has the potential of reducing unemployment and poverty rates in the country.
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- Date Issued: 2016
Ulwaluko kwa Xhosa: young Xhosa men's lived experiences in the context of traditional male initiation
- Authors: Siswana, Anele
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3271 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020840
- Description: This thesis explores the lived experiences of young amaXhosa men in relation to U!walukokwa Xhosa (traditional male initiation [TMI]) and its impact on their sense of masculinity. The conceptual framework of this study is located within African epistemology focusing on indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) in South Africa. The study aimed at enabling young amaXhosa men who had undergone TMI to reflect on their first-hand, personal accounts of Ulwa/ukokwa Xhosa and manhood. Six semistructured interviews and a follow up focus group discussion were held with 23-27 years old amaXhosa men residing in Joza Township in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape. Participants were identified through purposive sampling. The thesis reports on the following findings: (a) the significance of the place/location of initiation, and the guise of modernity; (b) feelings of anticipation experienced by the young men; (c) the theme on ubudoda(manhood) affirmation Ndiyindoda!; (d) the theme on the concealment of pain (perseverance); (e) the theme on respect for self and others and ubuntu;(f) Uzimelegeqe (independence and autonomy) and (g) social role and responsibility. The paper argues for the relevance of TMI as a significantrite of passage from boyhood to manhood among amaXhosa men.
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- Date Issued: 2016
Understanding how grade 8 Physical Science teachers make use of learners’ prior everyday knowledge when teaching static electricity: A case study
- Authors: Iyambo, Toini
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1320 , vital:20046
- Description: Over the last decade of my teaching I have been grappling with how to incorporate learners’ prior everyday knowledge into my Physical Science lessons to enable me to close the gap between school science and everyday knowledge. I conducted this case study in two schools, one in Omusati region and one in Ohangwena Region, Namibia. Its purpose was to investigate how grade 8 Physical Science teachers make use of learners’ prior everyday knowledge when teaching the topic of static electricity. Underpinned by an interpretive paradigm, the study made use of document analysis, observation (lessons were also video-taped) and semi-structured interviews to generate the data. Three data generating techniques were used for triangulation and validation purposes. To further validate the data, transcripts of video-taped lessons and interviews were sent back to the research participants for member checking. The main findings of my study are that teachers did incorporate learners’ prior knowledge in the lesson presentation on static electricity. It emerged from the study that, learners possess a great deal of prior everyday scientific and non-scientific knowledge and experiences about static electricity that they had acquired from their communities. Also, mobilization of learners' everyday knowledge and experiences about static electricity enabled learner engagement during the science lessons. Likewise, engaging learners in demonstrations on static electricity helped them to make meaning of the scientific concepts involved in the topic. It also emerged from this study that teachers face challenges of lack of documentation of indigenous knowledge which is potentially a form of prior knowledge, language barriers and a lack of resources. Based on my research findings, I therefore, recommend that learners' prior everyday knowledge and experiences about static electricity should be incorporated during the teaching and learning process.
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- Date Issued: 2016
Understanding how the incorporation of indigenous knowledge (IK) enables or constrains the teaching and learning of alcoholic fermentation in Life Sciences in Grade 11
- Authors: Mutanho, Chrispen
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1264 , vital:20041
- Description: There is growing interest in the role of indigenous knowledge (IK) in science education in many parts of the world. In South Africa, this comes against the backdrop of a long history of cultural alienation, neglect and suppression of the IK of the indigenous people by colonial governments. Hence, the first post-independence National Curriculum Policy Statement (Curriculum, 2005) and its subsequent modified versions emphasised the need to redress the imbalances of the past so as to make science accessible to learners from diverse cultural backgrounds. However, literature reveals that the efforts to implement an IK-based curriculum are constrained by the lack of clarity, knowledge and skills on how to effectively make use of IK in the classroom situation so as to bring about effective teaching and learning. Against this background, this study sought to understand how the incorporation of IK enables or constrains the teaching and learning of alcoholic fermentation. Underpinned by an interpretive paradigm, a qualitative case study was conducted at a high school in Mthatha District in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The study comprised of a sample of ten Life Sciences teachers from four neighbouring high schools, two Grade 11 Life Sciences teachers and their classes and two focus groups of six learners from each class. Convenience and purposive sampling were used to select the participants and the research site. The study made use of a questionnaire, document analysis, lesson observation, stimulated recall interviews and focus group interviews to generate data. The questionnaire sought to get an overview of Life Sciences teachers’ attitudes, opinions and experiences on incorporating IK in science teaching. The data gathered were then used as baseline information to inform the main study. The lesson observations, stimulated recall interviews and the focus group interviews sought to understand how the incorporation of IK enables or constrains the teaching and learning of alcoholic fermentation. Document analysis, lesson observation, stimulated recall interviews and focus group interviews were conducted to understand the experience of incorporating IK in a real life classroom situation. The study was informed by Vygotsky’s socio-cultural constructivism and Shulman’s pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) theory. From Vygotsky’s theory I borrowed the idea of mediated learning, scaffolding (Bruner, 1986), zone of proximal development (ZPD), as well as the use of language and cultural artefacts as tools of analysis of the classroom interaction between the teacher and the learners during the teaching-learning process. Shulman’s theory of PCK was also used to analyse how teachers apply IK in teaching Science. The data obtained were coded inductively and presented in tables, graphs and thick descriptive texts to make it easy to understand. The findings of this research show that incorporating IK improved the teaching-learning process by arousing learners’ interest in science, increasing learners’ participation and motivation, meaning making, language use, questioning and engagement in the learning process. Teaching became learner-centred, for it was directed by learners’ questions. Collaborative learning through group discussions, debates, arguments and brainstorming emerged to be an effective way of engaging learners in learning. The teachers used probing to encourage critical thinking before scaffolding learners. However, even though teachers generally accept IK as valuable in their teaching they lack the pedagogical content knowledge to effectively incorporate it into meaningful teaching and learning. Furthermore, teachers viewed cultural diversity as a constraint to their efforts to incorporate IK in teaching science. On the contrary, their learners held the view that having cultural diversity in classrooms created an opportunity to learn from other people’s cultures. Variables such as experience and difference in the cultural background of learners and teachers alike, tended to affect the teachers’ ability to incorporate IK.
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- Date Issued: 2016