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A Ranking Framework for Higher Education Institutions in South Africa

  • Authors: Kanyutu, Teresia Watiri
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Education, Higher -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DBA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/48246 , vital:40746
  • Description: In the past 16 years, the use of League Tables and Rankings (LTRs) as a tool to rank or measure the performance of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) has grown in popularity. As a global practice, LTR outcomes are influencing how policies are developed and implemented within the Higher Education (HE) sector. Studies indicate that based on individual information requirements, HE stakeholders are using LTRs to compare HEIs with each other and make informed comparisons and decisions. University directors use LTRs as a basis for institutional strategic planning, reputation building and policy making, while students use LTRs to compare HEIs and make university of choice decisions. Further studies confirm that governments use LTRs for national higher education policy making, university funding, foreign partnerships and resource allocation. Globally and at a national level, the higher education sector has witnessed policy and structural changes, many of which are due to the increase in the use of international rankings and league tables. Despite the opportunities presented by participating in the production of and using LTRs, the ranking practice is contentious. Amongst the issues disputed by the HE stakeholders are the methodologies and criteria used in the production and publication of LTRs. Higher education experts argue that LTRs tend to favour institutional research output and ignore the teaching and learning function of HEIs. As a result, the ranking criteria differ across the higher education ranking institutions and their publication outcomes, which causes skepticism across the HE sector. Research indicates that these ranking criteria are often discussed from the standpoint of governments, the higher education management and the ranking institutions producing these LTR publications. The opinions of the students on the suitable ranking criteria used by ranking institutions lack. This study aims to address that gap. This study investigates the applicable criteria for ranking HEIs in South Africa, from the perspective of students. Building on the existing ranking criteria for three global and popular ranking institutions namely, Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), Times Higher Education World University Ranking (THEWUR) and Quacquarelli Symonds World University Ranking (QSWUR), the study poses the question; “What framework can be used to rank HEIs in South Africa, from a student’s perspective?” The study argues that although some HEIs in South Africa have in the past and most recently appeared in the global LTRs, the current choice of ranking criteria fails to consider the perspectives of the students, who are major consumers of LTRs and important stakeholders in the HE sector. A positivistic research method was used, based on a review of literature on the current ranking criteria for the selected global ranking institutions. An empirical study was conducted amongst students in a South African Comprehensive University. An online survey was distributed through convenient and snowball sampling, where the students were requested to participate in the survey and share the questionnaire link with others. Eight hundred and eighty six (886) responses were received and used for the data analyses of this study.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

A reappraisal of the origin of the Hotazel Fe-Mn Formation in an evolving early Earth system through the application of mineral-specific geochemistry, speciation techniques and stable isotope systematics

  • Authors: Mhlanga, Xolane Reginald
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Manganese ores -- South Africa -- Hotazel , Manganese ores -- Geology , Iron ores -- South Africa -- Hotazel , Iron ores -- Geology , Geochemistry -- South Africa -- Hotazel , Isotope geology -- South Africa -- Hotazel , Geology, Stratigraphic -- Archaean , Geology, Stratigraphic -- Proterozoic , Transvaal Supergroup (South Africa) , Great Oxidation Event
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/146123 , vital:38497
  • Description: Marine chemical sediments such as Banded Iron Formations deposited during the Archean-Palaeoproterozoic are studied extensively because they represent a period in the development of the Earth’s early history where the atmospheric O₂ content was below the present levels (PAL) of 21%. Prior to the Great Oxidation Event (GOE) at ca. 2.4 Ga, highly ferruginous and anoxic marine environments were dominated by extensive BIF deposition such as that of the Griqualand West Basin of the Transvaal Supergroup in South Africa. This basin is also thought to record the transition into the first rise of atmospheric O₂ in our planet, from the Koegas Subgroup to the Hotazel Formation dated at ca. 2.43 Ga (Gumsley et al., 2017). Two drill cores from the north eastern part of the Kalahari Manganese Field characterized by a well-preserved and complete intersection of the cyclic Mn-Fe Hotazel Formation were studied at a high resolution (sampled at approximately one-meter interval). Such high-resolution approach is being employed for the first time in this project, capturing in detail the three manganese rich layers intercalated with BIF and the transitions between these lithofacies. The micro-banded BIF is made up of three major phases, namely Fe-Ca-Mg carbonates (ankerite, siderite and calcite), magnetite, and silicates (chert and minor Fe-silicates); laminated transitional lutite consist of mainly hematite, chert and Mn-carbonates, whereas the manganese ore layers are made up of mostly calcic carbonates (Mn-calcite and Ca-kutnahorite) in the form of laminations and ovoids, while Mn-silicates include dominant braunite and lesser friedelite. All three lithofacies are very fine grained (sub-mm scale) and so petrographic and mineralogical observations were obtained mostly through scanning electron microscope analysis for detailed textural relationships with focus on the carbonate fraction. Bulk geochemical studies of the entire stratigraphy of the Hotazel Formation have previously provided great insights into the cyclic nature of the deposit but have not adequately considered the potential of the carbonate fraction of the rocks as a valuable proxy for understanding the chemistry of the primary depositional environment and insights into the redox processes that were at play. This is because these carbonates have always been attributed to diagenetic processes below the sediment-water interface such as microbially-mediated dissimilatory iron/manganese reduction (DIR/DMR) where the precursor/primary Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides have been reduced to result in the minerals observed today. The carbonate fraction of the BIF is made up of ankerite and siderite which co-exist in a chert matrix as anhedral to subhedral grains with no apparent replacement textures. This suggests co-precipitation of the two species which is at apparent odds with classic diagenetic models. Similarly, Mn-carbonates in the hematite lutite and manganese ore (Mn-calcite, kutnahorite, and minor rhodocrosite) co-exist in laminae and ovoids with no textures observed that would suggest an obvious sequential mode of formation during diagenesis. In this light, a carbonate-specific geochemical analysis based on the sequential Fe extraction technique of Poulton and Canfield (2005) was employed to decipher further the cyclic nature of the Hotazel Formation and its primary versus diagenetic controls. Results from the carbonate fraction analysis of the three lithofacies show a clear fractionation of iron and manganese during primary – rather than diagenetic - carbonate precipitation, suggesting a decoupling between DIR and DMR which is ultimately interpreted to have taken place in the water column. Bulk-rock concentration results for minor and trace elements such as Zr, Ti, Sc and Al have been used for the determination of either siliciclastic or volcanic detrital inputs as they are generally immobile in most natural aqueous solutions. These elements are in very low concentrations in all three lithofacies suggesting that the depositional environment had vanishingly small contributions from terrigenous or volcanic detritus. In terms of redox-sensitive transition metals, only Mo and Co appear to show an affinity for high Mn facies in the Hotazel sequence. Cobalt in particular attains a very low abundance in the Hotazel BIF layers at an average of ~ 4 ppm. This is similar to average pre-GOE BIF in South Africa and worldwide. Maxima in Co abundance are associated with transitional hematite lutite and Mn ore layers, but maxima over 100ppm are seen in within the hematite lutite and not within the Mn ore proper where maxima in Mn are recorded. This suggests a clear and direct association with the hematite fraction in the rocks, which is modally much higher in the lutites but drops substantially in the Mn layers themselves. The similarities of bulk-rock BIF and modern-day seawater REE patterns has been used as a key argument for primary controls in REE behaviour and minimal diagenetic modification. Likewise, the three lithofacies of the Hotazel Formation analysed in this study all share similar characteristics with a clear seawater signal through gentle positive slopes in the normalised abundance of LREE versus HREE. Negative Ce anomalies prevail in the entire sample set analysed, which has been interpreted before as a proxy for oxic seawater conditions. However, positive Ce anomalies that are traditionally linked to scavenging and deposition of primary tetravalent Mn oxyhydroxides (e.g., as observed in modern day ferromanganese nodules) are completely absent from the current dataset. The lack of a positive Ce anomaly in the manganese ore and peak Co association with ferric oxides and not with peak Mn, suggests that primary deposition must have occurred within an environment that was not fully oxidizing with respect to manganese. The use of stable isotopes (i.e., C and Fe) was employed to gain insights into redox processes, whether these are thought to have happened below the sediment-water interface or in contemporaneous seawater. At a small scale, all lithofacies of the Hotazel Formation record bulk-rock δ¹³C values that are low and essentially invariant about the average value of -9.5 per mil. This is independent of sharp variations in overall modal mineralogy, relative carbonate abundance and carbonate chemistry, which is clearly difficult to reconcile with in-situ diagenetic processes that predict highly variable δ¹³C signals in response to complex combinations of precursor sediment mineralogy, pore-fluid chemistry, organic carbon supply and open vs closed system diagenesis. At a stratigraphic scale, the carbonate δ¹³C (-5 to -13‰) variations between the different lithologies could instead represent temporal changes in water-column chemistry against well-developed physico-chemical gradients, depth of deposition and biological processes. The low iron isotope values recorded in the hematite lutite and manganese ore samples can be attributed to fractionation effects of initial oxidation of ferrous iron to form Fe-oxyhydroxides in the shallow parts of the basin, from an already isotopically highly depleted aqueous Fe-pool as proposed previously. The slightly higher but still negative bulk-rock δ⁵⁶Fe values of the host BIF can be attributed to water-column Fe isotopic effects at deeper levels between primary Fe oxyhydroxides and an isotopically heavier Fe(II) pool, which was subsequently preserved during diagenetic recrystallization. All above findings were combined into a conceptual model of deposition for the three different lithologies of the Hotazel Formation. The model predicts that free molecular oxygen must have been present within the shallow oceanic environment and implicates both Mn and Fe as active redox “players” compared to classic models that apply to the origin of worldwide BIF prior to the GOE. The deposition of the Hotazel strata is interpreted to have occurred through the following three stages: (1) BIF deposition occurred in a relatively deep oceanic environment above the Ongeluk lavas during marine transgression, where a redoxcline and seawater stratification separated hydrothermally sourced iron and manganese, in response to an active Mn-shuttle mechanism linked to Mn redox cycling. Abundant ferrous iron must have been oxidized by available oxygen but also by oxidised Mn species (MnOOH) and possibly even some soluble Mn(III) complexes. Through this process, Mn(III) was being effectively reduced back into solution along with cobalt(III), as Mn(II) and Co(II) respectively, thus creating maxima in their concentrations. A drawdown of Fe(OH)₃ particles was therefore the only net precipitation mechanism at this stage. Carbonate species of Fe and the abundant magnetite would possibly have formed by reaction between the ferric hydroxides and the deeper Fe(II) pool, while organic matter would also have reacted in the water-column via DIR, accounting for the low δ¹³C signature of Fe carbonate minerals. (2) Hematite lutite formation would have occurred at a relatively shallower environment during marine regression. At this stage, reductive cycling of Fe was minimal in the absence of a deeper Fe(II) reservoir reacting with the ferric primary precipitates. Therefore, DIR progressively gave way to manganese reduction and organic carbon oxidation (DMR), which reduced MnOOH to form Mn(II)-rich carbonates in the form of kutnahorite and Mn-calcite. Co-bearing Fe(OH)₃ would have precipitated and was ultimately preserved as Co-bearing hematite during diagenesis. (3) Deposition of manganese-rich sediment occurred at even shallower oceanic depths (maximum regression) where aerobic organic carbon oxidation replaced DMR, resulting in Ca-rich carbonates such as Mn-bearing calcite and Ca-kutnahorite, yet with a low carbon isotope signature recording aerobic conditions of organic carbon cycling. Mn(III) reduction at this stage was curtailed, leading to massive precipitation of MnOOH which was diagenetically transformed into braunite and friedelite. Simultaneous precipitation of Co-bearing Fe(OH)₃ would have continued but at much more subdued rates. Repeated transgressive-regressive cycles resulted in the cyclic BIF-hematite lutite- manganese ore nature of the Hotazel Formation in an oxidized oceanic environment at the onset of the Great Oxidation Event, which was nonetheless never oxic enough to drive Mn(II) oxidation fully to its tetravalent state. The mineralogy and species-specific geochemistry of the Hotazel strata, and more specifically the carbonate fraction thereof, appear to faithfully capture the chemistry of the primary depositional environment in a progressively evolving Earth System. This project opens the door for more studies focusing on better constraining primary versus diagenetic depositional 2020 Hotazel Fe and Mn deposition mechanisms of iron and manganese during the period leading up to the GOE, and possibly re-defining the significance of Fe and Mn as invaluable redox proxies in a rapidly changing planet.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

A reconceptualisation of music performance anxiety

  • Authors: Van Schoor, Nina
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Performance anxiety , Music -- Performance -- Psychological aspects , Anxiety
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MMus
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/167631 , vital:41498
  • Description: Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) refers to the potentially debilitating anxiety experienced before and/or during the public performance of music, despite adequate preparation. MPA is generally treated by means of drug therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, psychoanalysis or various relaxation techniques. This research aims to present a different approach to dealing with MPA, based on a reconceptualisation of the concept. As a result, it attempts to unpack all three concepts inherent in the term from both a psychological and philosophical viewpoint. The study used autoethnography as a methodology, as I wished to explore my own lived experience of MPA and anxiety in general, in conjunction with that of my two participants, two other student Western Art music performers, and how our methods for confronting MPA within the performance context itself suggests a more complex understanding of performance and MPA than is reflected in the current literature. Thus the data was collected from two first-person interviews as well as a self-reflective written account. The results of the analysis were that existential anxiety is potentially a contributing factor to MPA, and that performance itself can potentially provide the very means for overcoming not only MPA, but all forms of anxiety, due to the cathartic quality of music as well as performance, especially when the liminal or interstructural, nature of performing and its ritualistic function is explored. This exploration reveals the world and self-disclosing nature of agency and Play, or the potential within experiences to resolve conflicts and reveal otherness. This requires a degree of existential courage, or an affirmative response to the unknown, which is more relational than the definition suggests. In conclusion, this study reconceptualises MPA as a potentially potent existential experience, and that the anxiety in response to it is considered as a reaction to the catharsis inherent in being an agent, rather than merely as an obstacle to be controlled.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

A relational approach to landscape stewardship: Towards a new perspective for multi-actor collaboration

  • Authors: Cockburn, Jessica J , Rosenberg, Eureta , Copteros, Athina , Cornelius, Susanna F , Libala, Notiswa , Metcalfe, Liz , van der Waal, Benjamin
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/370098 , vital:66297 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.3390/land9070224"
  • Description: Landscape stewardship is increasingly understood within the framing of complex social-ecological systems. To consider the implications of this, we focus on one of the key characteristics of complex social-ecological systems: they are relationally constituted, meaning that system characteristics emerge out of dynamic relations between system components. We focus on multi-actor collaboration as a key form of relationality in landscapes, seeking a more textured understanding of the social relations between landscape actors. We draw on a set of ‘gardening tools’ to analyse the boundary-crossing work of multi-actor collaboration. These tools comprise three key concepts: relational expertise, common knowledge, and relational agency. We apply the tools to two cases of landscape stewardship in South Africa: the Langkloof Region and the Tsitsa River catchment. These landscapes are characterised by economically, socio-culturally, and politically diverse groups of actors. Our analysis reveals that history and context strongly influence relational processes, that boundary-crossing work is indeed difficult, and that doing boundary-crossing work in smaller pockets within a landscape is helpful. The tools also helped to identify three key social-relational practices which lend a new perspective on boundary-crossing work: 1. belonging while differing, 2. growing together by interacting regularly and building common knowledge, and 3. learning and adapting together with humility and empathy.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

A scheduling model for the charging of electric vehicles in photovoltaic powered smart microgrids

  • Authors: Nyumbeka, Dumisani Joshua
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Electric vehicles , Photovoltaic power generation Photovoltaic power generation -- Developing countries
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/49259 , vital:41615
  • Description: Electric vehicles (EVs) have emerged as a viable option to advance sustainable mobility, but adoption is still relatively low. This has been largely due to the limited range one can travel on a single charge, leading to range anxiety, longer charge cycles and long wait times at charging stations. One solution to range anxiety is to erect charging stations on major roads and urban centres. There is also a lack of real-time information regarding the state of charging stations and charging ports in existing charging infrastructure. To increase the benefit of using EVs, using renewable energy sources, such as photovoltaics (PV) to power EVs, can further increase the benefit of reduced carbon footprint. The main research objective was to design a Charge Scheduling Model for charging EVs using a PV-powered smart microgrid (SMG). The model addresses the lack of an integrated platform where EV drivers can schedule when and where to charge their EVs. The model also reduces the negative effects of the adoption of EVs, including range anxiety. The Charge Scheduling Model was developed using the Design Science Research (DSR) methodology and was the main artefact of the study. A literature study was conducted of research related to SMGs, renewable energy, EVs and scheduling, to identify shortcomings that currently exist in EV charge scheduling (EVCS), and to identify the requirements of a potential solution. The literature study also identified the hard and soft constraints that are unique to EVCS, and the available energy in the SMG was identified as one of the hard constraints. Therefore, an Energy Forecasting Model for forecasting energy generated in PV-powered SMGs was required before the Charge Scheduling Model could be designed. During the first iteration of the design and development activities of DSR, four models were designed and implemented to evaluate their effectiveness in forecasting the energy generated in PV-powered SMGs. The models were Support Vector Regression (SVR), K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN), Decision Trees, and Multilayer Perceptron. In the second iteration, the Charge Scheduling Model was designed, consisting of a Four Layered Architecture and the Three-Phase Data Flow Process. The Charge Scheduling Model was then used to design the EVCS prototype. The implementation of the EVCS prototype followed the incremental prototyping approach, which was used to verify the effectiveness of the model. An artificial-summative evaluation was used to evaluate the design of the Charge Scheduling Model, whereas iterative formative evaluations were conducted during the development of the EVCS prototype. The theoretical contribution of this study is the Charge Scheduling Model, and the EVCS prototype is the practical contribution. The results from both evaluations, i.e. the Energy Forecasting Model and the Charge Scheduling Model, also make a contribution to the body of knowledge of EVs.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

A search for enhanced photodynamic activity against Staphylococcus aureus planktonic cells and biofilms: the evaluation of phthalocyanine–detonation nanodiamond–Ag nanoconjugates

  • Authors: Openda, Yolande Ikala , Matshitse, Refilwe , Nyokong, Tebello
  • Date: 2020
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/163825 , vital:41073 , DOI: 10.1039/D0PP00075B
  • Description: The present work reports on the synthesis and characterization of novel zinc (2) and indium (3) 2-amino-4-bromophenoxy substituted phthalocyanines (Pcs) along with the self-assembled nanoconjugates formed via π–π stacking interaction onto detonation nanodiamonds (DNDs) to form 2@DNDs and 3@DNDs. 2@DNDs and 3@DNDs were covalently linked to chitosan–silver mediated nanoparticles (CSAg) to form 2@DNDs-CSAg and 3@DNDs-CSAg nanoconjugates. High singlet oxygen quantum yields in DMSO of 0.69 and 0.72 for Pcs alone and 0.90 and 0.92 for 2@DNDs-CSAg and 3@DNDs-CSAg, respectively, were obtained.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

A skin that took them through

  • Authors: Kgame, Mbali
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , African fiction (English) -- History and criticism , Short stories, South African (English) -- 21st century , Diaries -- Authorship
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/147638 , vital:38656
  • Description: This project comprises of interlinked fictional short stories capturing experiences of the “invisibilised’’ young people- the street kids, drug addicts, cashiers, childminders, the sick, first graduates etc. These stories are a way to interrogate the fallacy of a “free and fair” South Africa by noting events taking place within homes, communities and countrywide. Told in a playful, innocent, curious, childlike voice and reasoning, my work draws inspiration from Werewere Likings ‘The Amputated Memory,’ for its ability to narrate the current without divorcing the past. I draw inspiration from Liking’s way of writing family connectivity and employing an emerging voice of the narrator starting from being a child scribbling to later becoming an elder. Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s ‘Black Friday’ for scanning into young black people’s experiences in a society where their bodies move as misfits. My work also draws from Lesley Nneka Arimah’s ‘What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky’ for the interlinked stories. Lastly the stories in this project take from Sindiwe Magona’s Mother to Mother for humanising bodies that have been reduced to frames.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

A smart home environment simulation tool to support the recognition of activities of daily living

  • Authors: Ho, Brandon
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Artificial intelligence , Internet of things Home automation
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/49334 , vital:41622
  • Description: The prevalence of internet of things technologies and internet-connected devices enables the potential of introducing intelligence to a wide range of applications and fields. Smart homes are popular application of internet of things. Smart homes refer to domestic environments that can monitor their own state and the state of their inhabitants. Smart homes are identified as a promising solution for assisting inhabitants in completing daily activities and improving quality of life for inhabitants. This dissertation discusses the design and implementation of smart home simulation tool prototype, called smart environment stimulation (SESim). SESim is designed to conduct smart home simulation and generate synthetic sensor datasets which describe activity performances. This dissertation also discusses the evaluation of SESim, which focused on validating the utility of conducting smart home simulations and generating sensor datasets.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

A snapshot of early childhood care and education in South Africa: institutional offerings, challenges and recommendations

  • Authors: Harrison, Giulietta D
  • Date: 2020
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/160312 , vital:40433 , https://doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v10i1.797
  • Description: This article draws from a research report on the Project for Inclusive Early Childhood Care and Education (PIECCE), which surveyed attitudes, training strategies, materials and entrance requirements across most relevant higher education institutions (HEIs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and technical and vocational education and training colleges (TVETs). The aim of this study was to identify what institutions were offering in terms of training teachers in the birth-to-four age group, to identify the challenges and provide recommendations based on the findings.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

A Social Media Method for Eliciting Millennials’ Worldviews on the Coastal and Marine Environment

  • Authors: Okuah, Obrukevwe Anehwe
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Millennialism -- Environmental aspects
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/48588 , vital:40893
  • Description: A lack of involvement by participants with traditional data collection methods for research has led to insufficient data regarding millennials’ worldviews on the coastal and marine environment. Understanding millennial worldviews could provide insights for policy interventions for sustainable use of the marine and coastal environment. The aim of this research is to design, develop and evaluate an appropriate social media method to elicit millennials’ worldviews on the coastal and marine environment. The methodology used for the research was Design Science Research (DSR), which is a legitimate approach to conducting research in the field of Information Systems. The methods used were a literature review, interviews with social media experts and Social Media Influencers (SMIs), and a focus group discussion with researchers from the field of social sciences. The proposed artefact (the method) can be used to provide guidance to researchers for engaging and eliciting opinions and worldviews of millennials on social media. The method includes a Social Media Influencer Model that illustrates the relationship between SMIs’ characteristics and techniques for engaging the public, and a Social Media Analytics (SMA) Process model that can guide researchers through the steps of eliciting worldviews from the public. Although there are several SMA techniques that can be used, the proposed method uses sentiment analysis as an SMA technique for deriving sentiments from social media data. The method was evaluated by researchers who require a social media method for eliciting millennials worldviews. The findings confirmed some of the techniques identified in literature as well as some additional techniques and processes. It was also evident that using this method could assist researchers for data collection and specifically to obtain worldviews on the marine and coastal environment. The contribution of this study is an artefact that fulfils the need for a social media method for data collection that is more convenient for researchers and millennials and can guide researchers through the steps of eliciting worldviews from the public.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

A social-ecological investigation into urban domestic gardens and avifauna in medium-sized towns of the Eastern Cape, South Africa

  • Authors: Tricam, Shayla
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Urban ecology (Biology) -- South Africa , Biotic communites -- South Africa , Gardens -- South Africa -- Managemenet , Birds – Ecology – South Africa , Gardening to attract birds -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/145314 , vital:38427
  • Description: Urban domestic gardens are an often overlooked component of urban green infrastructure, despite their potential to contribute to the preservation of urban biodiversity. As opposed to public greenspaces, private gardens are individually owned and managed, thus act as social-ecological systems, where the cumulative actions of urban residents can scale up to influence ecological patterns and processes on a larger scale. The diversity of fauna and flora within urban gardens provide a range of ecosystem goods and services, as well as less tangible benefits in the form of recreation, education and culture. However, little is known about the contribution of urban domestic gardens to urban biodiversity and its potential conservation value in South Africa. This study investigated urban domestic gardens along a socio-economic gradient in two medium-sized towns, Grahamstown and Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. This study found distinct differences among urban resident garden management practices as well as the avifauna which were seen within the gardens across the socio-economic gradient. The Garden Management Intensity index was higher within affluent households compared to other socio-economic levels, with subsequent management scores not differing statistically along the gradient. While there was variation within garden management practices, as well as the number of residents who participated in supplementary bird feeding, little variation was seen in the activities which were enjoyed by the residents, indicating numerous benefits the garden environment provides for all urban residents. The bird community composition along the socio-economic gradient displayed patterns directly reflecting the “luxury effect”, where households with a higher socio-economic status had harbour gardens with greater levels of biodiversity. This study showed that affluent gardens displayed far greater diversity, richness and abundance of urban birds. Multivariate analyses confirmed the patterns by highlighting a distinct bird community in the affluent zone, compared to other two socio-economic zones, which housed a second bird community. Furthermore, the main driver of the bird community composition was dominated by vegetation complexity, most notably tree cover within the gardens. Therefore, this study highlighted that patterns of ecological inequality are highly evident in medium-sized towns in South Africa, where older, affluent suburbs households display greater diversity and abundance of birdlife, compared to subsequent socio-economic zones within the study. Prioritisation with regards to the benefits a garden environment brings to urban residents in terms of a connection to nature, access to urban greenery, and relationship to urban wildlife is vital and should be promoted and planned for across all socio-economic zones.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

A socio-political analysis of the adoption of certain AmaXhosa surnames

  • Authors: Johnson, Stembele
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Names, Personal -- Xhosa , Names, Personal -- Xhosa -- Political aspects , Names, Personal -- Xhosa -- Sociological aspects , Xhosa (African people) -- Social life and customs , Onomastics -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/164298 , vital:41107
  • Description: It is always assumed when you have a white surname that you have a white lineage or your forefathers were white, and that was always my struggle in school to explain the meaning of my surname and where it came from. Not only European surnames used by amaXhosa are difficult to explain but also many isiXhosa surnames are very hard to break down and explain. This is because many word from th e isiXhosa language, that are used in surnames are no longer used and if one does not know the history of certain names then it would be difficult to know the meaning of a surname or misinterpret its meaning to the modern words of isiXhosa that we know. S urnames are not of African origin, they came from the West, but because of colonialism surnames were enforced on African people. Most of the surnames they used, are said to be names of their forefathers (ancestors), and there is a small amount or none that links to femininity in these surnames. Surnames are part of naming and naming is part of onomastics. Naming is a very important tool used among various African cultures to convey certain messages, either to an individual, family members or a community. On omastics is multidisciplinary in nature. It can be approached from different perspectives. These include linguistic, historical, sociological, philosophical, economical and other perspectives. This research looks at the depth of certain amaXhosa surnames and even their links to other names like, nicknames and clan names etc.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

A sociological analysis of the involvement of men in campaigns against sexual violence towards women at Rhodes University: the aftermath of the #RUReference protest

  • Authors: Roboji, Philasande Milisa
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: #RUReferenceList , Rhodes University -- Students -- Attitudes , Rape in universities and colleges -- South Africa , Social movements -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Women college students -- Violence against -- South Africa , Male college students -- South Africa -- Attitudes
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSci
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/148059 , vital:38706
  • Description: Gender-based violence more especially sexual violence towards women is one of the biggest social issus affecting South Africa including higher institutions of learning, universities in this context. In recent years, we have seen students in universities protesting sexual violence demanding universities to improve their ways of dealing with this violence. The motivation behind this thesis is the notion that sexual violence is a women’s issue and how most men in our communities and universities do not involve themselves in campaigns that are designed to end sexual violence towards women. There is an assumption that women should be the ones fighting against sexual violence because it affects them when in fact sexual violence affects everyone and more importantly, is mostly perpetuated by men. Therefore, the main purpose of this thesis was to sociologically analyze the involvement of men in campaigns against sexual violence towards women and the aftermath of the #RUReferenceList protest that took place at Rhodes University in 2016. This protest started immediately after a list of students who were said to be alleged sexual perpetrators was published online. Attached to this primary objective, the sub-goals that informed the entire study were to investigate how the involvement of men in the #RUReferenceList protest has contributed to challenging rape culture at Rhodes University. Also, to investigate if there are any ongoing campaigns and/or projects that includes men and that are still addressing the issue of sexual violence towards women. There is however, a dearth of research on the involvement of men in campaigns against sexual violence in South Africa. Therefore, it was difficult finding existing literature that touches on the involvement of men in campaigns against sexual violence towards women particularly in the context of universities. This thesis was conducted within the premises of Rhodes University through a qualitative research approach in a form of in-depth interviews. Five participants were selected through purposive sampling which included the Chair of the Gender Action Forum, one former student representative council member, a sub-warden from a male residence and two students. The findings of this research are not the full representation of the entire university but opinions and perspective of the participants that were interviewed. Their opinions and perspectives have a potential of contributing to the factors and reasons as to why majority of men have not engaged themselves in issues of gender-based violence or involved themselves in campaigns against sexual violence towards women.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

A sociological analysis of the sex education of young adult white womxn and their understandings and practices of ‘Safe Sex’

  • Authors: Guerra, Cassandra Gadelha
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Sex instruction , Sex instruction for girls , Women, White -- Psychology , Women, White -- Sexual behavior
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSci
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/147267 , vital:38610
  • Description: This research sets out to examine the experiences and perspectives of young adult white womxn regarding their respective sex education. This is in terms of how sex education may shape and influence sexual practices. The relevance of exploring the sex education of this group is to gain an understanding of how constructions of sex education may facilitate the negotiation of sexual practices, particularly as these practices relate to the negotiation of ‘safe sex’. This involves an exploration of definitions of ‘safe sex’ as well as an examination of the various sources of sex education. This research argues that sex education has been socially constructed within a ‘heterosexual matrix’ where both gender identities and sexuality are constructed in heterosexual terms in accordance with compulsory heterosexuality. Furthermore, that sex education as well as understandings and practices of ‘safe sex’ intersect with other social categories such as race, gender and sexuality. Much of the sex-related research conducted in South Africa focuses on people of colour, as a result very little is known about the sexual behaviours and practices of the white demographic. This research accounts for the absence of analysis of sexual practices and behaviour among white people by examining the sex education and sexual practices of young adult white womxn between the ages of 19 and 24. The research observed key sources of sex education which included parents, schools, religious institutions and the internet. Findings indicate that the sex education of participants reflected ideals of heteronormativity and misogyny which were found to directly influence their understandings and practices of both sex and ‘safe sex’. Furthermore, that the sex education participants received has ultimately failed to promote ‘safe’ sexual practices.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

A sociological understanding of contemporary child marriage in Mabvuku, Harare, Zimbabwe

  • Authors: Madzivire, Shamso Christine
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Child marriage -- Zimbabwe -- Mabvuku , Child marriage -- Zimbabwe -- Case studies , Shona (African people) -- Social life and customs , Marriage customs and rites -- Zimbabwe , Shona (African people) -- Marriage customs and rites , Marriage -- Zimbabwe
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/142566 , vital:38091
  • Description: Child marriage is a phenomenon that has been increasingly recognised as a global problem since the late nineteenth century. Since then, scholars across many disciplines along with various agencies such as government bodies and non-governmental organisations have tirelessly engaged in research exploring the causes and consequences of this practice and in developing prevention and mitigation strategies. These research efforts have been concentrated in some parts of the world and not others, with the findings in many cases being generalised problematically across different geographical areas. This thesis stands as a response to the dearth of academic research on child marriage in present-day Zimbabwe and simultaneously highlights the significance of studying the specificities of child marriage under particular historical and spatial conditions. The main objective of this thesis is to explore and understand child marriage as a part of modernday marriage practices in Zimbabwe, through a case study of child marriage in Mabvuku in Harare. In addressing this objective, it is hoped that new ways of thinking around this phenomenon will become evident. In addressing this main objective, the thesis considers the experiences of child brides, the drivers and consequences of child and post-child marriage experiences. It does this seeking to understand child marriage with reference to the types of marital unions which exist amongst Shona people in pre-colonial times and in post-colonial Zimbabwe. The thesis adopts a qualitative research methodology which involved in-depth semistructured interviews with 25 women in Mabvuku who were married before the age of 18, along with focus group discussions with community workers and interviews with pertinent government and non-government representatives. Due to certain challenges with current theorising about child marriage, there is an attempt to build theory by drawing upon in particular the Zimbabwean notion and practice of hunhu. A key conclusion is that child marriage in present-day Zimbabwe is in part a result of family transitions which arose during the time of colonialism and continue to this day.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

A STAT3 of addiction: adipose tissue, adipocytokine signalling and STAT3 as mediators of metabolic remodelling in the tumour microenvironment

  • Authors: Kadye, Rose , Stoffels, Mihlali , Fanucci, Sidne , Mbanxa, Siso , Prinsloo, Earl
  • Date: 2020
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/149395 , vital:38846 , https://doi.org/10.3390/cells9041043
  • Description: Metabolic remodelling of the tumour microenvironment is a major mechanism by which cancer cells survive and resist treatment. The pro-oncogenic inflammatory cascade released by adipose tissue promotes oncogenic transformation, proliferation, angiogenesis, metastasis and evasion of apoptosis. STAT3 has emerged as an important mediator of metabolic remodelling. As a downstream effector of adipocytokines and cytokines, its canonical and non-canonical activities affect mitochondrial functioning and cancer metabolism. In this review, we examine the central role played by the crosstalk between the transcriptional and mitochondrial roles of STAT3 to promote survival and further oncogenesis within the tumour microenvironment with a particular focus on adipose-breast cancer interactions.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

A strategic approach towards the successful implementation of corporate governance of Information and Communication Technology in the Kwazulu-Natal Department of Social Development

  • Authors: Siziba, Makabongwe Johnson
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Corporate governance -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal -- Management Information technology -- Management -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MPhil
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/49617 , vital:41741
  • Description: Information is a critical asset in any organisation and its management, including the associated technological channels, requires the attention of decision-makers to ensure that information assets are utilised for the intended purposes. Therefore, decision-makers need to have appropriate governance oversight on technology that produces information and information itself. Over the years, the governance of ICT has been adopted in the public sector given the fact that state funding received from tax collections is utilised to invest in IT solutions with the intention of expediting service delivery and increase productivity. The purpose of this treatise was to identify the root causes of why the department is not implementing Corporate Governance of ICT successfully despite the fact that most good controls do exist. The research revealed that there is insufficient budget to implement ICT projects coupled with inadequate ICT staff to implement ICT strategy. Furthermore, it cited a lack of ICT governance skills with ICT Strategic Committee members who are tasked with pioneering ICT governance. This weakness relates directly to other identified weaknesses such as end-user resistance to adopt ICT projects and a lack of project management function in the department.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

A Strategic Model to Promote University of Choice Decisions among International Students Studying in South Africa

  • Authors: Jooste, Carlien
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Internationalism -- Education (Higher) -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DBA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/48191 , vital:40519
  • Description: The internationalisation of higher education has become an inevitable focus in the modern day higher education sector. This focus is due to the interconnectedness of society, which is driven by globalisation. The ever-changing landscape of the current global higher education sector has further placed emphasis on self-funding and the corporatisation of higher education institutions (HEIs). This has created competitiveness in the sector for local and international students, which has led to institutions globally and in South Africa, being tasked with the responsibility of being agents of internationalisation. The concept of higher education internationalisation involves internationalisation of the curriculum, cross-continental partnerships, the increase in mobility of staff and students, educational programmes, innovative ways of delivery as well as the need to be globally competitive. Students themselves view international study important as it provides them with a global outlook and international experience. The increased competitiveness in the higher education sector and the need for HEIs to become more autonomous and self-funded, has amplified the need to recruit international students who generate additional income. Furthermore, the strategy to recruit international students has evolved and transformed into a customer-driven strategy to meet the needs of the knowledge economy. To recruit international students, HEIs must invest in marketing and recruitment strategies, which build brand awareness and attract a diverse student body. This study investigates the development of a strategic university of choice model that can assist South African universities in the recruitment of international students by focusing on the factors, which influence a student’s university of choice. This was realised firstly by conducting a pilot study investigating the factors which influence the university of choice of students studying in South Africa. Secondly, the findings of the pilot study, combined with appropriate literature studies were used to develop a questionnaire to aid in determining the factors which influence the university of choice of international students studying in South Africa. Lastly, the findings of the questionnaire were used to draw conclusions and develop a proposed strategic model to promote the university of choice decisions among international students studying in South Africa. This thesis is an exploratory, mono-method quantitative study, which consists of literature reviews and surveys in a cross-sectional timeframe. The literature reviews were conducted on secondary sources to identify the factors that influence university of choice, as well as the marketing and recruitment trends within higher education. The empirical study consisted of a Pilot Study Survey and a Main Study Survey. The measuring instrument was compiled from existing surveys and literature studies. The findings of the Main Study Survey identified the following main factors of influence on university of choice: academic programme, academic quality, visa requirements, country/city attractiveness, English language, financial, International Office, student life, safety and security, university location and university reputation as main factors of influence. Within these main factors, various sub-factors were identified. The findings further illustrated that certain factors were more consultative in nature and provided information, which aided in the decision-making process. These factors are: motives to study/choose a programme, country attributes and influences/recruitment methods. Additionally, a third set of factors deemed to subconsciously influence the student’s decision-making process were identified as background of the student, study level and student type. The study contributes theoretically to Stakeholder Theory and Means-End Theory. Prospective students, who are higher education stakeholders, have diverse information needs and expectations, which will be met through the use of the proposed strategic model. Furthermore, the prospective students’ input will aid in the development of focused, targeted and cost-effective marketing and recruitment strategies, which will in turn meet the needs of universities to recruit a diverse student body.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

A Strategy for good IT Governance in South African Municipalities

  • Authors: Sibanda, Mbusi
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Information technology -- Management -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DIT
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/49573 , vital:41737
  • Description: Information technology (IT) is widely used in South African municipalities as a tool for enabling business processes and therefore its design and implementation are critical to municipalities delivering on their core mandate of delivering services to their communities. The implementation of IT relies on the adoption of sound IT governance practices, whose outcome is to ensure that municipalities derive value from the use of IT and minimise the risk associated with it. However, the implementation of IT governance has proved to be challenging in most municipalities. This research sought to devise a strategic approach to the effective and viable implementation of IT governance in municipalities in South Africa. The research was carried out by adopting a design science research approach, which is increasingly being used for studies in the IT discipline as it assists in solving problems through the design of innovative artefacts, in this case a strategy for the implementation of IT governance. To address the objectives, the research was carried out through case studies of South African municipalities which enabled a detailed investigation of phenomena in its natural context. The data was collected by means of mixed methods consisting of a literature review, a survey and semi-structured interviews. A literature review connected to the research problem was done in order to identify the present state of the issues and how they have been confronted. A survey was sent out to municipalities, institutions and individuals with a mandate to support municipalities, while semi-structured interviews were conducted in five municipalities, government departments and regulatory bodies. A thematic analysis of the data collected was performed which led to a diagnosis of the issues. These include inadequate IT infrastructure; lack of coordinated external support; inadequate IT skills; lack of strong and committed IT leadership; poor IT controls; and fragmented planning. Guiding policies and a set of coherent actions for solving the issues were developed. This culminated in the devising of a strategy for the coordinated implementation of IT governance in municipalities. The primary contribution of this study is the formulation of a strategy for the sound implementation of IT governance in South African municipalities. The research contends that by identifying the strategic issues facing municipalities and implementing the proposed actions, most of which fall outside the municipalities, a new contribution to knowledge has been made. Accordingly, the strategy facilitates the development of plans that address the root causes of the poor implementation of IT in municipalities.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

A strategy to motivate continued instructor usage of learning management systems (LMSS) in higher learning institutions of Zimbabwe

  • Authors: Siwela, Ndukuyenkosi
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Web-based instruction , Computer systems Organizational learning -- Zimbabwe Internet in education
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MPhil
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/47259 , vital:39837
  • Description: The purpose of this study was to develop a strategy to motivate continued usage of Learning Management Systems in higher learning institutions of Zimbabwe. A related goal was to identify unique challenges experienced by instructors in their use of LMSs. The use of LMSs is now global and has been fairly successful in developed countries even though past research shows that instructors tend to discontinue usage over a period of time. Whereas most LMSs research is carried in the context of the developed world, the candidate demonstrates that Vantankesh's IS Success Model and Davis' Technology Acceptance Model can be successfully replicated into the developing world on condition that local environment is taken into context. The results showed that LMSs in Zimbabwe higher learning institutions hold a promise of success even though challenges exist. The findings have wider implications on the need to invest in neccessary infrustructure and future predictions on learner interests. The study demonstrates that shared success can be achieved if the local conditions are taken into context when developing a strategy to motivate instructor continued LMS usage. The study holds the practical implication that institutions can motivate instructors to continue with usage of LMSs to deliver quality output in their daily duties.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2020
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