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The exploration of ARF1 screening assays to determine the drug status of ARF1 in cancer and malaria

  • Authors: Ntlantsana, Apelele
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: ADP ribosylation , Golgi apparatus , Guanosine triphosphatase , G proteins , Malariotherapy , Malaria -- Research , Cancer -- Chemotherapy , Malaria -- Chemotherpay
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/167232 , vital:41458
  • Description: ARF GTPases are key regulators of the secretory and endocytic pathways. ARF1 is involved in the secretory pathway. ARF1 has been implicated in the endoplasmic reticulum to Golgi transport, function of the Golgi apparatus and transport from the trans-Golgi network to endosomes. ARFs cycle between active GTP-bound and inactive GDP-bound conformations. GDP/GTP cycling is regulated by large families of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase activating proteins (GAPs). ARF GEFs facilitate the activation of ARFs by mediating the exchange of GDP for GTP, while ARF GAPs terminate ARF function by stimulating the hydrolysis of the terminal phosphate group of GTP. Based on existing evidence gained from gene manipulation and cell biological investigations, ARF1 has been shown to be fundamentally important for cancer cell proliferation and metastasis and may be a promising target for the development of anti-cancer drugs. Additionally, the conservation of ARFs in eukaryotic organisms leads to an interesting question of whether a single drug target can be used to target multiple diseases. In this case, can a human cancer drug employed for cancer therapy be used in anti-malarial drug therapies? To confirm the drug target status of ARFs using chemical validation experiments, novel inhibitory compounds are needed. This requires the development of complex in vitro protein- protein interaction assays that can be used to screen chemical libraries for ARF GTPase inhibitors. In this study, we developed a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay and a novel in vitro colorimetric plate-based assay to detect the activation status of truncated human and Plasmodium falciparum ARF1. In the case of the FRET assay, active (GTP-bound) and inactive (GDP-bound) ARF1 could be distinguished with Z-factor values >0.5, suggesting that further development of the assay format to identify GEF and GAP inhibitors may be feasible. In the case of the colorimetric assay, robust signals could be detected and the assay was useful for detecting the activation status of ARF1. However, although the activation of ARF1 by the Sec7 domains of the BIG1 and ARNO was detectable, signals were not robust enough to employ in screening campaigns.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

The feasibility of prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD in low-and middle-income countries: a review

  • Authors: Booysen, Duane D , Kagee, Ashraf
  • Date: 2020
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/148505 , vital:38745 , DOI: 10.1080/20008198.2020.1753941
  • Description: There is a need in the global south to evaluate and implement empirically supported psychological interventions to ameliorate symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Empirically supported treatments (ESTs) have increasingly been developed and implemented, yet the majority people in the global south do not have access to these treatments for mental disorders such as PTSD. Prolonged exposure therapy has accrued substantial empirical evidence to show it as an effective treatment for PTSD. Research on the effectiveness and acceptability of prolonged exposure in a low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are sparse. This brief report presents a review of prolonged exposure (PE) therapy and its feasibility as a trauma therapy for PTSD in LMICs. First, we present a brief overview of PE as a first-line treatment for PTSD. Second, using South Africa as a case example, we present a brief overview of traumatic stress in South Africa and how mental healthcare has developed since the abolishment of apartheid in 1994. Lastly, we discuss the challenges pertaining to the dissemination and implementation of PE in LMICs and propose future perspectives regarding the implementation of ESTs such as PE in LMICs.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

The forensic mental health profile of women offenders in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

  • Authors: Nagdee, Mohammed
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Female offenders -- Mental health , Female offenders -- South Africa -- Psychology , Female offenders -- South Africa -- Mental health , People with mental disabilities and crime , Women murderers -- South Africa , Forensic psychology -- South Africa , Fort England Psychiatric Hospital
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/167109 , vital:41438
  • Description: Introduction There is a dearth of research on mental health issues in women offenders in South Africa, especially regarding their socio-demographic backgrounds, offence characteristics, and forensic mental health profiles. Objectives This study examined the psychosocial and forensic mental health profile of women offenders referred by eastern Cape courts for forensic evaluation. A range of socio-demographic, criminological, clinical and forensic mental health variables were systematically explored. Methods A bi-phasic, mixed methods study design was adopted. The clinical and forensic records of all women referred for forensic evaluation to Fort England forensic psychiatric hospital in the Eastern Cape, South Africa were retrospectively reviewed, comprising 173 individual cases in the study period of 1993-2017. Inferential statistical analyses (chi-squared and multivariate logistic regression) were applied to explore relationships between variables and offending outcomes of nterest. Detailed semi-structured interviews were subsequently conducted with a sub-sample of 8 women with mental disorder and violent offending ackgrounds. Interview transcripts thematically analysed. Results Most women came from impoverished and disadvantaged backgrounds. Whilst the majority were first offenders, a high proportion had violent index offences, with murder, attempted murder and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm accounting for over half of cases. The majority of victims of violence were well known to the perpetrator, especially as biological children, intimate male partners or close family members. Biological children in their first year of life were particularly vulnerable to being victims of homicidal violence. Disproportionately high rates of pre-offence mental illness, alcohol misuse, HIV infection and prior abuse of the offender (especially by intimate male partners) were present. High rates of severe mental disorders (especially psychiatric comorbidity and psychotic-spectrum disorders), and relatively low rates of personality disorders and substance disorders were diagnosed. The majority of women were declared to lack trial competence and criminal capacity, respectively, following forensic evaluation. Women who had backgrounds of prior abuse themselves had over three mes the odds of subsequent violent offending in general, and almost six times the odds of homicidal offending in particular. Homicidal offences were significantly more commonly committed by women with no prior psychiatric history and no psychiatric comorbidity. Women who committed homicide had over eleven times of killing children as opposed to adults. Women over the age of 30 years, and those without psychiatric comorbidity, were significantly less likely to have killed children. Thematic analysis of interviews emphasized the important roles played by gender, self-image, and mental health in violent offending pathways. Conclusions A complex array of socio-demographic, criminological, clinical and forensic variables interact in women offenders of the Eastern Cape referred by courts for forensic evaluation. Exploration of these factors improves understanding of the broader psychosocial context of female offending, and of the personal experiences of the women themselves. This in turn provides an enhanced gender-focus to guide the progressive changes required in policy, legislative, clinical and research endeavours in this field.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

The frightened

  • Authors: Msimang, Lethokuhle
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/144004 , vital:38302
  • Description: My novella tells the coming of age story of a young woman battling the trauma of objectification. It explores the intimate relationship between a woman and a man, the young and the old, and the camaraderie between women. Having spent the greater part of her youth in various parts of the world, my protagonist faces the stark reality of returning home to her native country. This triggers an angst which causes her to leap between lived experiences and memories. An elegy on how difficult it is to love while dragging the long shadow of shame, it uses short prose and prose poetry to reveal the intimacies and intricacies of self hate and clandestine romances, and to unravel the complexities of memory and forgetting. Built from non linear fragments it seeks to refuse cliches regarding love and to question easy assumptions around gender, family and the innocence of youth. I draw inspiration from Vita Sackville West’s’ All Passion Spent , which eloquently portrays the placid and flickering thoughts of an old woman taking leave from the frivolity of youth. I’m similarly inspired by the sincerity and confessional aspects of Virginia Woolf and French poet and photographer Alix Roubaud ’s journals and Van Gogh’s letters, as well as Lydia Yuknavitch, Max Porter and Elena Ferante’s autobiographical fiction. I also draw from J’Lyn Chapman’s chapbook A Thing of Shreds and Patches and finally Dostoevky’s Notes from Underground , for their blurring of life and writing, and their exploration of grief and death as a lingering thought, together with the oppressive urge to create. In addition I’m inspired by the poetry of a new generation of South African female writers like Vangile Gatsho.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

The genetic legacy of fragmentation and overexploitation in the threatened medicinal African pepper-bark tree, Warburgia salutaris:

  • Authors: Senkoro, Annae M , Talhinhas, Pedro , Simões, Fernanda , Batista-Santos, Paula , Shackleton, Charlie M , Voeks, Robert A , Marques, Isabel , Ribeiro-Barros, Ana I
  • Date: 2020
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176395 , vital:42690 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2020.101201
  • Description: The pepper-bark tree (Warburgia salutaris) is one of the most highly valued medicinal plant species worldwide. Native to southern Africa, this species has been extensively harvested for the bark, which is widely used in traditional health practices. Illegal harvesting coupled with habitat degradation has contributed to fragmentation of populations and a severe decline in its distribution. Even though the species is included in the IUCN Red List as Endangered, genetic data that would help conservation efforts and future re-introductions are absent. We therefore developed new molecular markers to understand patterns of genetic diversity, structure, and gene flow of W. salutaris in one of its most important areas of occurrence (Mozambique).
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  • Date Issued: 2020

The Geography of Inequality in Port Elizabeth : Post-apartheid Trends

  • Authors: Mc Arthur, Brogan Erin
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Equality -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/48478 , vital:40880
  • Description: This study aims to identify post-apartheid trends of inequality within Port Elizabeth, by analysing the spatial distribution of social well-being from 1996 to 2011. The spatial distribution of social well-being highlights the geography of inequality within Port Elizabeth, focusing on social indicators as a measure of social well-being. Mapping of these social indicators illustrates various levels of social well-being throughout Port Elizabeth based on the formulation of social indicators, application of these social indicators to census data, data processing and mapping. This results in the mapping of poverty, employment, education and standard of living for the census years of 1996, 2001 and 2011. From the mapping process, trends of social well-being and the associated inequality are illustrated and analysed, while providing insight into the progress of social well-being within a South African city. The findings of this study suggest that social well-being has incurred changes over time which have aided in the improvement of social well-being throughout Port Elizabeth. This improvement is marked by the relative increase and decrease of selected social indicators and their interrelated nature. The various social indicators, although focused on different datasets, highlight similar patterns of progress throughout their spatial distribution over time. As such, similar patterns of inequality can be noted throughout Port Elizabeth for various social indicators. Based on these similarities and the trends identified within the spatial distribution of inequality in Port Elizabeth, a progression towards a more even distribution throughout the study area was noted from 1996 through to 2011.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

The ground of discrimination in equal pay for work of equal value disputes

  • Authors: Coetzee, Mandy Nadine
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Equal pay for equal work -- Law and Legislation -- South Africa , Pay equity -- South Africa Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/48971 , vital:41569
  • Description: The Employment Equity Act places a positive obligation on employers to promote workplaces free from unfair discrimination. This obligation is reinforced by section 6 of the Employment Equity Act, commonly referred to as the prohibition clause. The 2014 amendments to the Employment Equity Act specifically introduced provisions relating to Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value which prior to 2014, had no specific provisions to guide employees and employers in relation to claims of discrimination, relating to remuneration and terms and conditions of employment. As such employees had to rely directly on section 6(1) to bring such claims which presented significant problems and challenges with the onus. The second key amendment for our purposes relates to the inclusion of the arbitrary ground under section 6(1) as a ground on which discrimination is also prohibited. In addition to the insertion and specific inclusion into law, the burden of proof in section 11 was also amended and must be read with the prohibition clause. It is this aspect which now confronts us with challenges and divergent approaches by the Courts and the development of the broad versus narrow approach in dealing with the ground of discrimination.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

The impact of agricultural infrastructure on rural livelihoods in KwaZulu-Natal

  • Authors: Mankahla, Sipesihle Qukeza
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Agriculture -- Economic aspects , Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- KwaZulu Natal , Project management
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/46141 , vital:39508
  • Description: The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of agricultural infrastructure on rural livelihoods of kwaZulu-Natal. The main objective of the study is to look into the ways in which rural infrastructure can improve the livelihoods of kwaZulu-Natal farmers. Government programmes such as agri-parks, one household-one hectare and cooperative funding, when implemented according to their objective, can improve the implementation of infrastructure development in rural areas of kwaZulu-Natal. The objectives of the study were achieved by reviewing the literature relevant to the topic. Data was sourced from primary and secondary sources. A qualitative method was used as the qualitative approach has been considered to be the most appropriate method in achieving research objectives. This approach puts emphasis on the meanings and experiences as found in the study of Lincoln and Denzin. This approach best describes events, opinions and views without the use of data in the form of numbers; rather it provides textual data that gives an insight into the occurrence being studied. The developments in agriculture would not be sustainable without developing the rural areas and addressing the issues of poverty and enhancing investment capacities of the resource-poor farmers. The linkage of infrastructure to positive economic development cannot be denied. Agricultural infrastructure is infrastructure such as irrigation, rural electrification, roads, and markets in close coordination with institutional infrastructure. There is a long list of infrastructure assets that affect rural development. There is basic agricultural infrastructure which forms the foundation for agricultural economic development of rural livelihoods. This infrastructure includes transport networks, access to water and livestock agricultural infrastructure. Thus, the study sought to establish the impact of existing agricultural infrastructure on agricultural economic development and improvement of rural livelihoods in kwaZulu-Natal. The study revealed that the rural farmers in this province were affected and limited by poor road infrastructure and that access to suitable water for irrigation was far from ideal. As a result, the sector is hindered and does not perform to its full potential and this slows economic development and negatively affects rural livelihoods.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

The impact of discounting fees by civil engineering consultants

  • Authors: Siqiti, Khulile
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Consulting engineers , Consultants Civil engineering , Project management
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/47246 , vital:39836
  • Description: The study provides insight into the views and perceptions of consulting engineers on the discounting of professional fees. The purpose of the research was to determine the impact of discounting professional fees in the civil engineering profession and ultimately potential ways in which the civil engineering profession could improve business sustainability. The study included a review of literature, which was utilised to develop a questionnaire. A total of 26 practicing consulting engineers, who are members of Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA), and represented small, medium and large consulting engineering firms, participated in the questionnaire survey. The questionnaire investigates the respondents’ perceptions on the impact of discounting professional fees in the civil engineering profession and the amount of discount offered as well as the reasons for discounting fees. The results show that the practice of discounting professional fees is widespread, affecting small, medium and large consulting firms. The results also indicate that prevailing market conditions in civil engineering profession are the primary reasons why consulting engineers offer discounts on fees. Respondents agreed that projects are awarded to the lowest bidder during tender process. Respondents also agreed that experienced engineers are allocated less time on projects to manage project costs. The findings suggest that discounting of professional fees is a great concern that needs to be addressed in order to attain profession business sustainability. It is suggested that the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) should regulate the fee structures and ensure that all professionals, whether employed in the public or private sector, understand the basic finances on running a professional consultancy to deliver a service.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

The impact of formulation variables on the optimization of pilot scale clobetasol 17-propionate creams

  • Authors: Fauzee, Ayesha F B , Walker, Roderick B
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/183275 , vital:43937 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1080/23311916.2020.1804713"
  • Description: The impact of formulation variables on the optimization of pilot scale clobetasol 17-propionate (CP) cream formulations was investigated using a Central Composite Design of Experiments. Thirty batches of cream were manufactured and the formulation variables assessed were % v/v propylene glycol, % w/w Gelot® 64, cetostearyl alcohol and glyceryl monostearate content. The responses monitored included viscosity, spreadability, pH, CP content, extrudability, electrical conductivity, and % CP released at 72 hours. The responses were compared to those of a reference product, Dermovate® cream. ANOVA analysis revealed that viscosity, spreadability, and % CP released at 72 hours were significant formulation responses (p more than 0.05). Cetostearyl alcohol had the greatest impact on quality of pilot scale products. An increase in cetostearyl alcohol resulted in an increase in viscosity, a decrease in spreadability, and a decrease in % CP released at 72 hours. The optimized pilot scale CP formulation contained 46% v/v propylene glycol, 8.6% w/w cetostearyl alcohol, 10.5% w/w glyceryl monostearate, and 3.8% w/w Gelot® 64. The resultant viscosity, spreadability, pH, CP content, extrudability, electrical conductivity, and % CP released were 44633cP, 24.91cm2, 101.23 %, 76.98 g/cm2, 198.23 µS/cm, and 50.23%. The addition of cetostearyl alcohol and Gelot® 64 is critical for establishing a soft formulation that leads to the formation of a mixed crystal bilayer network of high viscosity. The formation of a separate crystalline lipophilic network usually occurs in semi-solid formulations that contain high concentrations of emulsifier, leading to an increase in shear stress and greater physicochemical stability of the formulation. The use of experimental design approaches to formulation development activities, permit evaluation of multiple factors simultaneously, reducing the time and costs associated with product development activities, whilst identifying a composition design space and ensuring stable and effective dosage forms are produced.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

The impact of HIV knowledge and attitudes on HIV testing acceptance among patients in an emergency department in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

  • Authors: Ryan, Sofia , Hahn, Elizabeth , Rao, Aditi , Mwinnyaa, George , Black, John , Nyanisa, Yandisa , Quinn, Thomas C , Hansoti, Bhakti , Maharaj, Roshen , Mvandaba, Nomzamo
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: HIV testing , Emergency departments
  • Language: English
  • Type: article , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/4473 , vital:44123 , https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09170-x
  • Description: Transmission of HIV in South Africa continues to be high due to a large proportion of individuals living with undiagnosed HIV. Uptake of HIV testing is influenced by a multitude of factors including the patient’s knowledge and beliefs about HIV. Methods: This study sought to quantify the impact of knowledge and attitudes on HIV testing acceptance in an emergency department by co-administering a validated HIV knowledge and attitudes survey to patients who were subsequently offered HIV testing. During the study period 223 patients were interviewed and offered HIV testing. Individuals reporting more negative overall attitudes (p = 0.006), higher levels of stigma to HIV testing, and individuals who believed their test was confidential were more likely to accept an HIV test. Interventions focused on improving patient perceptions around testing confidentiality will likely have the greatest impact on testing acceptance in the emergency department.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

The impact of illustrated side effect information on understanding and sustained retention of antiretroviral side effect knowledge:

  • Authors: Scheihing, Konstantin W , Tanner, Jane L , Weaver, Matthew J T , Schöniger, Matthias
  • Date: 2020
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/156389 , vital:39985 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jup.2020.101043
  • Description: About 7.5 million South Africans access gratuitous drinking water via communal taps provided by municipalities under a free basic water policy. Supplying running water for free to low-income communities is essential but can result in water wastage due to a potential indifference of non-paying end-consumers. The consequence is a loss of municipal water and financial resources. We outline a new strategy that rewards low-income communities for reducing water wastage. The incentive strategy promotes water conservation and community development and decreases recurring water-related public expenses. The concept is funded by a percentage of municipal cost savings yielded from the respective water conservation.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

The impact of job satisfaction, motivation and job stress on employees’ innovative behaviour

  • Authors: Moeng, Mpho Solomon
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Job satisfaction Attitude (Psychology)
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/49714 , vital:41774
  • Description: In the fast-paced world of today, innovation is more relevant now than at any other time in our history. The dynamic nature of today’s business landscape presents complex challenges to organisations at macro and micro environment levels. To survive these challenging times, innovation has been identified to play a vital part in finding and developing opportunities for growth and sustaining a competitive edge. It is with no surprise that researchers have long sought to find the root drivers of great innovation. The consensus is that employees are the engine behind innovation and that innovation within an organisation is a direct result of employees engaging in innovative behaviour. Organisations that fail to tap into the creative potential of their employees lose out on benefits and advantages of being innovative organisations. There are various factors that influence employees’ engagement in innovative behaviour, and research into the topic has considered the influence of different factors such as: individual traits, natural inclinations to innovation, motivation, emotions, organisational culture, job requirements, leadership, and social relations. The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate the influence and significance of job satisfaction, perceived colleague support, perceived leadership support, perceived organisational support and job stress on employees’ engagement in innovative behaviour. Based on a review of current literature, the study investigated hypothesised direct and indirect relationships that exist between these factors and that can be used to improve the levels of employees’ engagement in innovation behaviour in Eskom distribution in the Eastern Cape operating unit. The study used on-line questionnaires to survey Eskom Distribution ECOU employees. 141 employees participated in the survey. Majority of the respondents were males and were from Specialised Maintenance and Support department. A large number of the respondents are university and Technikon graduates with half a decade or more in years of service to Eskom. The results of the survey show that there is a significant positive relationship between job satisfaction, colleague support, leadership support organisational support and innovative behavior. From this finding the researcher recommended that management that improves the levels of employee engagement in innovative behaviour by focusing on issues pertaining to job satisfaction, colleague support, leadership support and organisational support.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

The impact of mergers and acquisitions on employee well-being in the beverage industry: The CCBSA coastal region case

  • Authors: Belle, Isabel
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Employees health promotion -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Beverage industry -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/49751 , vital:41796
  • Description: Globalisation, technological advancement and currency regulations are key motivators for companies to invest in foreign countries. As new entrants enter the market companies are faced with the threat of market share loss due to increased competition. The increase in the global competitive landscape has a direct impact on the rise of Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A). The growth potential of companies that experienced mergers has resulted in the boom of M&A over the past three decades. In most cases M&A have resulted in job losses and in some demotions. It is no surprise that these transactions result in an anxious and stressed workforce. The merger of the three soft drink bottlers in South Africa namely: CCF, Shanduka and ABI has brought about changes that have left some employees feeling anxious about the future. The combining of different cultures from the different entities can have a negative effect on employees as they would need to adapt to a different culture of the new formed entity. M&A were first introduced in the United States during the eighteenth century and moved into Europe in the nineteenth century. A large body of research has been concentrated in the United States and European markets to understand phenomena relating to such activities in developed countries. M&A activities have also transcended into developing countries. Over the past few years M&A transactions have become a critical gateway for investment in Africa for both local and universal market players. The aim of the study is to understand the employees’ state of mind in the workplace after the merger. The results of the study show that employee morale prior to the merger was higher when compared to post the merger, which implies that employee morale has declined post the merger. The results indicate that after the merger there was a significant decrease in trust, motivation, employee well-being and job satisfaction.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

The impact of minimum wages on human resource management practices in the hospitality industry: a case study of selected firms in Polokwane, Limpopo Province

The impact of South African monetary policy on output and price stability in Namibia

  • Authors: William, Anna Martha Tandakos
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Common Monetary Area (Organization) , Monetary unions -- Africa, Southern , Monetary policy -- South Africa , Monetary policy -- Namibia , Repurchase agreements -- South Africa , Repurchase agreements -- Namibia , Inflation (Finance) -- South Africa , Inflation (Finance) -- Namibia , Namibia -- Economic conditions , Transmission mechanism (Monetary policy)
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/167709 , vital:41505
  • Description: Namibia is a member country of the Common Monetary Area (CMA) with Lesotho, Swaziland and South Africa. South Africa is the anchor country to which the smaller member states have surrendered monetary policy authority. This thesis therefore examines the empirical relationship between the South Africa repo rate (SArepo) on the one hand and Namibia’s repo rate (Namrepo), Prime Lending Rate (PLR), Private Sector Credit Extension (PSCE), Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on the other hand. The credit channel of the monetary policy transmission mechanism informs the theoretical foundation of the thesis. Vector Autoregression modelling, variance decomposition and impulse response functions were used to explore the nature and strength of the relationship between the SArepo and said variables in Namibia. This thesis used quarterly data for the period 2003 to 2017. The variation in the Namrepo was predominantly explained by the SArepo, which confirmed that the Namrepo strongly followed the SArepo. The impulse response function results found that the impact of a contractionary monetary policy shock (an increase in the SArepo) lasted for up to six quarters before the effect started to fade. The Namrepo exhibited a positive response to an increase in the SArepo, although the magnitude of the response started to fade after the third quarter. The PLR, as a representative of market rates in Namibia, also exhibited a positive response to an increase in the SArepo. The results were similar for the Namrepo and the PLR because changes to the NamRepo are passed through immediately to the market interest rates. On the real variables, the study found that a contractionary monetary policy shock initiated in South Africa resulted in an increase in inflation in Namibia of less than 0.4 percent, whereas output declined by less than 1.0 percent. Interestingly, a Namibia (domestic) contractionary monetary policy shock resulted in a decline in prices of less than 0.4 percent. GDP, on the other hand, exhibited a positive response to a contractionary monetary shock, with an increase of less than 2.0 percent in the first four quarters of the period observed. The results reflected that a contractionary monetary policy shock from South Africa was more effective with regard to its impact on GDP; however, a domestic monetary policy shock was more effective at impacting on domestic inflation compared to the impact from South Africa.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

The impact of the Dieselgate vehicle emmissions scandal on customer equity in the South African automotive industry

  • Authors: Pillay, Sylvester Deenan
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Automobile industry and trade -- Germany , Automobile industry and trade -- Law and legislation -- Germany , Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa , Automobiles -- Motors -- Exhaust gas , Brand choice -- South Africa , Customer preferences -- South Africa , Consumer satisfaction -- South Africa , Brand loyalty -- South Africa , Consumer behavior -- South Africa , Dieselgate
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/149304 , vital:38823
  • Description: Prominent German automotive manufacturers had been tampering with emissions for some time before it became public knowledge in September 2015. It is then that that the term ‘Dieselgate’ was coined in reference to the scandal. As the scandal became public knowledge, manufacturers accused of emissions cheating faced challenges on several fronts, including legal, financial and environmental. While the ‘backlash’ as a result of the scandal was apparent in other countries, it was not as apparent in South Africa. This research paper set out to explore the impact that the Dieselgate scandal had in South Africa in terms of customer equity. Data analysis was undertaken using a two-pronged approach. The first of these was analysis of vehicle sales data using a paired t-test. This was to understand whether sales had seen a decline pre-, as well as post-scandal. The results point to a sales decline, this highlights that Dieselgate was a factor even though other, unexamined factors, were not investigated. The second instrument used was a customer equity questionnaire, this provided insight into the real opinions of consumers in South Africa about the affected brands. The analysis revealed that the affected manufacturers operating in South Africa had seen no negative effects in terms of customer equity. Based on the results, it could be said that market factors, which was not part of the research, play a great role in consumers’ preferences or mindsets. Additionally, manufacturers can operate with a degree of latitude in certain markets. This is based on market factors in a specific market as well as the regulations imposed and enforced in that market. Lastly, customer equity is a complex theory that includes a multitude of converging theories. Based on this fact, it is currently difficult to evaluate customer equity in its entirety in a single paper. A comprehensive model is yet to be developed that can effectively measure customer equity in an all-encompassing way.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

The impact of the minimum wage on poverty and industrial relations in the hospitality industry in Grahamstown, South Africa

  • Authors: Maqubela, Zikisa
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Hospitality industry -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Minimum wage -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Poverty -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Wages -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Service industries workers -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Industrial relations -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/118685 , vital:34658
  • Description: This dissertation endeavours to unpack and understand the impact of the minimum wage on the hospitality industry with a specific focus on Grahamstown. The areas of impact that are of immediate interest were the impact on poverty and industrial relations. In operationalising this research, a qualitative research approach was adopted. The overall design of the study was a case study in a bid to ensure deeper insights may be extracted from semi-structured interviews that were then thematically analysed. Theoretically, the study was guided by the understanding of citizenship as articulated by Mamdani as well as Keynesian theory. The central theme when exploring the minimum wage in relation to poverty is that the minimum wage that is currently paid is enough to aid workers and their families in escaping abject poverty, however, it does not go far enough to further ensure that they totally escape poverty as measured by the Upper Bound Poverty Line. The inadequacy of the minimum wage in ensuring that people are pushed out of poverty would then mean that their claims to citizenship are compromised and the quality of life they can access is often below what would be readily accepted of a citizen of South Africa. Lifestyle entrepreneurs offer an alternative approach to doing business that can see higher pay as further entrench claims to citizenship. The central case around industrial relations is that the impact of the minimum wage is indeterminate for two reasons. Broadly speaking, the impact would need to be reviewed at a macro-level and not simply within the impacted sectors. This is the various interconnected value chains that could feel indirect impacts at the initiation of a minimum wage. Further, the impact such changes has to individual firms is also indeterminate as employers have a range of choices that they can adopt in absorbing the impact of a minimum wage, which may include simply increasing the price the end consumer pays or retrenching some staff members. However, the choice that employers would make in this context is not predetermined but rather would vary between firms due to the very specifics of each firm.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

The impact of the slum upgrading approach on the livelihoods of scheme participants in Uganda : using the sustainable livelihoods framework

  • Authors: Karungi, Doreen
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Slums -- Public welfare -- Uganda
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/48412 , vital:40874
  • Description: International and local agencies recommend implementing slum upgrading projects in slum areas for slum improvement. However, with no model or guiding principles provided to slum upgrading project implementers on how to upgrade a slum, slum clearance and redevelopment are implemented rather than slum upgrading consequently projects fail to benefit the target group, slum dwellers. Data collection, took place in five areas in Uganda that implemented slum upgrading. In depth interviews were held with project beneficiaries, local council officials and association executives, and government officials at the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development. Field observation, and document analysis was carried out. Data analysis involved the use of the sustainable livelihoods framework. This study demonstrates that the slum upgrading approach adopted in Uganda exhibited low sustainability and undercut the sustainability of livelihoods of scheme participants. Slum dwellers faced vulnerabilities from loss of land, characterized by rights based actions resulting in minimal to no compensation or eviction and loss of existing livelihoods. Slum upgrading projects introduced new livelihood opportunities that were too few for slum dwellers, were not sustainable and ended during or with project implementation, leaving beneficiaries without employment or income opportunities. Increased vulnerability was observed as slum dwellers that did not benefit from the project were displaced to worse conditions while slum dwellers that benefitted, project beneficiaries remained poor and in debt, with project loans to repay. Although project beneficiaries were provided with access to assets, they were unable to draw on these to build their livelihoods. Some beneficiaries sold plots and project houses allocated to them and moved to adjacent slums, where they lived in worse conditions. At the time of the current research, good quality houses in the slum upgrading areas did not belong to the original beneficiaries old dilapidated structures were occupied by project beneficiaries. This study shows that income earning activities carried out at the time of the study were similar to those carried out prior to the introduction of slum upgrading in project areas and were destroyed during project implementation or banned by implementers. These activities were however carried out in incomplete houses, vacant plots, temporary structures in project areas and in adjacent swamps and forest. Generally, after completion of slum upgrading projects, project areas, adjacent swamps and forest were characterized by haphazard developments including: rentals, informal businesses, farming, brewing and distilling local alcohol used by beneficiaries to derive livelihoods, in other words, slums were recreated, a problem slum upgrading project implementers set out to solve - except in one study area where the project was implemented differently as a result of persist rights based actions.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

The implementation of grade R admission policy: a case study of four primary schools in Mopani District Limpopo Province

  • Authors: Lebea, Paulina Matsatsi
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Admission policy (Schools) -- South Africa , Education, Primary -- Admission
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/11310 , vital:39055
  • Description: This study investigated the implementation of Grade R admission policy in Mopani District in Limpopo Province and focussed on four primary schools in Makhutswe circuit which has got Grade R classes. The interpretive paradigm was applied as the chosen methodology for the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews. A review of secondary sources to corroborate the gathered information was also used. Data analysis was done using thematic analysis through emerging themes from the transcribed data from the interviews. The participants were purposively selected for the sample of this study. These included 1 principal per school, 1 Grade R educator per school, 5 SGB members per school, and 2 admission committee members per school. Through the participant’s responses from the schools under study, a transcript was formulated, coded, and categorized in view of the implementation of the Grade R Admission Policy in primary schools. The study found out that the admission policy for Grade R learners was not properly implemented in most of the primary schools due to lack of understanding how the policy must be implemented. It was also revealed that, most of the principals together with their admission committee members tend to use their own discretion concerning the admission of Grade R learners in schools. It further emerged that some of the learners denied admission despite the existing legislation that proscribes that every child has the right to education. Furthermore, the study found out that the district office did not involve the primary teachers before formulating the policy. Hence, the participants showed that they did not have good and proper understanding of the implementation process neither were they well versed about what entailed monitoring the admission policy. As a result, Department of Education resorted to coming up with ways of continuously training and conducting workshops for the educators before they can admit learners to Grade R.
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  • Date Issued: 2020
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