The Plastic University: Knowledge, Disciplines and Decolonial 'Circulations'
- Authors: Keet, Andre
- Subjects: Critical pedagogy , Transformative learning , f-sa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Lectures
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21077 , vital:29436
- Description: The university is as plastic as the social figure of ‘Mandela’ after whom it is named. It is as plastic as the globe and its humanity in whose name it exists. And, it is as plastic as the human subject that is ‘perpetually called on to reconfigure itself in relation to the artefacts of the age’, as Mbembe2 argues in Critique of Black Reason. The very nature of addressing, of writing … of inaugurating … oneself, through an address is an act of reconfiguration, of responding to an artefact of the university and the professoriate. It is, when all is said and done, a performance, a performative act: declaring so and so a professor of this or that status, authorizing ‘it’ to utter something with some kind of formative force.
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The reward preference/motivation paradox and implications for performance and education
- Authors: Snelgar, Robin
- Subjects: Employee motivation , Incentive (Psychology) , f-sa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Lectures
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21897 , vital:29799
- Description: The focus on reward preference has emerged essentially as a result of the need to identify what really motivates productive behaviour within the workplace, despite the fact that other variables such as retention and attraction have also been taken into consideratin. Motivation has always been an issue of great interest to both reserachers as well as practitioners within the organizational setting, the intention being to find ways to improve performance and, more specifically, particular types of performance within the world of work. Ultimately, the issue has always been how to understand, predict, shape and control human behaviour.
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The role of renewable energy in de-urbanizing post COVID Africa
- Authors: Phillips, Russell
- Subjects: Renewable energy sources -- Africa , Telecommuting -- Africa , f-sa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Lectures
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/52484 , vital:43673
- Description: The world is becoming increasingly urbanized with more than half of the world population living in cities. In many instances urbanization is seen as a positive phenomenon, however in Africa, urbanization is shown to result in a large proportion of the urban population living in slum conditions. The recent COVID pandemic has necessitated that many persons work remotely and has shown that this arrangement can be both cost effective and efficient. The notion of promoting a remote work concept beyond the pandemic with a view to encouraging de-urbanization is proposed in this research. To achieve meaningful levels of de-urbanization in Africa, particularly in remote, rural areas two major challenges need to be overcome, namely internet connectivity and energy supply. The imminent rollout of Low Earth Orbit Satellites (LEO) for affordable remote connectivity coupled with the maturity of the current solar photovoltaic offerings present seemingly perfect solutions to the identified challenges. Additionally, the record low prices recently reached by Photovoltaic modules and Lithium-ion batteries seem to present fortuitous timing for a mass de-urbanization drive which may have the potential to improve the lives of many people in Africa.
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Towards mineral beneficiation: from basic chemistry to applications
- Authors: Tshentu, Zenixole
- Subjects: Metallurgy , Ore-dressing , f-sa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Lectures
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/55783 , vital:53876
- Description: The role of mineral beneficiation in the survival, growth, development and sustainability of a developing economy cannot be overstated. Our development as a human species has always been involvedly linked with the use of mineral resources from the stone, bronze and iron ages through the early modern eras to the present. In the current modern era, characterized by highly technological equipment, fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and new energy technologies, the role of mineral beneficiation has been elevated. Precious metals find use in the fine chemicals and petrochemicals industry, fuel cells, electrical and electronic products, medical and dentistry applications, jewellery, autocatalysts, and glass and ceramics. The markets for precious metals keep growing and the supply does not meet demand. The development of methods for recovery of metal value from feeds of mineral ore solutions, solutions of spent secondary resources and from mining wastewaters remains of great importance. Further beneficiation strategies for utilization of mineral products in other “value-added” applications are also important for the growth of the mineral markets. The usage of platinum, palladium and rhodium in the autocatalyst industry has grown significantly and this has further elevated the importance of platinum group metals (PGMs), but other areas of application of the strategic metals need to be harnessed. The four stages of beneficiation, namely, primary, secondary, tertiary and final stage, provide an opportunity to beneficiate to greater value for domestic or export use. Our own research work is engaged in several of these stages, from hydrometallurgical recovery of base metals and platinum group metals from feeds of primary mining and solutions of waste secondary resources such as spent catalytic converters and e-waste to the use of metals in “value added” products such as metalbased catalysts for the fuel industry and in metallodrugs. Examples of “value added” products include rhodium as a promoter in molybdenum sulfide as a catalyst for hydrodesulfurization of fuel oil, vanadium as a catalyst in oxidative desulfurization of fuel oil, vanadium and palladium as therapeutic agents for diabetes and cancer, respectively. Current and future work involves (i) the development of metal-selective scavengers to recover lost metal value in mining wastewaters, and (ii) the design of metal-based catalytic materials for refinement of bio-based oils to biofuel as well as for production of green LPG through hydroprocessing. Our work centres around both basic and applied chemistry towards mineral beneficiation and with a bias towards greener production.
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Two decades of curriculum transformation: what have we learnt and where do we go from here?
- Authors: Blignaut, Sylvan
- Subjects: Curriculum change -- South Africa , Education -- South Africa , f-sa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Lectures
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/16076 , vital:28318
- Description: In this lecture, I will revisit the implementation of a new curriculum in South Africa’s schooling system and provide a brief overview of why curriculum change is so complex and fraught with difficulties. I will argue that an important reason for the failure of curriculum implementation could be ascribed to a relative neglect by policymakers of “teacher landscapes” or the beliefs teachers have about teaching. I will argue that it “matters what teachers think and do” and if policymakers do not take account of this reality, successful curriculum implementation will remain a challenge.
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Ultra-high precision manufacturing
- Authors: Abou-El-Hossein, Khaled
- Subjects: Machining , Diamond turning , f-sa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Lectures
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/20878 , vital:29410
- Description: One of the engineering areas focusing on the research and development of highvalue components and manufacturing technologies is precision engineering. Precision engineering represents a variety of engineering and science disciplines ranging from areas such as mechanical, electronics and industrial engineering to chemistry, physics, optics and materials science. This paper aims at familiarising the reader with the recent advances in ultra-high precision manufacturing technologies and their applications for the production of various critical components employed in different sectors of the industry. In this paper, the principles of ultra-high precision manufacturing will be discussed followed by examples of its use in various industrial applications. The status of ultra-high precision manufacturing in terms of current research issues and future trends will be discussed. In addition, research activities and projects in the area of precision manufacturing that are currently conducted at the NMMU will be also highlighted. Finally, the author looks forward to presenting herewith comprehensive information that could be useful to the reader and easy to understand by the bigger NMMU’s community.
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Unemployment Insurance Fund
- Authors: UIF
- Subjects: UIF
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/160982 , vital:40574
- Description: U.I.F. (Unemployment Insurance Fund) is an insurance scheme. The scheme pays money to a worker who has contributed to the fund and who is temporarily unemployed. Money paid into the Fund is paid out to workers who have become unemployed and under certain other circumstances that we will set out below.
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Utilising new technology to enable sustainable chemical and drug manufacturing in Africa
- Authors: Watts, Paul
- Subjects: Drug development , Pharmacology , f-sa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Lectures
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21000 , vital:29426
- Description: Over the last few decades organic chemists have developed highly sophisticated chemical reactions to prepare very complex molecules. The pharmaceutical industry uses the methodology that academics develop within research programmes to manufacture drugs to treat a plethora of medical conditions. When unwell, all citizens expect treatment, however it needs to be remembered that the pharmaceutical industry is a business in order to make a profit for its shareholders, and consequently only rich nations can afford access to the most modern treatments available.
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VAT is a public issue - Take a public stand
- Authors: Co-ordinating Committee on VAT
- Subjects: VAT
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/168944 , vital:41663
- Description: Although VAT is now part of daily life, it can be changed. Tax laws are changed all the time in the normal course of events. Public opinion and public action can change VAT. But the public must act. The government’s record of disastrous financial management is costing us all — remember Mossgas? remember Inkathagate? It cannot go on. It is our democratic right and duty to press for changes that will make VAT serve the country. VAT enters every home in the country — it should be debated and managed as a public issue. We have already seen the value of action. There is overwhelming support for our demands to change VAT. That's why the government was forced to amend the VAT system twice in the few weeks before implementation.
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Water under troubled bridge: the (ir)relevance of Development Studies pedagogies in African universities
- Authors: Makuwira, Jonathan
- Subjects: Development economics , Universities and colleges -- Africa -- Curricula , f-sa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Lectures
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/20375 , vital:29271
- Description: The demand for “methodologies of education and learning” is very significant in the current FeesMustFall discourse. This is not just because it is necessary to consider education methodologies, but in the broader scheme of things, it is also a call to both mental and ideological transformation. It challenges university lecturers and educators alike to question their own preconceived pedagogies and engage in an introspection - a 2 reflective moment in their teaching. I will come back to this later in my presentation. The point I am trying to emphasis is that the call for “The-Fall-in-Fees” is a development issue. It is a development issue because it gravitates around access to [Higher] education. We just need to remind ourselves by what Nelson Mandela once said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. We all know-education is a fundamental human right; so too is development (United Nations, 1986). The denial to education is an act of injustice. But like Martin Luther King Jr. said: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (Luther King Jr, 1963). In this regard, there is a lot of development injustice to which my lecture this evening alludes to.
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What is the future of financial inclusion?
- Authors: Mago, Stephen
- Subjects: Financial services industry -- Africa , Banks and banking -- Africa , f-sa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Lectures
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/56481 , vital:56688
- Description: The purpose of this lecture is to explicate the future of financial inclusion with a focus on Africa. Understanding financial inclusion, its advantages, and its trajectory into the future sets a scene for future research and debates. Materials and methods: In preparing this lecture, I used systematic literature and bibliometric analysis complemented with field research done in two selected areas (Masvingo district in Zimbabwe and the Kirkwood area in the Eastern Cape, South Africa). Results/Findings: Results show that financial inclusion benefits poverty alleviation, job/employment creation, small business growth (through innovation and creativity), sustainability, closing inequality gaps, inclusive economic growth and development (local, national, regional, and global), closing gender gaps, and the promotion of digital finance. In other words, it creates opportunities for individuals, businesses, and economies in various ways. It also contributes to the attainment of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Globally, stakeholders such as governments, supranational organisations (the UN, the WB, the IMF, the G20) and development banks are working together to achieve financial inclusion. Alleviation or elimination of financial exclusion (FE) is the ultimate. Social implications: Financial inclusion promotes socio-economic transformation and livelihood enhancement. The unbanked, or the financially excluded, and the underbanked benefit from financial inclusion, thus allowing them access to financial services. Conclusions and recommendations: Extant literature and empirical research demonstrate the immense contribution of financial inclusion. It helps to defy the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment, and inequality. This lecture therefore recommends deliberate policy intentions by governments in developing countries to support financial inclusion to benefit the marginalised and promote the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs). There is a need to digitise the financial systems for inclusivity. I argue that the future of financial inclusion is achieved not only by technology, but also by acceptance, behaviour, and collaboration/synergy, built around strong ecosystems. An underlying thesis is that financial inclusion benefits economies in many ways.
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Whither the International Court?
- Authors: Cilliers, A. C
- Subjects: International Court of Justice -- Powers and duties , Mandates -- Namibia , f-sa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Lectures
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21110 , vital:29441
- Description: The International Court of Justice is an important organ regulating the pacific settlement of international disputes. If the present Court is to function effectively, disrespectful attacks on members of the Court should cease, and the organs of the United Nations should not attempt to use the Court as an instrument of policy. Moreover, the Court itself should adhere to the appropriate method of interpretation of international instruments in litigation having a bearing on political controversies. In October 1966 the General Assembly of the United Nations purported to terminate South Africa's mandate in respect of South West Africa. The Security Council thereafter requested the Court to advise it as to the legal consequences for states of South Africa's continued presence in South West Africa, notwithstanding Security Council Resolution 276 (1970). Has the mandate been validly terminated?
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Women's handbook for trade union education
- Authors: Trade Union Council of Southern Africa
- Subjects: Trade Union Council of Southern Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/175952 , vital:42643
- Description: All over Africa today, and particularly in the Southern Region, women in trade unions are wanting to stand up and be counted. How do we get counted, is a question we ask ourselves? Education being the unanimous answer, we were all very happy when the CTUC decided to fund a Women's Handbook project with the blessing of the Southern African Trade Union Co-ordination Council. The project was implemented in July 1986 in Harare, Zimbabwe. Sisters from Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe got together and our initial objectives were:- • To identify problems faced by working women in the region. • To come up with solutions to these problems. Once the main topics had been defined - i.e. women in society, in trade unions and the law, bargaining issues, health care and education for women - we set about drafting material which was to be used for pilot courses with women workers in each country. Now, nearly a year later, after having met again in Mbabane, Swaziland in March/April 1987, we have our handbook. We want this book to be used to help women educators run courses for the rank and file women workers. Here it should be noted that as women who feel we have always been discriminated against, we do not wish to carry this on by excluding our male counterparts. Therefore even though our book is aimed at women, we would welcome assistance from our brothers! Finally, we hope that this book will be instrumental in bringing about an end to our struggle for women in the labour movement.
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Writing official letters
- Authors: International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
- Subjects: ICFTU
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/162021 , vital:40748
- Description: To most of us, speech comes more readily than writing, and when information has to be passed on, the obvious way of doing it is by word of mouth. The telephone has greatly widened the opportunity of conducting business in this way. But a trade unionist is well advised not to rely on this method alone. In the affairs of the heart, it may be good advice never to put anything in writing. The reverse is often true in business. What is written, especially if carbon copies are kept, survives as a record. The record remains as a reminder of what has happened, and a check in the event of a dispute. It is only too easy during transactions which may take some months, to forget exactly what had happened at any one time. Written records will provide exact information, not only about what happened but — what is often as important — when it happened. When it is remembered that the actions of shop stewards and branch officers may be vital evidence in a Court of Law, as for example in the pursuit of claims for damages on behalf of union members, exact records are extremely important. For this reason, a duplicate copy of letters provides branch officials with lasting evidence of their own communications. All branch letters, therefore, should be written in duplicate. If letters are typed or written in an interleaved correspondence book, it is easy to make carbon copies. But even if letters are hand written on loose sheets, ordinary carbon paper will make clear copies providing a fountain pen with a fairly hard nib or a bail-point pen is used.
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Young Workers Issue 14 - May Day Solidarity
- Authors: YCW
- Subjects: YCW
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/118589 , vital:34649
- Description: The 1st of May is known all over the world as the INTERNATIONAL LABOUR DAY. It is a day when workers pledge their struggle for better working and living conditions. It is a day of showing a link of workers struggle in different countries of the world. It is a symbol of taking forward their struggle against the CAPITALIST SYSTEM and to take control over their lives. In 1890 the Second International Workers Congress accepted MAY DAY as an INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY FOR ALL THE WORKERS OF THE WORLD. Recently in South Africa, fight for May Day to be recognised as a paid public holiday is once more on the agenda of the worker movement. This demand comes at a time when workers have continued to build their trade unions. Thanks to the militant struggles of the early 70's which paved the way for the present strenght of the unions. Already many companies have signed agreements to recognise May Day as a paid holiday. Last year the 100 Annivesary of May Day was celebrated with militance and dignity. More than 1,5 million workers supported the call to attend the rallies which were held all over the country. The Labour Monitoring Group reported that it was the biggest stay-away in over 25 years. The biggest rally organised by COSATU at Orlando Stadium attend ed by close to 20 000 people. Last year support for MAY DAY symboli- shed that workers are beginning to decide what holidays they want and not the states idea of holidays. Its a symbol of hope for the working class that to build a society based on the principal of workers control, workers have to be incontrol of these actions.
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