Testing the validity of Okun’s law in South Africa within the democratic era
- Authors: Mavikela, Nomahlubi
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Labor market -- South Africa , South Africa -- Economic conditions Unemployment -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/41559 , vital:36512
- Description: The challenge of high unemployment rates coupled with sluggish growth rates is an important issue in developing economies. The presence of high unemployment rates implies the lack of utilisation of labour resources efficiently. Hence, it being of grave importance for government to prioritise as a major macroeconomic goal the attainment of full employment due to its ability of maximising output. Okun’s law is a well-known relationship postulating an inverse relationship between unemployment and output, implying that an increase in unemployment would be associated with a decline in output and vice versa. Since the pioneer work of Okun (1962), a large volume of empirical studies have been conducted looking at the relationship between economic growth and the rate of unemployment. However, their findings are varied due to differences in the model specification, choice of variables used, econometric models and time periods. The main objective of this dissertation is to test the validity of Okun’s law in South Africa using quarterly data for the period 1994-2016. The importance of determining the effect of the association will inform policy decisions. A variety of detrending methods are utilised such as the Hodrick-Prescott filter, Corbae Ouliaris FD filter and L1 trend filter to decomposed output and unemployment into their trend and cyclical components. Furthermore, the linear and nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model together with the error correction model (ECM) are employed to obtain the short and long-run estimates. Overall, the empirical results revealed that the Okun’s coefficients magnitude differed over time; however, only a selected few were found to be statistically significant for the tested time periods. Using the ARDL model the study found that in the long-run a 1% increase in GDP for the 2001-2008 time period was associated with a 0.17% decline in unemployment. While a 1% increase in unemployment in the long-run resulted in 0.78% decline in GDP. Meanwhile, in the short-run, the study confirmed that a 1% increase in GDP is associated with 0.21%-0.69% decline in unemployment. While a 1% increase in unemployment resulted in a 0.10%-0.14% decline in GDP. These findings reveal that measures aimed at boosting economic growth will have a bigger impact in reducing unemployment levels. Furthermore, these findings reiterate the need for effective policies to reduce the gradually increasing unemployment rate and improving growth levels.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Mavikela, Nomahlubi
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Labor market -- South Africa , South Africa -- Economic conditions Unemployment -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/41559 , vital:36512
- Description: The challenge of high unemployment rates coupled with sluggish growth rates is an important issue in developing economies. The presence of high unemployment rates implies the lack of utilisation of labour resources efficiently. Hence, it being of grave importance for government to prioritise as a major macroeconomic goal the attainment of full employment due to its ability of maximising output. Okun’s law is a well-known relationship postulating an inverse relationship between unemployment and output, implying that an increase in unemployment would be associated with a decline in output and vice versa. Since the pioneer work of Okun (1962), a large volume of empirical studies have been conducted looking at the relationship between economic growth and the rate of unemployment. However, their findings are varied due to differences in the model specification, choice of variables used, econometric models and time periods. The main objective of this dissertation is to test the validity of Okun’s law in South Africa using quarterly data for the period 1994-2016. The importance of determining the effect of the association will inform policy decisions. A variety of detrending methods are utilised such as the Hodrick-Prescott filter, Corbae Ouliaris FD filter and L1 trend filter to decomposed output and unemployment into their trend and cyclical components. Furthermore, the linear and nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model together with the error correction model (ECM) are employed to obtain the short and long-run estimates. Overall, the empirical results revealed that the Okun’s coefficients magnitude differed over time; however, only a selected few were found to be statistically significant for the tested time periods. Using the ARDL model the study found that in the long-run a 1% increase in GDP for the 2001-2008 time period was associated with a 0.17% decline in unemployment. While a 1% increase in unemployment in the long-run resulted in 0.78% decline in GDP. Meanwhile, in the short-run, the study confirmed that a 1% increase in GDP is associated with 0.21%-0.69% decline in unemployment. While a 1% increase in unemployment resulted in a 0.10%-0.14% decline in GDP. These findings reveal that measures aimed at boosting economic growth will have a bigger impact in reducing unemployment levels. Furthermore, these findings reiterate the need for effective policies to reduce the gradually increasing unemployment rate and improving growth levels.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
The aesthetic manifestations of nothingness in contemporary visual arts practice
- Authors: Munnick, Robyn Therése
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Art -- Research
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/41625 , vital:36546
- Description: The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the notion of nothingness and how it [nothingness] is the conceptual and theoretical foundation for my practice. Furthermore, within this study I explicate how my art uses my mother’s battle with cancer and the subsequent void it created in me as source material for the artistic expression of nothingness. The diagnosis which followed by a physical and emotional absence of the matriarch of my family, led to an emotional trauma that triggered a feeling of nothingness within me. The overarching problem in the study is therefore how this nothingness could be expressed in my art. Nothingness, as a product of expectation, is a notion which refers to where something used to be, should be or is not anymore, and attempts to grasp what is there by not being there. In attempting to express nothingness, the research aimed to build on an exploration of the various materials and modes utilized in order to underpin the research objectives. The primary mode of delivery for my art-making process is painting. However, through strengthening the messages and meaning of the hypothesis of nothingness within my art and research, the use of further modes and materials became pivotal. This involved the use of unconventional contrasting modes within painting such as the cloth doily, thread, tubing, ceramics, food colour, spray paint, PVA, plaster, wooden boxes and fragments thereof. These materials and modes were vital in visualising and aestheticising the conceptual underpinnings of the research. As a result, this strengthened and emancipated my art from the traditional bounds of pure painting. Methods of data gathering took the form of artefacts, document analysis and field notes in the form of photographic journaling. Ultimately my body of work and research validates that the idea of nothingness can be artistically explored.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Munnick, Robyn Therése
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Art -- Research
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/41625 , vital:36546
- Description: The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the notion of nothingness and how it [nothingness] is the conceptual and theoretical foundation for my practice. Furthermore, within this study I explicate how my art uses my mother’s battle with cancer and the subsequent void it created in me as source material for the artistic expression of nothingness. The diagnosis which followed by a physical and emotional absence of the matriarch of my family, led to an emotional trauma that triggered a feeling of nothingness within me. The overarching problem in the study is therefore how this nothingness could be expressed in my art. Nothingness, as a product of expectation, is a notion which refers to where something used to be, should be or is not anymore, and attempts to grasp what is there by not being there. In attempting to express nothingness, the research aimed to build on an exploration of the various materials and modes utilized in order to underpin the research objectives. The primary mode of delivery for my art-making process is painting. However, through strengthening the messages and meaning of the hypothesis of nothingness within my art and research, the use of further modes and materials became pivotal. This involved the use of unconventional contrasting modes within painting such as the cloth doily, thread, tubing, ceramics, food colour, spray paint, PVA, plaster, wooden boxes and fragments thereof. These materials and modes were vital in visualising and aestheticising the conceptual underpinnings of the research. As a result, this strengthened and emancipated my art from the traditional bounds of pure painting. Methods of data gathering took the form of artefacts, document analysis and field notes in the form of photographic journaling. Ultimately my body of work and research validates that the idea of nothingness can be artistically explored.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
The aesthetic manifestations of nothingness in contemporary visual arts practice
- Authors: Munnick, Robyn Therése
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Art, Modern -- 21st century , Aesthetics , Visual perception , Art -- Philosophy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/41636 , vital:36550
- Description: The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the notion of nothingness and how it [nothingness] is the conceptual and theoretical foundation for my practice. Furthermore, within this study I explicate how my art uses my mother’s battle with cancer and the subsequent void it created in me as source material for the artistic expression of nothingness. The diagnosis which followed by a physical and emotional absence of the matriarch of my family, led to an emotional trauma that triggered a feeling of nothingness within me. The overarching problem in the study is therefore how this nothingness could be expressed in my art. Nothingness, as a product of expectation, is a notion which refers to where something used to be, should be or is not anymore, and attempts to grasp what is there by not being there. In attempting to express nothingness, the research aimed to build on an exploration of the various materials and modes utilized in order to underpin the research objectives. The primary mode of delivery for my art-making process is painting. However, through strengthening the messages and meaning of the hypothesis of nothingness within my art and research, the use of further modes and materials became pivotal. This involved the use of unconventional contrasting modes within painting such as the cloth doily, thread, tubing, ceramics, food colour, spray paint, PVA, plaster, wooden boxes and fragments thereof. These materials and modes were vital in visualising and aestheticising the conceptual underpinnings of the research. As a result, this strengthened and emancipated my art from the traditional bounds of pure painting. Methods of data gathering took the form of artefacts, document analysis and field notes in the form of photographic journaling. Ultimately my body of work and research validates that the idea of nothingness can be artistically explored.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Munnick, Robyn Therése
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Art, Modern -- 21st century , Aesthetics , Visual perception , Art -- Philosophy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/41636 , vital:36550
- Description: The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the notion of nothingness and how it [nothingness] is the conceptual and theoretical foundation for my practice. Furthermore, within this study I explicate how my art uses my mother’s battle with cancer and the subsequent void it created in me as source material for the artistic expression of nothingness. The diagnosis which followed by a physical and emotional absence of the matriarch of my family, led to an emotional trauma that triggered a feeling of nothingness within me. The overarching problem in the study is therefore how this nothingness could be expressed in my art. Nothingness, as a product of expectation, is a notion which refers to where something used to be, should be or is not anymore, and attempts to grasp what is there by not being there. In attempting to express nothingness, the research aimed to build on an exploration of the various materials and modes utilized in order to underpin the research objectives. The primary mode of delivery for my art-making process is painting. However, through strengthening the messages and meaning of the hypothesis of nothingness within my art and research, the use of further modes and materials became pivotal. This involved the use of unconventional contrasting modes within painting such as the cloth doily, thread, tubing, ceramics, food colour, spray paint, PVA, plaster, wooden boxes and fragments thereof. These materials and modes were vital in visualising and aestheticising the conceptual underpinnings of the research. As a result, this strengthened and emancipated my art from the traditional bounds of pure painting. Methods of data gathering took the form of artefacts, document analysis and field notes in the form of photographic journaling. Ultimately my body of work and research validates that the idea of nothingness can be artistically explored.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
The Afropolitan flâneur: literary representations of the city and contemporary urban identities in selected African and transnational texts
- Authors: Leff, Carol Willa
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: City and town life in literature , African literature (English) -- History and criticism , Flaneurs in literature
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/115082 , vital:34076
- Description: When an individual walks the urban landscape there is a unique symbiosis between self and city. It is through walking the cityscape and observing the crowd and the surrounding environment that the archetypal literary figure of the European flâneur acts as a mirror of a particular time and space. But how might such a flâneur walk and observe the city in contemporary African and transnational literary texts? I argue that there is a literary re-imagining and repurposing of the flâneur figure which has hitherto not been acknowledged and explored: an Afropolitan flâneur. ‘Afropolitan’ is a term popularised by Taiye Selasi in a 2005 essay to refer to a ‘scattered tribe’ of ‘Africans of the world’ (n. pag.). In this dissertation, the entanglement of the Afropolitan subject and the European flâneur brings together past and present, Africa and the West. I first provide a historical and theoretical framework to illustrate how the flâneur figure ‘migrated’ from Europe to Africa, and how this figure is to be understood as a literary construct, in relation to current considerations of Afropolitanism. I go on to discuss a wide range of texts that engage with Afropolitan flâneurs who traverse cities in Africa (such as Johannesburg, Cape Town and Lagos), or global north cities (New York, Paris and London). While some of the Afropolitan flâneurs depicted in these texts are migrants or homeless individuals who struggle to adapt easily to a new environment, others, despite being more privileged, also sometimes experience uncomfortable assimilation in their new or strange city space. There are also those who seem to feel equally at home wherever they find themselves. As these Afropolitan flâneurs walk their way through the urban landscape in the texts under examination, they reflect different ways of being in the city. By problematising the binaries of local/global, national/transnational, black/white, slum/paradise, this dissertation seeks to address issues of belonging or not belonging and gestures towards new ways of understanding what it means to be an African in the world.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Leff, Carol Willa
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: City and town life in literature , African literature (English) -- History and criticism , Flaneurs in literature
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/115082 , vital:34076
- Description: When an individual walks the urban landscape there is a unique symbiosis between self and city. It is through walking the cityscape and observing the crowd and the surrounding environment that the archetypal literary figure of the European flâneur acts as a mirror of a particular time and space. But how might such a flâneur walk and observe the city in contemporary African and transnational literary texts? I argue that there is a literary re-imagining and repurposing of the flâneur figure which has hitherto not been acknowledged and explored: an Afropolitan flâneur. ‘Afropolitan’ is a term popularised by Taiye Selasi in a 2005 essay to refer to a ‘scattered tribe’ of ‘Africans of the world’ (n. pag.). In this dissertation, the entanglement of the Afropolitan subject and the European flâneur brings together past and present, Africa and the West. I first provide a historical and theoretical framework to illustrate how the flâneur figure ‘migrated’ from Europe to Africa, and how this figure is to be understood as a literary construct, in relation to current considerations of Afropolitanism. I go on to discuss a wide range of texts that engage with Afropolitan flâneurs who traverse cities in Africa (such as Johannesburg, Cape Town and Lagos), or global north cities (New York, Paris and London). While some of the Afropolitan flâneurs depicted in these texts are migrants or homeless individuals who struggle to adapt easily to a new environment, others, despite being more privileged, also sometimes experience uncomfortable assimilation in their new or strange city space. There are also those who seem to feel equally at home wherever they find themselves. As these Afropolitan flâneurs walk their way through the urban landscape in the texts under examination, they reflect different ways of being in the city. By problematising the binaries of local/global, national/transnational, black/white, slum/paradise, this dissertation seeks to address issues of belonging or not belonging and gestures towards new ways of understanding what it means to be an African in the world.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
The aggressive behaviour among student athletes in collision, contact and noncontact sport
- Authors: Nkqoli , Likhona
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Sports -- Psychological aspects Aggressiveness
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Health.Sci.(Human Movement Science)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/16758 , vital:40771
- Description: Aggressive behaviour among student athletes is often expressed dramatically in both males and females participating in sports. This expression of aggression may have a negative effect on their game during play as well as their psychological well-being. Being either verbally aggressive or physically aggressive during sports has social, economic and psychological consequences, which include changes in character. However, very few international studies and no South African study could be found during a literature search that addressed group differences in the life- and sport aggression among student athletes in contact, non-contact, and collision sports, and gender groups, particularly among varsity sport athletes. Consequently, the aim of this study was to investigate the differences between life- and sport aggression among student athletes in five different sports codes, categorised as collision sport (rugby), contact sport (soccer), and non-contact sports (cricket, netball, basketball), as well as gender differences at a rural university in the Eastern Cape Province, South Afric
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Nkqoli , Likhona
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Sports -- Psychological aspects Aggressiveness
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Health.Sci.(Human Movement Science)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/16758 , vital:40771
- Description: Aggressive behaviour among student athletes is often expressed dramatically in both males and females participating in sports. This expression of aggression may have a negative effect on their game during play as well as their psychological well-being. Being either verbally aggressive or physically aggressive during sports has social, economic and psychological consequences, which include changes in character. However, very few international studies and no South African study could be found during a literature search that addressed group differences in the life- and sport aggression among student athletes in contact, non-contact, and collision sports, and gender groups, particularly among varsity sport athletes. Consequently, the aim of this study was to investigate the differences between life- and sport aggression among student athletes in five different sports codes, categorised as collision sport (rugby), contact sport (soccer), and non-contact sports (cricket, netball, basketball), as well as gender differences at a rural university in the Eastern Cape Province, South Afric
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
The analysis of industrial attachment assessment procedures for industrial clothing design and construction: implications for a vertically and horizontally integrated curriculum in the polytechnic colleges in zimbabwe
- Authors: Rumbidzayi, Masina
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Interdisciplinary approach in education -- Zimbabwe Vocational education -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Education)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/11363 , vital:39065
- Description: Industrial Attachment (IA) curriculum component of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) provides students with work-based learning and experiences in the real world of work. IA practices are best achieved through assessment which aims at reviewing at every stage how the student is performing against intended learning outcomes. This study was therefore undertaken to analyse the IA assessment procedures for Industrial Clothing Design and Construction (ICDC) used in Polytechnic Colleges in Zimbabwe. The study was guided by the Constructive Alignment Theory (CAT), and premised in the interpretivist research paradigm. Purposively sampled sites and participants were used. Two Polytechnic Colleges and three Host Industries were selected as research sites. Individual interviews with lecturers and Focus Group Discussions made up of ICDC students were the major data collection instruments, supported by document reviews. The unit of analysis also consisted of policy makers, external assessors and supervisors. Data were analysed using thematic data analysis technique. The study revealed that there are no clearly defined policies on IA and IA assessment as a result the administration of IA and IA assessment is considered as inadequate, haphazard and unsystematic. Due to what is perceived essentially as lack of effective collaboration between the colleges and the Host Industries, students’ assessment is negatively impacted. Consequently, IA assessment is perceived as useless by students because it does not equip them with more effective practical competencies such as content, knowledge and skills needed for effective assessment. This study therefore suggests a more vertically and horizontally integrated approach for the Colleges and their Host Industries.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Rumbidzayi, Masina
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Interdisciplinary approach in education -- Zimbabwe Vocational education -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Education)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/11363 , vital:39065
- Description: Industrial Attachment (IA) curriculum component of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) provides students with work-based learning and experiences in the real world of work. IA practices are best achieved through assessment which aims at reviewing at every stage how the student is performing against intended learning outcomes. This study was therefore undertaken to analyse the IA assessment procedures for Industrial Clothing Design and Construction (ICDC) used in Polytechnic Colleges in Zimbabwe. The study was guided by the Constructive Alignment Theory (CAT), and premised in the interpretivist research paradigm. Purposively sampled sites and participants were used. Two Polytechnic Colleges and three Host Industries were selected as research sites. Individual interviews with lecturers and Focus Group Discussions made up of ICDC students were the major data collection instruments, supported by document reviews. The unit of analysis also consisted of policy makers, external assessors and supervisors. Data were analysed using thematic data analysis technique. The study revealed that there are no clearly defined policies on IA and IA assessment as a result the administration of IA and IA assessment is considered as inadequate, haphazard and unsystematic. Due to what is perceived essentially as lack of effective collaboration between the colleges and the Host Industries, students’ assessment is negatively impacted. Consequently, IA assessment is perceived as useless by students because it does not equip them with more effective practical competencies such as content, knowledge and skills needed for effective assessment. This study therefore suggests a more vertically and horizontally integrated approach for the Colleges and their Host Industries.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
The anti-inflammatory effects of Sutherlandia Frutescens in a cell and animal model
- Authors: Fortuin-Seedat, Maleeha
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Medicinal Plant -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44617 , vital:38167
- Description: The South African medicinal plant, Sutherlandia frutescens has anti-diabetic, antiinflammatory and antioxidant properties. Many of the mediators of inflammation are also involved in obesity and diabetes. Furthermore, T2D can either induce inflammation, or exacerbate the inflammatory response by maintaining imbalances between pro-and anti-inflammatory mediators. Two macrophage sub-populations involved in the regulation of immune responses have been defined. These are classically activated macrophages (M1) which stimulate inflammation, and alternatively activated macrophages (M2), which show anti-inflammatory activity. Therefore it is hypothesised that S. frutescens can potentially regulate macrophage polarization states which, in turn, influence metabolic immunomodulatory processes. The aims of this study were firstly to identify the mechanisms(s) by which S. frutescens could improve the low-grade inflammatory status in obese and T2D individuals using a transgenic mouse model of obesity, and secondly to determine the immunomodulating properties of S. frutescens in the human monocytic THP-1 cell line. Groups of nine week old male db/db mice were gavaged daily with water (vehicle control), Vildagliptin (10mL kg-1)(positive medication control) or hot aqueous S. frutescens extract at concentrations of 5mg, 50mg, 250mg kg-1 for 4 weeks. Body weight and fasting plasma glucose levels were determined weekly. The potential for hot aqueous S. frutescens extract to lower postprandial hyperglycaemia and promote insulin sensitivity was determined by an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) after a 16 hour fast, and an insulin radioimmunoassay (RIA) after a 4 hour fast before termination. After 4 weeks of hot aqueous S. frutescens treatment the total percentage body weight of 13 week old db/db mice was reduced, but hyperglycaemia was not prevented. Human THP-1 monocytes were stimulated to differentiate into macrophages with phorbol-12myristate-13acetate (PMA) and cultured under pro-inflammatory conditions (M1) or anti-inflammatory conditions (M2). Cell viability and anti-proliferative effects of LPS and S. frutescens extracts were determined. The effect of hot aqueous and ethanolic S. frutescens extracts on M1 and M2 macrophage cell surface markers was investigated by flow cytometry using CD86 (M1) and CD206 (M2). The effect of the S. frutescens extracts on three signalling pathways and a pro-inflammatory mediator activated in an LPS-induced inflammatory response were determined using Western blotting. Changes in mRNA gene expression levels of downstream transcription factors, cytokines and chemokines associated with M1 and M2 polarised macrophages were investigated using qRT-PCR. Both ethanolic and hot aqueous S. frutescens extracts reduced cytotoxicity caused by LPS. S. frutescens extracts alone did not alter cell viability. Furthermore, both hot and ethanolic S. frutescens extracts reduced expression of the M1 marker CD86 and nonsignificantly induced expression of an M2 marker CD206, following LPS stimulation. Following M2 induction, the M1 and M2 cell surface markers were reverted to baseline M0 macrophage expression by both S. frutescens extracts. The S. frutescens extracts mediated immune-regulatory activity through suppression of the pro-inflammatory p38 MAPK and NFκB signalling pathways and regulated apoptosis through the ERK1/2 pathway. The hot aqueous S. frutescens extract exerted anti-inflammatory effects through the IKK pathway and/ or GSK3β signalling pathway. This thesis demonstrates that S. frutescens promotes macrophage homeostasis by maintaining the balance between M1 and M2 macrophages during pro-and antiinflammatory immune responses. The regulation may occur during the activation and polarization process, via rapid deactivation of M1 macrophages and a decrease in need for macrophages to switch to an M2 phenotype. Furthermore S. frutescens is hypothesised to play a role in the regulation of the GSK3β signalling which plays a central role in regulating inflammation associated with pathophysiological conditions such as IR, T2D and obesity via the PI3K/Akt pathway.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Fortuin-Seedat, Maleeha
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Medicinal Plant -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44617 , vital:38167
- Description: The South African medicinal plant, Sutherlandia frutescens has anti-diabetic, antiinflammatory and antioxidant properties. Many of the mediators of inflammation are also involved in obesity and diabetes. Furthermore, T2D can either induce inflammation, or exacerbate the inflammatory response by maintaining imbalances between pro-and anti-inflammatory mediators. Two macrophage sub-populations involved in the regulation of immune responses have been defined. These are classically activated macrophages (M1) which stimulate inflammation, and alternatively activated macrophages (M2), which show anti-inflammatory activity. Therefore it is hypothesised that S. frutescens can potentially regulate macrophage polarization states which, in turn, influence metabolic immunomodulatory processes. The aims of this study were firstly to identify the mechanisms(s) by which S. frutescens could improve the low-grade inflammatory status in obese and T2D individuals using a transgenic mouse model of obesity, and secondly to determine the immunomodulating properties of S. frutescens in the human monocytic THP-1 cell line. Groups of nine week old male db/db mice were gavaged daily with water (vehicle control), Vildagliptin (10mL kg-1)(positive medication control) or hot aqueous S. frutescens extract at concentrations of 5mg, 50mg, 250mg kg-1 for 4 weeks. Body weight and fasting plasma glucose levels were determined weekly. The potential for hot aqueous S. frutescens extract to lower postprandial hyperglycaemia and promote insulin sensitivity was determined by an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) after a 16 hour fast, and an insulin radioimmunoassay (RIA) after a 4 hour fast before termination. After 4 weeks of hot aqueous S. frutescens treatment the total percentage body weight of 13 week old db/db mice was reduced, but hyperglycaemia was not prevented. Human THP-1 monocytes were stimulated to differentiate into macrophages with phorbol-12myristate-13acetate (PMA) and cultured under pro-inflammatory conditions (M1) or anti-inflammatory conditions (M2). Cell viability and anti-proliferative effects of LPS and S. frutescens extracts were determined. The effect of hot aqueous and ethanolic S. frutescens extracts on M1 and M2 macrophage cell surface markers was investigated by flow cytometry using CD86 (M1) and CD206 (M2). The effect of the S. frutescens extracts on three signalling pathways and a pro-inflammatory mediator activated in an LPS-induced inflammatory response were determined using Western blotting. Changes in mRNA gene expression levels of downstream transcription factors, cytokines and chemokines associated with M1 and M2 polarised macrophages were investigated using qRT-PCR. Both ethanolic and hot aqueous S. frutescens extracts reduced cytotoxicity caused by LPS. S. frutescens extracts alone did not alter cell viability. Furthermore, both hot and ethanolic S. frutescens extracts reduced expression of the M1 marker CD86 and nonsignificantly induced expression of an M2 marker CD206, following LPS stimulation. Following M2 induction, the M1 and M2 cell surface markers were reverted to baseline M0 macrophage expression by both S. frutescens extracts. The S. frutescens extracts mediated immune-regulatory activity through suppression of the pro-inflammatory p38 MAPK and NFκB signalling pathways and regulated apoptosis through the ERK1/2 pathway. The hot aqueous S. frutescens extract exerted anti-inflammatory effects through the IKK pathway and/ or GSK3β signalling pathway. This thesis demonstrates that S. frutescens promotes macrophage homeostasis by maintaining the balance between M1 and M2 macrophages during pro-and antiinflammatory immune responses. The regulation may occur during the activation and polarization process, via rapid deactivation of M1 macrophages and a decrease in need for macrophages to switch to an M2 phenotype. Furthermore S. frutescens is hypothesised to play a role in the regulation of the GSK3β signalling which plays a central role in regulating inflammation associated with pathophysiological conditions such as IR, T2D and obesity via the PI3K/Akt pathway.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
The anti-proliferative activity of drimia altissima and a novel isolated flavonoid glycoside against hela cervical cancer cells
- Authors: Nyambe, Mutenta Nsokolo
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Cancer -- Research , Cervix uteri -- Cancer , Cervix uteri -- Cancer -- Diagnosis -- Developing countries
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/42770 , vital:36690
- Description: Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. About 44% of all cancer morbidity and 53% of all cancer mortality occur in countries with a low to medium Human Development Index (HDI). Thus, cancer is rapidly emerging as a serious threat to public health in Africa and most especially, sub-Saharan Africa. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) projects that there will be 1.28 million new cancer cases and 970 000 cancer deaths in Africa by the year 2030 owing to the increase in economic development associated lifestyles. The dominant types of cancer in Africa are those related to infectious diseases such as Kaposi’s sarcoma and cervical, hepatic and urinary bladder carcinomas. The main challenge to cancer treatment in Africa is the unavailability of efficacious anticancer drugs. This is because most developing countries can only afford to procure the most basic anticancer drugs, which are also frequently unavailable due to intermittent supplies. This results in patients progressing to more advanced cancer states. One way of combating this African problem is to focus on research that aims at discovering efficacious and cost effective cancer therapies from available natural resources within the African continent. This study investigated the potential anti-proliferative activity (against HeLa cervical cancer cells) of four plants (Adansonia digitata, Ceiba pentandra, Maytenus senegalensis and Drimia altissima) commonly used in the African traditional treatment of malignancies. After in vitro bio-assay screening using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, M. senegalensis root extract (MS-R) and D. altissima bulb extract (DA-B) showed anti-proliferative activity against HeLa cervical cancer cells with IC50 values of 25 μg/mL and 1.1 μg/mL respectively. By possessing the strongest anti-proliferative activity among the tested extracts, D. altissima was selected for further studies. Liquid-liquid partitioning of the Drimia altissima bulb extract with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol, yielded partitions 79a – d, with the n-butanol fraction, 79d, exhibiting the strongest cytotoxic activity (IC50 = 0.497 μg/mL). Through High Content Analysis (HCA) screening, fraction 79d was found to induce marked early mitotic cell cycle arrest. Fractionation of 79d using Diaion® HP-20 open column chromatography and a stepwise gradient of reducing polarity (water-methanol-ethanol-ethyl acetate) yielded cytotoxic fractions 82b, 82c, 82d and 82e, all with significant anti-proliferative activities at the tested concentrations of 0.1, 1.0 and 10 μg/mL. Bio-assay guided fractionation of 82c (the most effective fraction at the lowest tested concentration of 0.1 μg/mL) using Sephadex® LH-20 open column chromatography and 50% MeOH led to the isolation of compound 3.17. After structural elucidation using 1D and 2D Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR), High resolution Mass spectrometry (HRMS), Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV) and Circular Dichroism (CD), compound 3.17 was identified as a novel C-glucosylflavonoid-O-glucoside, 6-C-[-apio-α-D-furanosyl-(1→6)-β-glucopyranosyl]-4′, 5, 7-trihydroxyflavone (Altissimin, 3.17). Compound 3.17 exhibited a dose dependant anti-proliferative activity with an IC50 of 2.44 μM. The mechanism of action for compound 3.17 was investigated through cell cycle arrest, phosphatidylserine translocation (PS), caspase activation and mitochondrial membrane depolarization. The mechanism of cell death elicited by compound 3.17 in HeLa cells was found to involve the induction of M phase cell cycle arrest with consequent activation of apoptotic cell death which was evident from annexin V staining, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) collapse and the activation of caspases -8 and -3. In silico computational techniques were employed to virtually determine potential biological targets of compound 3.17. Target fishing using the Similarity Ensemble Approach (SEA) target prediction gave human aldose reductase (hAR, AKR1B1) the highest ranking with a p value of 2.85 x 10-24, a max Tc of 0.35 and a Z-score of 41.8217. Using AutoDock4 and the AutoDock tools suite (ADT), molecular docking of compound 3.17 in the hAR binding pocket was successfully achieved with a lower ΔG free energy binding (-9.4 kcal/mol) than that of positive control ligand 393 (-8.7 kcal/mol). In conclusion, this study identified the genus Drimia and particularly D. altissima as a potential source for novel cytotoxic compounds. The discovery of altissimin (3.17), the first flavonoid glycoside to be isolate from D. altissima, enquires into the possible existence of similar compounds within the species. In addition to the observed in vitro cytotoxic activity against HeLa cells, the potential of altissimin (3.17) as a hAR enzyme inhibitor opens up the possibility of its use as an adjunct to increase cancer cell sensitivity to chemotherapy. Thus, altissimin (3.17) shows promise as a potential anticancer agent.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Nyambe, Mutenta Nsokolo
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Cancer -- Research , Cervix uteri -- Cancer , Cervix uteri -- Cancer -- Diagnosis -- Developing countries
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/42770 , vital:36690
- Description: Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. About 44% of all cancer morbidity and 53% of all cancer mortality occur in countries with a low to medium Human Development Index (HDI). Thus, cancer is rapidly emerging as a serious threat to public health in Africa and most especially, sub-Saharan Africa. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) projects that there will be 1.28 million new cancer cases and 970 000 cancer deaths in Africa by the year 2030 owing to the increase in economic development associated lifestyles. The dominant types of cancer in Africa are those related to infectious diseases such as Kaposi’s sarcoma and cervical, hepatic and urinary bladder carcinomas. The main challenge to cancer treatment in Africa is the unavailability of efficacious anticancer drugs. This is because most developing countries can only afford to procure the most basic anticancer drugs, which are also frequently unavailable due to intermittent supplies. This results in patients progressing to more advanced cancer states. One way of combating this African problem is to focus on research that aims at discovering efficacious and cost effective cancer therapies from available natural resources within the African continent. This study investigated the potential anti-proliferative activity (against HeLa cervical cancer cells) of four plants (Adansonia digitata, Ceiba pentandra, Maytenus senegalensis and Drimia altissima) commonly used in the African traditional treatment of malignancies. After in vitro bio-assay screening using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, M. senegalensis root extract (MS-R) and D. altissima bulb extract (DA-B) showed anti-proliferative activity against HeLa cervical cancer cells with IC50 values of 25 μg/mL and 1.1 μg/mL respectively. By possessing the strongest anti-proliferative activity among the tested extracts, D. altissima was selected for further studies. Liquid-liquid partitioning of the Drimia altissima bulb extract with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol, yielded partitions 79a – d, with the n-butanol fraction, 79d, exhibiting the strongest cytotoxic activity (IC50 = 0.497 μg/mL). Through High Content Analysis (HCA) screening, fraction 79d was found to induce marked early mitotic cell cycle arrest. Fractionation of 79d using Diaion® HP-20 open column chromatography and a stepwise gradient of reducing polarity (water-methanol-ethanol-ethyl acetate) yielded cytotoxic fractions 82b, 82c, 82d and 82e, all with significant anti-proliferative activities at the tested concentrations of 0.1, 1.0 and 10 μg/mL. Bio-assay guided fractionation of 82c (the most effective fraction at the lowest tested concentration of 0.1 μg/mL) using Sephadex® LH-20 open column chromatography and 50% MeOH led to the isolation of compound 3.17. After structural elucidation using 1D and 2D Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR), High resolution Mass spectrometry (HRMS), Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV) and Circular Dichroism (CD), compound 3.17 was identified as a novel C-glucosylflavonoid-O-glucoside, 6-C-[-apio-α-D-furanosyl-(1→6)-β-glucopyranosyl]-4′, 5, 7-trihydroxyflavone (Altissimin, 3.17). Compound 3.17 exhibited a dose dependant anti-proliferative activity with an IC50 of 2.44 μM. The mechanism of action for compound 3.17 was investigated through cell cycle arrest, phosphatidylserine translocation (PS), caspase activation and mitochondrial membrane depolarization. The mechanism of cell death elicited by compound 3.17 in HeLa cells was found to involve the induction of M phase cell cycle arrest with consequent activation of apoptotic cell death which was evident from annexin V staining, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) collapse and the activation of caspases -8 and -3. In silico computational techniques were employed to virtually determine potential biological targets of compound 3.17. Target fishing using the Similarity Ensemble Approach (SEA) target prediction gave human aldose reductase (hAR, AKR1B1) the highest ranking with a p value of 2.85 x 10-24, a max Tc of 0.35 and a Z-score of 41.8217. Using AutoDock4 and the AutoDock tools suite (ADT), molecular docking of compound 3.17 in the hAR binding pocket was successfully achieved with a lower ΔG free energy binding (-9.4 kcal/mol) than that of positive control ligand 393 (-8.7 kcal/mol). In conclusion, this study identified the genus Drimia and particularly D. altissima as a potential source for novel cytotoxic compounds. The discovery of altissimin (3.17), the first flavonoid glycoside to be isolate from D. altissima, enquires into the possible existence of similar compounds within the species. In addition to the observed in vitro cytotoxic activity against HeLa cells, the potential of altissimin (3.17) as a hAR enzyme inhibitor opens up the possibility of its use as an adjunct to increase cancer cell sensitivity to chemotherapy. Thus, altissimin (3.17) shows promise as a potential anticancer agent.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
The application of ecotoxicity and activity system analysis of salt management to water resource protection and use sector-specific guidelines for agriculture, mining and municipal wastewater
- Mensah, Paul K, Mgaba, Ntombekhaya
- Authors: Mensah, Paul K , Mgaba, Ntombekhaya
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , report
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/437745 , vital:73406 , ISBN 978-0-6392-0052-1 , https://wrcwebsite.azurewebsites.net/wp-content/uploads/mdocs/2462final.pdf
- Description: Freshwater salinisation in South Africa is on an increasing trajectory with elevated levels of sulphate, sodium and chloride ions in many of the country’s rivers, causing increased electrical conductivity and changes in ion composition. The problem of freshwater salinisation is intractable and desalinisation, though an effective treatment technique, it is expensive in terms of cost and energy consumption. Therefore, preventative or precautionary management options through the applica-tion of appropriate workable and innovative researched methods are not only desirable but also necessary. Again, there is a call for a new paradigm in water research in South Africa whereby science and social science methods are effectively combined to ensure proper manage-ment of water resources. The notion of combining the know-how of sci-ence and technology with knowledge from all stakeholders is one of the surest ways of managing the threat of freshwater salinisation. In this regard, this project investigated ways of effectively managing salinity risk to water resources by combining traditional science methods with those of social sciences in order to develop water quality guidelines (WQGs) and management practices for salinity. The project combined ecotoxicological and Cultural History Activity Theory (CHAT) research techniques in the light of new trends in water research.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Mensah, Paul K , Mgaba, Ntombekhaya
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , report
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/437745 , vital:73406 , ISBN 978-0-6392-0052-1 , https://wrcwebsite.azurewebsites.net/wp-content/uploads/mdocs/2462final.pdf
- Description: Freshwater salinisation in South Africa is on an increasing trajectory with elevated levels of sulphate, sodium and chloride ions in many of the country’s rivers, causing increased electrical conductivity and changes in ion composition. The problem of freshwater salinisation is intractable and desalinisation, though an effective treatment technique, it is expensive in terms of cost and energy consumption. Therefore, preventative or precautionary management options through the applica-tion of appropriate workable and innovative researched methods are not only desirable but also necessary. Again, there is a call for a new paradigm in water research in South Africa whereby science and social science methods are effectively combined to ensure proper manage-ment of water resources. The notion of combining the know-how of sci-ence and technology with knowledge from all stakeholders is one of the surest ways of managing the threat of freshwater salinisation. In this regard, this project investigated ways of effectively managing salinity risk to water resources by combining traditional science methods with those of social sciences in order to develop water quality guidelines (WQGs) and management practices for salinity. The project combined ecotoxicological and Cultural History Activity Theory (CHAT) research techniques in the light of new trends in water research.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
The application of the law of evidence in disciplinary proceedings and proceedings before the CCMA and bargaining councils
- Jacobs, Clint Eveleigh, Thesis Advisor
- Authors: Jacobs, Clint Eveleigh , Thesis Advisor
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Evidence (Law) -- South Africa , South Africa -- Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration Mediation and conciliation, Industrial -- South Africa Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa Collective bargaining -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40095 , vital:35754
- Description: Humanity has since time immemorial tried to arrange and structure its societies and communities. It follows that most, if not all societies’ function within a body of rules. Governments put laws in place to ensure that order is maintained and they are developed over time and implemented as the needs of a particular society evolve. Law may be divided into substantive law and procedural law. The law of evidence forms an integral part of procedural law and consists of a compilation of legal rules that have been used by courts and other forums in order to ensure that consistent and fair processes are followed and standards maintained in courts when facts are to be determined.2 It sets out the framework for how the evidence of witnesses must be dealt with and also sets out how it should be interpreted. Furthermore, it prescribes the assessment and evaluation of evidentiary material. It is imperative that rules of evidence be in place in order to protect the integrity of the proceedings and to prevent unfairness. The law of evidence thus forms an integral part of the law of procedure. Although South African common law is Roman-Dutch Law, the South African law of evidence has originally been incorporated into South African law from English law and has been developed over the years through legislation and court judgments.3 The law of evidence is applicable to both civil and criminal proceedings. In fact, rules of evidence come into play in virtually all courts, tribunals and forums where the objective is to resolve some or other legal dispute. This treatise focuses on aspects relating to the rules of evidence, with specific reference to hearsay evidence, unconstitutionally obtained evidence, polygraph testing by employers, searches and seizures in the workplace and entrapment in the workplace.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Jacobs, Clint Eveleigh , Thesis Advisor
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Evidence (Law) -- South Africa , South Africa -- Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration Mediation and conciliation, Industrial -- South Africa Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa Collective bargaining -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40095 , vital:35754
- Description: Humanity has since time immemorial tried to arrange and structure its societies and communities. It follows that most, if not all societies’ function within a body of rules. Governments put laws in place to ensure that order is maintained and they are developed over time and implemented as the needs of a particular society evolve. Law may be divided into substantive law and procedural law. The law of evidence forms an integral part of procedural law and consists of a compilation of legal rules that have been used by courts and other forums in order to ensure that consistent and fair processes are followed and standards maintained in courts when facts are to be determined.2 It sets out the framework for how the evidence of witnesses must be dealt with and also sets out how it should be interpreted. Furthermore, it prescribes the assessment and evaluation of evidentiary material. It is imperative that rules of evidence be in place in order to protect the integrity of the proceedings and to prevent unfairness. The law of evidence thus forms an integral part of the law of procedure. Although South African common law is Roman-Dutch Law, the South African law of evidence has originally been incorporated into South African law from English law and has been developed over the years through legislation and court judgments.3 The law of evidence is applicable to both civil and criminal proceedings. In fact, rules of evidence come into play in virtually all courts, tribunals and forums where the objective is to resolve some or other legal dispute. This treatise focuses on aspects relating to the rules of evidence, with specific reference to hearsay evidence, unconstitutionally obtained evidence, polygraph testing by employers, searches and seizures in the workplace and entrapment in the workplace.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
The Art of Life in South Africa by Daniel Magaziner: a review
- Authors: Ijisakin, Eyitayo Tolulope
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/146101 , vital:38495 , https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/702008
- Description: In The Art of Life in South Africa, Daniel Magaziner examines the history of art education under apartheid in South Africa. The book focuses on Ndaleni, an art school for black South Africans, and considers the travails and triumphs of its artists and their teachers under white supremacy. At Ndaleni, students and teachers were bound together in learning “the art of life”; due to lack of funds, they improvised materials for artistic production. While the school existed, between the 1950s and 1980s, about 1,000 students graduated; about 2,000 could not be admitted due to constraints of space. This shows how Ndaleni appealed to many black South Africans as one of the few places they could develop their art. According to the Bantu Education Act of 1953 (p. 3), the purpose of the school was to preserve white supremacy, the segregation between African and European education—what Oguibe (2004) refers to as “Play me the other.” The book is organized into seven chapters, with a prologue, an epilogue, and endnotes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Ijisakin, Eyitayo Tolulope
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/146101 , vital:38495 , https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/702008
- Description: In The Art of Life in South Africa, Daniel Magaziner examines the history of art education under apartheid in South Africa. The book focuses on Ndaleni, an art school for black South Africans, and considers the travails and triumphs of its artists and their teachers under white supremacy. At Ndaleni, students and teachers were bound together in learning “the art of life”; due to lack of funds, they improvised materials for artistic production. While the school existed, between the 1950s and 1980s, about 1,000 students graduated; about 2,000 could not be admitted due to constraints of space. This shows how Ndaleni appealed to many black South Africans as one of the few places they could develop their art. According to the Bantu Education Act of 1953 (p. 3), the purpose of the school was to preserve white supremacy, the segregation between African and European education—what Oguibe (2004) refers to as “Play me the other.” The book is organized into seven chapters, with a prologue, an epilogue, and endnotes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
The art of science: utilising artistic methods to assist in the learning of natural sciences and technology in the intermediate phase
- Authors: Deyzel, Jenilyn
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Science -- Study and teaching (Primary) -- South Africa , Science -- Study and teaching (Elementary) Educational toys
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/39502 , vital:35279
- Description: This explorative case-study investigates the educational opportunities associated with an Art-infused pedagogy, according to the perceptions of ten Natural Sciences and Technology (NST) teachers. To examine the possible learning benefits of incorporating artistic activities into the teaching of NST, an Educative Curriculum Material (ECM) was designed that focused on teacher learning and the application of skills in real-life educational practice (Krajcik & Delen, 2017). Results suggest that the ECM, known as the Art-education intervention, facilitated an understanding of the learning potential of an Art-based pedagogy, provided practical ways of applying artistic methods in the classroom and illustrated how Art and NST could be taught together. Thus, the ECM supported the participant’s pedagogical design capacity. As a qualitative and interpretive study, emphasis is placed on the unique perspective of each participant while addressing similarities between cases (Creswell & Poth, 2018). Pre-and post-intervention interviews were conducted, recorded and analysed. Data were gathered systematically through the use of semi-structured interview questions and a questionnaire that required participant involvement through drawing and critical reflection. The case-based themes generated through analysis of data, represent shared ideas raised by the participants themselves. Results suggest that an Art-infused pedagogy can provide children with the opportunity to develop observation and critical thinking capabilities, including the advancement of spatial reasoning skills, problem solving abilities and metacognition. The participants reported an increased level of engagement from the children in their respective classes, where ‘doing’ aided the learning process. Added to this, the use of artistic terminology and open-ended questioning facilitated vocabulary enhancement. Time and resource constraints were identified as potential concerns when implementing an Art-infused pedagogy, as was a teacher’s perception of his/her own artistic abilities. Previous artistic experience had little influence on a teacher’s ability to teach in an integrated manner, suggesting that with effective training, artistic activities could be utilised by any NST teacher to promote learning in NST.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Deyzel, Jenilyn
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Science -- Study and teaching (Primary) -- South Africa , Science -- Study and teaching (Elementary) Educational toys
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/39502 , vital:35279
- Description: This explorative case-study investigates the educational opportunities associated with an Art-infused pedagogy, according to the perceptions of ten Natural Sciences and Technology (NST) teachers. To examine the possible learning benefits of incorporating artistic activities into the teaching of NST, an Educative Curriculum Material (ECM) was designed that focused on teacher learning and the application of skills in real-life educational practice (Krajcik & Delen, 2017). Results suggest that the ECM, known as the Art-education intervention, facilitated an understanding of the learning potential of an Art-based pedagogy, provided practical ways of applying artistic methods in the classroom and illustrated how Art and NST could be taught together. Thus, the ECM supported the participant’s pedagogical design capacity. As a qualitative and interpretive study, emphasis is placed on the unique perspective of each participant while addressing similarities between cases (Creswell & Poth, 2018). Pre-and post-intervention interviews were conducted, recorded and analysed. Data were gathered systematically through the use of semi-structured interview questions and a questionnaire that required participant involvement through drawing and critical reflection. The case-based themes generated through analysis of data, represent shared ideas raised by the participants themselves. Results suggest that an Art-infused pedagogy can provide children with the opportunity to develop observation and critical thinking capabilities, including the advancement of spatial reasoning skills, problem solving abilities and metacognition. The participants reported an increased level of engagement from the children in their respective classes, where ‘doing’ aided the learning process. Added to this, the use of artistic terminology and open-ended questioning facilitated vocabulary enhancement. Time and resource constraints were identified as potential concerns when implementing an Art-infused pedagogy, as was a teacher’s perception of his/her own artistic abilities. Previous artistic experience had little influence on a teacher’s ability to teach in an integrated manner, suggesting that with effective training, artistic activities could be utilised by any NST teacher to promote learning in NST.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
The attitudes of riparian communities to the presence of water hyacinth in the Wouri River Basin, Douala, Cameroon
- Voukeng, Kenfack S N, Weyl, Philip S R, Hill, Martin P, Weyl, Philip, Chi, N
- Authors: Voukeng, Kenfack S N , Weyl, Philip S R , Hill, Martin P , Weyl, Philip , Chi, N
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/423822 , vital:72096 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.2989/16085914.2018.1538868"
- Description: Since publication of the first record of Eichhornia crassipes in Cameroon in 1997, the weed has become highly invasive in the Wouri River Basin. Between June and September 2014, a socio-economic survey using participatory and qualitative methods was undertaken in the riparian villages of the Wouri River Basin to assess the perception of respondents to the presence of water hyacinth. The survey revealed that water hyacinth was a significant threat to activities along the river, which included fishing, sand extraction and river transportation. The presence of water hyacinth mats reduced catch rates of several common fish species, river transportation by 75%, and significantly reduced the income for sand extraction. Cameroon employs manual clearing of water hyacinth; however, respondents indicated they would consider other control methods, provided they do not have any negative impacts.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Voukeng, Kenfack S N , Weyl, Philip S R , Hill, Martin P , Weyl, Philip , Chi, N
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/423822 , vital:72096 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.2989/16085914.2018.1538868"
- Description: Since publication of the first record of Eichhornia crassipes in Cameroon in 1997, the weed has become highly invasive in the Wouri River Basin. Between June and September 2014, a socio-economic survey using participatory and qualitative methods was undertaken in the riparian villages of the Wouri River Basin to assess the perception of respondents to the presence of water hyacinth. The survey revealed that water hyacinth was a significant threat to activities along the river, which included fishing, sand extraction and river transportation. The presence of water hyacinth mats reduced catch rates of several common fish species, river transportation by 75%, and significantly reduced the income for sand extraction. Cameroon employs manual clearing of water hyacinth; however, respondents indicated they would consider other control methods, provided they do not have any negative impacts.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
The availability of non-timber forest products under forest succession on abandoned fields along the Wild Coast, South Africa
- Njwaxu, Afrika, Shackleton, Charlie M
- Authors: Njwaxu, Afrika , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177565 , vital:42833 , https://doi.org/10.3390/f10121093
- Description: Large swathes of arable fields have been abandoned in many areas of the world over the last few decades driven by a multitude of local and broader-scale factors. Many former fields experience a change in vegetation composition and structure post-abandonment, typically through a process of plant succession. The changes in species and abundance mean that the nature and quantity of ecosystem services provided by the former fields also varies. We examined the types of provisioning services obtained from non-timber forest products (NTFPs) with increasing age since field abandonment. We sampled 43 former fields ranging in age since abandonment from approximately 7 to 55 years, and seven plots in intact forests. We held seven focus group discussions with local residents to determine uses of species found in the former fields.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Njwaxu, Afrika , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177565 , vital:42833 , https://doi.org/10.3390/f10121093
- Description: Large swathes of arable fields have been abandoned in many areas of the world over the last few decades driven by a multitude of local and broader-scale factors. Many former fields experience a change in vegetation composition and structure post-abandonment, typically through a process of plant succession. The changes in species and abundance mean that the nature and quantity of ecosystem services provided by the former fields also varies. We examined the types of provisioning services obtained from non-timber forest products (NTFPs) with increasing age since field abandonment. We sampled 43 former fields ranging in age since abandonment from approximately 7 to 55 years, and seven plots in intact forests. We held seven focus group discussions with local residents to determine uses of species found in the former fields.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
The barriers experienced by South African businesswomen in corporate executive leadership
- Authors: Magxwalisa, Sithisa
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Women executives -- South Africa , Executives -- South Africa Leadership -- Women -- South Africa Leadership -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40779 , vital:36236
- Description: This study explored the barriers experienced by women holding executive positions in the corporate environment. Over the years there has been a rise in women entering executive leadership positions of corporate organisations. However, the existence of research in this area is minimal, particularly with regard to the barriers that exist for women in executive positions. Past research has focused mainly on the barriers that thwart the career advancement of women in the corporate sector. This study is presented as a multiple case study that incorporates a combination of investigative and descriptive approaches used to describe the experiences of South African women executives in the corporate sector. These case participants were selected and analytically filtered using non-probability, purposive sampling. Data in the form of primary and secondary data was collected and analysed using document study and thematic document analysis of relevant sources that have been published. The findings of this study are not generalizable as they are limited to the subjective experiences of the selected case participants. For the purpose of this study, these case participants experiences were categorised into psychosocial- and organisational-related barriers to women executives in corporate. Being the first of its nature, this study is specifically based on the experiences of South African women executives in the corporate sector as opposed to barriers to the career advancement of women and the “glass ceiling” hypothesis. The barriers identified in this study are based on the experiences of the selected case participants and include work-life balance and work-life role conflict, the underrepresentation and isolation of women in executive leadership, gender prejudice and discrimination, and institutional bias against women executives in the workplace. The concluding remarks in this study suggests that the experience of barriers for women in the workplace continue to exist beyond the glass ceiling. According to the case participants consulted in this study, gender barriers are not limited to women seeking opportunities for career advancement. However, recommendations that respond to these barriers have been provided and include advocating against gender discrimination in the workplace, educating people on gender-related issues as well as implementing government-provided policies in organisations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Magxwalisa, Sithisa
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Women executives -- South Africa , Executives -- South Africa Leadership -- Women -- South Africa Leadership -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40779 , vital:36236
- Description: This study explored the barriers experienced by women holding executive positions in the corporate environment. Over the years there has been a rise in women entering executive leadership positions of corporate organisations. However, the existence of research in this area is minimal, particularly with regard to the barriers that exist for women in executive positions. Past research has focused mainly on the barriers that thwart the career advancement of women in the corporate sector. This study is presented as a multiple case study that incorporates a combination of investigative and descriptive approaches used to describe the experiences of South African women executives in the corporate sector. These case participants were selected and analytically filtered using non-probability, purposive sampling. Data in the form of primary and secondary data was collected and analysed using document study and thematic document analysis of relevant sources that have been published. The findings of this study are not generalizable as they are limited to the subjective experiences of the selected case participants. For the purpose of this study, these case participants experiences were categorised into psychosocial- and organisational-related barriers to women executives in corporate. Being the first of its nature, this study is specifically based on the experiences of South African women executives in the corporate sector as opposed to barriers to the career advancement of women and the “glass ceiling” hypothesis. The barriers identified in this study are based on the experiences of the selected case participants and include work-life balance and work-life role conflict, the underrepresentation and isolation of women in executive leadership, gender prejudice and discrimination, and institutional bias against women executives in the workplace. The concluding remarks in this study suggests that the experience of barriers for women in the workplace continue to exist beyond the glass ceiling. According to the case participants consulted in this study, gender barriers are not limited to women seeking opportunities for career advancement. However, recommendations that respond to these barriers have been provided and include advocating against gender discrimination in the workplace, educating people on gender-related issues as well as implementing government-provided policies in organisations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
The challenges facing small, medium and microsize enterprise in public procurement: a case of Sundays River Valley Municipality
- Authors: Mkele, Makhaya Nelson
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Government purchasing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Government purchasing -- Case studies Small business -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Small business -- Research -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40017 , vital:35675
- Description: The purpose of this study is to investigate challenges facing Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in order to improve the participation of SMMEs in public procurement processes within category B municipalities. A Total Quality Management approach was used to interpret the manner in which to install change within a selection of supplier procedures. The study employed desktop analysis to explain and describe the challenges SMMEs are facing in public procurement in the Sundays River Valley Municipality. Based on the discussions of the participation of SMMEs in public procurement, the challenges which exist within a centralised approach of public procurement were discovered. The findings of the study revealed that SMMEs are challenged by the lack of entrepreneurial coaching by local government, low demand for the commodities, lack of experience, skills and knowledge, limited access to debt finance, poor marketing skills, poor managerial and lack of planning skills, gaps in implementation of preference point system, poor management of core strategies of the preferential system, gaps in implementation of preference point system, poor management of the tender system, improper integration of central supplier database, globalisation and the impact of e-procurement on local government level. Subsequently, the study made recommendations in this regard.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Mkele, Makhaya Nelson
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Government purchasing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Government purchasing -- Case studies Small business -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Small business -- Research -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40017 , vital:35675
- Description: The purpose of this study is to investigate challenges facing Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in order to improve the participation of SMMEs in public procurement processes within category B municipalities. A Total Quality Management approach was used to interpret the manner in which to install change within a selection of supplier procedures. The study employed desktop analysis to explain and describe the challenges SMMEs are facing in public procurement in the Sundays River Valley Municipality. Based on the discussions of the participation of SMMEs in public procurement, the challenges which exist within a centralised approach of public procurement were discovered. The findings of the study revealed that SMMEs are challenged by the lack of entrepreneurial coaching by local government, low demand for the commodities, lack of experience, skills and knowledge, limited access to debt finance, poor marketing skills, poor managerial and lack of planning skills, gaps in implementation of preference point system, poor management of core strategies of the preferential system, gaps in implementation of preference point system, poor management of the tender system, improper integration of central supplier database, globalisation and the impact of e-procurement on local government level. Subsequently, the study made recommendations in this regard.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
The challenges of professional women in a male-dominated South African construction industry
- Authors: Tyindyana, Xolile
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Construction industry -- South Africa , Construction industry -- South Africa -- Management Women industrialists -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44962 , vital:38192
- Description: The opinions that South African construction industry is the most untransformed sector, highly gender active and men have difficulty in accepting women in the construction industry, hindered the development of the South African economy. The improved number of professional women entering the statuses of this male dominance is noticeable, but the percentage of men still speak volume. Hence, there are imbalances that are correspondent to discrimination trials. This study explore challenges faced by professional women in the construction industry of South Africa, in the Eastern Cape. The study embraced exploratory research design in order to formulate preliminary investigations based on relatively unknown areas of professional women in construction industry. Therefore, this qualitative method incorporated interpretivism as its research philosophy, with the motive that this paradigm succeeds individual ontology that does not perceive as objective and independent. The purposeful sampling technique deployed in identifying the research participants, coupled by ten (10) women rendering professional services in the construction industry. Data collected was analysed thematically, which gave rise to presented themes, deliberated and construed in headings framed from research objectives. The study revealed that professional women still trapped between resisting, accommodating masculine politics and femininity distinctions regardless of evolutions. Most participants attested to the gender imbalances that propagates marginalisation, which is in line with the revelations. The study also suggest that men reject professionalism identity in the context of women. Other key challenges were not limited to backgrounds of the industry, outlook and progression that necessitated women taking executive positions. Further still, participants are aware of flouted construction industry policies and the strategies to use to by their counterparts to obscure them. Hence, the study suggested monitoring and review of policies in place by the policy makers. A recommended that similar research be carried out in South Africa, particularly provinces, as a literature gap has been identified. These recommended studies could enhance professional women, men and policy makers in profound consideration of the challenges faced by professional women in the construction industry.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Tyindyana, Xolile
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Construction industry -- South Africa , Construction industry -- South Africa -- Management Women industrialists -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44962 , vital:38192
- Description: The opinions that South African construction industry is the most untransformed sector, highly gender active and men have difficulty in accepting women in the construction industry, hindered the development of the South African economy. The improved number of professional women entering the statuses of this male dominance is noticeable, but the percentage of men still speak volume. Hence, there are imbalances that are correspondent to discrimination trials. This study explore challenges faced by professional women in the construction industry of South Africa, in the Eastern Cape. The study embraced exploratory research design in order to formulate preliminary investigations based on relatively unknown areas of professional women in construction industry. Therefore, this qualitative method incorporated interpretivism as its research philosophy, with the motive that this paradigm succeeds individual ontology that does not perceive as objective and independent. The purposeful sampling technique deployed in identifying the research participants, coupled by ten (10) women rendering professional services in the construction industry. Data collected was analysed thematically, which gave rise to presented themes, deliberated and construed in headings framed from research objectives. The study revealed that professional women still trapped between resisting, accommodating masculine politics and femininity distinctions regardless of evolutions. Most participants attested to the gender imbalances that propagates marginalisation, which is in line with the revelations. The study also suggest that men reject professionalism identity in the context of women. Other key challenges were not limited to backgrounds of the industry, outlook and progression that necessitated women taking executive positions. Further still, participants are aware of flouted construction industry policies and the strategies to use to by their counterparts to obscure them. Hence, the study suggested monitoring and review of policies in place by the policy makers. A recommended that similar research be carried out in South Africa, particularly provinces, as a literature gap has been identified. These recommended studies could enhance professional women, men and policy makers in profound consideration of the challenges faced by professional women in the construction industry.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
The characterization of the interaction between Streptococcus pneumoniae PspC and Homo sapiens pIgR
- Authors: Steyn, Sheldon
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Streptococcus pneumoniae , Human evolution Microbiology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44001 , vital:37091
- Description: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a commensal bacterium in the human nasopharyngeal tract and is known to cause severe respiratory related diseases in humans. The pneumococcal surface protein C (PspC) has been demonstrated to interact with human polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR) and its free form secretory component (SC). S. pneumoniae utilizes the pIgR recycling mechanism to bypass the nasopharyngeal epithelial barrier of the host through the PspC-pIgR interaction. Studies have shown the YPT motifs in PspC R domains to be involved in this interaction (Hammerschmidt et al., 2000). The exact amino acid sequences in pIgR/SC have not yet been elucidated but Elm et al., (2004), Lu et al., (2003) and Venables et al., (2013) have demonstrated that Ig-like domains 3 and 4 of SC are mutually critical in this interaction. Mutagenesis studies were conducted to give insight into regions of these domains responsible for this interaction. In order to select possible candidates for mutagenesis, homology modelling, protein-protein docking and multiple sequence alignments were performed. PspC-SC interaction is human specific (Hammerschmidt et al., 2000) and the conservation between known species was used to select amino acids located on highly variable loop regions of the SC molecule. Amino acids Ser257, Asp312 and Gln373 were suggested by previous studies and investigated in this study. Protein-protein docking was performed with Cluspro 2.0 and Haddock 2.2 webservers. The docking results, coupled with conservation information resulted in Arg304 also being selected for investigation. Additional candidates were identified for future studies. Point mutations of the selected amino acids were introduced with overlap PCR and confirmed by DNA sequencing. The SC-D3D4 proteins were expressed in vitro and refolded by an on-column method developed by Venables et al., (2013). The Biorad ProteOn™ XPR36 protein interaction array system at Rhodes University was utilized for measuring the effects of the SC-D3D4 mutations on affinity for PspC-R1R2. The affinities of expressed SC-D3D4 mutants for PspC-R1R2 were compared to the wild type (WT) SC-D3D4 in concentration dependent kinetic analyses. The KD values for WT SC-D3D4 and Ser257, Arg304, Asp312 and Gln373 mutations were 1.4, 2.9, 4.1, 2.0, and 2.1 μM, respectively. It was concluded that these mutations had no impact on the affinity of SC-D3D4 with PspC-R1R2 and therefore probably excludes these four residues as interaction motifs for PspC.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Steyn, Sheldon
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Streptococcus pneumoniae , Human evolution Microbiology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44001 , vital:37091
- Description: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a commensal bacterium in the human nasopharyngeal tract and is known to cause severe respiratory related diseases in humans. The pneumococcal surface protein C (PspC) has been demonstrated to interact with human polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR) and its free form secretory component (SC). S. pneumoniae utilizes the pIgR recycling mechanism to bypass the nasopharyngeal epithelial barrier of the host through the PspC-pIgR interaction. Studies have shown the YPT motifs in PspC R domains to be involved in this interaction (Hammerschmidt et al., 2000). The exact amino acid sequences in pIgR/SC have not yet been elucidated but Elm et al., (2004), Lu et al., (2003) and Venables et al., (2013) have demonstrated that Ig-like domains 3 and 4 of SC are mutually critical in this interaction. Mutagenesis studies were conducted to give insight into regions of these domains responsible for this interaction. In order to select possible candidates for mutagenesis, homology modelling, protein-protein docking and multiple sequence alignments were performed. PspC-SC interaction is human specific (Hammerschmidt et al., 2000) and the conservation between known species was used to select amino acids located on highly variable loop regions of the SC molecule. Amino acids Ser257, Asp312 and Gln373 were suggested by previous studies and investigated in this study. Protein-protein docking was performed with Cluspro 2.0 and Haddock 2.2 webservers. The docking results, coupled with conservation information resulted in Arg304 also being selected for investigation. Additional candidates were identified for future studies. Point mutations of the selected amino acids were introduced with overlap PCR and confirmed by DNA sequencing. The SC-D3D4 proteins were expressed in vitro and refolded by an on-column method developed by Venables et al., (2013). The Biorad ProteOn™ XPR36 protein interaction array system at Rhodes University was utilized for measuring the effects of the SC-D3D4 mutations on affinity for PspC-R1R2. The affinities of expressed SC-D3D4 mutants for PspC-R1R2 were compared to the wild type (WT) SC-D3D4 in concentration dependent kinetic analyses. The KD values for WT SC-D3D4 and Ser257, Arg304, Asp312 and Gln373 mutations were 1.4, 2.9, 4.1, 2.0, and 2.1 μM, respectively. It was concluded that these mutations had no impact on the affinity of SC-D3D4 with PspC-R1R2 and therefore probably excludes these four residues as interaction motifs for PspC.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
The Chase: historical and ethnographic observations on ‘Traditional Horse Racing’ in the Eastern Cape, c. 1850 to the present
- Authors: Paterson, Craig John
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Horse racing -- South Africa -- Homelands , Masculinity -- South Africa – Homelands -- History , Migrant labor -- South Africa , Masculinity in sports -- South Africa -- Homelands Group identity -- South Africa – Homelands -- History , South Africa -- Social conditions -- 1961-1994 , South Africa -- Politics and government -- 20th century
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/115328 , vital:34114
- Description: This thesis examines the development of a horse racing sport, umdyarho wamahashe, as it is practised in the former-bantustans of the Eastern Cape Province. Using varied source material – ethnographic, archival and oral – it provides a guide to understanding the historical development of umdyarho events and their meaning to participants. By drawing together available ‘fragments’ of material on horses and horse racing in the former-bantustans of Transkei and Ciskei, it argues that horse racing is derived from a pre-colonial cattle racing tradition which was made impossible by a collision of environmental pressures and colonial responses to them. It goes on to show how horses came to take on a ‘symbol set’ of masculine power and “growing up.” The nexus of horses, rapidly assimilated into daily life, and the changing material conditions confronting the people of the Eastern Cape, made horse racing an ideal outlet through which men might regain a sense of power in conditions which eroded their sense of control over their daily lives, and, as a result, their perceived masculinity. This thesis argues that through horse races, people of the Eastern Cape were provided an space in which they could at once celebrate their legacy (by acting as their ‘forebears’ did) and their potential (by showing who they would like to be, through the deployment of the horse as a symbol). It concludes by discussing and how the imposition of change from outside threatens the ‘spirit’ of this sport.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Paterson, Craig John
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Horse racing -- South Africa -- Homelands , Masculinity -- South Africa – Homelands -- History , Migrant labor -- South Africa , Masculinity in sports -- South Africa -- Homelands Group identity -- South Africa – Homelands -- History , South Africa -- Social conditions -- 1961-1994 , South Africa -- Politics and government -- 20th century
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/115328 , vital:34114
- Description: This thesis examines the development of a horse racing sport, umdyarho wamahashe, as it is practised in the former-bantustans of the Eastern Cape Province. Using varied source material – ethnographic, archival and oral – it provides a guide to understanding the historical development of umdyarho events and their meaning to participants. By drawing together available ‘fragments’ of material on horses and horse racing in the former-bantustans of Transkei and Ciskei, it argues that horse racing is derived from a pre-colonial cattle racing tradition which was made impossible by a collision of environmental pressures and colonial responses to them. It goes on to show how horses came to take on a ‘symbol set’ of masculine power and “growing up.” The nexus of horses, rapidly assimilated into daily life, and the changing material conditions confronting the people of the Eastern Cape, made horse racing an ideal outlet through which men might regain a sense of power in conditions which eroded their sense of control over their daily lives, and, as a result, their perceived masculinity. This thesis argues that through horse races, people of the Eastern Cape were provided an space in which they could at once celebrate their legacy (by acting as their ‘forebears’ did) and their potential (by showing who they would like to be, through the deployment of the horse as a symbol). It concludes by discussing and how the imposition of change from outside threatens the ‘spirit’ of this sport.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
The community as part of a multi-stakeholder approach towards development opportunities for youth in Indwe, Eastern Cape
- Authors: Baleni , Khangelwa
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Youth development Community development
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSW
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/17518 , vital:41083
- Description: This dissertation discusses the involvement of a community in creating development opportunities for youth in Indwe, under Emalahleni Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape. Establishing a position where community members put themselves concerning youth development is what inspired the study. The study is further motivated by trying to gain perspectives from the youth because most discourses on youth rarely feature their voices. Additionally, it seeks to gain perspectives on the stakeholder’s insights on the involvement of the community in youth development. The literature consulted was broken up into; the situation of youth in South Africa, which looked at youth unemployment and youth development policies; youth development, which looked at risk and protective factors that affect youth development. The literature further uncovered the role currently played by communities in youth development, and lastly the multi-stakeholder processes for youth development. The Quintuple Helix model was a framework used to shape this study. This framework emphasises that the natural environment and in this case, the community be added to other stakeholders to ensure a sustainable youth development. What is crucial in the framework is the overlap and cross-communication between the different helixes or sectors, sectors such as the university, the government, the private sector, the culture based media, and the natural environment. The study utilised a qualitative methodology with an interpretive and descriptive paradigm, which used focus groups and a qualitative questionnaire as a method of data collection. The data was analysed and presented following the following three themes; i.e., community involvement in youth development, indigenous knowledge for youth development, and opportunities for youth development. The findings of the study revealed that, if Indwe community provides youth with more spaces, and chances to participate in their development, the youth could challenge prominent discourses than treat them as unmotivated, and exclude them from decision-making processes, which directly affect them, and the society within which they live. The findings also revealed that the Indwe community should inform youth iv development programmes, as this would ensure sustainability, and give a sense of ownership to the community. The findings further indicated that the Indwe community could utilise its natural resources to create opportunities for youth development. Moreover, the private sector, the media, and the education system have all contributed in youth development; however, the government has taken full responsibility for youth development in Indwe, and this caused the participants to feel that it is the government’s responsibility to create opportunities for youth development. In conclusion, Indwe community has a challenge of youth development. The problem is fuelled by issues such as complexity in politics, nepotism, and a lack of opportunities. Stakeholders such as the private sector, the media based culture, and the government are involved in the creation of development opportunities for youth in Indwe. However, the sector that has taken the most responsibility for the development of youth is the government. Indwe community members are not involved in the creation of opportunities for youth development; they, however, understand that they have to be significant role players.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Baleni , Khangelwa
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Youth development Community development
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSW
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/17518 , vital:41083
- Description: This dissertation discusses the involvement of a community in creating development opportunities for youth in Indwe, under Emalahleni Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape. Establishing a position where community members put themselves concerning youth development is what inspired the study. The study is further motivated by trying to gain perspectives from the youth because most discourses on youth rarely feature their voices. Additionally, it seeks to gain perspectives on the stakeholder’s insights on the involvement of the community in youth development. The literature consulted was broken up into; the situation of youth in South Africa, which looked at youth unemployment and youth development policies; youth development, which looked at risk and protective factors that affect youth development. The literature further uncovered the role currently played by communities in youth development, and lastly the multi-stakeholder processes for youth development. The Quintuple Helix model was a framework used to shape this study. This framework emphasises that the natural environment and in this case, the community be added to other stakeholders to ensure a sustainable youth development. What is crucial in the framework is the overlap and cross-communication between the different helixes or sectors, sectors such as the university, the government, the private sector, the culture based media, and the natural environment. The study utilised a qualitative methodology with an interpretive and descriptive paradigm, which used focus groups and a qualitative questionnaire as a method of data collection. The data was analysed and presented following the following three themes; i.e., community involvement in youth development, indigenous knowledge for youth development, and opportunities for youth development. The findings of the study revealed that, if Indwe community provides youth with more spaces, and chances to participate in their development, the youth could challenge prominent discourses than treat them as unmotivated, and exclude them from decision-making processes, which directly affect them, and the society within which they live. The findings also revealed that the Indwe community should inform youth iv development programmes, as this would ensure sustainability, and give a sense of ownership to the community. The findings further indicated that the Indwe community could utilise its natural resources to create opportunities for youth development. Moreover, the private sector, the media, and the education system have all contributed in youth development; however, the government has taken full responsibility for youth development in Indwe, and this caused the participants to feel that it is the government’s responsibility to create opportunities for youth development. In conclusion, Indwe community has a challenge of youth development. The problem is fuelled by issues such as complexity in politics, nepotism, and a lack of opportunities. Stakeholders such as the private sector, the media based culture, and the government are involved in the creation of development opportunities for youth in Indwe. However, the sector that has taken the most responsibility for the development of youth is the government. Indwe community members are not involved in the creation of opportunities for youth development; they, however, understand that they have to be significant role players.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019