A study on the role of the media in identity formation among isiXhosa speaking youth in Grahamstown with focus on SABC’s Yo TV
- Authors: Mabusela, Pumeza
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3661 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021302
- Description: This study explores the use of African languages, more specifically isiXhosa, in the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). It does this by investigating the YO TV programme and its impact on identity formation amongst isiXhosa speaking youth. The research was conducted in Grahamstown which is located in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Young isiXhosa speakers were used as participants for questionnaires and focus group interviews. The location of the study within the Eastern Cape was driven by the fact that Grahamstown consists of mainly isiXhosa speakers, and young people are a big part of the population. Secondly, the participants were chosen in order to look at how isiXhosa and the Xhosa culture are represented in the YO TV programme through the lenses of young people who speak the language, and whether the representation of these two aspects plays a role in the formation of their identity. The goals of the research were to explore the relationship between language and youth identity, and the role of television in the construction of this identity. The research looked at the SABC’s YO TV which is a youth programme targeting South African youth who speak different languages and the role it plays in constructing the identity of isiXhosa speaking youth in relation to language and culture. It also examined for what purpose isiXhosa was used in the YO TV programme. The study further identified and critically analysed the already existing strategies used by the SABC to promote African languages in youth programs. The study made several findings, one of these being that there is a relationship that exists between language, culture and identity. As a result of this relationship, this study found that when one of these aspects is less represented on television, it affects the other(s). Thus, little representation of isiXhosa on YO TV has an impact on the identity formation of young isiXhosa speakers as they believe that language and culture are a part of who they are, their identity. This study also discovered that institutions of power such as the media play a key role in affirming the identity of young people. They play a role in influencing the way young people reason and do things. This study argues that television programmes such as the YO TV programme must use African languages, as well as English because the use of African languages adds value to how young people perceive them. The use of African languages on television will contribute to their growth and development. Moreover, the use of these languages in the media contributes in identity construction of young African language speakers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Mabusela, Pumeza
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3661 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021302
- Description: This study explores the use of African languages, more specifically isiXhosa, in the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). It does this by investigating the YO TV programme and its impact on identity formation amongst isiXhosa speaking youth. The research was conducted in Grahamstown which is located in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Young isiXhosa speakers were used as participants for questionnaires and focus group interviews. The location of the study within the Eastern Cape was driven by the fact that Grahamstown consists of mainly isiXhosa speakers, and young people are a big part of the population. Secondly, the participants were chosen in order to look at how isiXhosa and the Xhosa culture are represented in the YO TV programme through the lenses of young people who speak the language, and whether the representation of these two aspects plays a role in the formation of their identity. The goals of the research were to explore the relationship between language and youth identity, and the role of television in the construction of this identity. The research looked at the SABC’s YO TV which is a youth programme targeting South African youth who speak different languages and the role it plays in constructing the identity of isiXhosa speaking youth in relation to language and culture. It also examined for what purpose isiXhosa was used in the YO TV programme. The study further identified and critically analysed the already existing strategies used by the SABC to promote African languages in youth programs. The study made several findings, one of these being that there is a relationship that exists between language, culture and identity. As a result of this relationship, this study found that when one of these aspects is less represented on television, it affects the other(s). Thus, little representation of isiXhosa on YO TV has an impact on the identity formation of young isiXhosa speakers as they believe that language and culture are a part of who they are, their identity. This study also discovered that institutions of power such as the media play a key role in affirming the identity of young people. They play a role in influencing the way young people reason and do things. This study argues that television programmes such as the YO TV programme must use African languages, as well as English because the use of African languages adds value to how young people perceive them. The use of African languages on television will contribute to their growth and development. Moreover, the use of these languages in the media contributes in identity construction of young African language speakers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
The effect of English as a medium of instruction on the academic performance of students in life orientation at Dower Campus of the Port Elizabeth College
- Authors: Magxaki, Akhona
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: English language -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth English language -- Ability testing -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14697 , vital:27825
- Description: South Africa is a country with 11 official languages including English. English, however, dominates the educational sector, as medium of instruction. This is despite a plethora of research that shows the cognitive advantages of mother tongue instruction and language policies that promote additive bilingual approaches. As subtractive language approaches characterise poor schooling contexts, the outcomes for students are poor. This is because they do not develop proficiency in any language. The abolition of apartheid in South Africa and the advent of democracy in 1994 resulted in dramatic changes in the education system. Nevertheless, the medium of instruction from Grade four has remained English. Consequently, for the majority of the population the education is in their second language. This study takes place in the higher education setting of a TVET college, namely the Dower Campus in Port Elizabeth. It focuses specifically on Level 2 (first year) Life Orientation students to consider the effect English has, as medium of instruction, on the academic performance of students. There is concern about the status of TVET colleges. Even though the higher education sector has transformed, these skills based colleges are still given inferior status in the eyes of the general public and students themselves. These students may be particularly at risk of success given that they have lower entry requirements than other students in the higher education sector. The subject Life Orientation was used to examine the effect of English on student performance. Life Orientation has come under scrutiny for its usefulness and it cognitive value. This study argues that it is a valuable subject for students at colleges, equipping them with knowledge to succeed at studies and in society at large. However, the pass rates for Life Orientation have been consistently low. The study wanted to probe the role of English in this performance. To address the aims and objectives of this study, relevant literature and various multilingual approaches were reviewed to determine which strategies might be most effective in helping students cope with English as medium of instruction. The study also presents a case for the development of indigenous languages as medium of instruction. The study used a mixed methods approach, that is both qualitative and quantitative methods, to explore the use, attitude and perceptions of English among lecturers and students. The research used an interpretive approach and the study took the form of a case study. The researcher took the stance of being a non-participant observer. Qualitative data was obtained through the use of interviews while quantitative data was obtained through the use of questionnaires. The interviews were recorded and transcribed by a transcriber. Data was analysed using a thematic approach. The results showed that majority of the students did not speak English frequently nor had it as a home language yet they all had a positive regard for the language. Many factors were responsible for student performance in Life Orientation such as attitude to subject, theoretical versus practical components of the subject and student background. However, the medium of instruction played a large role in this performance. Though lecturers foregrounded the importance of English as medium of instruction, they recognise that it was a barrier to understanding and affected student performance. Analysis of the lecturer interviews and the questionnaires with students revealed that students were experiencing difficulty speaking, reading and writing in English. Lecturers adapted their teaching strategies when teaching by including translanguaging strategies of code-switching to facilitate understanding. The data also indicated that code switching was considered by the lecturers to be the most suitable method in teaching to student. Code-meshing and written translations of material were not strategies employed by lecturers. Students indicated that they would prefer to write assignments drafts initially in mother tongue. The findings also suggested that it was necessary for the lecturer to use a variety of multilingual strategies to ensure that students enjoy success in Life Orientation. Based on the findings, this study makes recommendations regarding the teaching and learning of English to students which includes the use of multilingual classroom strategies, collaboration with language lecturers and development of a multilingual language policy to aid in the understanding and acquisition of English terminology used in LO content. Such a language policy should also seek to develop indigenous languages as mediums of instructions at the college.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Magxaki, Akhona
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: English language -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth English language -- Ability testing -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14697 , vital:27825
- Description: South Africa is a country with 11 official languages including English. English, however, dominates the educational sector, as medium of instruction. This is despite a plethora of research that shows the cognitive advantages of mother tongue instruction and language policies that promote additive bilingual approaches. As subtractive language approaches characterise poor schooling contexts, the outcomes for students are poor. This is because they do not develop proficiency in any language. The abolition of apartheid in South Africa and the advent of democracy in 1994 resulted in dramatic changes in the education system. Nevertheless, the medium of instruction from Grade four has remained English. Consequently, for the majority of the population the education is in their second language. This study takes place in the higher education setting of a TVET college, namely the Dower Campus in Port Elizabeth. It focuses specifically on Level 2 (first year) Life Orientation students to consider the effect English has, as medium of instruction, on the academic performance of students. There is concern about the status of TVET colleges. Even though the higher education sector has transformed, these skills based colleges are still given inferior status in the eyes of the general public and students themselves. These students may be particularly at risk of success given that they have lower entry requirements than other students in the higher education sector. The subject Life Orientation was used to examine the effect of English on student performance. Life Orientation has come under scrutiny for its usefulness and it cognitive value. This study argues that it is a valuable subject for students at colleges, equipping them with knowledge to succeed at studies and in society at large. However, the pass rates for Life Orientation have been consistently low. The study wanted to probe the role of English in this performance. To address the aims and objectives of this study, relevant literature and various multilingual approaches were reviewed to determine which strategies might be most effective in helping students cope with English as medium of instruction. The study also presents a case for the development of indigenous languages as medium of instruction. The study used a mixed methods approach, that is both qualitative and quantitative methods, to explore the use, attitude and perceptions of English among lecturers and students. The research used an interpretive approach and the study took the form of a case study. The researcher took the stance of being a non-participant observer. Qualitative data was obtained through the use of interviews while quantitative data was obtained through the use of questionnaires. The interviews were recorded and transcribed by a transcriber. Data was analysed using a thematic approach. The results showed that majority of the students did not speak English frequently nor had it as a home language yet they all had a positive regard for the language. Many factors were responsible for student performance in Life Orientation such as attitude to subject, theoretical versus practical components of the subject and student background. However, the medium of instruction played a large role in this performance. Though lecturers foregrounded the importance of English as medium of instruction, they recognise that it was a barrier to understanding and affected student performance. Analysis of the lecturer interviews and the questionnaires with students revealed that students were experiencing difficulty speaking, reading and writing in English. Lecturers adapted their teaching strategies when teaching by including translanguaging strategies of code-switching to facilitate understanding. The data also indicated that code switching was considered by the lecturers to be the most suitable method in teaching to student. Code-meshing and written translations of material were not strategies employed by lecturers. Students indicated that they would prefer to write assignments drafts initially in mother tongue. The findings also suggested that it was necessary for the lecturer to use a variety of multilingual strategies to ensure that students enjoy success in Life Orientation. Based on the findings, this study makes recommendations regarding the teaching and learning of English to students which includes the use of multilingual classroom strategies, collaboration with language lecturers and development of a multilingual language policy to aid in the understanding and acquisition of English terminology used in LO content. Such a language policy should also seek to develop indigenous languages as mediums of instructions at the college.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Urban agriculture and the enhancement of food security and household Income in Grahamstown, Makana Municipality
- Authors: Mahandana, Funzani Nicholas
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Urban agriculture -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Income -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Food security -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/8467 , vital:26367
- Description: This study draws on the relationship between household food security and household income through small scale community gardens and backyard vegetable gardens in Grahamstown Townships within Makana Municipality of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The study explores the contribution of vegetable gardens in household food security and income and finding ways in which this contribution may be enhanced. This study offers insights into the relationships among individuals, households, stakeholders (Government institutions, NGOs, Municipalities, Farmers Associations etc.), and broader community dynamics that are central to understanding the local gardening projects and the dynamics of food security and household income. The implications of this research includes and understanding of how the challenges faced by the community and backyards gardens could be addressed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Mahandana, Funzani Nicholas
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Urban agriculture -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Income -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Food security -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/8467 , vital:26367
- Description: This study draws on the relationship between household food security and household income through small scale community gardens and backyard vegetable gardens in Grahamstown Townships within Makana Municipality of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The study explores the contribution of vegetable gardens in household food security and income and finding ways in which this contribution may be enhanced. This study offers insights into the relationships among individuals, households, stakeholders (Government institutions, NGOs, Municipalities, Farmers Associations etc.), and broader community dynamics that are central to understanding the local gardening projects and the dynamics of food security and household income. The implications of this research includes and understanding of how the challenges faced by the community and backyards gardens could be addressed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
A case study of public service delivery in Cookhouse, Eastern Cape
- Makrwalana, Nomlindo Lillian
- Authors: Makrwalana, Nomlindo Lillian
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Local government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Municipal services -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Municipal services -- Management -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/6986 , vital:21188
- Description: In South Africa the economic gaps imposed by the previous apartheid government aggravated economic inequalities and caused considerable disparities, which has resulted in high unemployment rates. Inequalities were also manifest in the neglect of infrastructural and service provision as well in the effective absence of independent governance among some race groups. This led to a call for pro-active initiatives by the post-1994 democratic government to remedy the living condition of the previously disadvantage people. As part of this poverty relief drive the South African government has embarked on a series of developmental initiatives in bringing infrastructure related service to the poor and to reduce the enormous prevailing backlog, with the aim of increasing community participation, improving service delivery and promoting the upliftment of the lives of poor people through the medium of local governance. This study investigated the integrated Development Planning, which has been undertaken in Cookhouse in Blue Crane Route Municipality in the Eastern Cape to respond to the prevailing poverty and underdevelopment among the poor communities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Makrwalana, Nomlindo Lillian
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Local government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Municipal services -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Municipal services -- Management -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/6986 , vital:21188
- Description: In South Africa the economic gaps imposed by the previous apartheid government aggravated economic inequalities and caused considerable disparities, which has resulted in high unemployment rates. Inequalities were also manifest in the neglect of infrastructural and service provision as well in the effective absence of independent governance among some race groups. This led to a call for pro-active initiatives by the post-1994 democratic government to remedy the living condition of the previously disadvantage people. As part of this poverty relief drive the South African government has embarked on a series of developmental initiatives in bringing infrastructure related service to the poor and to reduce the enormous prevailing backlog, with the aim of increasing community participation, improving service delivery and promoting the upliftment of the lives of poor people through the medium of local governance. This study investigated the integrated Development Planning, which has been undertaken in Cookhouse in Blue Crane Route Municipality in the Eastern Cape to respond to the prevailing poverty and underdevelopment among the poor communities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Understanding sexual concurrency and HIV/AIDS: implicit and explicit attitudes in a South African student population
- Authors: Malataliana, Maleeto Lucy
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3335 , vital:20484
- Description: There are more people infected with HIV in South Africa, than in any other country in the world. Studies indicate a plausible relationship between concurrently organised sexual partnership and the spread of STIs, with concurrency being accountable for as much as 74% of HIV infections in South Africa. Understanding sexual concurrency is therefore of vital importance, especially in the South African perspective. It has, however, become increasingly unreliable to rely solely on explicit self-measures to study sexual concurrency, and research has suggested that implicit cognition is a reliable alternative to understanding sexual behaviour and attitudes towards sexuality, which cannot be directly measured by explicit means. The purpose of this study was to understand sexual concurrency among a population of university students by researching their implicit and explicit attitudes towards sexual concurrency; and thereby to aid in understanding sexual concurrency in relation to the spread of HIV. A quantitative research methodology was used to analyse results from explicit measures of sexual concurrency in the form of a questionnaire, and implicit measures of sexual concurrency in the form of the Implicit Association Test (IAT). Although no correlation existed between implicit and explicit measures attitudes towards sexual concurrency, it was, however, observed that sexual concurrency has and is being broadly practiced, and that age is a key determinant for sexual concurrency.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Malataliana, Maleeto Lucy
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3335 , vital:20484
- Description: There are more people infected with HIV in South Africa, than in any other country in the world. Studies indicate a plausible relationship between concurrently organised sexual partnership and the spread of STIs, with concurrency being accountable for as much as 74% of HIV infections in South Africa. Understanding sexual concurrency is therefore of vital importance, especially in the South African perspective. It has, however, become increasingly unreliable to rely solely on explicit self-measures to study sexual concurrency, and research has suggested that implicit cognition is a reliable alternative to understanding sexual behaviour and attitudes towards sexuality, which cannot be directly measured by explicit means. The purpose of this study was to understand sexual concurrency among a population of university students by researching their implicit and explicit attitudes towards sexual concurrency; and thereby to aid in understanding sexual concurrency in relation to the spread of HIV. A quantitative research methodology was used to analyse results from explicit measures of sexual concurrency in the form of a questionnaire, and implicit measures of sexual concurrency in the form of the Implicit Association Test (IAT). Although no correlation existed between implicit and explicit measures attitudes towards sexual concurrency, it was, however, observed that sexual concurrency has and is being broadly practiced, and that age is a key determinant for sexual concurrency.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
The Health and Wellness programme in the Department of Roads and Public Works
- Authors: Mali, Thobela Charlotte
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Employee assistance programs -- South Africa Employee health promotion -- South Africa , Employee motivation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40856 , vital:36244
- Description: After 20 years of political democracy, South Africa is still faced with a variety of organisational challenges. Such challenges include crime, poverty, increasing unemployment rate, discrimination of employees in the workplace, the steadily increasing spread of HIV/AIDS and inequalities in the workplace. All these and others not mentioned, coupled with the inherited vast inequalities contribute to the increasing social and economic imbalances in the country. The Health and Wellness Programme of the Department of Roads and Public Works focuses on ensuring health and productivity within the employees of the department to help assist with the minimisation of absenteeism, diminished work performance and dissatisfaction of employees. The Health and Wellness Programme has identified, through its interventions, that there are tremendous factors that directly and indirectly plays a role on the productivity of employees within the workplace. This resulted in the formulation and implementation of various legislative frameworks after such challenges transpired. During the study, it has transpired that the majority of the employees within the Department of Roads and Public Works are not making use of the Health and Wellness Programmes due to lack of knowledge. This has resulted to absenteeism and insufficient productivity in the workplace. It is recommended that there should be coordination of the health education and promotion programmes. This includes health screenings, health promotion activities and medical surveillance. If these programmes are conducted promptly in the workplace, the chances of sick employees will be minimised and some sicknesses such as diabetes and high and low blood pressure can be detected early and treated before it becomes chronic.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Mali, Thobela Charlotte
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Employee assistance programs -- South Africa Employee health promotion -- South Africa , Employee motivation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40856 , vital:36244
- Description: After 20 years of political democracy, South Africa is still faced with a variety of organisational challenges. Such challenges include crime, poverty, increasing unemployment rate, discrimination of employees in the workplace, the steadily increasing spread of HIV/AIDS and inequalities in the workplace. All these and others not mentioned, coupled with the inherited vast inequalities contribute to the increasing social and economic imbalances in the country. The Health and Wellness Programme of the Department of Roads and Public Works focuses on ensuring health and productivity within the employees of the department to help assist with the minimisation of absenteeism, diminished work performance and dissatisfaction of employees. The Health and Wellness Programme has identified, through its interventions, that there are tremendous factors that directly and indirectly plays a role on the productivity of employees within the workplace. This resulted in the formulation and implementation of various legislative frameworks after such challenges transpired. During the study, it has transpired that the majority of the employees within the Department of Roads and Public Works are not making use of the Health and Wellness Programmes due to lack of knowledge. This has resulted to absenteeism and insufficient productivity in the workplace. It is recommended that there should be coordination of the health education and promotion programmes. This includes health screenings, health promotion activities and medical surveillance. If these programmes are conducted promptly in the workplace, the chances of sick employees will be minimised and some sicknesses such as diabetes and high and low blood pressure can be detected early and treated before it becomes chronic.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Oncoming traffic
- Authors: Manaka, Maakomele R
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:6008 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1021220
- Description: The poems in my collection Oncoming Traffic mainly look at the silence in my personal conflicts. Fusing different styles and tones of writing from the lyrical to the surreal, these poems grapple with issues I struggle with on a daily basis. First as a man, second as a man with a physical disability, and lastly as a black man dealing with the reality of living in a dysfunctional/disabled society. The silence in my personal conflicts means, writing what I cannot say, stripping myself bare and vulnerable. My inspiration has come from poets who articulate such silences.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Manaka, Maakomele R
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:6008 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1021220
- Description: The poems in my collection Oncoming Traffic mainly look at the silence in my personal conflicts. Fusing different styles and tones of writing from the lyrical to the surreal, these poems grapple with issues I struggle with on a daily basis. First as a man, second as a man with a physical disability, and lastly as a black man dealing with the reality of living in a dysfunctional/disabled society. The silence in my personal conflicts means, writing what I cannot say, stripping myself bare and vulnerable. My inspiration has come from poets who articulate such silences.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
"Let loose in the unthinkable unspeakable": waiting and alterity in Samuel Beckett's trilogy
- Authors: Marais, Jessica
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3917 , vital:20557
- Description: In this thesis, I examine the interrelated roles of waiting and alterity in Samuel Beckett's trilogy of novels: Molloy, Malone Dies and The Unnamable. The conventional understanding of waiting is as an intentional relationship between a waiting subject and an awaited object. This kind of waiting is end-directed, and, in order for it to be worthwhile, the awaited must, at some point, arrive. In the trilogy, however, the awaited never does arrive, and it is my contention that the novels are concerned with an unconventional kind of waiting, which, being without object or end, takes the form of a non-intentional relationship between waiter and awaited. Significantly, through the non-intentional wait, the subject awaits the unawaited. She or he thereby encounters the radically other, or that which cannot be rendered familiar or assimilated in any way – an unthinkable, unspeakable, ungraspable excess that overflows the limits of thought and language. The texts foreground the vexed question of response to such alterity: how can one approach the ungraspable as ungraspable, when it is in the nature of any approach to attempt to grasp? I argue that the texts explore a paradoxical form of "incurious seeking" as an avenue to accommodate the absolutely other.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Marais, Jessica
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3917 , vital:20557
- Description: In this thesis, I examine the interrelated roles of waiting and alterity in Samuel Beckett's trilogy of novels: Molloy, Malone Dies and The Unnamable. The conventional understanding of waiting is as an intentional relationship between a waiting subject and an awaited object. This kind of waiting is end-directed, and, in order for it to be worthwhile, the awaited must, at some point, arrive. In the trilogy, however, the awaited never does arrive, and it is my contention that the novels are concerned with an unconventional kind of waiting, which, being without object or end, takes the form of a non-intentional relationship between waiter and awaited. Significantly, through the non-intentional wait, the subject awaits the unawaited. She or he thereby encounters the radically other, or that which cannot be rendered familiar or assimilated in any way – an unthinkable, unspeakable, ungraspable excess that overflows the limits of thought and language. The texts foreground the vexed question of response to such alterity: how can one approach the ungraspable as ungraspable, when it is in the nature of any approach to attempt to grasp? I argue that the texts explore a paradoxical form of "incurious seeking" as an avenue to accommodate the absolutely other.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
The design of a youth resource centre-, in Korsten, Port Elizabeth
- Authors: Marillier, Nicole Nora
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Library architecture -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth Library buildings -- Planning , Recreation -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth -- Design and construction
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/15453 , vital:28250
- Description: This treatise investigates the contextual, spatial, physical and social-economic conditions of Korsten, Port Elizabeth, in order to produce an architectural intervention in the form of a Youth Resource Centre, that can respond to unemployment, gangsterism, drug abuse and health issues. Korsten has a high concentration of schooling facilities which draws in youths from surrounding areas such as Gelvandale and New Brighton thus creating a nodal point of youthful energy. Through research and understanding of existing conditions it is hoped to provide an intervention strategy to be a catalyst to promote the urban regeneration of the Korsten precinct which will give a cultural identity and community upliftment to the area. The methodology used is in the form of both qualitative and quantitative research oriented towards discovery, description and an overall understanding of processes and activities. The “nature of the site” is studied by breaking down the various spatial and physical structures that make up Korsten. Layers were mapped out on various scales from metro to sub-metro. Several precedent studies were done - three precedent studies focused on similar “township” contextual conditions for community type buildings. These precedents were analysed through certain categories (contextual, spatial and material) in order to depict certain positive and negative aspects. Further four precedent studies were done to form an understanding of the nature of the building type. The selection of the buildings was based on the programmes aimed at youth development all concerned with the youth of their various areas. The selected buildings were viewed through specific criteria in order to draw conclusions from which to generate an appropriate architectural response. From these aspects conclusions were drawn which were applied in the design process. As these conditions were being unpacked, a youth resource centre emerged focused on education , health and performance showcasing. This building type developed in response to the specific challenges faced by the youth of the area.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Marillier, Nicole Nora
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Library architecture -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth Library buildings -- Planning , Recreation -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth -- Design and construction
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/15453 , vital:28250
- Description: This treatise investigates the contextual, spatial, physical and social-economic conditions of Korsten, Port Elizabeth, in order to produce an architectural intervention in the form of a Youth Resource Centre, that can respond to unemployment, gangsterism, drug abuse and health issues. Korsten has a high concentration of schooling facilities which draws in youths from surrounding areas such as Gelvandale and New Brighton thus creating a nodal point of youthful energy. Through research and understanding of existing conditions it is hoped to provide an intervention strategy to be a catalyst to promote the urban regeneration of the Korsten precinct which will give a cultural identity and community upliftment to the area. The methodology used is in the form of both qualitative and quantitative research oriented towards discovery, description and an overall understanding of processes and activities. The “nature of the site” is studied by breaking down the various spatial and physical structures that make up Korsten. Layers were mapped out on various scales from metro to sub-metro. Several precedent studies were done - three precedent studies focused on similar “township” contextual conditions for community type buildings. These precedents were analysed through certain categories (contextual, spatial and material) in order to depict certain positive and negative aspects. Further four precedent studies were done to form an understanding of the nature of the building type. The selection of the buildings was based on the programmes aimed at youth development all concerned with the youth of their various areas. The selected buildings were viewed through specific criteria in order to draw conclusions from which to generate an appropriate architectural response. From these aspects conclusions were drawn which were applied in the design process. As these conditions were being unpacked, a youth resource centre emerged focused on education , health and performance showcasing. This building type developed in response to the specific challenges faced by the youth of the area.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
The beat
- Authors: Masheane, Napo
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:6014 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021234
- Description: My play script is a docu-drama inspired by the 1950s Drum journalists: Can Themba, Bloke Modisane, Nat Nakasa, Henry Nxumalo, Lewis Nkosi, Peter Magubane, Casey Motsitsi and Todd Matshikiza. The setting is a Sophiatown shebeen through which the characters move in and out. The central dramatic exploration hinges on female characters’ experiences rather than the perspectives of the male journalists connected to them. I dramatise documented events such as Modisane’s wife leaving him and taking their daughter with her, or a woman who buried her lover’s body after he was beaten and stabbed to death. There are other twists and turns based on the Drum journalists writings. I play with the seriousness of politics, love affairs, and the comedy of their daily lives. My influences come from plays such as Nongogo (1959) and Sophiatown (1986). The Beat is dedicated to all the women who have been silenced and as a result became products of their consequences. Their voices remind me as a theatre maker that my poems and plays might arrive in me as pure SONGS (Dipina) or a CRY (Kodiyamalla). Sometimes their inspiration will spring from my traditional family rituals, as a PRAISE song/s (Dithoko/ Thoko), or from a simple memory of a childhood church song, a HYMN (Difela/ Sefela). At times these words will present themselves as a source of where one comes from, CLAN NAMES (Seboko/ Poko). These stories will find me in the dusty streets of my village and township HERSTORY… they will touch, move, provoke, push and force me to vomit on page words that are subjects of that which we are even when silence seems inevitable. , My poetry collection fuses Sesotho and English, often within the same poem, as a way of showing how I live within and between two cultures. I write to celebrate these two tongues without compromising either language and allow each poem, to express its own musical component, tone, rhythm, and pace as it moves between stage and page. My poems converse about difficult subjects from a feminine voice. They look at family structures and dynamics, using everyday household things as metaphors. They take on deep family narratives of generational curses, births, deaths and love. There are also some more political poems about community outrage, the exploitation caused by outmoded culture and tradition, and about the nightmare that constantly wants to come out of the township.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Masheane, Napo
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:6014 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021234
- Description: My play script is a docu-drama inspired by the 1950s Drum journalists: Can Themba, Bloke Modisane, Nat Nakasa, Henry Nxumalo, Lewis Nkosi, Peter Magubane, Casey Motsitsi and Todd Matshikiza. The setting is a Sophiatown shebeen through which the characters move in and out. The central dramatic exploration hinges on female characters’ experiences rather than the perspectives of the male journalists connected to them. I dramatise documented events such as Modisane’s wife leaving him and taking their daughter with her, or a woman who buried her lover’s body after he was beaten and stabbed to death. There are other twists and turns based on the Drum journalists writings. I play with the seriousness of politics, love affairs, and the comedy of their daily lives. My influences come from plays such as Nongogo (1959) and Sophiatown (1986). The Beat is dedicated to all the women who have been silenced and as a result became products of their consequences. Their voices remind me as a theatre maker that my poems and plays might arrive in me as pure SONGS (Dipina) or a CRY (Kodiyamalla). Sometimes their inspiration will spring from my traditional family rituals, as a PRAISE song/s (Dithoko/ Thoko), or from a simple memory of a childhood church song, a HYMN (Difela/ Sefela). At times these words will present themselves as a source of where one comes from, CLAN NAMES (Seboko/ Poko). These stories will find me in the dusty streets of my village and township HERSTORY… they will touch, move, provoke, push and force me to vomit on page words that are subjects of that which we are even when silence seems inevitable. , My poetry collection fuses Sesotho and English, often within the same poem, as a way of showing how I live within and between two cultures. I write to celebrate these two tongues without compromising either language and allow each poem, to express its own musical component, tone, rhythm, and pace as it moves between stage and page. My poems converse about difficult subjects from a feminine voice. They look at family structures and dynamics, using everyday household things as metaphors. They take on deep family narratives of generational curses, births, deaths and love. There are also some more political poems about community outrage, the exploitation caused by outmoded culture and tradition, and about the nightmare that constantly wants to come out of the township.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Challenges facing water supply in the Polokwane Municipality, Mankweng Cluster
- Authors: Mashego, Irene Lerato
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Municipal water supply -- South Africa -- Polokwane , Rural public utilities -- South Africa -- Polokwane
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/8109 , vital:25007
- Description: Polokwane Local Municipality is one of many municipalities in South Africa experiencing challenges of providing potable water services to their local residents. Residents’ dissatisfaction about poor potable water services have manifested in community protests. The study, which looks at the communities’ experience within the Makweng Cluster, aims to assess the main constraints facing Polokwane Local Municipality in providing potable water to the Mankweng Cluster.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Mashego, Irene Lerato
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Municipal water supply -- South Africa -- Polokwane , Rural public utilities -- South Africa -- Polokwane
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/8109 , vital:25007
- Description: Polokwane Local Municipality is one of many municipalities in South Africa experiencing challenges of providing potable water services to their local residents. Residents’ dissatisfaction about poor potable water services have manifested in community protests. The study, which looks at the communities’ experience within the Makweng Cluster, aims to assess the main constraints facing Polokwane Local Municipality in providing potable water to the Mankweng Cluster.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Determining budgeting skills of government social grant holders
- Authors: Matanga, Sive
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Budgets, Personal -- South Africa , Social security -- South Africa Grants-in-aid -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18454 , vital:28647
- Description: The lack of budgeting skills in Government Social Grant recipients has significantly added to an inability in many of the grant recipients to address the existing poverty in their households. This situation has been exacerbated due to exploitation of social grant recipients by illegal money lenders charging excessively high interest rates trapping grant recipients in a vicious cycle of perpetuating debt. In remote rural areas poverty and lack of literacy and numeracy skills go hand in hand. Psycho-social and economic factors play a role in grant recipients’ poor budgeting and financial decision making skills, contributing to them falling into debt in the first place. Aggravating the situation is legislation that limits access to financial resources of those without employment, rendering illegal money lenders the financial entity providing finance by default. The research was conducted in a poor rural area around Tarkastad, Eastern Cape and sought to identify challenges caused by, amongst others, the lack of decent education, poverty and poor budgeting skills, all negatively influencing different social grant holders. Analysis of data from this qualitative study took place by means of a thematic classification against the background of a critical theoretical framework. The researcher believes that this study shed light on issues surrounding exploitation by illegal, unregistered money lenders and that the suggested recommendations, if implemented, may bring about a change in lending patterns and saving behaviour of communities in remote areas.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Matanga, Sive
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Budgets, Personal -- South Africa , Social security -- South Africa Grants-in-aid -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18454 , vital:28647
- Description: The lack of budgeting skills in Government Social Grant recipients has significantly added to an inability in many of the grant recipients to address the existing poverty in their households. This situation has been exacerbated due to exploitation of social grant recipients by illegal money lenders charging excessively high interest rates trapping grant recipients in a vicious cycle of perpetuating debt. In remote rural areas poverty and lack of literacy and numeracy skills go hand in hand. Psycho-social and economic factors play a role in grant recipients’ poor budgeting and financial decision making skills, contributing to them falling into debt in the first place. Aggravating the situation is legislation that limits access to financial resources of those without employment, rendering illegal money lenders the financial entity providing finance by default. The research was conducted in a poor rural area around Tarkastad, Eastern Cape and sought to identify challenges caused by, amongst others, the lack of decent education, poverty and poor budgeting skills, all negatively influencing different social grant holders. Analysis of data from this qualitative study took place by means of a thematic classification against the background of a critical theoretical framework. The researcher believes that this study shed light on issues surrounding exploitation by illegal, unregistered money lenders and that the suggested recommendations, if implemented, may bring about a change in lending patterns and saving behaviour of communities in remote areas.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
The electrification of Ncerha Rural Village in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Matshaya, Thanduxolo Buntu
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Rural electrification -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Rural development -- South Africa -- Buffalo City
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/8069 , vital:24718
- Description: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the electrification of Ncera Village in the Eastern Cape Province will improve villagers’ productivity. The major findings indicated various benefits to Ncera Village as a result of the electrification of Ncera Village. These benefits include household food production, such as cooking and refrigeration as well as irrigation. The findings revealed that the electrification of Ncera village will improve the productive potential of the villagers and, at the same time, give them access to economic opportunities. As such, there is a need to speed up the rural electrification process.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Matshaya, Thanduxolo Buntu
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Rural electrification -- South Africa -- Buffalo City , Rural development -- South Africa -- Buffalo City
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/8069 , vital:24718
- Description: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the electrification of Ncera Village in the Eastern Cape Province will improve villagers’ productivity. The major findings indicated various benefits to Ncera Village as a result of the electrification of Ncera Village. These benefits include household food production, such as cooking and refrigeration as well as irrigation. The findings revealed that the electrification of Ncera village will improve the productive potential of the villagers and, at the same time, give them access to economic opportunities. As such, there is a need to speed up the rural electrification process.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Being civil
- Matshoba, Zongezile Theophilus
- Authors: Matshoba, Zongezile Theophilus
- Date: 2016
- Language: English , Xhosa
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:6017 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021237
- Description: My collection of short stories delves into government and governance, democracy, citizenship, civil servants, poverty, corruption and nepotism. My stories draw on the traditions of gritty urban crime fiction uncovering crimes of violence, service delivery, vandalism and corruption. They explore themes of mental cruelty and greed, self- preservation and community in rural areas, farms, townships and cities characterized by wrenching contradictions and inequalities. , This epic dramatic poetic verse delves into government and school governance, labour unions, liberation struggle, parenting and a wide range of school perceptions. It interrogates the roles of parents, teachers, students, department of education officials and that of other stakeholders that make use of schools. Influenced by William Wellington Gqoba’s ‘A great debate on education: a Parable’ wayback, it continues the education debate in the current post-democratic South Africa characterized by wrenching contradictions and inequalities. , This thesis is presented in two parts: English and isiXhosa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Matshoba, Zongezile Theophilus
- Date: 2016
- Language: English , Xhosa
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:6017 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021237
- Description: My collection of short stories delves into government and governance, democracy, citizenship, civil servants, poverty, corruption and nepotism. My stories draw on the traditions of gritty urban crime fiction uncovering crimes of violence, service delivery, vandalism and corruption. They explore themes of mental cruelty and greed, self- preservation and community in rural areas, farms, townships and cities characterized by wrenching contradictions and inequalities. , This epic dramatic poetic verse delves into government and school governance, labour unions, liberation struggle, parenting and a wide range of school perceptions. It interrogates the roles of parents, teachers, students, department of education officials and that of other stakeholders that make use of schools. Influenced by William Wellington Gqoba’s ‘A great debate on education: a Parable’ wayback, it continues the education debate in the current post-democratic South Africa characterized by wrenching contradictions and inequalities. , This thesis is presented in two parts: English and isiXhosa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
A rural xhosa woman's experience of marital satisfaction
- Authors: Mavumengwana, Ziyanda
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Love -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Psychological aspects Marriage counseling -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Marital psychotherapy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/11509 , vital:26933
- Description: Satisfaction (fulfillment of one’s wishes, expectations and needs or the pleasure derived from this) has been shown by studies to be manifested through various things, including marriage. It has been found that marriage and the satisfaction experienced are positively correlated to higher levels of happiness. Marital satisfaction (also referred to as marital quality and marital happiness) is defined as one's subjective evaluation of favourability towards one’s spouse and the marital relationship and the mental state of perceived gains and losses of the marriage. Research shows that the factors that affect marital satisfaction vary across cultures as well as geographic space within cultures, as well as gender. The present case study explored marital satisfaction as experienced by a Xhosa woman who resides in a rural setting in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. This qualitative exploratory-descriptive study utilised an in-depth case study method and the subject was selected by purposive sampling. Thibaut and Kelley’s (1959) Interdependence Theory, in conjunction the life-cycle stages of marriage as proposed by Markey (2005), were used as a framework to understand dynamics that occur in the course of a marital relationship as well as the variations in satisfaction in the different stages of marriage. Data was obtained through semi-structured interviews and a content analysis approach proposed by Miles and Huberman (1994) was followed as a framework for data analysis. The findings of the present study are presented according to two broad groupings: 1) marital satisfaction arises from one’s state of mind, and 2) the participant provided lessons on dealing with issues that arise in marriage. These in turn permitted the identification of sub-themes connected to each main theme allowing recommendations for future research to be deduced.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Mavumengwana, Ziyanda
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Love -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Psychological aspects Marriage counseling -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Marital psychotherapy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/11509 , vital:26933
- Description: Satisfaction (fulfillment of one’s wishes, expectations and needs or the pleasure derived from this) has been shown by studies to be manifested through various things, including marriage. It has been found that marriage and the satisfaction experienced are positively correlated to higher levels of happiness. Marital satisfaction (also referred to as marital quality and marital happiness) is defined as one's subjective evaluation of favourability towards one’s spouse and the marital relationship and the mental state of perceived gains and losses of the marriage. Research shows that the factors that affect marital satisfaction vary across cultures as well as geographic space within cultures, as well as gender. The present case study explored marital satisfaction as experienced by a Xhosa woman who resides in a rural setting in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. This qualitative exploratory-descriptive study utilised an in-depth case study method and the subject was selected by purposive sampling. Thibaut and Kelley’s (1959) Interdependence Theory, in conjunction the life-cycle stages of marriage as proposed by Markey (2005), were used as a framework to understand dynamics that occur in the course of a marital relationship as well as the variations in satisfaction in the different stages of marriage. Data was obtained through semi-structured interviews and a content analysis approach proposed by Miles and Huberman (1994) was followed as a framework for data analysis. The findings of the present study are presented according to two broad groupings: 1) marital satisfaction arises from one’s state of mind, and 2) the participant provided lessons on dealing with issues that arise in marriage. These in turn permitted the identification of sub-themes connected to each main theme allowing recommendations for future research to be deduced.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
The design of an affroestation plant for Tsitsikamma forest reserve, province of the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Maybery, Keegan Lyle
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Architecture -- Environmental aspects Architecture, Modern -- 21st century , Forest conservation -- South Africa -- Tsitsikamma Forests and forestry -- South Africa -- Tsitsikamma
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18875 , vital:28742
- Description: Environmental degeneration along the south coast of South Africa’s Garden route, particularly the Tsitsikamma region, has reached dire straits. The commercial alien tree plantations have taken over national reserves resulting in wildlife habitat and movement restrictions, high risk fire zones, the choking of crucial mountain water catchments as well as depleted the sense of place of the area (Cowling et al., 2009). Poor management of these reserves and commercial plantation supervision are primary contributors to this, which has lead to the ecological immanent disaster we now face. The result of this is a complete depletion of fresh water feeding the local community and tourists, the local agriculture which supply food to much of the coastal region and ultimately the destruction of indigenous natural biomes with devastating effect on the species of flora and fauna in the area. The aim of this treatise is to introduce a flexible metabolic building within the sensitive natural environment in order to catalyse the afforestation of indigenous flora in the Tsitsikamma region. This is to be achieved through a design process that involves the development of an adaptable architecture that responds to the delicacy of the site and the interwoven nature of the ecology with which it must interact, taking cognisance of the significance of flexibility, place and trace in the approach. The design implementation is envisoned to possess two stages, namely the implemention of a sawmill (Phase 1) as a temporary unit which will permanently eradicate the alien forestry and re-purpose the trees into fertilizer, biofuel and building materials. Once the sawmill has fulfilled its purpose, the temporary structure will take on a new form through a tranformation into a Honeybush tea processing plant. Phase 2 of the practical implementation involves the re-use of the processed timber, which will be incorporated as the building material for the construction of a management, exhibition and research facility. Ultimately “filling in the gaps” of the fragmented coastal forest ecosystem reconnecting Tsitsikamma to the Wilderness nature reserve. The infill will be in the form of Honeybush, an indigenous plant which exhibits lush flowers and other indigenous forest flora. The Honeybush yields Vitamin C, potassium, calcium and magnesium. It’s natural materials contain bioactive compounds called polyphenols that are known to possess antioxidants, antiatherosclerotic, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, antitumor, and antiviral activities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Maybery, Keegan Lyle
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Architecture -- Environmental aspects Architecture, Modern -- 21st century , Forest conservation -- South Africa -- Tsitsikamma Forests and forestry -- South Africa -- Tsitsikamma
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18875 , vital:28742
- Description: Environmental degeneration along the south coast of South Africa’s Garden route, particularly the Tsitsikamma region, has reached dire straits. The commercial alien tree plantations have taken over national reserves resulting in wildlife habitat and movement restrictions, high risk fire zones, the choking of crucial mountain water catchments as well as depleted the sense of place of the area (Cowling et al., 2009). Poor management of these reserves and commercial plantation supervision are primary contributors to this, which has lead to the ecological immanent disaster we now face. The result of this is a complete depletion of fresh water feeding the local community and tourists, the local agriculture which supply food to much of the coastal region and ultimately the destruction of indigenous natural biomes with devastating effect on the species of flora and fauna in the area. The aim of this treatise is to introduce a flexible metabolic building within the sensitive natural environment in order to catalyse the afforestation of indigenous flora in the Tsitsikamma region. This is to be achieved through a design process that involves the development of an adaptable architecture that responds to the delicacy of the site and the interwoven nature of the ecology with which it must interact, taking cognisance of the significance of flexibility, place and trace in the approach. The design implementation is envisoned to possess two stages, namely the implemention of a sawmill (Phase 1) as a temporary unit which will permanently eradicate the alien forestry and re-purpose the trees into fertilizer, biofuel and building materials. Once the sawmill has fulfilled its purpose, the temporary structure will take on a new form through a tranformation into a Honeybush tea processing plant. Phase 2 of the practical implementation involves the re-use of the processed timber, which will be incorporated as the building material for the construction of a management, exhibition and research facility. Ultimately “filling in the gaps” of the fragmented coastal forest ecosystem reconnecting Tsitsikamma to the Wilderness nature reserve. The infill will be in the form of Honeybush, an indigenous plant which exhibits lush flowers and other indigenous forest flora. The Honeybush yields Vitamin C, potassium, calcium and magnesium. It’s natural materials contain bioactive compounds called polyphenols that are known to possess antioxidants, antiatherosclerotic, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, antitumor, and antiviral activities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
The relationship between the alcohol use patterns and cognitive and symptomatic functioning of Rhodes University students
- Authors: Mayson, Tamara Ann
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Drinking of alcholic beverages -- South Africa , Rhodes University -- Students -- Alcohol use , Alcohol -- Physiological effect
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3270 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020327
- Description: Introduction: Studies reveal differential cognitive effects of alcohol use, with moderate to heavy alcohol having some beneficial effects in older adults, whereas in young adulthood, heavier alcohol use produces deficits. The aim of the research was to investigate the relationship between patterns of alcohol use and the cognitive and symptomatic functioning of university students over one year, and to discern which demographic, clinical and alcohol factors might moderate cognitive outcomes. Method: The sample included undergraduate Psychology students from a South African University, aged 18 to 23 years (n = 86). The sample was divided into two alcohol use groups based on four categories from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) (Babor et al., 2001), including a lighter drinking group (Safe/Hazardous, n = 74) and a heavier drinking group (Harmful/Dependent, n = 12). The two drinking groups were statistically equivalent for distribution of age, gender, English first language, race groups, history of neurological or psychiatric vulnerability, a measure of initial intelligence/cognitive reserve (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test: PPVT-4) (Dunn & Dunn, 2007) and for a measure of test-taking validity (Immediate Postconcussion Assessment and Cognitive Test: ImPACT Impulse Control) (p = < 0.05 in all instances). Participants were tested on the computerized ImPACT battery (ImPACT, 2007) at three intervals over an academic year (May, August, October 2012). Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to investigate cognitive and symptomatic differences between the two alcohol use groups, in association with moderating factors. Results: The heavier drinking group revealed: (i) poorer performance on ImPACT Visual Motor Speed, Reaction Time and Cognitive Efficiency Index scores, including less ability to benefit from practice over time; (ii) symptom reports of severe Numbness/Tingling, Balance problems and Dizziness. Deleterious cognitive outcome was exacerbated by longer lifetime duration of alcohol use, passing out monthly, beer or wine drinking, smoking or substance use. Conclusion: Deleterious cognitive and symptomatic effects of heavy alcohol use are in evidence for undergraduate university students implicating current and/or cumulative alcohol induced brain impairment. The results of the study are of concern for optimal academic performance of students at an early stage of university level study, who engage in heavier (Harmful/Dependent) drinking patterns, with negative implications for future career attainment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Mayson, Tamara Ann
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Drinking of alcholic beverages -- South Africa , Rhodes University -- Students -- Alcohol use , Alcohol -- Physiological effect
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3270 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020327
- Description: Introduction: Studies reveal differential cognitive effects of alcohol use, with moderate to heavy alcohol having some beneficial effects in older adults, whereas in young adulthood, heavier alcohol use produces deficits. The aim of the research was to investigate the relationship between patterns of alcohol use and the cognitive and symptomatic functioning of university students over one year, and to discern which demographic, clinical and alcohol factors might moderate cognitive outcomes. Method: The sample included undergraduate Psychology students from a South African University, aged 18 to 23 years (n = 86). The sample was divided into two alcohol use groups based on four categories from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) (Babor et al., 2001), including a lighter drinking group (Safe/Hazardous, n = 74) and a heavier drinking group (Harmful/Dependent, n = 12). The two drinking groups were statistically equivalent for distribution of age, gender, English first language, race groups, history of neurological or psychiatric vulnerability, a measure of initial intelligence/cognitive reserve (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test: PPVT-4) (Dunn & Dunn, 2007) and for a measure of test-taking validity (Immediate Postconcussion Assessment and Cognitive Test: ImPACT Impulse Control) (p = < 0.05 in all instances). Participants were tested on the computerized ImPACT battery (ImPACT, 2007) at three intervals over an academic year (May, August, October 2012). Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to investigate cognitive and symptomatic differences between the two alcohol use groups, in association with moderating factors. Results: The heavier drinking group revealed: (i) poorer performance on ImPACT Visual Motor Speed, Reaction Time and Cognitive Efficiency Index scores, including less ability to benefit from practice over time; (ii) symptom reports of severe Numbness/Tingling, Balance problems and Dizziness. Deleterious cognitive outcome was exacerbated by longer lifetime duration of alcohol use, passing out monthly, beer or wine drinking, smoking or substance use. Conclusion: Deleterious cognitive and symptomatic effects of heavy alcohol use are in evidence for undergraduate university students implicating current and/or cumulative alcohol induced brain impairment. The results of the study are of concern for optimal academic performance of students at an early stage of university level study, who engage in heavier (Harmful/Dependent) drinking patterns, with negative implications for future career attainment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
The role of civil society organisations in land and agrarian reforms
- Authors: Mazula, Mkhululi
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Land reform -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Civil society -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/11382 , vital:26916
- Description: One of the actions introduced by government to address the effects of the past discriminatory land policies that created inequitable land ownership and denied the African majority access to land was the National Land Reform Programme. The democratic government that came into power in 1994 intended to replace all the discriminatory land policies with those that were aimed at redressing the skewed land ownership that was as a result of dispossession and past injustices. This study focused on land reform in the Eastern Cape with a specific reference to activities that were conducted by 6 community based organisations supported by the Multi Agency Grants Initiative. The research has been conducted through assessing their activities in the different municipalities that are helping land claimants to access land. This study was important in highlighting the role played by Community Based Organisations in land reforms as they are based in communities, easily reached when needed and they understand the challenges that confront community members, particularly those that relate to accessing land. The researcher had a relationship with the identified organisations as an employee of MAGI and focus group interviews were conducted in East London in one of the workshops that was attended by representatives of the CBO’s. These were conducted in isi-Xhosa and translated to English. As a result of this study the successes of the CBO’s were identified and highlighted. These included land claims that were settled through the beneficiaries being assisted by the CBO’s, claims made on people’s behalf and large numbers of people that were assisted successfully. Amongst the many challenges, we identified the lack of support from government and being unable to attract requisite skills due to lack of funding to be the most inhibiting. In view of the successes and identified challenges, the study provides recommendations to accelerate the land reform programme through providing support to the CBO’s who, through their programmes, have been able to contribute to changing people’s lives. Land reform in South Africa has been pursued under three broad approaches: restitution, redistribution and tenure reform. Land reform processes have faced challenges that have made it difficult for communities and civil society organisations (CSOs), to engage government to ensure that communities benefit as victims of past racial legislations. The Eastern Cape is one of the nine provinces located in the southeast of the country along the Indian Ocean. The area was the site of a prolonged struggle for land between the Dutch/Afrikaners and the British throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, which led to the defeat and subjugation of African people. The province covers an area of 169 875 square kilometers with 37 local municipalities and two metropolitan municipalities. The mid-year population estimates in 2013 estimated the population to be at 6 620 100 (Statistics South Africa: Mid-Year Population Estimates, 2013: 9). The Eastern Cape, being home to 6 620 100 people, is the third most populated province after Gauteng, which has 6.7 million people, and KwaZulu-Natal leading the statistics with 10.2 million people.as stated in the Socio-Economic Review of 2013 by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. The review further found that the female population is larger than the male population in Eastern Cape. This is attributed to the migration of males to bigger cities in search of better opportunities. The province is ranked top in the number of people that migrate, and this is proved by the fact that “241 758 people migrated from the Eastern Cape Province to other provinces between 2011 and 2016” (Statistics South Africa: Mid-year Population estimates, 2014:15).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Mazula, Mkhululi
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Land reform -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Civil society -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/11382 , vital:26916
- Description: One of the actions introduced by government to address the effects of the past discriminatory land policies that created inequitable land ownership and denied the African majority access to land was the National Land Reform Programme. The democratic government that came into power in 1994 intended to replace all the discriminatory land policies with those that were aimed at redressing the skewed land ownership that was as a result of dispossession and past injustices. This study focused on land reform in the Eastern Cape with a specific reference to activities that were conducted by 6 community based organisations supported by the Multi Agency Grants Initiative. The research has been conducted through assessing their activities in the different municipalities that are helping land claimants to access land. This study was important in highlighting the role played by Community Based Organisations in land reforms as they are based in communities, easily reached when needed and they understand the challenges that confront community members, particularly those that relate to accessing land. The researcher had a relationship with the identified organisations as an employee of MAGI and focus group interviews were conducted in East London in one of the workshops that was attended by representatives of the CBO’s. These were conducted in isi-Xhosa and translated to English. As a result of this study the successes of the CBO’s were identified and highlighted. These included land claims that were settled through the beneficiaries being assisted by the CBO’s, claims made on people’s behalf and large numbers of people that were assisted successfully. Amongst the many challenges, we identified the lack of support from government and being unable to attract requisite skills due to lack of funding to be the most inhibiting. In view of the successes and identified challenges, the study provides recommendations to accelerate the land reform programme through providing support to the CBO’s who, through their programmes, have been able to contribute to changing people’s lives. Land reform in South Africa has been pursued under three broad approaches: restitution, redistribution and tenure reform. Land reform processes have faced challenges that have made it difficult for communities and civil society organisations (CSOs), to engage government to ensure that communities benefit as victims of past racial legislations. The Eastern Cape is one of the nine provinces located in the southeast of the country along the Indian Ocean. The area was the site of a prolonged struggle for land between the Dutch/Afrikaners and the British throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, which led to the defeat and subjugation of African people. The province covers an area of 169 875 square kilometers with 37 local municipalities and two metropolitan municipalities. The mid-year population estimates in 2013 estimated the population to be at 6 620 100 (Statistics South Africa: Mid-Year Population Estimates, 2013: 9). The Eastern Cape, being home to 6 620 100 people, is the third most populated province after Gauteng, which has 6.7 million people, and KwaZulu-Natal leading the statistics with 10.2 million people.as stated in the Socio-Economic Review of 2013 by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. The review further found that the female population is larger than the male population in Eastern Cape. This is attributed to the migration of males to bigger cities in search of better opportunities. The province is ranked top in the number of people that migrate, and this is proved by the fact that “241 758 people migrated from the Eastern Cape Province to other provinces between 2011 and 2016” (Statistics South Africa: Mid-year Population estimates, 2014:15).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Post -war recovery and development in Liberia since 2013
- Authors: Mbulle-Nziege, Leonard
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Postwar reconstruction -- Liberia Liberia -- Politics and government -- 21st century , Peace-building
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/12361 , vital:27058
- Description: The aims and objectives of this study are notably, to provide an overall understanding of the history of Liberia, from the country’s foundation, through the civil war, up to the present day post-conflict scenario. It intends to identify the strategies and schemes put in place by Liberian officials and other stakeholders, while outlining the importance of attaining the goals attached to these various plans. The difficulties of achieving these post-conflict development goals will also be noted, and finally, It analyses whether the concepts used in Liberia might also be implemented in post-conflict societies not only in Africa, but all over the world.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Mbulle-Nziege, Leonard
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Postwar reconstruction -- Liberia Liberia -- Politics and government -- 21st century , Peace-building
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/12361 , vital:27058
- Description: The aims and objectives of this study are notably, to provide an overall understanding of the history of Liberia, from the country’s foundation, through the civil war, up to the present day post-conflict scenario. It intends to identify the strategies and schemes put in place by Liberian officials and other stakeholders, while outlining the importance of attaining the goals attached to these various plans. The difficulties of achieving these post-conflict development goals will also be noted, and finally, It analyses whether the concepts used in Liberia might also be implemented in post-conflict societies not only in Africa, but all over the world.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Complexities of accessing finance from government institutions and its agencies
- Mbundwini, Gracious Nomfuneko
- Authors: Mbundwini, Gracious Nomfuneko
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Business enterprises -- South Africa -- Finance Small business -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/11772 , vital:26967
- Description: Purpose: with the recent establishment of Small Business Development department, the ministry is tasked and will be responsible for ensuring that the business environment is enabling for new Small to Medium businesses. The real issue and the point of interest in researching this particular dissertation is the available literature around the issue of the SME sector which indicates that new SMEs in South Africa do not move from the first stage (existence) to other stages such as survival, success, take off and resource maturity. The study seeks to inaugurate two specific challenges (difficulties in accessing finance and to examine if there is sufficient non-financial SME incubators and mentorship programs post funding allocation). The area of study focused on SMEs that are concentrated in highly populated areas of Gauteng. Methodology: The study was conducted using qualitative research and a questionnaire was used as a data collection tool. The researcher was able to get valuable information on stakeholders in the SMME sector. This was done through the use of questionnaires to businesses, government funders and incubators. Results: when posed with a question of the start-up capital, a mere 17% responded to having obtained financial assistance from government institutions, 20% from friends and family while a massive 60% indicated they have used own capital to start businesses. When the researcher posed the question of the reasons that often leads to failure, approximately 23% of businesses mentioned lack of working equipment as the core reasons for the business failure while 17% indicated that lack of business opportunities or rather contracts of supply from government departments as the main impeding factor which resulted to failure. In terms of the availability of incubators, approximately 67% of respondents indicated that there were no business incubators available in their areas of business. Approximately 57% of businesses mentioned the inability to obtain loans from government funding institutions was the major business constraint that often leads to failure. The researcher posed a question to business incubators personnel that participated in the study to gain perspective as to why do they think SMEs fail within the first year of operation. Approximately 40% of respondents alluded that, barriers to entry by big corporates in South Africa force Small and Medium Enterprises out of businesses. Other participants added that the South African government procurement system does not provide opportunities to small businesses due to lack of experience. All government funding institutions participants mentioned that in most cases SMEs finance applications are rejected due to the fact that businesses fail to present viable business proposals that show the ability for business to remain operating for a long time Implications: The above analysed study findings indicate that there is a huge gap between small businesses and government funding institutions in terms of the awareness of the available financial support to SMEs. From the government perspective, it was indicated that businesses submit business plans that are not viable. There needs to be the middle ground where business plans compilation support currently provided by SEDA awareness should be spread across SMEs operating in the highly populated areas of Gauteng. Recommendations: Access to finance is a major constraint hindering the growth and success of small enterprises. The South African government has established a number of financial support programmes aimed to assist SMEs. With these financial support programmes, most of the SMEs are unsuccessful due to the fact that they cannot easily access those funds and as a result they remain stagnant for a very long time or end up shutting down. Conclusion: The effect of credit rationing is the potential loss of opportunity and or reduction in the scale of a business, neither of which is a desirable outcome. At the most fundamental level, there are lost opportunities for the borrower and the lender. There are implications for the wider economy also. SMEs are a key source of innovation, competition and choice.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Mbundwini, Gracious Nomfuneko
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Business enterprises -- South Africa -- Finance Small business -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/11772 , vital:26967
- Description: Purpose: with the recent establishment of Small Business Development department, the ministry is tasked and will be responsible for ensuring that the business environment is enabling for new Small to Medium businesses. The real issue and the point of interest in researching this particular dissertation is the available literature around the issue of the SME sector which indicates that new SMEs in South Africa do not move from the first stage (existence) to other stages such as survival, success, take off and resource maturity. The study seeks to inaugurate two specific challenges (difficulties in accessing finance and to examine if there is sufficient non-financial SME incubators and mentorship programs post funding allocation). The area of study focused on SMEs that are concentrated in highly populated areas of Gauteng. Methodology: The study was conducted using qualitative research and a questionnaire was used as a data collection tool. The researcher was able to get valuable information on stakeholders in the SMME sector. This was done through the use of questionnaires to businesses, government funders and incubators. Results: when posed with a question of the start-up capital, a mere 17% responded to having obtained financial assistance from government institutions, 20% from friends and family while a massive 60% indicated they have used own capital to start businesses. When the researcher posed the question of the reasons that often leads to failure, approximately 23% of businesses mentioned lack of working equipment as the core reasons for the business failure while 17% indicated that lack of business opportunities or rather contracts of supply from government departments as the main impeding factor which resulted to failure. In terms of the availability of incubators, approximately 67% of respondents indicated that there were no business incubators available in their areas of business. Approximately 57% of businesses mentioned the inability to obtain loans from government funding institutions was the major business constraint that often leads to failure. The researcher posed a question to business incubators personnel that participated in the study to gain perspective as to why do they think SMEs fail within the first year of operation. Approximately 40% of respondents alluded that, barriers to entry by big corporates in South Africa force Small and Medium Enterprises out of businesses. Other participants added that the South African government procurement system does not provide opportunities to small businesses due to lack of experience. All government funding institutions participants mentioned that in most cases SMEs finance applications are rejected due to the fact that businesses fail to present viable business proposals that show the ability for business to remain operating for a long time Implications: The above analysed study findings indicate that there is a huge gap between small businesses and government funding institutions in terms of the awareness of the available financial support to SMEs. From the government perspective, it was indicated that businesses submit business plans that are not viable. There needs to be the middle ground where business plans compilation support currently provided by SEDA awareness should be spread across SMEs operating in the highly populated areas of Gauteng. Recommendations: Access to finance is a major constraint hindering the growth and success of small enterprises. The South African government has established a number of financial support programmes aimed to assist SMEs. With these financial support programmes, most of the SMEs are unsuccessful due to the fact that they cannot easily access those funds and as a result they remain stagnant for a very long time or end up shutting down. Conclusion: The effect of credit rationing is the potential loss of opportunity and or reduction in the scale of a business, neither of which is a desirable outcome. At the most fundamental level, there are lost opportunities for the borrower and the lender. There are implications for the wider economy also. SMEs are a key source of innovation, competition and choice.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016