A case study of narcissistic pathology : an object relations perspective
- Authors: Ivey, Gavin William
- Date: 1989
- Subjects: Narcissism Narcissism -- Treatment
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3188 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008453
- Description: The case-study method of psychological research was applied to the brief psychodynamic therapy of a narcissistically disordered female patient. The aim of this research was to explore, clarify and explain certain diagnostic and psychodynamic anomalies to emerge in the course of treatment, using a conceptual framework derived from select psychoanalytic object relations theorists in the area of narcissistic pathology. The author, discovering that there was no diagnostic or explanatory object relations model adequate to the therapeutic data, formulated his own diagnostic category narcissistic neurosis and an eclectic object relations model in order to explain the anomolous research findings. Narcissistic neurosis was defined as a form of psychopathology in which a primarily neurotic character structure presents with a distinctly narcissistic profile. The narcissistic false self-structure serves the functional purpose of protecting the psyche from a repressed negative self-representation derived from a destructive bipolar self-object introject. The primary etiological factor to emerge was that of a narcissistic mother conditional affection and self-object target child necessitated adaptive whose insensitivity, relationship with the premature self-sufficiency and the defensive emergence of a narcissistic surface self-representation. It was proposed that narcissistic neurosis and narcissistic personality disorder are two discrete forms of pathology differing in terms of severity, psychodynamics, defensive structure, mode of object relating, therapeutic accessibility and prognosis. Assessment criteria were proposed in order to differentiate the two areas of narcissistic pathology and assess suitability for psychotherapeutic treatment. Positive treatment results in this case-study suggest that narcissistic neuroses may receive long-term benefit from short-term psychodynamic therapy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1989
- Authors: Ivey, Gavin William
- Date: 1989
- Subjects: Narcissism Narcissism -- Treatment
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3188 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008453
- Description: The case-study method of psychological research was applied to the brief psychodynamic therapy of a narcissistically disordered female patient. The aim of this research was to explore, clarify and explain certain diagnostic and psychodynamic anomalies to emerge in the course of treatment, using a conceptual framework derived from select psychoanalytic object relations theorists in the area of narcissistic pathology. The author, discovering that there was no diagnostic or explanatory object relations model adequate to the therapeutic data, formulated his own diagnostic category narcissistic neurosis and an eclectic object relations model in order to explain the anomolous research findings. Narcissistic neurosis was defined as a form of psychopathology in which a primarily neurotic character structure presents with a distinctly narcissistic profile. The narcissistic false self-structure serves the functional purpose of protecting the psyche from a repressed negative self-representation derived from a destructive bipolar self-object introject. The primary etiological factor to emerge was that of a narcissistic mother conditional affection and self-object target child necessitated adaptive whose insensitivity, relationship with the premature self-sufficiency and the defensive emergence of a narcissistic surface self-representation. It was proposed that narcissistic neurosis and narcissistic personality disorder are two discrete forms of pathology differing in terms of severity, psychodynamics, defensive structure, mode of object relating, therapeutic accessibility and prognosis. Assessment criteria were proposed in order to differentiate the two areas of narcissistic pathology and assess suitability for psychotherapeutic treatment. Positive treatment results in this case-study suggest that narcissistic neuroses may receive long-term benefit from short-term psychodynamic therapy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1989
A case study of the language policy in practice in the foundation phase of schooling
- Authors: Brookes, Margaret Ann
- Date: 2002
- Subjects: Language policy -- South Africa English language -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1442 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003323
- Description: This interpretative case study takes place in the foundation phase of a previously parallel medium school in the Eastern Cape. Learners from all three major language groups of the province (English, Xhosa and Afrikaans) are enrolled at the school. The study examines the language attitudes of teachers, parents and young learners and records their language practices in the classroom, the wider school environment and at home. Research carried out through this case study found that all stakeholders perceive English as the language of access to improved education and lifestyle. All young learners displayed a positive attitude to multilingualism and were keen to be able to speak all three provincial languages. The attitudes of their parents and teachers however differed from the learners and each other. The teachers and the English speaking parents were primarily concerned with the maintenance of the standards of English. The Afrikaans and Xhosa speaking parents were committed to their children developing proficient English language skills even if this meant supporting the development of their primary language and culture at home. Furthermore it was discovered that little attention had been paid to developing a school language policy in accordance with the new Language in Education Policy of July 1997. This policy promotes an additive approach to bilingualism and seeks to ensure that meaningful access to learning is provided for all children. By suggesting steps that could be taken by this school to develop their own language policy, the study highlights the necessity of recognising and remedying the gaps between policy and practice in the issue of language rights, identity and education in general.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2002
- Authors: Brookes, Margaret Ann
- Date: 2002
- Subjects: Language policy -- South Africa English language -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1442 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003323
- Description: This interpretative case study takes place in the foundation phase of a previously parallel medium school in the Eastern Cape. Learners from all three major language groups of the province (English, Xhosa and Afrikaans) are enrolled at the school. The study examines the language attitudes of teachers, parents and young learners and records their language practices in the classroom, the wider school environment and at home. Research carried out through this case study found that all stakeholders perceive English as the language of access to improved education and lifestyle. All young learners displayed a positive attitude to multilingualism and were keen to be able to speak all three provincial languages. The attitudes of their parents and teachers however differed from the learners and each other. The teachers and the English speaking parents were primarily concerned with the maintenance of the standards of English. The Afrikaans and Xhosa speaking parents were committed to their children developing proficient English language skills even if this meant supporting the development of their primary language and culture at home. Furthermore it was discovered that little attention had been paid to developing a school language policy in accordance with the new Language in Education Policy of July 1997. This policy promotes an additive approach to bilingualism and seeks to ensure that meaningful access to learning is provided for all children. By suggesting steps that could be taken by this school to develop their own language policy, the study highlights the necessity of recognising and remedying the gaps between policy and practice in the issue of language rights, identity and education in general.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2002
A changing didacticism : the development of South African young adult fiction from 1985 to 2006
- Authors: Williams, Jenna Elizabeth
- Date: 2009 , 2013-07-16
- Subjects: Didactic fiction, English -- History and criticism Young adult fiction, South African -- History and criticism South Africa -- In literature South Africa -- Politics and government
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2255 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004293
- Description: This thesis endeavours to establish how political transformation in South Africa has impacted on the didactic function of locally produced young adult fiction between the years of 1985 and 2006. To this end, a selection of young adult novels and short stories are examined in relation to the time period during which they were written or are set, namely the final years of apartheid (from 1985 to the early 1990s), the period of transition from apartheid to democracy (approximately 1991 to 1997), and the early years of the twenty-first century (2000 to 2006). Chapter One provides a brief overview of publishing for the juvenile market in South Africa over the last century, noting how significant historical and political events affected both the publishing industry itself and the content of children's and young adult literature. This chapter also adumbrates the theoretical foundations of the study. The second chapter examines a selection of texts either written or set during the final years of the apartheid regime. This chapter establishes how authors during this period challenged notions of racial inequality and undermined the policies of the apartheid government, with varying degrees of success. The authors' methods in encouraging their (predominantly white) readers to question apartheid ideology are also interrogated. Those novels written after, but set during, the apartheid era are examined with the aim of determining their authors' didactic objectives in revisiting this period in their novels. Chapter Three explores how authors writing during the transition period aimed to encourage readers to participate in the building of a 'rainbow nation,' by portraying idealised modes of relating to the racial 'other.' While some of the authors examined in this chapter are optimistic, and even naïve, in their celebration of a newly established democracy, others are more cautious in suggesting that decades of oppression and separation can so easily be overcome. Chapter Four demonstrates how the freedoms afforded by a democratic society have prompted young adult authors to explore the possibilities of adapting the sub-genre of the teenage problem novel to suit a distinctly South African context. While some of these texts are not overtly didactic in nature, they confront the unique issues faced by a generation of South African teenagers raised in a democratic society, and in some cases challenge readers to reconsider their approach to such issues.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Williams, Jenna Elizabeth
- Date: 2009 , 2013-07-16
- Subjects: Didactic fiction, English -- History and criticism Young adult fiction, South African -- History and criticism South Africa -- In literature South Africa -- Politics and government
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2255 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004293
- Description: This thesis endeavours to establish how political transformation in South Africa has impacted on the didactic function of locally produced young adult fiction between the years of 1985 and 2006. To this end, a selection of young adult novels and short stories are examined in relation to the time period during which they were written or are set, namely the final years of apartheid (from 1985 to the early 1990s), the period of transition from apartheid to democracy (approximately 1991 to 1997), and the early years of the twenty-first century (2000 to 2006). Chapter One provides a brief overview of publishing for the juvenile market in South Africa over the last century, noting how significant historical and political events affected both the publishing industry itself and the content of children's and young adult literature. This chapter also adumbrates the theoretical foundations of the study. The second chapter examines a selection of texts either written or set during the final years of the apartheid regime. This chapter establishes how authors during this period challenged notions of racial inequality and undermined the policies of the apartheid government, with varying degrees of success. The authors' methods in encouraging their (predominantly white) readers to question apartheid ideology are also interrogated. Those novels written after, but set during, the apartheid era are examined with the aim of determining their authors' didactic objectives in revisiting this period in their novels. Chapter Three explores how authors writing during the transition period aimed to encourage readers to participate in the building of a 'rainbow nation,' by portraying idealised modes of relating to the racial 'other.' While some of the authors examined in this chapter are optimistic, and even naïve, in their celebration of a newly established democracy, others are more cautious in suggesting that decades of oppression and separation can so easily be overcome. Chapter Four demonstrates how the freedoms afforded by a democratic society have prompted young adult authors to explore the possibilities of adapting the sub-genre of the teenage problem novel to suit a distinctly South African context. While some of these texts are not overtly didactic in nature, they confront the unique issues faced by a generation of South African teenagers raised in a democratic society, and in some cases challenge readers to reconsider their approach to such issues.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
A critical investigation of the relevance of theories of feminist jurisprudence to African women in South Africa
- Authors: Mangwiro, Heather K
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: Feminist theory Feminist jurisprudence Women -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- South Africa Women's rights -- South Africa Sex discrimination against women -- South Africa Sex role -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:3712 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007328
- Description: Feminist theories emerged out of the revolutionary enthusiasm that swept the Western world during the late eighteenth and nineteenth century Europe. Based on the assumption that all persons have "inalienable or natural" rights upon which governments may not intrude, feminists in Europe and America advocated that equal rights should be extended to women who up to this point were not considered legal beings separate and deserving of these rights. Most African writers and feminists have argued that since most of the theories of feminist jurisprudence have their roots in this Euro-centric context, they cannot be applicable to African women and should therefore be discarded. The thesis acknowledges that to a certain extent their assertions are true. For years feminist jurisprudence has been restricted to an academic engagement with the law failing to take into account the practices and customs of different communities. It has largely been the realm of the middle class bourgeois white female and therefore has been inaccessible to the African woman. The thesis aims, however, to prove that these theories of feminist jurisprudence although Euro-centric have a place in the understanding and advancement of African women's rights in South Africa. In Chapter One the writer traces the history of South African women's rights and the laws that affect African women. Chapter Two presents the emergence of feminist theories and categories of feminism. The writer then seeks to identify the misunderstandings and tensions that exist between the two. The narrow conception of Euro-centric feminism has been that its sole purpose has been the eradication of gender discrimination, however, for African women in South Africa they have had to deal with a multiplicity of oppressions that include but are not restricted to gender, race, economic and social disempowerment. This is dealt with in Chapter Three. It is the opinion of the writer that despite these differences feminism does play a critical role in the advancement of women's rights in South Africa. Taking the South African governments commitment to the advancement of universal rights, the writer is of the opinion that African women can look to the example set by Western feminists, and broaden these theories to suit and be adaptable to the South African context. The answer is not to totally discard feminist theories but to extract commonalities that exist between African and European women, by so doing acknowledging that women's oppression is a global phenomenon. This is the focus of Chapter Four. To avoid making this work a mere academic endeavour, the writer in Chapter Five also aims, through interviews, to include the voices of African women and to indicate areas that still need attention from both the lawmakers and women's rights movements (Feminists). Finally, the writer aims to present a way forward, one that is not merely formal but also substantively attainable.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
- Authors: Mangwiro, Heather K
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: Feminist theory Feminist jurisprudence Women -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- South Africa Women's rights -- South Africa Sex discrimination against women -- South Africa Sex role -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:3712 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007328
- Description: Feminist theories emerged out of the revolutionary enthusiasm that swept the Western world during the late eighteenth and nineteenth century Europe. Based on the assumption that all persons have "inalienable or natural" rights upon which governments may not intrude, feminists in Europe and America advocated that equal rights should be extended to women who up to this point were not considered legal beings separate and deserving of these rights. Most African writers and feminists have argued that since most of the theories of feminist jurisprudence have their roots in this Euro-centric context, they cannot be applicable to African women and should therefore be discarded. The thesis acknowledges that to a certain extent their assertions are true. For years feminist jurisprudence has been restricted to an academic engagement with the law failing to take into account the practices and customs of different communities. It has largely been the realm of the middle class bourgeois white female and therefore has been inaccessible to the African woman. The thesis aims, however, to prove that these theories of feminist jurisprudence although Euro-centric have a place in the understanding and advancement of African women's rights in South Africa. In Chapter One the writer traces the history of South African women's rights and the laws that affect African women. Chapter Two presents the emergence of feminist theories and categories of feminism. The writer then seeks to identify the misunderstandings and tensions that exist between the two. The narrow conception of Euro-centric feminism has been that its sole purpose has been the eradication of gender discrimination, however, for African women in South Africa they have had to deal with a multiplicity of oppressions that include but are not restricted to gender, race, economic and social disempowerment. This is dealt with in Chapter Three. It is the opinion of the writer that despite these differences feminism does play a critical role in the advancement of women's rights in South Africa. Taking the South African governments commitment to the advancement of universal rights, the writer is of the opinion that African women can look to the example set by Western feminists, and broaden these theories to suit and be adaptable to the South African context. The answer is not to totally discard feminist theories but to extract commonalities that exist between African and European women, by so doing acknowledging that women's oppression is a global phenomenon. This is the focus of Chapter Four. To avoid making this work a mere academic endeavour, the writer in Chapter Five also aims, through interviews, to include the voices of African women and to indicate areas that still need attention from both the lawmakers and women's rights movements (Feminists). Finally, the writer aims to present a way forward, one that is not merely formal but also substantively attainable.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
A psychobiographical study of William Wilberforce
- Authors: Daubermann, Bettina Pamela
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Personality development
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9966 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020857 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1021085
- Description: The proposed study is of a psychobiographical nature and employs a qualitative research approach. The individual that forms the subject of this study is William Wilberforce. A social activist most of his life, Wilberforce is best known for his voice and works behind the abolition of the slave trade in 1807 and the abolition of slavery in 1833. His ambitious nature, social eloquence and verbal intellect resulted in him being elected as a member of parliament in the House of Commons in England during the period 1780 to 1825. Transformed by the Christian faith in 1885, Wilberforce came to the realization he had received a calling from God to speak up for those who could not with a specific task set out before him which was to abolish slavery. It was the purpose of the present research to explore and describe Wilberforce’s psychological development across his life-span according to Carl Rogers’ (1961) personality theory of optimal development. Salient aspects of Wilberforce’s life were related and compared to components of the theory so as to explore and describe the degree of optimal development that Wilberforce reached at different points in his life and whether he could be described as a fully functioning person. According to Rogers’ theory William Wilberforce was chosen as the research subject for his historical contribution to mankind by his devotion to the moral enhancement of his country.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
- Authors: Daubermann, Bettina Pamela
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Personality development
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9966 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020857 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1021085
- Description: The proposed study is of a psychobiographical nature and employs a qualitative research approach. The individual that forms the subject of this study is William Wilberforce. A social activist most of his life, Wilberforce is best known for his voice and works behind the abolition of the slave trade in 1807 and the abolition of slavery in 1833. His ambitious nature, social eloquence and verbal intellect resulted in him being elected as a member of parliament in the House of Commons in England during the period 1780 to 1825. Transformed by the Christian faith in 1885, Wilberforce came to the realization he had received a calling from God to speak up for those who could not with a specific task set out before him which was to abolish slavery. It was the purpose of the present research to explore and describe Wilberforce’s psychological development across his life-span according to Carl Rogers’ (1961) personality theory of optimal development. Salient aspects of Wilberforce’s life were related and compared to components of the theory so as to explore and describe the degree of optimal development that Wilberforce reached at different points in his life and whether he could be described as a fully functioning person. According to Rogers’ theory William Wilberforce was chosen as the research subject for his historical contribution to mankind by his devotion to the moral enhancement of his country.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
An analysis of ionospheric response to geomagnetic disturbances over South Africa and Antarctica
- Authors: Ngwira, Chigomezyo Mudala
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Geomagnetism -- South Africa , Geomagnetism -- Antarctica , Ionospheric storms -- South Africa , Ionospheric storms -- Antarctica
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5534 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012957
- Description: The ionosphere is of practical importance for satellite-based communication and navigation systems due to its variable refractive nature which affects the propagation of trans-ionospheric radio signals. This thesis reports on the first attempt to investigate the mechanisms responsible for the generation of positive ionospheric storm effects over mid-latitude South Africa. The storm response on 15 May 2005 was associated with equatorward neutral winds and the passage of travelling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs). The two TIDs reported in this thesis propagated with average velocities of ∼438 m/s and ∼515 m/s respectively. The velocity of the first TID (i.e. 438 m/s) is consistent with the velocities calculated in other studies for the same storm event. In a second case study, the positive storm enhancement on both 25 and 27 July 2004 lasted for more than 7 hours, and were classified as long-duration positive ionospheric storm effects. It has been suggested that the long-duration positive storm effects could have been caused by large-scale thermospheric wind circulation and enhanced equatorward neutral winds. These processes were in turn most likely to have been driven by enhanced and sustained energy input in the high-latitude ionosphere due to Joule heating and particle energy injection. This is evident by the prolonged high-level geomagnetic activity on both 25 and 27 July. This thesis also reports on the phase scintillation investigation at the South African Antarctic polar research station during solar minimum conditions. The multi-instrument approach that was used shows that the scintillation events were associated with auroral electron precipitation and that substorms play an essential role in the production of scintillation in the high latitudes. Furthermore, the investigation reveals that external energy injection into the ionosphere is necessary for the development of high-latitude irregularities which produce scintillation. Finally, this thesis highlights inadequate data resources as one of the major shortcomings to be addressed in order to fully understand and distinguish between the various ionospheric storm drivers over the Southern Africa mid-latitude region. The results presented in this thesis on the ionospheric response during geomagnetic storms provide essential information to direct further investigation aimed at developing this emerging field of study in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Ngwira, Chigomezyo Mudala
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Geomagnetism -- South Africa , Geomagnetism -- Antarctica , Ionospheric storms -- South Africa , Ionospheric storms -- Antarctica
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5534 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012957
- Description: The ionosphere is of practical importance for satellite-based communication and navigation systems due to its variable refractive nature which affects the propagation of trans-ionospheric radio signals. This thesis reports on the first attempt to investigate the mechanisms responsible for the generation of positive ionospheric storm effects over mid-latitude South Africa. The storm response on 15 May 2005 was associated with equatorward neutral winds and the passage of travelling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs). The two TIDs reported in this thesis propagated with average velocities of ∼438 m/s and ∼515 m/s respectively. The velocity of the first TID (i.e. 438 m/s) is consistent with the velocities calculated in other studies for the same storm event. In a second case study, the positive storm enhancement on both 25 and 27 July 2004 lasted for more than 7 hours, and were classified as long-duration positive ionospheric storm effects. It has been suggested that the long-duration positive storm effects could have been caused by large-scale thermospheric wind circulation and enhanced equatorward neutral winds. These processes were in turn most likely to have been driven by enhanced and sustained energy input in the high-latitude ionosphere due to Joule heating and particle energy injection. This is evident by the prolonged high-level geomagnetic activity on both 25 and 27 July. This thesis also reports on the phase scintillation investigation at the South African Antarctic polar research station during solar minimum conditions. The multi-instrument approach that was used shows that the scintillation events were associated with auroral electron precipitation and that substorms play an essential role in the production of scintillation in the high latitudes. Furthermore, the investigation reveals that external energy injection into the ionosphere is necessary for the development of high-latitude irregularities which produce scintillation. Finally, this thesis highlights inadequate data resources as one of the major shortcomings to be addressed in order to fully understand and distinguish between the various ionospheric storm drivers over the Southern Africa mid-latitude region. The results presented in this thesis on the ionospheric response during geomagnetic storms provide essential information to direct further investigation aimed at developing this emerging field of study in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
Assessment of the Eastern Cape Provincial Public Service Commission in promoting public service ethics
- Authors: Butana, Vulikhaya
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Public administration -- Moral and ethical aspects Civil service ethics Public administration
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , Public Administration
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/10295 , vital:35391
- Description: After the fall of the apartheid government with discriminatory laws and the rise and dawn of democracy in South Africa (SA), the government had to restructure the Public Service (PS). The creation and development of PS legislations and policies to regulate the PS took place. The PSC in 1999 was developed to monitor and steer the operation of the PS. The main objective of this study is to assess the Public Service Commission (PSC) in promoting the professional and ethical environment in the Public Service (PS). The PSC is an independent and impartial body or institution which is mandated by the Republic of South African Constitution of 1996 (Act No.108 of 1996), Public Service Commission Act and the Public Service Act. Chapter ten of the Constitution gives PSC a mandate to ensure that the egalitarian values and principles governing public administration are maintained by government departments, organizations, parastatals and administrations providing the PS, where in this study focus on the promotion of ethics. The methodology used in this study is qualitative research methodology. The study used desktop research where by a data was collected using books, journal articles, academic papers, online information and media reports. The findings of this study highlighted that non-compliance to rules and regulations, lack of policy implementation, limited financial and human resources are still the major problems facing the South African Public Service (SAPS). However, the study recommends that, the PSC must work closely with government departments, promotion of ethics workshops and conferences. In a nutshell, the PSC could improve by developing and regularly reviewing policies, procedures, practices and institutions influencing ethical conduct in the public service.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Butana, Vulikhaya
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Public administration -- Moral and ethical aspects Civil service ethics Public administration
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , Public Administration
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/10295 , vital:35391
- Description: After the fall of the apartheid government with discriminatory laws and the rise and dawn of democracy in South Africa (SA), the government had to restructure the Public Service (PS). The creation and development of PS legislations and policies to regulate the PS took place. The PSC in 1999 was developed to monitor and steer the operation of the PS. The main objective of this study is to assess the Public Service Commission (PSC) in promoting the professional and ethical environment in the Public Service (PS). The PSC is an independent and impartial body or institution which is mandated by the Republic of South African Constitution of 1996 (Act No.108 of 1996), Public Service Commission Act and the Public Service Act. Chapter ten of the Constitution gives PSC a mandate to ensure that the egalitarian values and principles governing public administration are maintained by government departments, organizations, parastatals and administrations providing the PS, where in this study focus on the promotion of ethics. The methodology used in this study is qualitative research methodology. The study used desktop research where by a data was collected using books, journal articles, academic papers, online information and media reports. The findings of this study highlighted that non-compliance to rules and regulations, lack of policy implementation, limited financial and human resources are still the major problems facing the South African Public Service (SAPS). However, the study recommends that, the PSC must work closely with government departments, promotion of ethics workshops and conferences. In a nutshell, the PSC could improve by developing and regularly reviewing policies, procedures, practices and institutions influencing ethical conduct in the public service.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Direct and indirect effects of zooplanktivorous predators on the estuarine plankton community
- Authors: Wasserman, Ryan John
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Zooplankton -- Effect of predation on , Predation (Biology) , Zooplankton -- Predators of , Copepoda
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5870 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012938
- Description: Although predation has been identified as a potentially important driver in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, estuarine planktonic research has focused largely on the so-called "bottom-up" drivers of community assemblages. As such, this thesis focuses on the direct and indirect effects of zooplanktivorous predators on the planktonic community in an estuarine environment. By using a suite of in situ mesocosm experiments, a number of hypotheses, pertaining to the major research themes associated with predator-prey interactions, are tested. These themes included trophic cascading, risk effects associated with predation events and the importance of predator diversity in maintaining prey communities. The first experiment assessed the significance of apex predation pressure for the planktonic community through trophic cascades. Various treatments using in situ mesocosms were established in a closed oligotrophic estuary to highlight the importance of predation in stabilising estuarine plankton abundances. Through either the removal (filtration) or addition of certain planktonic groups, varied trophic scenarios were established. The experimental treatment containing apex zooplanktivores had consequences for multiple trophic levels, exerting a stabilising pressure throughout the food web (Chapter 3). Furthermore, pyrosequencing of filtered water samples revealed that when compared to the remaining treatments, the treatment containing stable apex predatory pressure experienced limited temporal deviation-from-initial in bacterial community structure (Chapter 4). These findings are consistent with trophic cascade theory whereby predators mediate interactions at multiple lower trophic levels with consequent repercussions for diversity. To assess the non-consumptive effects of predators on prey, two experiments were conducted. Firstly, using egg numbers per clutch as a measure of potential reproductive output, the non-lethal effects of predatory pressure on reproductive success in a key planktonic copepod was investigated. In this study, the average clutch size of fecund female copepods was found to be consistently lower in the presence of predators when compared to females not exposed to predation threat (Chapter 5). The second study assessed the effects of conspecific chemical alarm cues associated with predation, on population dynamics of a copepod species. This study revealed that the copepods appear to detect the presence of chemical alarm cues associated with predation events, with repercussions for population demographics over time. Furthermore, it showed that in the absence of actual predation, copepod prey responses to alarm cues were adjusted over time, consistent with the threat sensitive predator avoidance hypothesis (Chapter 6). The final data chapter dealt with predator diversity and its implications for zooplankton community structure. By experimentally monitoring the effects of two alternate model predators on the metazoan community over time, dissimilarities in community level control emerged. Alternate key prey populations were regulated by the different model predators, highlighting the importance of predator and prey behaviour in mediating predator-prey interactions (Chapter 7). These results highlight the potential importance of predators in maintaining community dynamics in estuarine planktonic communities under certain conditions. This study represents some of the first work to address these various aspects of predator-prey dynamics within the context of planktonic estuarine ecology.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Wasserman, Ryan John
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Zooplankton -- Effect of predation on , Predation (Biology) , Zooplankton -- Predators of , Copepoda
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5870 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012938
- Description: Although predation has been identified as a potentially important driver in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, estuarine planktonic research has focused largely on the so-called "bottom-up" drivers of community assemblages. As such, this thesis focuses on the direct and indirect effects of zooplanktivorous predators on the planktonic community in an estuarine environment. By using a suite of in situ mesocosm experiments, a number of hypotheses, pertaining to the major research themes associated with predator-prey interactions, are tested. These themes included trophic cascading, risk effects associated with predation events and the importance of predator diversity in maintaining prey communities. The first experiment assessed the significance of apex predation pressure for the planktonic community through trophic cascades. Various treatments using in situ mesocosms were established in a closed oligotrophic estuary to highlight the importance of predation in stabilising estuarine plankton abundances. Through either the removal (filtration) or addition of certain planktonic groups, varied trophic scenarios were established. The experimental treatment containing apex zooplanktivores had consequences for multiple trophic levels, exerting a stabilising pressure throughout the food web (Chapter 3). Furthermore, pyrosequencing of filtered water samples revealed that when compared to the remaining treatments, the treatment containing stable apex predatory pressure experienced limited temporal deviation-from-initial in bacterial community structure (Chapter 4). These findings are consistent with trophic cascade theory whereby predators mediate interactions at multiple lower trophic levels with consequent repercussions for diversity. To assess the non-consumptive effects of predators on prey, two experiments were conducted. Firstly, using egg numbers per clutch as a measure of potential reproductive output, the non-lethal effects of predatory pressure on reproductive success in a key planktonic copepod was investigated. In this study, the average clutch size of fecund female copepods was found to be consistently lower in the presence of predators when compared to females not exposed to predation threat (Chapter 5). The second study assessed the effects of conspecific chemical alarm cues associated with predation, on population dynamics of a copepod species. This study revealed that the copepods appear to detect the presence of chemical alarm cues associated with predation events, with repercussions for population demographics over time. Furthermore, it showed that in the absence of actual predation, copepod prey responses to alarm cues were adjusted over time, consistent with the threat sensitive predator avoidance hypothesis (Chapter 6). The final data chapter dealt with predator diversity and its implications for zooplankton community structure. By experimentally monitoring the effects of two alternate model predators on the metazoan community over time, dissimilarities in community level control emerged. Alternate key prey populations were regulated by the different model predators, highlighting the importance of predator and prey behaviour in mediating predator-prey interactions (Chapter 7). These results highlight the potential importance of predators in maintaining community dynamics in estuarine planktonic communities under certain conditions. This study represents some of the first work to address these various aspects of predator-prey dynamics within the context of planktonic estuarine ecology.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Expanded Public Works Programme as a poverty alleviation strategy in Nyandeni local municipality in South Africa : an experiential study
- Authors: Xhongo, Khanya
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Public works -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSoc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/13587 , vital:39682
- Description: South Africa is faced by huge societal problem of poverty and unemployment, twenty one years after the dawn of democracy. These societal problems have been addressed by policy interventions such as Expanded Public Works Programme. The programme targets Youth, women and people with disabilities. However it appears that the mainstream of the programme the employment creation through infrastructure does not accommodate all the targets especially the disabled. The study sought to investigate the role played by EPWP in alleviating poverty in Nyandeni Municipality and to find out to what extent it really alleviate poverty. The study took a triangulated research paradigm which used both qualitative and quantitative research approaches to collect data from forty eight respondents, by way of in-depth interviews, focus group discussion and questionnaire survey. The study found out that, inter alia, poverty remains high in Nyandeni Local Municipality, there is rampant empowerment exclusion in the area, the wage rate paid to beneficiaries is too little to pull them out of poverty and the effects of poor exiting strategy are unbearable to beneficiaries as they find it hard to find other means of employment once they exit the programme. Some of the recommendations which the study made in line with improved mainstream empowerment security in relation to EPWP are that ,the government needs to improve the information dissemination about proposed interventions to alleviate poverty and that communities should partner with them to alert them about their needs and what best interventions could impact real change. The government should be mobile and take services to people and there should be consideration to review wage rate. The researcher is quite optimistic that the study will play a part in improving policy implementation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Xhongo, Khanya
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Public works -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSoc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/13587 , vital:39682
- Description: South Africa is faced by huge societal problem of poverty and unemployment, twenty one years after the dawn of democracy. These societal problems have been addressed by policy interventions such as Expanded Public Works Programme. The programme targets Youth, women and people with disabilities. However it appears that the mainstream of the programme the employment creation through infrastructure does not accommodate all the targets especially the disabled. The study sought to investigate the role played by EPWP in alleviating poverty in Nyandeni Municipality and to find out to what extent it really alleviate poverty. The study took a triangulated research paradigm which used both qualitative and quantitative research approaches to collect data from forty eight respondents, by way of in-depth interviews, focus group discussion and questionnaire survey. The study found out that, inter alia, poverty remains high in Nyandeni Local Municipality, there is rampant empowerment exclusion in the area, the wage rate paid to beneficiaries is too little to pull them out of poverty and the effects of poor exiting strategy are unbearable to beneficiaries as they find it hard to find other means of employment once they exit the programme. Some of the recommendations which the study made in line with improved mainstream empowerment security in relation to EPWP are that ,the government needs to improve the information dissemination about proposed interventions to alleviate poverty and that communities should partner with them to alert them about their needs and what best interventions could impact real change. The government should be mobile and take services to people and there should be consideration to review wage rate. The researcher is quite optimistic that the study will play a part in improving policy implementation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Factors that influence knowledge management systems to improve knowledge transfer in local government: a case study of Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality
- Authors: Ncoyini, Samuel
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Knowledge management -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Technology transfer -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Management information systems -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Com
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/1918 , vital:27583
- Description: The demand for improved service delivery requires new approaches and attitudes from local government. One of the ways this can be achieved is to focus on continuous improvement by driving innovation and lessons learnt from the municipalities’ past successes and failures. For local government authorities to rethink service delivery, they need to find better ways to share information assets, business processes and staff expertise with their citizens and business partners. The lack of Knowledge Management (KM) and, therefore, a low level of information and knowledge transfer in the public services have been identified as two of the main contributors to poor service delivery. The implementation of knowledge transfer process is one of the factors that will impact on the improvement of service delivery. The main purpose of this research study was to investigate how knowledge management systems can be used to improve the knowledge transfer at Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM). The research study focused on knowledge transfer within the Municipality as the general area of research. The objective of this study was to produce critical success factors that would improve knowledge management systems and knowledge transfer among employees at BCMM, which would ultimately improve service delivery.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Ncoyini, Samuel
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Knowledge management -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Technology transfer -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Management information systems -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Com
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/1918 , vital:27583
- Description: The demand for improved service delivery requires new approaches and attitudes from local government. One of the ways this can be achieved is to focus on continuous improvement by driving innovation and lessons learnt from the municipalities’ past successes and failures. For local government authorities to rethink service delivery, they need to find better ways to share information assets, business processes and staff expertise with their citizens and business partners. The lack of Knowledge Management (KM) and, therefore, a low level of information and knowledge transfer in the public services have been identified as two of the main contributors to poor service delivery. The implementation of knowledge transfer process is one of the factors that will impact on the improvement of service delivery. The main purpose of this research study was to investigate how knowledge management systems can be used to improve the knowledge transfer at Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM). The research study focused on knowledge transfer within the Municipality as the general area of research. The objective of this study was to produce critical success factors that would improve knowledge management systems and knowledge transfer among employees at BCMM, which would ultimately improve service delivery.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Financial development, income inequality and poverty: case of a selected SADC countries
- Authors: Leve, Samkele
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Finance Economic development Income distribution
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom (Economics)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/16918 , vital:40785
- Description: The financial sector plays a pivotal role in an economy of a country; hence the importance of financial development cannot be underestimated. Financial development is widely regarded as another conduit through which income inequality and poverty can be alleviated, however both theoretical and empirical literature does not reach consensus on the effect of financial development on income inequality and poverty. Against this background, the study empirically examines the effect of financial development on income inequality and poverty in selected Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, employing the Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) technique for the period 1980 to 2011. Based on the inequalitydecreasing and Mckinnon Conduit effect, two models which link financial sector development and inequality and financial sector development and poverty were estimated using five different dimensions of financial development. Empirical results revealed that financial development overall does have an impact on income inequality and poverty in the selected SADC countries. An interesting observation from the empirical results is that the actual dimension of financial development plays a significant role in determining the relationship between financial development, income inequality and poverty in the SADC region. The impact of financial depth on poverty is not obvious in the study, depending on the variable used. On the relationship between financial system stability, income inequality and poverty, results reveal that a stable financial system is beneficial to the poor. Financial efficiency does not appear to have a significant role in reducing income inequality and poverty in the selected SADC countries. Overall, the findings from the study indicate that financial access or financial inclusion and financial stability is what reduces poverty instead of mere financial sector development at a broader level.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Leve, Samkele
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Finance Economic development Income distribution
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom (Economics)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/16918 , vital:40785
- Description: The financial sector plays a pivotal role in an economy of a country; hence the importance of financial development cannot be underestimated. Financial development is widely regarded as another conduit through which income inequality and poverty can be alleviated, however both theoretical and empirical literature does not reach consensus on the effect of financial development on income inequality and poverty. Against this background, the study empirically examines the effect of financial development on income inequality and poverty in selected Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, employing the Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) technique for the period 1980 to 2011. Based on the inequalitydecreasing and Mckinnon Conduit effect, two models which link financial sector development and inequality and financial sector development and poverty were estimated using five different dimensions of financial development. Empirical results revealed that financial development overall does have an impact on income inequality and poverty in the selected SADC countries. An interesting observation from the empirical results is that the actual dimension of financial development plays a significant role in determining the relationship between financial development, income inequality and poverty in the SADC region. The impact of financial depth on poverty is not obvious in the study, depending on the variable used. On the relationship between financial system stability, income inequality and poverty, results reveal that a stable financial system is beneficial to the poor. Financial efficiency does not appear to have a significant role in reducing income inequality and poverty in the selected SADC countries. Overall, the findings from the study indicate that financial access or financial inclusion and financial stability is what reduces poverty instead of mere financial sector development at a broader level.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Heavy mineral characterization and provenance interpretation of the Ecca Group of geological formations in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
- Authors: Sinuka, Sikhulule
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Minerals -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Classification Geology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Formations (Geology) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/2911 , vital:28125
- Description: The aim of the research focuses on characterizing heavy mineral assemblages and interpretation of the provenance of the Ecca Group of in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. In South Africa, the Ecca Group outcrops extensively in the Main Karoo Basin. Mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, minor conglomerate and coal are the major constituent lithologies within the group. For descriptive purposes, the Ecca is categorized into three different geographical areas: the southern area, the western and northwestern area and the northeastern area. Six of the sixteen geological formations, namely the Prince Albert, Whitehill, Collingham, Ripon, Fort Brown, Waterford and Koonap Formations are present in the study area and are best exposed in road cuttings. For purposes of comparison, the underlying Witteberg Group, the Dwyka (which has Formation status here), and the overlying Koonap Formation of the Beaufort Group, are included in the study. This study is motivated by the relatively little information that is available on the heavy minerals of the Ecca Group, and that research of this nature had not been undertaken in the study area before. Another contributing motivation was to determine whether heavy mineral assemblages could be used to identify formations of the Ecca Group and for correlating between different localities in accordance with studies done elsewhere. Additionally, diagnostic heavy mineral assemblages could aid with stratigraphic selection of future boreholes in the Ecca Group. Heavy minerals are natural provenance tracers because of their stable nature and hydrodynamic behaviour. They are both non-opaque and opaque, with apatite, epidote, garnet, rutile, staurolite, tourmaline and zircon being good examples of non-opaque grains while ilmenite and magnetite are the most common opaques. Heavies are either derived from stable minor accessory minerals or from abundant but unstable mafic components of the host rock. They are very useful in interpreting the provenance due to the fact that some minerals are diagnostic of certain source rocks. However, sediments are exposed to several factors (conditions) such as weathering, erosion, breakage due to abrasion, mixing and recycling during transportation from the source to the depositional area. This implies that there are parameters other than the parent lithology that determine their final composition.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Sinuka, Sikhulule
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Minerals -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Classification Geology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Formations (Geology) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/2911 , vital:28125
- Description: The aim of the research focuses on characterizing heavy mineral assemblages and interpretation of the provenance of the Ecca Group of in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. In South Africa, the Ecca Group outcrops extensively in the Main Karoo Basin. Mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, minor conglomerate and coal are the major constituent lithologies within the group. For descriptive purposes, the Ecca is categorized into three different geographical areas: the southern area, the western and northwestern area and the northeastern area. Six of the sixteen geological formations, namely the Prince Albert, Whitehill, Collingham, Ripon, Fort Brown, Waterford and Koonap Formations are present in the study area and are best exposed in road cuttings. For purposes of comparison, the underlying Witteberg Group, the Dwyka (which has Formation status here), and the overlying Koonap Formation of the Beaufort Group, are included in the study. This study is motivated by the relatively little information that is available on the heavy minerals of the Ecca Group, and that research of this nature had not been undertaken in the study area before. Another contributing motivation was to determine whether heavy mineral assemblages could be used to identify formations of the Ecca Group and for correlating between different localities in accordance with studies done elsewhere. Additionally, diagnostic heavy mineral assemblages could aid with stratigraphic selection of future boreholes in the Ecca Group. Heavy minerals are natural provenance tracers because of their stable nature and hydrodynamic behaviour. They are both non-opaque and opaque, with apatite, epidote, garnet, rutile, staurolite, tourmaline and zircon being good examples of non-opaque grains while ilmenite and magnetite are the most common opaques. Heavies are either derived from stable minor accessory minerals or from abundant but unstable mafic components of the host rock. They are very useful in interpreting the provenance due to the fact that some minerals are diagnostic of certain source rocks. However, sediments are exposed to several factors (conditions) such as weathering, erosion, breakage due to abrasion, mixing and recycling during transportation from the source to the depositional area. This implies that there are parameters other than the parent lithology that determine their final composition.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Imagined pasts, suspended presents : South African literature in the contemporary moment
- Authors: Mbao, Wamuwi
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Post-apartheid era -- South Africa South African literature (English) -- History and criticism Authors, South African -- 21st century -- Criticism and interpretation South African literature -- 21st century -- History and criticism South African fiction (English) -- History and criticism Xenophobia -- South Africa Apartheid in literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2202 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002244
- Description: Scholarship on Post-Apartheid South African literature has engaged in various ways with the politics of identity, but its dominant mode has been to understand the literature through an anxious rupture-continuation paradigm in which the Apartheid past manifests itself in the present. However, in the contemporary moment, there are writers whose texts attempt to forge new paths in their depictions of identities both individual and collective. These texts are useful in contemplating how South Africans experience belonging and dislocation in various contexts. In this thesis, I consider a range of contemporary South African texts via the figure of lifewriting. My analysis demonstrates that, while many texts in the contemporary moment have displayed new and more complex registers of perception concerning the issue of ‘race’, there is a need for more expansive and fluid conceptions of crafting identity, as regards the politics of space and how this intersects with issues of belonging and identity. That is, much South African literature still continues along familiar trajectories of meaning, ones which are not well-equipped to understand issues that bedevil the country at this particular historical moment, which are grounded in the political compromises that came to pass during the ‘time of transition’. These issues include the recent spate of xenophobia attacks, which have yet to be comprehensively and critically analysed in the critical domain, despite the work of theorists such as David Coplan. Such events indicate the need for more layered and intricate understandings of how our national identity is structured: Who may belong? Who is excluded? In what situations? This thesis engages with these questions in order to determine how systems of power are constructed, reified, mediated, reproduced and/or resisted in the country’s literature. To do this, I perform an attentive reading of the mosaic image of South African culture that emerges through a selection of contemporary works of literature. The texts I have selected are notable for the ways in which they engage with the epistemic protocol of coming to know the Other and the self through the lens of the Apartheid past. That engagement may take the form of a reassertion, reclamation, displacement, or complication of selfhood. Given that South African identities are overinscribed in paradigms in which the Apartheid past is primary, what potentials and limits are presently encountered when writing of the self/selves is attempted? My study goes beyond simply asserting that not all groups have equal access to representation. Rather, I demonstrate that the linear shaping of the South African culture of letters imposes certain restrictions on who may work within it. Here, the politics of publishing and the increasing focus on urban spaces, such that other spaces become marginalized in ways that reflect the proclivities of the reading public, are subjected to close scrutiny. Overall, my thesis aims to promote a rethinking of South African culture, and how that culture is represented in, and defined through, our literature.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Mbao, Wamuwi
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Post-apartheid era -- South Africa South African literature (English) -- History and criticism Authors, South African -- 21st century -- Criticism and interpretation South African literature -- 21st century -- History and criticism South African fiction (English) -- History and criticism Xenophobia -- South Africa Apartheid in literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2202 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002244
- Description: Scholarship on Post-Apartheid South African literature has engaged in various ways with the politics of identity, but its dominant mode has been to understand the literature through an anxious rupture-continuation paradigm in which the Apartheid past manifests itself in the present. However, in the contemporary moment, there are writers whose texts attempt to forge new paths in their depictions of identities both individual and collective. These texts are useful in contemplating how South Africans experience belonging and dislocation in various contexts. In this thesis, I consider a range of contemporary South African texts via the figure of lifewriting. My analysis demonstrates that, while many texts in the contemporary moment have displayed new and more complex registers of perception concerning the issue of ‘race’, there is a need for more expansive and fluid conceptions of crafting identity, as regards the politics of space and how this intersects with issues of belonging and identity. That is, much South African literature still continues along familiar trajectories of meaning, ones which are not well-equipped to understand issues that bedevil the country at this particular historical moment, which are grounded in the political compromises that came to pass during the ‘time of transition’. These issues include the recent spate of xenophobia attacks, which have yet to be comprehensively and critically analysed in the critical domain, despite the work of theorists such as David Coplan. Such events indicate the need for more layered and intricate understandings of how our national identity is structured: Who may belong? Who is excluded? In what situations? This thesis engages with these questions in order to determine how systems of power are constructed, reified, mediated, reproduced and/or resisted in the country’s literature. To do this, I perform an attentive reading of the mosaic image of South African culture that emerges through a selection of contemporary works of literature. The texts I have selected are notable for the ways in which they engage with the epistemic protocol of coming to know the Other and the self through the lens of the Apartheid past. That engagement may take the form of a reassertion, reclamation, displacement, or complication of selfhood. Given that South African identities are overinscribed in paradigms in which the Apartheid past is primary, what potentials and limits are presently encountered when writing of the self/selves is attempted? My study goes beyond simply asserting that not all groups have equal access to representation. Rather, I demonstrate that the linear shaping of the South African culture of letters imposes certain restrictions on who may work within it. Here, the politics of publishing and the increasing focus on urban spaces, such that other spaces become marginalized in ways that reflect the proclivities of the reading public, are subjected to close scrutiny. Overall, my thesis aims to promote a rethinking of South African culture, and how that culture is represented in, and defined through, our literature.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Managing historical primary and secondary sources : a study of the efficacy of a teaching handbook prepared for first-year Vista University students
- Authors: Watson, Kelvin Innes
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: History -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa History -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1670 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003553
- Description: This study examines the teaching of primary and secondary sources in history at secondary and tertiary level. The various methods used to teach these aspects of the nature of history are compared to the Vista University teaching model. To establish the effectiveness of the vista Block A module for HIS100 students, two test instruments were devised to assess their skills in handling primary and secondary sources. Their skills in identifying relevant points from a passage of historical prose were also tested. A number of statistical techniques were applied to the data from the test instruments. This data was analysed in qualitative and quantitative terms. The results of this analysis suggested that students would probably benefit from a skills-orientated approach to studying history. On the basis of this study, it is recommended that the existing Vista teaching model be revised or amended so that a more effective method of teaching students about the nature of historical sources can be introduced.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
- Authors: Watson, Kelvin Innes
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: History -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa History -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1670 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003553
- Description: This study examines the teaching of primary and secondary sources in history at secondary and tertiary level. The various methods used to teach these aspects of the nature of history are compared to the Vista University teaching model. To establish the effectiveness of the vista Block A module for HIS100 students, two test instruments were devised to assess their skills in handling primary and secondary sources. Their skills in identifying relevant points from a passage of historical prose were also tested. A number of statistical techniques were applied to the data from the test instruments. This data was analysed in qualitative and quantitative terms. The results of this analysis suggested that students would probably benefit from a skills-orientated approach to studying history. On the basis of this study, it is recommended that the existing Vista teaching model be revised or amended so that a more effective method of teaching students about the nature of historical sources can be introduced.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
Managing Information Confidentiality Using the Chinese Wall Model to Reduce Fraud in Government Tenders
- Authors: Rama, Sobhana
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Chinese walls (Communication barriers) -- South Africa , Business logistics -- South Africa , Confidential communications -- South Africa , Conflict of interests -- South Africa , Fraud -- South Africa , Information services -- Government policy -- South Africa , Communication policy -- South Africa , Communication planning -- South Africa , Chinese Wall Model , Information confidentiality , Conflict of Interest , Government tender fraud
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom (Information Systems)
- Identifier: vital:11136 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1006956 , Chinese walls (Communication barriers) -- South Africa , Business logistics -- South Africa , Confidential communications -- South Africa , Conflict of interests -- South Africa , Fraud -- South Africa , Information services -- Government policy -- South Africa , Communication policy -- South Africa , Communication planning -- South Africa , Chinese Wall Model , Information confidentiality , Conflict of Interest , Government tender fraud
- Description: Instances of fraudulent acts are often headline news in the popular press in South Africa. Increasingly, these press reports point to the government tender process as being the main enabler used by the perpetrators committing the fraud. The cause of the tender fraud problem is confidentiality breach of information. This is accomplished, in part, by compromising the tender information contained in the government information system. This results in the biased award of a tender. Typically, the information in the tender process should be used to make decisions about a tender’s specifications, solicitation, evaluation and adjudication. The sharing of said information to unauthorised persons can be used to manipulate and corrupt the process. This in turn corrupts the tender process by awarding a tender to an unworthy recipient. This research studies the generic steps in the tender process to understand how information is used to corrupt the tender process. It proposes that conflict of interest, together with a lack of information confidentiality in the information system, paves the way for possible tender fraud. Thereafter, a system of internal controls is examined within the South African government as well as in foreign countries to investigate measures taken to reduce the breach of confidential information in the tender process. By referring to the Common Criteria Security Model, various critical security areas within the tender process are identified. This measure is assisted with the ISO/IEC 27002 (2005) standard which has guiding principles for the management of confidential information. Thereafter, an information security policy,the Chinese Wall Model will be discussed as a means of reducing instances where conflict of interest may occur. Finally, an adapted Chinese Wall Model, which includes elements of the tender process, is presented as a way of reducing fraud in the government tender process. Finally, the research objective of this study is presented in the form of Critical Success Factors that aid in reducing the breach of confidential information in the tender process. As a consequence, tender fraud is reduced. These success factors have a direct and serious impact on the effectiveness of the Chinese Wall Model to secure the confidentiality of tender information. The proposed Critical Success Factors include: the Sanitisation Policy Document, an Electronic Document Management System, the Tender Evaluation Ethics Document, the Audit Trail Log and the Chinese Wall Model Prosecution Register.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
- Authors: Rama, Sobhana
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Chinese walls (Communication barriers) -- South Africa , Business logistics -- South Africa , Confidential communications -- South Africa , Conflict of interests -- South Africa , Fraud -- South Africa , Information services -- Government policy -- South Africa , Communication policy -- South Africa , Communication planning -- South Africa , Chinese Wall Model , Information confidentiality , Conflict of Interest , Government tender fraud
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom (Information Systems)
- Identifier: vital:11136 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1006956 , Chinese walls (Communication barriers) -- South Africa , Business logistics -- South Africa , Confidential communications -- South Africa , Conflict of interests -- South Africa , Fraud -- South Africa , Information services -- Government policy -- South Africa , Communication policy -- South Africa , Communication planning -- South Africa , Chinese Wall Model , Information confidentiality , Conflict of Interest , Government tender fraud
- Description: Instances of fraudulent acts are often headline news in the popular press in South Africa. Increasingly, these press reports point to the government tender process as being the main enabler used by the perpetrators committing the fraud. The cause of the tender fraud problem is confidentiality breach of information. This is accomplished, in part, by compromising the tender information contained in the government information system. This results in the biased award of a tender. Typically, the information in the tender process should be used to make decisions about a tender’s specifications, solicitation, evaluation and adjudication. The sharing of said information to unauthorised persons can be used to manipulate and corrupt the process. This in turn corrupts the tender process by awarding a tender to an unworthy recipient. This research studies the generic steps in the tender process to understand how information is used to corrupt the tender process. It proposes that conflict of interest, together with a lack of information confidentiality in the information system, paves the way for possible tender fraud. Thereafter, a system of internal controls is examined within the South African government as well as in foreign countries to investigate measures taken to reduce the breach of confidential information in the tender process. By referring to the Common Criteria Security Model, various critical security areas within the tender process are identified. This measure is assisted with the ISO/IEC 27002 (2005) standard which has guiding principles for the management of confidential information. Thereafter, an information security policy,the Chinese Wall Model will be discussed as a means of reducing instances where conflict of interest may occur. Finally, an adapted Chinese Wall Model, which includes elements of the tender process, is presented as a way of reducing fraud in the government tender process. Finally, the research objective of this study is presented in the form of Critical Success Factors that aid in reducing the breach of confidential information in the tender process. As a consequence, tender fraud is reduced. These success factors have a direct and serious impact on the effectiveness of the Chinese Wall Model to secure the confidentiality of tender information. The proposed Critical Success Factors include: the Sanitisation Policy Document, an Electronic Document Management System, the Tender Evaluation Ethics Document, the Audit Trail Log and the Chinese Wall Model Prosecution Register.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
Psychosocial well-being and the sexual behaviour of orphaned adolescent males in Bizana local municipality
- Authors: Gqumani, Phumlani
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Teenage boys -- Psychology Youth -- Sexual behavior -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSoc. Sci (Psychology)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/18118 , vital:42234
- Description: The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between the psychosocial wellbeing and the sexual behaviour of orphaned adolescent males. The rationale of the study was to determine out whether the relationship exists between psychosocial wellbeing of orphaned adolescent males and their sexual behaviour (e.g. multiple sexual partners, sexual debut, and unprotected sex). The sample size of the purposively selected participants constituted 201 participants from Grade 07 to Grade 12. The study took place from Bizana Local Municipality, Eastern Cape. The researcher used Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The descriptive analysis and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. Some of the findings of the study included the following From the hypotheses I drink alcohol and I watch pornography and that is how I learned to have sex, it became apparent that adolescent males who drink alcohol, watched pornography. The alternative hypothesis was confirmed with 8.5% of adolescent males drink alcohol and watch pornography compared to 8.0% who do not drink alcohol but watch pornography. There was no relationship between the hypotheses, my friends are aggressive and commit crime and I started having sex at age 13-16 and 17-20 years as 31. 4% of adolescent males who started having sex at the age of 17-20 years, 1.9% have friends who were aggressive and commit crime compared to 2.9% who started having sex at the age of 13-16 years who have friends who were aggressive and commit crime. Based on the findings of the study, it became clear that some adolescent males are resilient despite their social status and the study may be recommended for future studies.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Gqumani, Phumlani
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Teenage boys -- Psychology Youth -- Sexual behavior -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSoc. Sci (Psychology)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/18118 , vital:42234
- Description: The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between the psychosocial wellbeing and the sexual behaviour of orphaned adolescent males. The rationale of the study was to determine out whether the relationship exists between psychosocial wellbeing of orphaned adolescent males and their sexual behaviour (e.g. multiple sexual partners, sexual debut, and unprotected sex). The sample size of the purposively selected participants constituted 201 participants from Grade 07 to Grade 12. The study took place from Bizana Local Municipality, Eastern Cape. The researcher used Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The descriptive analysis and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. Some of the findings of the study included the following From the hypotheses I drink alcohol and I watch pornography and that is how I learned to have sex, it became apparent that adolescent males who drink alcohol, watched pornography. The alternative hypothesis was confirmed with 8.5% of adolescent males drink alcohol and watch pornography compared to 8.0% who do not drink alcohol but watch pornography. There was no relationship between the hypotheses, my friends are aggressive and commit crime and I started having sex at age 13-16 and 17-20 years as 31. 4% of adolescent males who started having sex at the age of 17-20 years, 1.9% have friends who were aggressive and commit crime compared to 2.9% who started having sex at the age of 13-16 years who have friends who were aggressive and commit crime. Based on the findings of the study, it became clear that some adolescent males are resilient despite their social status and the study may be recommended for future studies.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Research portfolio
- Authors: Shaanika, E N
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Education -- Namibia Arts -- Study and teaching -- Namibia Culture -- Study and teaching -- Namibia Teachers -- Training of -- Namibia Curriculum planning -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1735 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003618
- Description: This study is a contextual analysis and evaluation of the Arts-in-Culture curriculum at Ongwediva College of Education. Arts-in-Culture is one of the core subjects in the Basic Education Teacher Diploma (BETD)’s Broad Curriculum. At colleges such as Ongwediva, Caprivi and Rundu, student teachers study Arts as a core subject, while at Windhoek College of Education it can be studied as either a major or a core subject. In this study, I have raised some questions: Why is it that at Ongwediva College, the status of Arts-in-Culture is still low in comparison to other curriculum subjects like sciences and languages? Do student teachers and teacher educators fully understand how to assess the subject? Is the syllabus open for everyone? Is the learning environment conducive to offering the subject? Do the syllabus; learning environment, teacher educators and student teachers promote the goals of education for all? This study first gives the historical background of the subject. The background is of a diverse nature, namely African Indigenous Arts education, Black Arts education under the missionaries, Black Arts education under the South Africa Regime and Arts Education in the current Namibian reform dispensation. Second, the data collecting methodologies of this study are discussed. This includes how I collected information, who I contacted to collect this information, the tools I used to collect data, when and where I used them, why they were used and how they were used, the difficulties or problems I encountered and what I have learned about myself during the process. The third part of this study is the analysis of my findings from the participants interviewed and the fourth is how I have tried to link these different sections together. The last part of the paper is my conclusion.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Shaanika, E N
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Education -- Namibia Arts -- Study and teaching -- Namibia Culture -- Study and teaching -- Namibia Teachers -- Training of -- Namibia Curriculum planning -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1735 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003618
- Description: This study is a contextual analysis and evaluation of the Arts-in-Culture curriculum at Ongwediva College of Education. Arts-in-Culture is one of the core subjects in the Basic Education Teacher Diploma (BETD)’s Broad Curriculum. At colleges such as Ongwediva, Caprivi and Rundu, student teachers study Arts as a core subject, while at Windhoek College of Education it can be studied as either a major or a core subject. In this study, I have raised some questions: Why is it that at Ongwediva College, the status of Arts-in-Culture is still low in comparison to other curriculum subjects like sciences and languages? Do student teachers and teacher educators fully understand how to assess the subject? Is the syllabus open for everyone? Is the learning environment conducive to offering the subject? Do the syllabus; learning environment, teacher educators and student teachers promote the goals of education for all? This study first gives the historical background of the subject. The background is of a diverse nature, namely African Indigenous Arts education, Black Arts education under the missionaries, Black Arts education under the South Africa Regime and Arts Education in the current Namibian reform dispensation. Second, the data collecting methodologies of this study are discussed. This includes how I collected information, who I contacted to collect this information, the tools I used to collect data, when and where I used them, why they were used and how they were used, the difficulties or problems I encountered and what I have learned about myself during the process. The third part of this study is the analysis of my findings from the participants interviewed and the fourth is how I have tried to link these different sections together. The last part of the paper is my conclusion.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Research portfolio
- Authors: Ngwane, Mandisa Sweetness
- Date: 2000
- Subjects: Educational surveys -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Educational evaluation -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Education -- Environmental aspects Environmental education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1728 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003611
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2000
- Authors: Ngwane, Mandisa Sweetness
- Date: 2000
- Subjects: Educational surveys -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Educational evaluation -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Education -- Environmental aspects Environmental education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1728 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003611
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2000
Resource Allocation Framework in Fog Computing for the Internet of Things Environments
- Authors: Vambe, William Tichaona
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Internet of things Cloud computing
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Computer Science)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/18498 , vital:42575
- Description: Fog computing plays a pivotal role in the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem because of its ability to support delay-sensitive tasks, bringing resources from cloud servers closer to the “ground” and support IoT devices that are resource-constrained. Although fog computing offers some benefits such as quick response to requests, geo-distributed data processing and data processing in the proximity of the IoT devices, the exponential increase of IoT devices and large volumes of data being generated has led to a new set of challenges. One such problem is the allocation of resources to IoT tasks to match their computational needs and quality of service (QoS) requirements, whilst meeting both task deadlines and user expectations. Most proposed solutions in existing works suggest task offloading mechanisms where IoT devices would offload their tasks randomly to the fog layer or cloud layer. This helps in minimizing the communication delay; however, most tasks would end up missing their deadlines as many delays are experienced during offloading. This study proposes and introduces a Resource Allocation Scheduler (RAS) at the IoT-Fog gateway, whose goal is to decide where and when a task is to be offloaded, either to the fog layer, or the cloud layer based on their priority needs, computational needs and QoS requirements. The aim directly places work within the communication networks domain, in the transport layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. As such, this study follows the four phases of the top-down approach because of its reusability characteristics. To validate and test the efficiency and effectiveness of the RAS, the fog framework was implemented and evaluated in a simulated smart home setup. The essential metrics that were used to check if round-trip time was minimized are the queuing time, offloading time and throughput for QoS. The results showed that the RAS helps to reduce the round-trip time, increases throughput and leads to improved QoS. Furthermore, the approach addressed the starvation problem, a phenomenon that tends to affect low priority tasks. Most importantly, the results provides evidence that if resource allocation and assignment are appropriately done, round-trip time can be reduced and QoS can be improved in fog computing. The significant contribution of this research is the novel framework which minimizes round-trip time, addresses the starvation problem and improves QoS. Moreover, a literature reviewed paper which was regarded by reviewers as the first, as far as QoS in fog computing is concerned was produced.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Vambe, William Tichaona
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Internet of things Cloud computing
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Computer Science)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/18498 , vital:42575
- Description: Fog computing plays a pivotal role in the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem because of its ability to support delay-sensitive tasks, bringing resources from cloud servers closer to the “ground” and support IoT devices that are resource-constrained. Although fog computing offers some benefits such as quick response to requests, geo-distributed data processing and data processing in the proximity of the IoT devices, the exponential increase of IoT devices and large volumes of data being generated has led to a new set of challenges. One such problem is the allocation of resources to IoT tasks to match their computational needs and quality of service (QoS) requirements, whilst meeting both task deadlines and user expectations. Most proposed solutions in existing works suggest task offloading mechanisms where IoT devices would offload their tasks randomly to the fog layer or cloud layer. This helps in minimizing the communication delay; however, most tasks would end up missing their deadlines as many delays are experienced during offloading. This study proposes and introduces a Resource Allocation Scheduler (RAS) at the IoT-Fog gateway, whose goal is to decide where and when a task is to be offloaded, either to the fog layer, or the cloud layer based on their priority needs, computational needs and QoS requirements. The aim directly places work within the communication networks domain, in the transport layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. As such, this study follows the four phases of the top-down approach because of its reusability characteristics. To validate and test the efficiency and effectiveness of the RAS, the fog framework was implemented and evaluated in a simulated smart home setup. The essential metrics that were used to check if round-trip time was minimized are the queuing time, offloading time and throughput for QoS. The results showed that the RAS helps to reduce the round-trip time, increases throughput and leads to improved QoS. Furthermore, the approach addressed the starvation problem, a phenomenon that tends to affect low priority tasks. Most importantly, the results provides evidence that if resource allocation and assignment are appropriately done, round-trip time can be reduced and QoS can be improved in fog computing. The significant contribution of this research is the novel framework which minimizes round-trip time, addresses the starvation problem and improves QoS. Moreover, a literature reviewed paper which was regarded by reviewers as the first, as far as QoS in fog computing is concerned was produced.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Ruthenium and palladium assisted silver transport in silicon carbide
- Authors: O'Connell, Jacques Herman
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Gas cooled reactors , Ruthenium , Palladium , Silicon carbide
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:10404 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1010960 , Gas cooled reactors , Ruthenium , Palladium , Silicon carbide
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: O'Connell, Jacques Herman
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Gas cooled reactors , Ruthenium , Palladium , Silicon carbide
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:10404 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1010960 , Gas cooled reactors , Ruthenium , Palladium , Silicon carbide
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012