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Africa’s readiness for electric vehicles towards 2025

  • Authors: Ghansar, Grant John
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Electric vehicles -- Economic aspects , Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa Economic development -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/42152 , vital:36630
  • Description: Disruption is an ongoing process. Nearly every industry has experienced some form of disruption, and these disruptions bring about a changing of the guard. At the turn of the twentieth century, the automobile of that era was considered to be a toy for the rich. Henry Ford, however, had a vision that changed this equation. He saw the automobile as a way to displace the horse and increase the ability to transport people over larger distances. Vehicles eventually became more affordable to the average person. The global automotive industry is currently ripe for disruption. An understanding and appreciation of Africa’s readiness for the future of electric vehicles will be off significant value to various stakeholders throughout Africa. This research will identify and describe current drivers that should be appreciated for the government, business communities, academic institutions, automotive manufacturer’s policy makers, and society at large to make intelligent decisions about Africa’s readiness for electric vehicles towards 2025 and beyond. This study was aimed at identifying possible futures of Africa’s readiness for electric vehicles towards 2025. Causal Layered Analysis (CLA) and the Six Pillars of Futures were utilised as the preferred methodologies to respond to the research objectives of this study. A detailed literature study was undertaken to evaluate the existing body of knowledge on the research topic. The literature study revealed that several factors need to be addressed, and that there is a robust requirement for a fundamental shift in the ways and methods of planning the future of the automotive industry in Africa and its readiness for the electric vehicle industry towards 2025. Most major Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) have already committed to changing their products and fleets to alternative mobility in the near future. As vehicles move toward EVs and self-driving, the future becomes more uncertain; thus, the focus on urban transport and clean mobility is pertinent in Africa due to its anticipated rapid increase in urban share, resulting in a mobility revolution in the coming years. Electric vehicles are therefore imminent, and with Africa being a developing continent, it is imperative that the individual countries are proactive in embracing the new disruption, and in doing so, become the front runners for the future transportation method.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2019

Afro-communitarianism, social architecture, and the moral education of children as strategies for social integration in South Africa

  • Authors: Ofana , Diana E
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Social integration
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , M.A
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/17674 , vital:41135
  • Description: South African society has long been bedeviled by racial segregation and oppression. Apartheid policies structured South Africa in a segregated and hierarchical manner to prevent inter-group contact and relations. Despite twenty-five years of a democratic dispensation and the many positive institutional and policy changes it has provided, South Africans are still struggling to build an integrated society of equals. This thesis uses Afro-communitarianism as a framework to analyse this challenge of continued racial segregation in post-Apartheid South Africa, and to provide tools to encourage integration. Afro-communitarianism holds that the essence of the human person is incomplete without the recognition of one’s nature as one amongst others. Afro-communitarianism emphasizes deep communal relationships between individuals and their community, it conceptualizes a person as only truly a person in relation to others. Drawing from this core idea, this thesis develops a conception of personhood as complementary. Complementary personhood argues that no human person is self-sufficient, and as such a mutual complementarity between and amongst them serves to positively enhance the quality of one’s social, moral, political, and existential realities. An Afro-communitarian understanding of integration is built upon this mutual complementarity, and as such focuses on the need for interaction, relationship, and communal space. The thesis develops this Afro-communitarian concept of social integration and uses it as a framework to identify the core relational problem underlying racial tensions in contemporary South Africa. I argue that my Afro-communitarian account of complementary personhood provides us with two mutually reinforcing strategies to respond to this core relational problem. First, I present 4 an account of Afro-communitarian social architecture which prioritizes communal engagement through the creation of communal spaces that promote humane relationships. Second, I argue for an Afro-communitarian understanding of moral education that is centred on instilling communal values and a complementary understanding of personhood. Together, these two strategies provide resources toward developing a new and innovative path toward an integrated South Africa.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

Agriculture land abandonment and rural development in South Africa

  • Authors: Mgushelo, Aphiwe
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Abandoned farms , Rural development -- South Africa Finance, Public -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MPhil
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/41128 , vital:36362
  • Description: Vast amounts of agriculture lands have been abandoned over the last decades, worldwide – phenomenally in rural areas (Filho et al., 2016). In South Africa, Agriculture Land Abandonment (ALA) is apparent even to the human eye, but little or nothing is known about it, especially regarding its causes and implications for rural socio-economic development. Agriculture Land Abandonment is critical and highly topical given the ongoing debate on the land issue in South Africa (Friedman, 2018; Maromo, 2018). Moreover, the National Development Plan (NDP) identifies agriculture as the main economic activity in rural areas, with the potential to create nearly 1 million new jobs and as a primary means to achieve rural development by 2030 (National Planning Commission (NPC), 2011). To this end, the land must be cultivated to provide work and to banish poverty. This research focuses on Julukuqu, a rural village in the former Transkei homeland, within the O.R. Tambo District in the Eastern Cape province. This research intends to indent and propose a solution for rural development by understanding the causes and consequences of Agriculture Land Abandonment and identifying measures to address this issue. By analysing satellite imagery of the study area over a 15-year period, we are able to establish the extent of Agriculture Land Abandonment. Individual interviews and a focus group discussion were conducted and analysed to provide an understanding of the official positions and grassroots lived experiences. Altogether, the data that was collected yielded 17 usable interviews, which were subjected to thematic analyses. The findings of this research are that: the croplands of Julukuqu were once totally cultivated, but they are now almost (all) totally abandoned with only one person still cultivating their now reduced cropland. The causes of ALA in Julukuqu are socio-economic, environmental and political in nature. Due to schooling, children are no longer herding the livestock and it is free-ranging and grazing within the people’s croplands – in season and out of season. Coupled with an irrigation system, because of drought, fencing has thus become a principal determinant of cultivation of the croplands. The abandonment of the croplands has left the households insecure and depending mainly on social grants for income and food, including the very maize they once produced and sold a surplus. Hunger has become a rural denominator – striking both the people and their livestock, and crime has risen with unemployment. Moreover, child schooling and youth reluctance, threaten the succession and sustainability of agriculture as a rural livelihood and business. Despite the abandonment of the croplands, agriculture is still seen as a key to poverty alleviation and socio-economic development in Julukuqu. Given the experienced consequences of ALA, there exists a strong desire and will among the people of Julukuqu to cultivate their abandoned croplands once again. Fundamentally, for the people to meet their common socio-economic needs and challenges, they need to address ALA in Julukuqu through the development of an agricultural co-operative, which needs financial and non-financial support to develop and succeed.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2019

Agriculture land abandonment and rural development in South Africa

  • Authors: Mgushelo, Aphiwe
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Abandoned farms , Rural development -- South Africa Agriculture and state -- South Africa South Africa -- Rural conditions
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MPhil
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44257 , vital:37143
  • Description: Vast amounts of agriculture lands have been abandoned over the last decades, worldwide – phenomenally in rural areas (Filho et al., 2016). In South Africa, Agriculture Land Abandonment (ALA) is apparent even to the human eye, but little or nothing is known about it, especially regarding its causes and implications for rural socio-economic development. Agriculture Land Abandonment is critical and highly topical given the ongoing debate on the land issue in South Africa (Friedman, 2018; Maromo, 2018). Moreover, the National Development Plan (NDP) identifies agriculture as the main economic activity in rural areas, with the potential to create nearly 1 million new jobs and as a primary means to achieve rural development by 2030 (National Planning Commission (NPC), 2011). To this end, the land must be cultivated to provide work and to banish poverty. This research focuses on Julukuqu, a rural village in the former Transkei homeland, within the O.R. Tambo District in the Eastern Cape province. This research intends to indent and propose a solution for rural development by understanding the causes and consequences of Agriculture Land Abandonment and identifying measures to address this issue. By analysing satellite imagery of the study area over a 15-year period, we are able to establish the extent of Agriculture Land Abandonment. Individual interviews and a focus group discussion were conducted and analysed to provide an understanding of the official positions and grassroots lived experiences. Altogether, the data that was collected yielded 17 usable interviews, which were subjected to thematic analyses. The findings of this research are that: the croplands of Julukuqu were once totally cultivated, but they are now almost (all) totally abandoned with only one person still cultivating their now reduced cropland. The causes of ALA in Julukuqu are socio-economic, environmental and political in nature. Due to schooling, children are no longer herding the livestock and it is free-ranging and grazing within the people’s croplands – in season and out of season. Coupled with an irrigation system, because of drought, fencing has thus become a principal determinant of cultivation of the croplands. The abandonment of the croplands has left the households insecure and depending mainly on social grants for income and food, including the very maize they once produced and sold a surplus. Hunger has become a rural denominator – striking both the people and their livestock, and crime has risen with unemployment. Moreover, child schooling and youth reluctance, threaten the succession and sustainability of agriculture as a rural livelihood and business. Despite the abandonment of the croplands, agriculture is still seen as a key to poverty alleviation and socio-economic development in Julukuqu. Given the experienced consequences of ALA, there exists a strong desire and will among the people of Julukuqu to cultivate their abandoned croplands once again. Fundamentally, for the people to meet their common socio-economic needs and challenges, they need to address ALA in Julukuqu through the development of an agricultural co-operative, which needs financial and non-financial support to develop and succeed.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2019

Agriculture vocational education programme and the promotion of job creation skills in the Free State technical vocational education and training college

  • Authors: Thwala, William Mandla
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Vocational education Technical education
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Education)
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/16698 , vital:40762
  • Description: The aim of the study was to investigate agriculture educational programme and the promotion of job creation skills in the OFS FET College. The interpretivism paradigm and design approach were adopted in this qualitative research. The sample consisted of three final year students, three facilitators and one coordinator. The non-probability and purposive sampling techniques was used for the qualitative research. The qualitative data was descriptive, and thematically analysed. The study found that there is a big demand for agricultural professional in South Africa but very few are choosing this career. The quality of education in agricultural sector is not where it should be. The demand for skilled people in the sector is growing, while the number of students enrolling in agriculture-related training continues to decrease. Africa’s agricultural education is failing to produce a new wave of farmers. The study found that FET colleges did not train and provide enough skills to students to enhance development in agriculture sectors and therefore make students non-productive at labour market. The study also found that the FET colleges had left a trail of low skills, partially educated and jobless youth behind. The study also found that the curriculum tended to be outmoded, irrelevant to adequately address the challenges facing modern agriculture .The curriculum still focused on farm production rather than encompassing all segments of agricultural value chains, entrepreneurship, and agriculture business processing market. Agriculture forms the basic food security of every country .It contributes a large proportion of gross domestic product in many developing countries and is the source of income and subsistence for many of the poorest and most vulnerable individuals and households.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

Aiding the education agenda? the role of non-governmental organisations in learner performance and retention in Joza, Grahamstown, South Africa

  • Authors: Nomsenge, Sinazo Onela
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Non-governmental organizations , Non-governmental organizations -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Black people -- Education -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Education -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Joza Youth Hub (Makhanda) , Upstart Youth Development Project (Makhanda) , Village Scribe Association (Makhanda) , Ikamba Youth (Makhanda) , Access Music Project(Makhanda)
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/76468 , vital:30568
  • Description: This thesis describes the network of complexities that characterise the world and work of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). It examines the ways in which organisations navigate different internal, sectoral and contextual intricacies while operating under the command of their chosen developmental mandates. This description is drawn from a sociological analysis of the internal workings of education NGOs, their external affiliations as well as the negotiations which underpin their operations and survival. Collectively, the careful illustration of these underpinnings outlines both the role that NGOs play in the performance and retention of learners in the Grahamstown-east township of Joza and also their position in the town’s basic education sector. Private and non-governmental interveners have, particularly from the closing decades of the 20th century, been conceptually and operationally deployed as panaceas of the socio-economic scarcities which continue to pervade much of the ‘developing’ world. Their involvement in the socio-economic missions of populations living in the Global South has grown both laterally and in the depth of how development is understood and defined, carried out and also measured. NGOs, as widely acclaimed institutional arms of global development imperatives, therefore assume prominent positions in framing policy and implementation models, prescribing performance benchmarks and pronouncing non-compliance. Likewise, education NGOs have obtained normative prescription status in global education policy and practice largely on the back of the Education for All (EFA) objectives, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the neo-liberal logics which have championed state retreat in favour of private sector ascendance in globalised development. This, in conjunction with the persistent struggles of educational transformation in the Global South, has given NGOs little trouble in legitimising their prominent presence in education and other sectors of socio-economic relief in these parts of the world. Little illusion remains however, in many commentary circles, of the role of NGOs in advancing development ideals, the honesty of their altruistic intents, their ideological leanings as well as their efficacy in carrying out their mandates. As such, the logics which have been used to dethrone developing state structures in order to expand the space for private intervention along with the prevailing and deepening markers of educational underperformance, have been central features of the criticisms levelled against NGOs. This thesis intervenes in these ongoing reflections by describing the role of NGOs in educational outcomes, particularly learner performance and retention in Joza. This analysis demonstrates the organisational, sector-level and broader community forces which influence not only the form which non-state interventions take on and the daily preoccupations of their carriers but broadly, the position they occupy in the town’s overall educational profile. By way of locating NGOs within Grahamstown’s educational landscape, this thesis first demonstrates, the conflicted nature of NGO operations from an international, sectoral, national, local and organisational level. The discussion then illustrates how the preoccupations of NGOs are scattered between the different communities which they occupy within these levels. Their reliance on these players demands that organisations be tactical in guarding both their survival and, at times, the conflicting allegiances which grant them different forms of legitimacy. Internal struggles which characterise this imbalance of forces results in a trade-off which often favours organisational preservation mechanisms over systemic educational overhaul. As such, while non-state interveners can be lauded for extending educational support to those who would otherwise not have such, the gains of NGO intervention are often absorbed by internal urgencies for organisational legitimacy and preservation. This, in a context which possesses a unique set of socio-economic and educational deficits that require, at the very least, radical and unbridled mediation, means that pre-existing inequalities in educational inputs and outcomes along with the resultant inequities in youth socio-economic prospects, can find refuge in the very sector whose support and intervention is sought out and justified for such. This thesis lays out the nuances of these tensions and contradictions and offers this case as a point of reference for further considerations of the persistent markers of underperformance which characterise developing communities that enjoy high concentrations of non-state educational intervention.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

Allosteric site modulators: a case study for falcipains as malarial drug targets

  • Authors: Musyoka, Thommas M , Tastan Bishop, Özlem
  • Date: 2019
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/162699 , vital:40974 , https://doi.org/10.21955/gatesopenres.1116459.1
  • Description: Fighting against malaria is a never-ending battle. Plasmodium parasites continuously develop resistance to the drugs used against them including the artemisinin-based combination therapies as observed recently in Southeast Asia. The main concern now is whether the resistant parasite strains spread to Africa, where most malaria cases are located. To prevent this, we need to think outside the box. To date, there is no allosteric drug for malaria. Hence, allosteric drug targeting sites and modulators might be a new hope for malarial treatment. In Plasmodium falciparum two cysteine proteases, falcipain-2 (FP-2) and falcipain-3 (FP-3), have been identified as the main hemoglobinases, and are considered as attractive drug targets.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

Altruistic love culture and workers well-being: a study in workplace spirituality

  • Authors: Simms, Michelle
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Employee assistance programs -- South Africa , Religion in the workplace Altruism Interpersonal relations and culture -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/43468 , vital:36892
  • Description: Business leaders and company analysts identify the fact that the marketplace necessitates flexibility and mobility to triumph over the competitive difficulties which businesses usually encounter. More recently approaches have focused on the role that people perform in bringing about competitive advantage and in particular strategies on how to increase Employee Well-being. Given the need for Employee Well-being in order to achieve desired work-related results, management has become progressively more enthusiastic about methods to improve the well-being of their employees. This research study seeks to make a contribution to this topic by investigating how Employee Well-being can be increased by inculcating an Altruistic Love culture amongst employees. To achieve this objective an Employee Well-Being Model was presented. Spiritual Leadership in the workplace was discussed as the theoretical framework with Altruistic Love as a feature in the intrinsic model of motivation explained further. Six values were defined and according to the theoretical framework were important in order to achieve Employee Well-being. These values were Appreciation, Kindness, Integrity, Compassion, Humility and Forgiveness. The Employee Well-Being Model served as a basis for the compilation of the survey questionnaire to investigate the role of Altruistic Love values in achieving Employee Well-being. The questionnaire was administered in two stages. The first was a printed survey distributed to all workers at a FMCG company called Springbok Discount Meat Centre. The second part was an electronic survey sent out by email, where a link to the online survey could be accessed. The empirical results revealed that Appreciation, Kindness, Integrity and Humility were significantly positively related to Employee Well-being. Compassion was significantly negatively related to Employee Well-being. It can consequently be postulated that there will be a significant improvement of Employee Well-Being in the workplace if Altruistic Love values, defined in the study as Appreciation, Kindness, Integrity and Humility are practised more often by employees including management.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

Amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus) growth and nutritional contents as affected by nitrogen and potassium fertiliser and plant density

  • Authors: Mamvura, Luckmore
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Weeds -- Control -- Management
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/17249 , vital:40869
  • Description: The research was conducted to determine the response of amaranth growth and development to different rates of nitrogen and potassium fertilizer, the effect of plant density on herbage yield and weed management, effect of leaf age and stems on nutritional value of amaranths. The research was conducted at the University of Fort Hare Research Farm and University of Fort Hare glasshouse. For the fertilizer trial, a 4 x 3 factorial experiment: nitrogen at four levels (50kg/ha; 100kg/ha; 150kg/ha; 200kg/ha) and potassium at three levels (50kg/ha; 75kg/ha; 100kg/ha) was applied. Phosphorus was applied at 50kg/ha. The experiment was laid as randomised complete block design (RCBD) with 4 blocks (replication). The results showed that application of nitrogen and potassium treatments significantly (P < 0.05) increased plant height, stem girth and number of leaves per plant which in turn increased the crop economic leaf vegetative yield. The results also showed that at high rates of nitrogen and potassium, high vegetative yields were achieved in most cases. There was no interaction (P < 0.05) between nitrogen and potassium. Second experiment, the twelve treatments used in fertilizer trial were imposed under four different amaranth plant densities (1 200 000, 1400 000, 1600 000 and 1800 000 pph) at field level to find out growth and development performance of amaranth. In addition, at the same time investigating the effectiveness of plant density on weeds management using split plot design. The different planting densities were allocated to the main plots laid-out in RCBD. The results showed that there was no significant difference (P < 0.05) on the number of weeds under four plant densities. The results showed that different plant densities did not prevent weeds germination but the amaranths tolerate the negative effects of weeds. The nutritional analysis results showed that amaranth synthesised close to above recommended nutritional level despite different treatments applied. The third experiment: stems, lower and upper leaves were harvested separately and their nutritional composition was analysed. The results showed that the nutritional composition of stems, lower leaves and upper leaves were significantly different (P < 0.05) in most cases. Lower leaves dominated nutritional content for: crude protein crude fibre, carbohydrates, and calcium. The stems recorded least nutritional content on crude protein, crude fat, carbohydrates, calcium, potassium and sodium
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  • Date Issued: 2019

An access control model for a South African National Electronic Health Record System

  • Authors: Tsegaye, Tamir Asrat
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Medical records -- Data processing , Medical records -- Data processing -- Safety measures , Medical records -- Data processing -- South Africa , Medical records -- Data processing -- Access control , Medical informatics , Medical records -- Management -- South Africa , Health services administration -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/97046 , vital:31390
  • Description: Countries such as South Africa have attempted to leverage eHealth by digitising patients’ medical records with the ultimate goal of improving the delivery of healthcare. This involves the use of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) which is a longitudinal electronic record of a patient’s information. The EHR is comprised of all of the encounters that have been made at different health facilities. In the national context, the EHR is also known as a national EHR which enables the sharing of patient information between points of care. Despite this, the realisation of a national EHR system puts patients' EHRs at risk. This is because patients’ information, which was once only available at local health facilities in the form of paper-based records, can be accessed anywhere within the country as a national EHR. This results in security and privacy issues since patients’ EHRs are shared with an increasing number of parties who are geographically distributed. This study proposes an access control model that will address the security and privacy issues by providing the right level of secure access to authorised clinicians. The proposed model is based on a combination of Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC). The study found that RBAC is the most common access control model that is used within the healthcare domain where users’ job functions are based on roles. While RBAC is not able to handle dynamic events such as emergencies, the proposed model’s use of ABAC addresses this limitation. The development of the proposed model followed the design science research paradigm and was informed by the results of the content analysis plus an expert review. The content analysis sample was retrieved by conducting a systematic literature review and the analysis of this sample resulted in 6743 tags. The proposed model was evaluated using an evaluation framework via an expert review.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

An Agile systems development approach for enhancing e-Government user adoption

  • Authors: Lehasa, Odifentse Mapula-e
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Agile software development , Internet in public administration -- Developing countries
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/94158 , vital:31010
  • Description: The expansion of technological developments in all areas of society has seen governments taking advantage of new technologies to enhance public service delivery, disseminate information and promote participation by the public in government decision-making. This phenomenon is known as electronic government, or e-Government. However despite the socio-economic benefits inherent in the implementation of e-Government systems, an overwhelming number of government projects – particularly in developing countries – struggle to successfully implement e-Government systems. e-Government project failure is more pronounced in developing countries, with more than half of these projects either partially or completely failing. The failure of e-Government projects undermines government investments, as well as the potential socio-economic benefits that could be realised by the citizens. Arguably, while the failure or success of an e-Government project is attributed to a myriad of factors, low user adoption is one of the key factors that contribute to e-Government project failure. Therefore this thesis seeks to investigate the phenomenon of low e-Government user adoption and determine whether the use of an Agile system development approach can positively influence e-Government user satisfaction as well as buy-in and adoption. A Mixed-Methods, multi-case study approach was used through the perspective of Post-Positivism. The researcher examined four (4) South African e-Government projects – using an online questionnaire and in-depth interviews with members of the system development team – to determine whether the use of an Agile approach has merit in enhancing e-Government user adoption. The use of a Mixed-Methods approach allowed for data triangulation so as to verify the findings; while the use of multiple case studies enabled for cross-case analysis. The findings indicate that the use of Agile practices, as listed in the proposed Agile-informed User Engagement Guidelines, can ensure that the e-Government system developed meets user needs; and, that users are satisfied with, and make use of the e-Government system. However since most large e-Government projects make use of a traditional Waterfall development approach, it is recommended that the Agile practices (proposed guidelines) be incorporated into the structured Waterfall approach – to create a hybrid, or blended system development approach. In conclusion, the use of the proposed Agile-informed User Engagement Guidelines can enhance e-Government user adoption; and, subsequently, contribute towards nurturing the success of e-Government projects.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

An analysis of barriers to employee adoption of workplace health and safety standards at Eskom, Makhanda (Grahamstown)

  • Authors: Makholwane, Nobubele
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Eskom (Firm) -- Employees -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Eskom (Firm) -- Management -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Industrial hygiene -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Employee motivation -- South Africa -- Makhanda
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/93898 , vital:30968
  • Description: Workplace fatalities and injuries are a concern around the world, with over 2 million deaths because of workplace related activities. This makes safety culture in the workplace crucial to the sustainability of individuals, businesses and the society in general. Safety culture includes everything in the workplace, and is understood as common sense awareness and practice relating to safety. Central to developing a safety culture in an organization, is a good understanding of what safety problems existed in the past; what safety problems exist in the present, and what caused them, as well as what could be done to deal with those causes. The goal of this thesis, therefore, was to understand what barriers potentially exist for Eskom employees in Makhanda (Grahamstown) to understanding and adopting the company’s safety policies and measures. A secondary aim was to explore different strategies for addressing these barriers. In order to get to the goal, it was important to; first, understand which aspects of Eskom’s health and safety standards do employees have difficulty adopting. Second, it was important to investigate the specific barriers to employees’ non-adoption of health and safety standards, by understanding their perceptions of safety issues in the workplace. Third, based on the findings, the study aimed to propose recommendations for improving the adoption of safety policies and measures by employees of Eskom. The key findings of the study include the fact that car accidents are the company’s and employees major concern, but the employees also have many other concerns that they see as needing the company’s attention (e.g. dealing with attacks on employees by customers; focusing on incentives rather than harsh enforcement for violators of safety policies). However, it is also clear that most employees do see safety as their responsibility as well. The two key areas of recommendations are, first, that leadership of Eskom adopt alternative leadership styles that focus more on ethical leadership, rather than transactional leadership that focus on profit margins more than it does on people. Second, it is recommended that Eskom provide incentives for compliance with safety policies; more training and education about safety; encouragement for Eskom to not put so much pressure on employees, who can lead fatigue; rather they should employ more people to do the jobs that the high pressure. To conclude, this research argues that neither do employees not employers think death and injuries are good for anybody. This is why this researcher is hopeful that this will get better, not worse, in terms of having a firm safety culture at Eskom as a workplace environment.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

An Analysis of Career Discourses in Life Orientation Textbooks of Eastern Cape Schools

  • Authors: Du Toit , Julie
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Life skills Vocational guidance
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSoc. Sci (Psychology)
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/17580 , vital:41101
  • Description: Life Orientation (LO) was introduced in schools by the new ANC government post 1994. Its introduction provided a platform to re-introduce career guidance to learners in schools with the aim of assisting them in making well-versed choices regarding their prospective careers and the subject selections pertaining to them (Department of Basic Education, 2011). Although no previous studies in the LO arena have focused on career discourses, previous literature on career discourses, in general, suggests that the models and theories still employed today have been heavily influenced by Western individualistic values. This has been found to create a disconnect between the South African subjects and the context they exist in, rendering these discourses unable to provide substantive assistance in the career decision making process. This study seeks to determine whether the career discourses located in the selected texts speak to the subjectivity and agency of the learner to make informed decisions. The current study examined the career discourses present in the LO textbooks utilised in Eastern Cape schools. The study sampled LO textbooks from Grades 10-12, as this group of learners are preparing to make critical further studying and career decisions and require guidance in their decision making process. A social constructionist lens was applied to the study by means of a Foucauldian Discourse Analysis, making use of Willig’s (2013) six step process as a reference. Dominant discourses of the objective self, neoliberal self and the transitioning adolescent were uncovered in the texts, which suggests that, rather than challenge the dominant discourses that have prevailed in career theory and practice, the LO careers curriculum further reinforces them.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

An analysis of how smart ships are going to impact the manning costs of merchant ships by 2028

  • Authors: Ramonyaluoe, Tshepo
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Shipping
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/43024 , vital:36725
  • Description: The maritime shipping industry is one of the most important industries in global logistics and economics. It facilitates international trade of goods and other commodities, whilst also supporting other sectors like tourism and the oil and gas industry. Despite technological breakthroughs over the years, the maritime shipping industry has not undergone any huge and fundamental changes in the way it conducts business. This is about to drastically change with the advent of the fourth industrial revolution. For the past two decades, the industry has been battling escalating operating costs due to challenges pertaining to diminishing skilled labour, increasing fuel costs and growing environmental concerns. These challenges are fast approaching crisis levels and a solution appears to be on the horizon in the form of smart ships; autonomous and remotely controlled ships that fully embrace the benefits of artificial intelligence, robotics and automation. The main purpose of this research is to determine how smart ships are going to affect the costs of manning a merchant ship by 2028. The study analyses the voyage cost structure of merchant's vessels, and looks at how smart ships are going to impact the costs of crewing a ship. This is a qualitative study that employed futures methodology called Environmental Scanning. This paper has led to conclusions and recommendations that should enable maritime shipping companies and agents to develop strategies that yield increased competitiveness in the age of smart technologies and big data.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

An analysis of how the use of geoboards as visualisation tools can be utilised in the teaching of quadrilaterals

  • Authors: Matengu, Given Kahale
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Manipulatives (Education) , Information visualization , Visualization , Mathematics -- Study and teaching , Mathematics -- Study and teaching -- Activity programs , Geometry -- Study and teaching
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96724 , vital:31312
  • Description: The relationship between visualisation processes and using manipulatives in the teaching and learning of mathematics is apparent and yet not so vocal in the literature. This could be because of the common mistaken understanding that because manipulatives are visual in nature, then visualisation processes should be obvious. Literature warns that just because something is visual therefore it is transparent, is incorrect. This study argues that the effective use of manipulatives in the teaching of mathematics helps learners to effectively understand mathematical concepts. Research on the teaching and learning of mathematics suggests that physical manipulation experiences, especially of concrete materials concerning shapes, is an important process in learning at all ages. One such teaching tool, the Geoboard, a physical manipulative that employs visualisation processes when correctly used, is explored in this study. The aim of this interpretive case study was to investigate and analyse the use of Geoboards as a visualisation tool in the teaching of the properties of quadrilaterals. The study focused on visualisation processes and the use of Geoboards through a teaching framework that was informed by the Van Hiele phases of teaching geometry. The study was conducted in the Opuwo circuit of the Kunene region, Namibia, and it involved three selected Grade 7 mathematics teachers, each from a different primary school. It was underpinned by a constructivist theory using the Van Hiele phases of teaching geometry and framed within visualisation processes. The study employed the use of qualitative data collection techniques such as observations and interviews. The analysis of the findings of this study revealed that Geoboards were very useful in demonstrating the visual representations of the properties of quadrilaterals in a cheap and yet novel way in the selected teachers’ classes. Moreover, the use of Geoboards by the selected teachers effectively fostered visualisation processes such as concrete pictorial imagery, dynamic imagery, perceptual apprehension, sequential apprehension, discursive apprehension and operative apprehension. It was also revealed that Geoboards enabled the selected teachers to structure and teach their lessons in a well-planned manner according to the Van Hiele phases, although it was difficult for them to adhere strictly to the hierarchy of the phases.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

An analysis of logistics companies as contributors to efficient supply chain solution to the automotive industry within the Nelson Mandela Bay

  • Authors: Nyweba, Akhona Gcinashe Andiswa
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Business logistics -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality , Industrial procurement -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Physical distribution of goods -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/42957 , vital:36714
  • Description: Nelson Mandela Bay region is one of the leading provinces that are contributing positively to the South African economy as the province is privillaged to being the home for giant multinational original equipment manufactureres (OEMs) such as Volkswagen South Africa (VWSA), Isuzu South Africa, Ford South Africa, First Auto Works (FAW), Beijing Automoive Industry Holding Company (BAIC) South Africa, Mercedes and Daimler. To support these automotive companies, logistics companies such as Transnet State Owned Company (SOC) Ltd, DHL South Africa, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) need to ensure that they positively influence the smooth transition of goods. However there are challenges of cost and inefficiences currently faced by the industry. These challenges effectively affect economic growth and the sustainability of the automotive industry. Against this background, this treatise investigates and seeks to address the underlying factors contributing to the ineffectiveness and inefficiency in supply chain for the industry. By establising and understanding how the logistic companies can contribute towards the sustainanbility of the automotive industry in the Nelson Mandela Bay region by driving efficiences in the value chain. The logistics companies are major influencers in the value chain for the industry and by breaking down logistics and supply chains as enablers will be beneficial for the industry. The overall objectives are to reveal and address the automotive industry’s supply chain challenges in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness. This will ultimately contribute to reducing the cost of doing business and improve the competitiveness of the industry. Furthermore to that, the researcher looked at the internal aspects such as resource availability, current infrastracture in the region, interconnection between road, rail and sea. On the external aspects, the researcher looked at the economic stability in the region, unemployment rate, and conduction of customer surveys to analyse how the automotive industry can be helped. These conclusions indicate that the above mentioned factors are contributing to the state of supply chain solutions in the Nelson Mandela Bay region and the recommendations highlighted will make a positive impact in the automotive industry within region. The study was done using the quantitative business research methodology, with an electronic survey as the measuring instrument. The sample consisted of industry players in the automotive industry within the Nelson Mandela Bay region. Future research regarding the topic on hand which is to analyse logistics companies as contributors to efficient supply chain solution to the automotive industry within the Nelson Mandela bay could be futher extended to other geographical arears. Furthermore, the research could be used by other industries to gain advantage on how their value chains can be improved thereby positively inpacting the overall trade and investment of the country and boosting econonomic stability for the country.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

An analysis of poetic syntax with special reference to Stockenström’s The Wisdom of Water (2007)

  • Authors: Murdoch, Alan
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Poetics , Poetry -- History and criticism Afrikaans poetry -- 21st century
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/41581 , vital:36538
  • Description: Poetry, by its very nature, is different to prose. Through ostranenie, the poet tries to foreground his or her message (meaning). Ostranenie is defined as follows: ‘A neologism, it implies two kinds of action: making strange, and pushing aside. Consistent with this double meaning, the concept refers to the techniques writers use to transform ordinary language into poetic language’ (www.oxfordreference.com). Gräbe (1997: 25) states: ‘The recognition of a difference between ordinary or normal language on the one hand, and “unusual” or “different” language use on the other hand is dependent upon the distinction […] between “automatisation” and “foregrounding.”’ This study will look at poetry, specifically that of Wilma Stockenström in The Wisdom of Water (2007), through the lens of syntax.The aim of this study is to determine the unique contribution of syntactic strategies for analysing and interpreting poetry and how they aid the poet in foregrounding his or her intended meaning. The strategies investigated are those detailed by Ina Gräbe in Syntax in Poetry (1997), namely the violation of grammatical rules in poetic language (specifically displacement, deletion and selectional deviation), the exploitation of forms of repetition in syntactic pattern formation (specifically coupling, parallelism and elaboration) and finally syntactic units and typographic demarcations (specifically the relationship between sentence and line and, the relationship between sentence and stanza). Through qualitative analysis, this study performs a syntactical structure analysis of Stockenström’s poetry in The Wisdom of Water (2007) and shows how the use and effect of Gräbe’s syntactic strategies can foreground a poet’s intended meaning. It will further show the way in which such a linguistic analysis can provide insight into the poet’s meaning, that might not otherwise have been apparent to a reader.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

An analysis of the availability of and access to credit from the formal financial sector and the performance of SMEs

  • Authors: Asah, Francis Tangwo
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Small business -- South Africa -- Finance , Microfinance -- South Africa , South Africa -- Economic conditions -- 1991-
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/115138 , vital:34081
  • Description: As a developing nation, South Africa faces a high rate of poverty, high levels of inequality in terms of income and a high rate of unemployment. It is officially estimated that about 27.2% of the economically active population are unemployed. SMEs are expected to be an important vehicle to address the challenges of job creation, sustainable economic growth, equitable distribution of income and the overall stimulation of economic development. SMEs in South Africa constitute 99% of all businesses, contributing to employment, income inequality and poverty alleviation (Statistic South Africa, 2018). However, despite the remarkable contribution of SMEs to the economy of South Africa, the failure rate of SMEs (at 75%) is the highest of all the efficiency-driven economies sampled by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM). The World Bank affirm that the availability of and access to credit from the formal financial sector is the primary cause of the high failure rate of SMEs. Contemporary literature advance that the future survival and performance of SMEs in South Africa is pegged onto the amount of financial capital available to address their capital needs. Thus, this study sought to analyse the availability of and access to credit from the formal financial sector and the performance of SMEs from the supply and demand-side. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, a sequential exploratory mixed method research design, located in the pragmatic research paradigm, was used in a two phased approach. The qualitative data collection and analysis in Phase 1 informed the quantitative data collection and analysis Phase 2. In Phase 1, in-depth face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 credit and 8 business managers representing the sampling unit of selected formal financial institutions. The qualitative data collected was analysed using the five-steps process of content analysis as illustrated by Terre Blanche et al. (2006:322-326). The main findings with regard to factors that impact on the willingness of the formal financial sector to provide credit to SMEs were collateral, annual business turnover, audited financial records, relationship with the bank, credit profile, nature of the business, economic climate, ethics, nationality, government policy, management team, valid Identity Document/permit, equity contribution, entrepreneurship education, product quality, and business intelligence. Assessing credit applications from SMEs, risk assessment, inspection of financial records, proper documentation and background checks were the different tasks performed by credit and business managers. In addition, the main challenges faced by the formal financial sector in assessing and approving credit in favour of SMEs included the following: lack of investment capital; lack of collateral; lack of proper financial records; poor managerial knowledge; poor business plan; lack of industrial knowledge; and poor legal and credit laws. Lastly, contrary to the notion that formal financial institutions are not interested in investing in SMEs, on average, 70% of SMEs that applied for credit received such credit. In Phase 2, a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from formal sector owner/managers of SMEs in the city of Johannesburg. Of the 702 questionnaires distributed, 300 were returned and useable. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (version 24). A test for normality was performed using Shapiro–Wilks test. Reliability was tested using the Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient. Exploratory factor analysis tested the validity of factors that prevent formal financial sector from granting credit to SMEs while Binary logistic regression was used to infer on the hypotheses. Spearman’s Rho correlation analysis was used to determine whether there was any significant relationship with factors that influence access to credit and SMEs performance. The main findings revealed that access to bank finance was the only challenge that showed a significant correlation with performance. In addition, the study revealed that the South African Identity Document and collateral were the most important factors considered when applying for credit from formal financial institutions. With regard to the reasons why formal financial institutions may refuse to grant credit to SMEs, it was revealed that there was no significant positive relationship between lack of business networking and access to credit from the formal financial sector to SMEs. Conversely, the study also revealed a significant positive relationship between collateral, business information, managerial competency, business intelligence, business ethics, entrepreneurship education, legal system and macro-economy and access to credit from the formal financial sector to SMEs. Thus, it was established that there is a significant positive relationship between access to credit from the formal financial sector and the performance of SMEs.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

An analysis of the fruit-sucking and fruit-piercing moth complex in citrus orchards in South Africa

  • Authors: Goddard, Mathew K , Hill, Martin P , Moore, Sean D
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/407000 , vital:70329 , xlink:href="https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC-15072d6de5"
  • Description: Fruit-piercing moths are a sporadic pest of citrus, especially in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, where the adults can cause significant damage in outbreak years. However, growers confuse fruit-piercing moths with fruit-sucking moths that do not cause primary damage. In this study we trapped these moths during the 2013–2015 growing seasons. A large number of diverse fruit-feeding moths were collected through weekly sampling in citrus orchards in the Eastern Cape and northern Limpopo provinces. Twenty-three species of fruit-feeding moth were trapped. However, only two were fruit-piercing species, capable of causing primary damage, namely Serrodes partita (Fabricius) (Erebidae) and Eudocima divitiosa (Walker) (Erebidae). Surprisingly S. partita, which has been reported as the main fruit-piercing moth pest of citrus in South Africa, comprised only 6.9 % of trap catches. The categorisation of moths as fruit-piercing or fruit-sucking (causing secondary damage) was confirmed by examining the morphological structures (tearing hooks and erectile barbs) of these moths’ proboscides. This study has shown that in non-outbreak seasons, S. partita comprised only a small percentage of fruit-feeding moths in citrus orchards. However, growers may misidentify the harmless fruit-sucking species as fruit-piercing species, and thus overestimate the density of fruit-piercing moths.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

An analysis of the possible success of a tax on sugarsweetened beverages in South Africa

  • Authors: Mabaso, Bandla Sazi
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Nutrition -- Government policy -- South Africa , Value-added tax -- South Africa , Obesity -- South Africa -- Prevention , Excise tax -- South Africa , Taxations of articles of consumption -- South Africa , Tobacco -- Taxation -- South Africa , Alcohol -- Taxation -- South Africa , Carbonated beverages -- Taxation -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68333 , vital:29240
  • Description: The increase in obesity is a global crisis that is prevalent in both the developed and developing economies, including South Africa. It endangers the health and threatens the life of many people. Sugar-sweetened beverages have become the key target in the fight against obesity, in preference to other foodstuffs that contain added sugar, because of the poor nutritional value they contain and harm they cause if consumed excessively. The Minister of Finance announced in the 2016 Budget Speech, that a proposed tax on sugar-sweetened beverages would be introduced in South Africa and would be implemented in April 2017, but the anticipated date is now 1 April 2018. The thesis examined the possible success of this proposed tax in South Africa, using as a benchmark the process followed prior to implementing the tax and the experience of selected foreign countries that have implemented the tax, one country subsequently abolishing it, and another country considering implementing it. Additionally, the research analysed the success of the existing excise taxes levied on tobacco and alcohol in South Africa, in attempting to predict the possible success of the proposed tax. The success of the proposed tax is, however, threatened by the emergence of illegal markets that offer the targeted products inexpensively, particularly if similar restrictions and laws do not exist in bordering countries. The research was carried out by means of the analysis of journal articles, information from the selected countries’ revenue authorities’ websites, National Treasury publications, commentaries by experts and publications by professional organisations and firms. Overall, the proposed tax has been successful in curbing obesity and high sugar intake in other countries. Similarly, the excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol have been successful in reducing the consumption of targeted products in South Africa. These successes have been realized through a collaborated effort and employing a multi-faceted approach, including advertising restrictions. Nevertheless, the proposed tax is popularly criticised for its regressive nature and the potential job losses that are associated with it.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2019
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