Application of environmental magnetism to trace sediment sources contributing to Kruger National Park reservoirs
- Authors: Miller, Jordan Katherine
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Geomagnetism South Africa Kruger National Park , Sediments (Geology) South Africa Kruger National Park , Sedimentation and deposition South Africa Kruger National Park , Petrology South Africa Kruger National Park , Sediments (Geology) Magnetic properties South Africa Kruger National Park
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192842 , vital:45269 , 10.21504/10962/192842
- Description: Sediment source fingerprinting using environmental magnetism has successfully differentiated between sediment sources in different regions of South Africa. The method was applied in the natural landscape of the Kruger National Park to trace sediment sources delivered to four reservoirs (Hartbeesfontein, Marheya, Nhlanganzwani, Silolweni) whose contributing catchments were underlain by a range of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. This research attempted to evaluate the impact of vegetation, lithology, and particle size controls on the ability of magnetic signatures to discriminate between lithology-defined potential sources. Potential source samples were collected from each lithology present in all catchments, except for the Lugmag catchment where the lithology was uniform, but the vegetation type varied significantly between woodland and grassland. One sediment core was taken in each of the four catchment reservoirs where there was more than one lithology present in order to unmix and apportion contributing sediment sources. Sampling time in the field was often restricted to short periods, dependent on anti-poaching activities and movement of free-roaming wildlife across the Park. This occasionally led to the sub-optimal collection of enough source samples to capture source signature variability. Mineral magnetic parameters were unable to discriminate between vegetation-defined sediment sources in the Lugmag catchment (homogenous underlying lithology) but were able to discriminate between lithology-defined sediment sources (to varying degrees) in the other four catchments. The contributions of each lithology-defined sediment source were estimated using a straightforward statistical protocol frequently used in published literature that included a Mann-Whitney U or Kruskal-Wallis H test, mass conservation test, discriminant function analysis, and an (un)mixing model. A contribution from each lithology source to reservoir sediment was estimated. Connectivity was a significant factor in understanding erosion in each of the catchments. Both longitudinal (e.g., drainage density) and lateral connectivity (e.g., floodplain - river) were important. Travel distance of eroded sediment to reservoirs was also an essential element in two of the four catchments. There are no defined floodplains, so channel bank soils are very similar to the catchment soils. Therefore, channel bank storage potential would be similar to the storage potential within the catchment. Vegetation played a crucial role in protecting soils, by reducing ii erosion potential as well as trapping and storing sediment, thereby interrupting lateral connectivity. Underlying geology and soils are determining factors of vegetation type and density. A published study estimated catchment area-specific sediment yields for different KNP catchments, including the Hartbeesfontein, Marheya, Nhlanganzwani and Silolweni catchments. The published data was used in combination with the (un)mixing model source contribution estimates of this thesis to determine specific sediment yields by lithology, i.e., for each catchment source. The polymodal particle size characteristics of the sample material led to an investigation into particle size controls on the ability of magnetic signatures to discriminate between potential sources. Due to time constraints, only the Hartbeesfontein and Marheya catchments were tested for grain size differences. For each catchment, one bulk sample was created for each lithology source. This bulk sample was divided into 10 subsamples. The samples were then fractionated into four particle size fraction groups: coarse (250 – 500 μm), medium (125 – 250 μm), fine (63 – 125 μm), and very fine (<63 μm). Reservoir samples were also bulked to create 10 down-core samples for each reservoir, and the samples were also fractionated into the four fraction groups. The same statistical protocol was applied to the fractionated samples and contribution estimates were obtained by lithology for each particle size fraction group. The goodness of fit and uncertainty of the (un)mixing model varied in each catchment, with the two measures of accuracy often showing an inverse relationship. The fractionated modelling estimated the same primary source in the two catchments as in the unfractionated modelling. However, additional information on the secondary and tertiary sources was obtained. Connectivity remained a significant factor in interpreting the results of the fractionated analysis. Specific sediment yields were estimated for each catchment source per particle size fraction group. These sediment yields provided a deeper understanding of sediment transport through a catchment and which particle size groups are most important in catchment erosion. An original contribution to research was made by estimating source contribution estimates for the four reservoirs, quantifying sediment yields for each catchment lithology and then for each catchment lithology by particle size. Mineral magnetic tracing of the catchments was applied for the first time in this region of South Africa. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Geography, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
- Authors: Miller, Jordan Katherine
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Geomagnetism South Africa Kruger National Park , Sediments (Geology) South Africa Kruger National Park , Sedimentation and deposition South Africa Kruger National Park , Petrology South Africa Kruger National Park , Sediments (Geology) Magnetic properties South Africa Kruger National Park
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192842 , vital:45269 , 10.21504/10962/192842
- Description: Sediment source fingerprinting using environmental magnetism has successfully differentiated between sediment sources in different regions of South Africa. The method was applied in the natural landscape of the Kruger National Park to trace sediment sources delivered to four reservoirs (Hartbeesfontein, Marheya, Nhlanganzwani, Silolweni) whose contributing catchments were underlain by a range of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. This research attempted to evaluate the impact of vegetation, lithology, and particle size controls on the ability of magnetic signatures to discriminate between lithology-defined potential sources. Potential source samples were collected from each lithology present in all catchments, except for the Lugmag catchment where the lithology was uniform, but the vegetation type varied significantly between woodland and grassland. One sediment core was taken in each of the four catchment reservoirs where there was more than one lithology present in order to unmix and apportion contributing sediment sources. Sampling time in the field was often restricted to short periods, dependent on anti-poaching activities and movement of free-roaming wildlife across the Park. This occasionally led to the sub-optimal collection of enough source samples to capture source signature variability. Mineral magnetic parameters were unable to discriminate between vegetation-defined sediment sources in the Lugmag catchment (homogenous underlying lithology) but were able to discriminate between lithology-defined sediment sources (to varying degrees) in the other four catchments. The contributions of each lithology-defined sediment source were estimated using a straightforward statistical protocol frequently used in published literature that included a Mann-Whitney U or Kruskal-Wallis H test, mass conservation test, discriminant function analysis, and an (un)mixing model. A contribution from each lithology source to reservoir sediment was estimated. Connectivity was a significant factor in understanding erosion in each of the catchments. Both longitudinal (e.g., drainage density) and lateral connectivity (e.g., floodplain - river) were important. Travel distance of eroded sediment to reservoirs was also an essential element in two of the four catchments. There are no defined floodplains, so channel bank soils are very similar to the catchment soils. Therefore, channel bank storage potential would be similar to the storage potential within the catchment. Vegetation played a crucial role in protecting soils, by reducing ii erosion potential as well as trapping and storing sediment, thereby interrupting lateral connectivity. Underlying geology and soils are determining factors of vegetation type and density. A published study estimated catchment area-specific sediment yields for different KNP catchments, including the Hartbeesfontein, Marheya, Nhlanganzwani and Silolweni catchments. The published data was used in combination with the (un)mixing model source contribution estimates of this thesis to determine specific sediment yields by lithology, i.e., for each catchment source. The polymodal particle size characteristics of the sample material led to an investigation into particle size controls on the ability of magnetic signatures to discriminate between potential sources. Due to time constraints, only the Hartbeesfontein and Marheya catchments were tested for grain size differences. For each catchment, one bulk sample was created for each lithology source. This bulk sample was divided into 10 subsamples. The samples were then fractionated into four particle size fraction groups: coarse (250 – 500 μm), medium (125 – 250 μm), fine (63 – 125 μm), and very fine (<63 μm). Reservoir samples were also bulked to create 10 down-core samples for each reservoir, and the samples were also fractionated into the four fraction groups. The same statistical protocol was applied to the fractionated samples and contribution estimates were obtained by lithology for each particle size fraction group. The goodness of fit and uncertainty of the (un)mixing model varied in each catchment, with the two measures of accuracy often showing an inverse relationship. The fractionated modelling estimated the same primary source in the two catchments as in the unfractionated modelling. However, additional information on the secondary and tertiary sources was obtained. Connectivity remained a significant factor in interpreting the results of the fractionated analysis. Specific sediment yields were estimated for each catchment source per particle size fraction group. These sediment yields provided a deeper understanding of sediment transport through a catchment and which particle size groups are most important in catchment erosion. An original contribution to research was made by estimating source contribution estimates for the four reservoirs, quantifying sediment yields for each catchment lithology and then for each catchment lithology by particle size. Mineral magnetic tracing of the catchments was applied for the first time in this region of South Africa. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Geography, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
Potential of the Gravel Filter Towers, Pilot-scale Filter system and Biochar/Clay adsorbents for Bio-Physicochemical remediation and Desalination of greywater
- Authors: Bani, Siphumze
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/188375 , vital:44748
- Description: Thesis embargoed until 2023 , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Rhodes University Biotechnology Innovation Centre, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
- Authors: Bani, Siphumze
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/188375 , vital:44748
- Description: Thesis embargoed until 2023 , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Rhodes University Biotechnology Innovation Centre, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
Mediating and examining expansive learning in the context of multidimensional complexities affecting household food security activity systems in Nyanyadzi Irrigation Scheme in the Manicaland Province of Zimbabwe
- Authors: Mukwambo, Robson
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Active learning Zimbabwe Chimanimani District , Food security Zimbabwe Chimanimani District , Sustainable agriculture Zimbabwe Chimanimani District , Irrigation farming Zimbabwe Chimanimani District , Qualitative research , Cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) , Nyanyadzi Irrigation Scheme
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192712 , vital:45253 , 10.21504/10962/192712
- Description: The study sought to mediate and examine expansive learning in the context of multidimensional complexities affecting household food security activity systems in Nyanyadzi Irrigation Scheme in Ward 8 of Chimanimani District in the Manicaland province of Zimbabwe. Therefore, the main foci of the study were to investigate how multidimensional complexities have come to be the way they are (historicizing) and how they enable or constrain learning of household food production. The study utilized Cultural Historical Activity Theory and the Expansive Learning Cycle (Engeström & Sannino, 2010) to examine and mediate collective learning in response to the multidimensional complexities and also to contribute to transforming the farmers’ activity systems towards more sustainable practices to ensure household food security. The study used a qualitative research approach, utilizing an insider formative intervention approach in a case study design in which Nyanyadzi irrigation scheme was the case study. I have adopted the insider formative interventionist role as a 3rd generation farmer, born and bred in Nyanyadzi area, and my family has been involved in the Nyanyadzi irrigation scheme for three generations. I see this as synergistic with the need for deep cultural understanding in CHAT research. However, this role also provided challenges for me to maintain a rigorous approach to the research in which I also reflexively review my own role and influence in the research process. Following CHAT expansive learning methodological guidance, data was generated through fifteen (15) face to face interviews with three generations of farmers in the scheme (historical ethnographic data); four focus group discussions (contemporary ethnographic data) and eight (8) sessions in a three (3) day change laboratory workshop (expansive learning data). Double stimulation and ‘mirror’ data was used to surface and prioritise responses to contradictions in the Change Laboratory Workshops (CLW), which is a methodology developed in and for CHAT research (ibid). The data was analysed using both inductive and abductive approaches and were conducted in a three-phased process focusing firstly on the history of the object, followed by current perspectives on the object of activity and lastly on transformations emerging in the object of activity via the expansive learning process. Cultural Historical Activity Theoretical tools informed activity system analysis and analysis of the history of the object and emerging contradictions; and the expansive learning cycle (ELP) process framework associated with and emergent from CHAT was used to analyse the emergence of transformative agency and expansion of the object. Four levels of contradictions were used to describe and explain the emergent contradictions namely, primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary contradictions and are presented in this sequence as catalytic opportunities for expansive learning as proposed in CHAT. In addition, the four types of discursive manifestations of contradictions namely, dilemma, conflict, critical conflict and double bind were used to describe and explain the manifestations of contradictions in this study and their role in catalysing transformative agency. The concept of linguistic cues for discursive manifestations of contradictions was adopted and employed in the preliminary data analysis phase. In addition, the transformative agency expressions and zone of proximal development (ZPD) concept was applied in and to the CLW data to examine the learning pathways and to co-develop and expand farmers’ and other stakeholders’ transformative agency and ZPD respectively. I found myself as formative insider researcher having to take on a strong role as co-engaged researcher / participant in the irrigation scheme expansive learning process. The study concluded that the farmers’ activity system is the central activity system and it interacts with other activity systems on a partially shared object “improved crop production and marketing under irrigation scheme”. Through interactions with other neighbouring activity systems, the farmers have faced multidimensional complexities that constrain their ability to fully realise their object. These multidimensional complexities manifest in three critical contradictions as a critical conflict in leadership and management crisis; a dilemma and double bind in a lack of farmer education and training; and lastly, a dilemma and double bind in poor crop marketing. These multidimensional complexities have a historical account and they have evolved in complexity over time and I argue in the thesis that, a careful cultural-historicity of the object of activity and mediation of the situated learning can help to collectively come up with solutions to these multidimensional complexities. The study further concluded that despite these multidimensional complexities in the scheme, learning has been taking place and such learning was sometimes mediated through demonstrations as “learning by doing,” “seeing is believing” and the “winners and losers” concept. Furthermore, through the CLW process the farmers and other stakeholders’ cognitive horizons were expanded by the mirror data and double stimulation processes, and the expansive learning process developed their individual and collective transformative agency pathways and expanded their collective zone of proximal development. In this study I argue that there has been little said about collective learning in irrigation schemes and given the dearth of detail on such learning, it seems that this learning is either going unnoticed or is ignored. Hence, I further argued that the multidimensional complexities in irrigation schemes are both a stimulant for learning and provide a space (object) for collective learning, as was also shown by Baloi (2016). The study also shows that the collective learning potential in these irrigation schemes can be pro-actively mediated via expansive learning formative interventions in support of improved crop production and marketing for produce developed under irrigation in irrigation schemes such as the Nyanyadzi Irrigation scheme. Lastly, being an insider formative interventionist researcher in this study, with intergenerational engagement and perspective on the history of the object and integrational engagement with the transforming object, I became part of the intergenerational transformation of the irrigation scheme’s object. The intergenerational co-construction of the history of the object, coupled with the insider formative interventionist researcher approach opened up and allowed me as a current generation agent or actor to develop an in-depth understanding of the multidimensional nature and historicity of the object. This was crucial for opening up the transformative agency pathways. It also produced a responsibility for me as an insider formative interventionist researcher to carry the summative findings of the study back into the social context to widen the engagement and mediation of the transformation needed in the community. Overall not only does the study offer an intergenerational perspective on multidimensional complexities of the object and how this can generatively be mobilised via expansive learning into emerging transformative learning agency pathways, but it also offers a new vantage point on the role of the insider formative interventionist researcher. Through this, the study offers insight into how we as third generation members of the community can be brought closer to our communities through the application of our skills, thereby also offering a new type of engaged and rigorously framed and executed research with roots in our communities. As shown in this study, not only does this expand the knowledge and experience of those we engage with, but it also expands our own knowledge and expertise in order to be more able to contribute to both the challenges of our own communities but also that of other communities and situations similar to ours, and beyond these bounded contexts. The study’s contribution is both practical, but also methodological from this vantage point, especially in an African context where there is much critique of ‘outsider research’, yet little pro-active articulation of what insider (in this case, formative intervention) research may look like. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
- Authors: Mukwambo, Robson
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Active learning Zimbabwe Chimanimani District , Food security Zimbabwe Chimanimani District , Sustainable agriculture Zimbabwe Chimanimani District , Irrigation farming Zimbabwe Chimanimani District , Qualitative research , Cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) , Nyanyadzi Irrigation Scheme
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192712 , vital:45253 , 10.21504/10962/192712
- Description: The study sought to mediate and examine expansive learning in the context of multidimensional complexities affecting household food security activity systems in Nyanyadzi Irrigation Scheme in Ward 8 of Chimanimani District in the Manicaland province of Zimbabwe. Therefore, the main foci of the study were to investigate how multidimensional complexities have come to be the way they are (historicizing) and how they enable or constrain learning of household food production. The study utilized Cultural Historical Activity Theory and the Expansive Learning Cycle (Engeström & Sannino, 2010) to examine and mediate collective learning in response to the multidimensional complexities and also to contribute to transforming the farmers’ activity systems towards more sustainable practices to ensure household food security. The study used a qualitative research approach, utilizing an insider formative intervention approach in a case study design in which Nyanyadzi irrigation scheme was the case study. I have adopted the insider formative interventionist role as a 3rd generation farmer, born and bred in Nyanyadzi area, and my family has been involved in the Nyanyadzi irrigation scheme for three generations. I see this as synergistic with the need for deep cultural understanding in CHAT research. However, this role also provided challenges for me to maintain a rigorous approach to the research in which I also reflexively review my own role and influence in the research process. Following CHAT expansive learning methodological guidance, data was generated through fifteen (15) face to face interviews with three generations of farmers in the scheme (historical ethnographic data); four focus group discussions (contemporary ethnographic data) and eight (8) sessions in a three (3) day change laboratory workshop (expansive learning data). Double stimulation and ‘mirror’ data was used to surface and prioritise responses to contradictions in the Change Laboratory Workshops (CLW), which is a methodology developed in and for CHAT research (ibid). The data was analysed using both inductive and abductive approaches and were conducted in a three-phased process focusing firstly on the history of the object, followed by current perspectives on the object of activity and lastly on transformations emerging in the object of activity via the expansive learning process. Cultural Historical Activity Theoretical tools informed activity system analysis and analysis of the history of the object and emerging contradictions; and the expansive learning cycle (ELP) process framework associated with and emergent from CHAT was used to analyse the emergence of transformative agency and expansion of the object. Four levels of contradictions were used to describe and explain the emergent contradictions namely, primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary contradictions and are presented in this sequence as catalytic opportunities for expansive learning as proposed in CHAT. In addition, the four types of discursive manifestations of contradictions namely, dilemma, conflict, critical conflict and double bind were used to describe and explain the manifestations of contradictions in this study and their role in catalysing transformative agency. The concept of linguistic cues for discursive manifestations of contradictions was adopted and employed in the preliminary data analysis phase. In addition, the transformative agency expressions and zone of proximal development (ZPD) concept was applied in and to the CLW data to examine the learning pathways and to co-develop and expand farmers’ and other stakeholders’ transformative agency and ZPD respectively. I found myself as formative insider researcher having to take on a strong role as co-engaged researcher / participant in the irrigation scheme expansive learning process. The study concluded that the farmers’ activity system is the central activity system and it interacts with other activity systems on a partially shared object “improved crop production and marketing under irrigation scheme”. Through interactions with other neighbouring activity systems, the farmers have faced multidimensional complexities that constrain their ability to fully realise their object. These multidimensional complexities manifest in three critical contradictions as a critical conflict in leadership and management crisis; a dilemma and double bind in a lack of farmer education and training; and lastly, a dilemma and double bind in poor crop marketing. These multidimensional complexities have a historical account and they have evolved in complexity over time and I argue in the thesis that, a careful cultural-historicity of the object of activity and mediation of the situated learning can help to collectively come up with solutions to these multidimensional complexities. The study further concluded that despite these multidimensional complexities in the scheme, learning has been taking place and such learning was sometimes mediated through demonstrations as “learning by doing,” “seeing is believing” and the “winners and losers” concept. Furthermore, through the CLW process the farmers and other stakeholders’ cognitive horizons were expanded by the mirror data and double stimulation processes, and the expansive learning process developed their individual and collective transformative agency pathways and expanded their collective zone of proximal development. In this study I argue that there has been little said about collective learning in irrigation schemes and given the dearth of detail on such learning, it seems that this learning is either going unnoticed or is ignored. Hence, I further argued that the multidimensional complexities in irrigation schemes are both a stimulant for learning and provide a space (object) for collective learning, as was also shown by Baloi (2016). The study also shows that the collective learning potential in these irrigation schemes can be pro-actively mediated via expansive learning formative interventions in support of improved crop production and marketing for produce developed under irrigation in irrigation schemes such as the Nyanyadzi Irrigation scheme. Lastly, being an insider formative interventionist researcher in this study, with intergenerational engagement and perspective on the history of the object and integrational engagement with the transforming object, I became part of the intergenerational transformation of the irrigation scheme’s object. The intergenerational co-construction of the history of the object, coupled with the insider formative interventionist researcher approach opened up and allowed me as a current generation agent or actor to develop an in-depth understanding of the multidimensional nature and historicity of the object. This was crucial for opening up the transformative agency pathways. It also produced a responsibility for me as an insider formative interventionist researcher to carry the summative findings of the study back into the social context to widen the engagement and mediation of the transformation needed in the community. Overall not only does the study offer an intergenerational perspective on multidimensional complexities of the object and how this can generatively be mobilised via expansive learning into emerging transformative learning agency pathways, but it also offers a new vantage point on the role of the insider formative interventionist researcher. Through this, the study offers insight into how we as third generation members of the community can be brought closer to our communities through the application of our skills, thereby also offering a new type of engaged and rigorously framed and executed research with roots in our communities. As shown in this study, not only does this expand the knowledge and experience of those we engage with, but it also expands our own knowledge and expertise in order to be more able to contribute to both the challenges of our own communities but also that of other communities and situations similar to ours, and beyond these bounded contexts. The study’s contribution is both practical, but also methodological from this vantage point, especially in an African context where there is much critique of ‘outsider research’, yet little pro-active articulation of what insider (in this case, formative intervention) research may look like. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
Biodiversity conservation of South Africa’s Wild Coast through the years: Exploring the tensions between western-style and local traditional conservation practices
- Authors: De Villiers, Deon Johan
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Biodiversity conservation South Africa Eastern Cape , Political ecology South Africa Eastern Cape , Dwesa Nature Reserve (South Africa) , Mkambati Nature Reserve (South Africa) , Hluleka Nature Reserve (South Africa) , Environmental policy South Africa , Natural resources Co-management South Africa Eastern Cape , Land use Environmental aspects South Africa Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/190646 , vital:45013 , 10.21504/10962/190646
- Description: The Transkei Wild Coast is a unique and diverse biophysical environment stretching some 280 kilometres between the Great Kei and Mtamvuna Rivers along South Africa’s eastern coastline. Its extensive indigenous forests were recognised for their biological and economic importance by the colonial government and granted protection from the late 1800s, with forced removal of indigenous people who resided within them. The state restricted and controlled the utilisation of the forest resources, particularly by Black people, through promulgation and enforcement of legislation. Similar conservation methods were employed for protection of the Wild Coast’s soils, grasslands and marine resources, usually without any consultation with local Black leadership or communities who relied upon these resources. Previous studies have focussed on the impacts of Western-style conservation legislation and the promulgation of protected areas on local people. These have suggested that local communities have been denied access to natural resources through a fences and fines approach, often accompanied by heavy-handed, strict law enforcement measures. Very little research has been conducted to document the actual reasons for and the history of conservation efforts along the Wild Coast. The aim of this study was to explore the history of natural resource management and conservation along the Wild Coast from a Western and African perspective, and to examine the conflicts that have arisen as a result thereof. The importance of utilisation of natural resources to sustain livelihoods and the conservation methods applied to protect these resources were examined, mainly by means of a literature review and face-to-face interviews with local traditional leaders and environmental managers. The successes, challenges and conflicts that resulted from conservation efforts were examined through detailed analysis of the conservation history of three case study areas: Dwesa-Cwebe, Hluleka and Mkambati nature reserves. The study concludes that traditional leaders, foresters and conservation managers have largely been ignored during previous research on management and conservation of the Wild Coast; however, they were very eager to express their views on this subject. The interviews revealed that traditional leaders and conservationists from each case study area want to protect the Wild Coast and its natural resources, albeit for different reasons. Conservationists recognise the importance of the region’s biodiversity and the need for protected areas, particularly where there is rich endemism such as at Mkambati and Dwesa-Cwebe. Traditional leaders recognise the potential for jobs for their people where protected areas preserve the aesthetic beauty of the coast and attract tourists. For them, employment opportunities are a priority, as is access to utilisation of natural resources to sustain livelihoods. The traditional customs and culture of the people living along the Wild Coast are also seen as being of critical importance. This has not been adequately considered by past conservation planners and managers, but traditional leaders express value in conserving the amaXhosa and amaMpondo way of life. Nowhere is this more evident than in relation to grazing land for cattle. Another significant finding is that the support shown by traditional leaders for conservation of the terrestrial environment is not necessarily mirrored when it comes to protection of marine resources. The Wild Coast has a rich variety of marine flora and fauna and a high percentage of endemic species. Local people have relied upon marine resources for sustenance, but conservationists acknowledge that access to these resources has historically been restricted without consultation with traditional leaders or local communities. It is concluded that these restrictions can be linked to many land claims on protected areas on the Wild Coast since 1994. While this study suggests that both traditional leaders and conservationists want to protect the Wild Coast and its natural resources, there is still mistrust based on a history of unjust forced removals from forests, restrictions on the use of natural resources through the manifestation of colonial and apartheid power, and broken promises relating to benefit sharing from proceeds of wildlife and tourism ventures, as well as those benefits linked to land claim settlement agreements in the post-apartheid era. The study concludes that, despite past conflicts relating to conservation management, the Wild Coast’s protected areas have widespread support amongst traditional leaders. There is agreement that co-management is the preferred option but the state has to assist in curbing lawlessness that threatens over-exploitation of natural resources. It is largely acknowledged by conservationists that local people should be permitted to sustainably use certain natural resources and that there have to be increased economic benefits from tourism. Although protected area managers cannot be expected to carry the responsibility of failed tourism models and economic ventures on nature reserves, this study found that they are often the only government officials available on the ground for traditional leaders and local communities to consult with. For co-management to be successful on the protected areas, regular communication about all matters pertaining to management is considered important. While it is accepted that traditional leaders no longer have the administrative powers that they historically possessed, the study found that they are still widely respected along the Wild Coast. It is therefore concluded that regular consultation between environmental managers and traditional leaders is essential for the future conservation of the Wild Coast. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Geography, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
- Authors: De Villiers, Deon Johan
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Biodiversity conservation South Africa Eastern Cape , Political ecology South Africa Eastern Cape , Dwesa Nature Reserve (South Africa) , Mkambati Nature Reserve (South Africa) , Hluleka Nature Reserve (South Africa) , Environmental policy South Africa , Natural resources Co-management South Africa Eastern Cape , Land use Environmental aspects South Africa Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/190646 , vital:45013 , 10.21504/10962/190646
- Description: The Transkei Wild Coast is a unique and diverse biophysical environment stretching some 280 kilometres between the Great Kei and Mtamvuna Rivers along South Africa’s eastern coastline. Its extensive indigenous forests were recognised for their biological and economic importance by the colonial government and granted protection from the late 1800s, with forced removal of indigenous people who resided within them. The state restricted and controlled the utilisation of the forest resources, particularly by Black people, through promulgation and enforcement of legislation. Similar conservation methods were employed for protection of the Wild Coast’s soils, grasslands and marine resources, usually without any consultation with local Black leadership or communities who relied upon these resources. Previous studies have focussed on the impacts of Western-style conservation legislation and the promulgation of protected areas on local people. These have suggested that local communities have been denied access to natural resources through a fences and fines approach, often accompanied by heavy-handed, strict law enforcement measures. Very little research has been conducted to document the actual reasons for and the history of conservation efforts along the Wild Coast. The aim of this study was to explore the history of natural resource management and conservation along the Wild Coast from a Western and African perspective, and to examine the conflicts that have arisen as a result thereof. The importance of utilisation of natural resources to sustain livelihoods and the conservation methods applied to protect these resources were examined, mainly by means of a literature review and face-to-face interviews with local traditional leaders and environmental managers. The successes, challenges and conflicts that resulted from conservation efforts were examined through detailed analysis of the conservation history of three case study areas: Dwesa-Cwebe, Hluleka and Mkambati nature reserves. The study concludes that traditional leaders, foresters and conservation managers have largely been ignored during previous research on management and conservation of the Wild Coast; however, they were very eager to express their views on this subject. The interviews revealed that traditional leaders and conservationists from each case study area want to protect the Wild Coast and its natural resources, albeit for different reasons. Conservationists recognise the importance of the region’s biodiversity and the need for protected areas, particularly where there is rich endemism such as at Mkambati and Dwesa-Cwebe. Traditional leaders recognise the potential for jobs for their people where protected areas preserve the aesthetic beauty of the coast and attract tourists. For them, employment opportunities are a priority, as is access to utilisation of natural resources to sustain livelihoods. The traditional customs and culture of the people living along the Wild Coast are also seen as being of critical importance. This has not been adequately considered by past conservation planners and managers, but traditional leaders express value in conserving the amaXhosa and amaMpondo way of life. Nowhere is this more evident than in relation to grazing land for cattle. Another significant finding is that the support shown by traditional leaders for conservation of the terrestrial environment is not necessarily mirrored when it comes to protection of marine resources. The Wild Coast has a rich variety of marine flora and fauna and a high percentage of endemic species. Local people have relied upon marine resources for sustenance, but conservationists acknowledge that access to these resources has historically been restricted without consultation with traditional leaders or local communities. It is concluded that these restrictions can be linked to many land claims on protected areas on the Wild Coast since 1994. While this study suggests that both traditional leaders and conservationists want to protect the Wild Coast and its natural resources, there is still mistrust based on a history of unjust forced removals from forests, restrictions on the use of natural resources through the manifestation of colonial and apartheid power, and broken promises relating to benefit sharing from proceeds of wildlife and tourism ventures, as well as those benefits linked to land claim settlement agreements in the post-apartheid era. The study concludes that, despite past conflicts relating to conservation management, the Wild Coast’s protected areas have widespread support amongst traditional leaders. There is agreement that co-management is the preferred option but the state has to assist in curbing lawlessness that threatens over-exploitation of natural resources. It is largely acknowledged by conservationists that local people should be permitted to sustainably use certain natural resources and that there have to be increased economic benefits from tourism. Although protected area managers cannot be expected to carry the responsibility of failed tourism models and economic ventures on nature reserves, this study found that they are often the only government officials available on the ground for traditional leaders and local communities to consult with. For co-management to be successful on the protected areas, regular communication about all matters pertaining to management is considered important. While it is accepted that traditional leaders no longer have the administrative powers that they historically possessed, the study found that they are still widely respected along the Wild Coast. It is therefore concluded that regular consultation between environmental managers and traditional leaders is essential for the future conservation of the Wild Coast. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Geography, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
Who are you? Online practices of self-representation of black gay men at Rhodes University on the geosocial networking application Grindr
- Authors: Olivier, Jason Eben
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Grindr (Computer program) , Gay men, Black South Africa Makhanda , Gay men Identity , Internet and gay men South Africa Makhanda , Social media and college students South Africa Makhanda , Masculinity South Africa Makhanda , Racism in the sexual minority community South Africa Makhanda , Sexism South Africa Makhanda , Rhodes University
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/294851 , vital:57262
- Description: The study investigates how young black gay men at Rhodes University use technology to explore their sexual identity and focuses specifically on their self-representation choices. Incorporating qualitative semi-structured interviews and a walkthrough of Grindr, the research asked participants to share their experiences of using Grindr, a geo-social networking application, and how their self-representation practices on the site contributed to their conception of what it means to be a young black gay man online. Using a thematic analysis of the data collected from five self-identified black gay Rhodes University students, findings indicate that self-representation choices of black gay men on Grindr become a complex experience influenced by overt sexist and racist micro-aggressions in an environment where masculinities operate in a hierarchy of desire, preference, and attractiveness with race operating as an important signifier of these even in a post-Apartheid South Africa that is celebrated for its world-class Constitution. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Journalism and Media Studies, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
- Authors: Olivier, Jason Eben
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Grindr (Computer program) , Gay men, Black South Africa Makhanda , Gay men Identity , Internet and gay men South Africa Makhanda , Social media and college students South Africa Makhanda , Masculinity South Africa Makhanda , Racism in the sexual minority community South Africa Makhanda , Sexism South Africa Makhanda , Rhodes University
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/294851 , vital:57262
- Description: The study investigates how young black gay men at Rhodes University use technology to explore their sexual identity and focuses specifically on their self-representation choices. Incorporating qualitative semi-structured interviews and a walkthrough of Grindr, the research asked participants to share their experiences of using Grindr, a geo-social networking application, and how their self-representation practices on the site contributed to their conception of what it means to be a young black gay man online. Using a thematic analysis of the data collected from five self-identified black gay Rhodes University students, findings indicate that self-representation choices of black gay men on Grindr become a complex experience influenced by overt sexist and racist micro-aggressions in an environment where masculinities operate in a hierarchy of desire, preference, and attractiveness with race operating as an important signifier of these even in a post-Apartheid South Africa that is celebrated for its world-class Constitution. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Journalism and Media Studies, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
“This may not be your grandmother’s page, but we will definitely talk about her”: Lusaka women and the Zambian Feminists Facebook page
- Authors: Kasanga, Chishimba
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Feminists Zambia , Social media and society Zambia , Facebook (Firm) , Feminism Africa , Women Zambia Social conditions , Sex role Zambia , Patriarchy Zambia , Digital activism , Zambian Feminists
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/190122 , vital:44965
- Description: The internet has facilitated the creation of a global community of feminists who use it both for discussion and activism. Recently, high-profile campaigns, such as #MeToo and #AmINext, have garnered massive support online, attracting tens of thousands of women in diverse social and geographical spaces who have used the internet as forums for discussion and a route for activism. However, there are still parts of the world where feminism is a contentious topic, and one such place is Zambia, where the Facebook page Zambian Feminists, seeks to challenge patriarchy and gender non-conformity in a highly heteronormative society. This study investigates how prolific women fans of the Zambian Feminists page contest, negotiate and appropriate meanings from the posts and associated comments into their lives as “everyday feminists”. As a reception study, it inquires into how Lusaka women fans of the page negotiate their roles as strong feminists online and their offline social roles as women, mothers, daughters and wives living in a patriarchal and conservative society. The study draws primarily on qualitative research methods, specifically qualitative focus group discussions and individual in-depth interviews, to investigate this audience’s reception of the page’s content. The study establishes that Zambian Feminists is consumed in a complex environment where contesting notions of Christianity, traditionalism, and modernity are at play. The study also shows how a Christian nationalism discourse acts as a stumbling block to women fans identifying as feminists and women fans who identify as members of the LGBTIQ community, as they must negotiate and construct their identity against this prevailing discourse. The study concludes that inasmuch as the Zambian Feminist page provides a platform for women to ‘call out’ and challenge patriarchy, sexism and misogyny, the offline space is more difficult to overcome; Zambian women continue to conform to patriarchal norms as they construct and negotiate their feminism in line with the broader societal gender order. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Journalism and Media Studies, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
- Authors: Kasanga, Chishimba
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Feminists Zambia , Social media and society Zambia , Facebook (Firm) , Feminism Africa , Women Zambia Social conditions , Sex role Zambia , Patriarchy Zambia , Digital activism , Zambian Feminists
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/190122 , vital:44965
- Description: The internet has facilitated the creation of a global community of feminists who use it both for discussion and activism. Recently, high-profile campaigns, such as #MeToo and #AmINext, have garnered massive support online, attracting tens of thousands of women in diverse social and geographical spaces who have used the internet as forums for discussion and a route for activism. However, there are still parts of the world where feminism is a contentious topic, and one such place is Zambia, where the Facebook page Zambian Feminists, seeks to challenge patriarchy and gender non-conformity in a highly heteronormative society. This study investigates how prolific women fans of the Zambian Feminists page contest, negotiate and appropriate meanings from the posts and associated comments into their lives as “everyday feminists”. As a reception study, it inquires into how Lusaka women fans of the page negotiate their roles as strong feminists online and their offline social roles as women, mothers, daughters and wives living in a patriarchal and conservative society. The study draws primarily on qualitative research methods, specifically qualitative focus group discussions and individual in-depth interviews, to investigate this audience’s reception of the page’s content. The study establishes that Zambian Feminists is consumed in a complex environment where contesting notions of Christianity, traditionalism, and modernity are at play. The study also shows how a Christian nationalism discourse acts as a stumbling block to women fans identifying as feminists and women fans who identify as members of the LGBTIQ community, as they must negotiate and construct their identity against this prevailing discourse. The study concludes that inasmuch as the Zambian Feminist page provides a platform for women to ‘call out’ and challenge patriarchy, sexism and misogyny, the offline space is more difficult to overcome; Zambian women continue to conform to patriarchal norms as they construct and negotiate their feminism in line with the broader societal gender order. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Journalism and Media Studies, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
The development, formulation and characterisation of sustained-release minoxidil-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers for topical delivery
- Authors: Daya, Misha
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192397 , vital:45222
- Description: Thesis (MSc (Pharm)) -- Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacy, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
- Authors: Daya, Misha
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192397 , vital:45222
- Description: Thesis (MSc (Pharm)) -- Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacy, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
Exploring indiginising the university’s science curriculum through bottom-up decolonisation: Affordances and hindrances
- Authors: Mutanho, Chrispen
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Decolonization South Africa , Ethnoscience South Africa , Ubuntu (Philosophy) , Pedagogical content knowledge , Culturally relevant pedagogy , Science Study and teaching South Africa , Science teachers In-service training South Africa , Transformative learning South Africa , Cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT)
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191668 , vital:45146 , 10.21504/10962/191668
- Description: The integration of indigenous knowledge (IK) in the science curriculum is a spreading phenomenon driven by the need to bring about relevancy and equality in science education. In South Africa, for instance, the need to integrate IK in science education is part of the global effort to build a democratic state from the debris of apartheid. Henceforth, the integration of IK is backed up by both the National Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996) and the South African Department of Basic Education’s (2011) National Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement. However, the success of this policy seems to be hindered in part by the fact that the teachers who are the implementers of the curriculum changes seem to lack the relevant pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) to integrate IK in their science teaching repertoires. Such a trend is often blamed on their Eurocentric educational background. Interestingly, very little research has been done to explore ways of supporting teachers to develop the relevant conceptual tools and teaching strategies that will enable them to integrate IK in science teaching. It is against this background that an interventionist case study on how to support the Bachelor of Education Natural Sciences in-service teachers in particular to develop exemplar science lessons that integrate IK as easily accessible resources was conducted. The study is underpinned by three complementary paradigms, namely, the interpretive, the critical, and indigenous research paradigms. While the interpretive paradigm enabled me to understand and interpret descriptive data, the critical paradigm enabled me to take an emancipatory stance and challenge the micro-aggressive elements embedded in conventional research practices; within the indigenous research paradigm, Ubuntu was the relational perspective that informed the researcher-participant relationships in this study. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory was used as an overarching theoretical framework, in conjunction with the cultural historical activity theory. Additionally, the topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge provided the methodological and analytical tools. Data were gathered through questionnaires, individual face-to-face interviews, focus group interview, participatory observation, and the teachers’ reflections. This study established that if teachers are given back the agency to collaboratively resolve the contradictions that confront them in their workplaces, they can generate their own ideas on how to integrate IK in science vii teaching. The teachers in this study experienced a shift in their agency from a paralysed state of resisting the integration of IK at the beginning of the intervention to an ‘I can do it’ attitude at the end of the intervention. Thus, it could be argued that this study’s major contribution to new knowledge lies in demonstrating possible ways of supporting teachers to integrate IK as easily accessible resources in their science teaching. Additionally, the study also challenged the Eurocentric approach to ethics and offered Ubuntu as a relational perspective that can be used to complement the shortcomings of Eurocentric research paradigms. The study thus recommends that continuing professional development or professional learning communities should afford teachers the opportunity to collaboratively engage with the challenges that they face in their workplaces in order to resolve the contradictions that confront them. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
- Authors: Mutanho, Chrispen
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Decolonization South Africa , Ethnoscience South Africa , Ubuntu (Philosophy) , Pedagogical content knowledge , Culturally relevant pedagogy , Science Study and teaching South Africa , Science teachers In-service training South Africa , Transformative learning South Africa , Cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT)
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191668 , vital:45146 , 10.21504/10962/191668
- Description: The integration of indigenous knowledge (IK) in the science curriculum is a spreading phenomenon driven by the need to bring about relevancy and equality in science education. In South Africa, for instance, the need to integrate IK in science education is part of the global effort to build a democratic state from the debris of apartheid. Henceforth, the integration of IK is backed up by both the National Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996) and the South African Department of Basic Education’s (2011) National Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement. However, the success of this policy seems to be hindered in part by the fact that the teachers who are the implementers of the curriculum changes seem to lack the relevant pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) to integrate IK in their science teaching repertoires. Such a trend is often blamed on their Eurocentric educational background. Interestingly, very little research has been done to explore ways of supporting teachers to develop the relevant conceptual tools and teaching strategies that will enable them to integrate IK in science teaching. It is against this background that an interventionist case study on how to support the Bachelor of Education Natural Sciences in-service teachers in particular to develop exemplar science lessons that integrate IK as easily accessible resources was conducted. The study is underpinned by three complementary paradigms, namely, the interpretive, the critical, and indigenous research paradigms. While the interpretive paradigm enabled me to understand and interpret descriptive data, the critical paradigm enabled me to take an emancipatory stance and challenge the micro-aggressive elements embedded in conventional research practices; within the indigenous research paradigm, Ubuntu was the relational perspective that informed the researcher-participant relationships in this study. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory was used as an overarching theoretical framework, in conjunction with the cultural historical activity theory. Additionally, the topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge provided the methodological and analytical tools. Data were gathered through questionnaires, individual face-to-face interviews, focus group interview, participatory observation, and the teachers’ reflections. This study established that if teachers are given back the agency to collaboratively resolve the contradictions that confront them in their workplaces, they can generate their own ideas on how to integrate IK in science vii teaching. The teachers in this study experienced a shift in their agency from a paralysed state of resisting the integration of IK at the beginning of the intervention to an ‘I can do it’ attitude at the end of the intervention. Thus, it could be argued that this study’s major contribution to new knowledge lies in demonstrating possible ways of supporting teachers to integrate IK as easily accessible resources in their science teaching. Additionally, the study also challenged the Eurocentric approach to ethics and offered Ubuntu as a relational perspective that can be used to complement the shortcomings of Eurocentric research paradigms. The study thus recommends that continuing professional development or professional learning communities should afford teachers the opportunity to collaboratively engage with the challenges that they face in their workplaces in order to resolve the contradictions that confront them. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
Tronkvoël: An exploration of the intersection of personal experiences and identities, concerning depression
- Authors: Kramer, Brunn David
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Mental illness in art , Art, South African 21st century , Metaphor in art , Depression, Mental , Prisons in art , Identity (Philosophical concept) in art , Gender identity in art , Intersectionality (Sociology)
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191647 , vital:45129
- Description: My diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder in 2018 led to my experience of a terrible loneliness and a peculiar isolation that triggered a feeling of imprisonment. The work thus engages with the idea of prison as a metaphor for depression, and is influenced by earlier work that centred around prisons and ex-prisoners. I explore the intersection of gender-based issues, homophobia, racism and religious prejudice that is based on my experiences and identities, in an attempt to understand the depression and communicate the complex prejudices I face in my daily life. The work is based on my lived experience, through which depression can feel like a self-constructed prison. Thus, by visually communicating my lived experiences with depression as a coloured, queer body, I also aim to encourage dialogue and open up conversations around mental illness, as it is all too is often seen as taboo, particularly in communities of colour. I harness old family photographs as a departure point to investigate personal memory, as well as recently captured selfies to explore my narrative of self-imprisonment. I also integrate objects from childhood games such as glass marbles, with prison objects like paper mache dice and shivs all presented in the form of an installation. My invisible prison is visually communicated further through incorporating visual language of the prison – including tattoos, prison slang, and ‘shifts and shanks’ (makeshift weapons). I use a variety of mediums, including charcoal, photographic transfers, paint and linocuts, with a combination of burning and smoking techniques, made by using candle soot, as a primary feature throughout my work. In this mini-thesis I reflect on memories from my childhood and the way they have informed my experience of depression as a self-constructed prison. I position my practice in relation to the work of South African artist Tsoku Maela who navigates similar concerns in his own artworks. , Thesis (MFA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Fine Art, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
- Authors: Kramer, Brunn David
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Mental illness in art , Art, South African 21st century , Metaphor in art , Depression, Mental , Prisons in art , Identity (Philosophical concept) in art , Gender identity in art , Intersectionality (Sociology)
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191647 , vital:45129
- Description: My diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder in 2018 led to my experience of a terrible loneliness and a peculiar isolation that triggered a feeling of imprisonment. The work thus engages with the idea of prison as a metaphor for depression, and is influenced by earlier work that centred around prisons and ex-prisoners. I explore the intersection of gender-based issues, homophobia, racism and religious prejudice that is based on my experiences and identities, in an attempt to understand the depression and communicate the complex prejudices I face in my daily life. The work is based on my lived experience, through which depression can feel like a self-constructed prison. Thus, by visually communicating my lived experiences with depression as a coloured, queer body, I also aim to encourage dialogue and open up conversations around mental illness, as it is all too is often seen as taboo, particularly in communities of colour. I harness old family photographs as a departure point to investigate personal memory, as well as recently captured selfies to explore my narrative of self-imprisonment. I also integrate objects from childhood games such as glass marbles, with prison objects like paper mache dice and shivs all presented in the form of an installation. My invisible prison is visually communicated further through incorporating visual language of the prison – including tattoos, prison slang, and ‘shifts and shanks’ (makeshift weapons). I use a variety of mediums, including charcoal, photographic transfers, paint and linocuts, with a combination of burning and smoking techniques, made by using candle soot, as a primary feature throughout my work. In this mini-thesis I reflect on memories from my childhood and the way they have informed my experience of depression as a self-constructed prison. I position my practice in relation to the work of South African artist Tsoku Maela who navigates similar concerns in his own artworks. , Thesis (MFA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Fine Art, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
Traversing Sonic Spaces: Expressions of Identity, Gender, and Power in the Musical Traditions of the Nupe in Northern Nigeria
- Authors: Njoku, Obianuju Akunna
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192886 , vital:45276
- Description: Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, Music and Musicology, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
- Authors: Njoku, Obianuju Akunna
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192886 , vital:45276
- Description: Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, Music and Musicology, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
Synthesis, characterization and antiparasitic evaluation of chalcone hybrids
- Authors: Zulu, Ayanda Ignatia
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192853 , vital:45271
- Description: Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Chemistry, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
- Authors: Zulu, Ayanda Ignatia
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192853 , vital:45271
- Description: Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Chemistry, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
An analysis of the medicines regulatory environment in sub-Saharan Africa and the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization Initiative
- Authors: Feka, Cedric Nyahchong
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192408 , vital:45223
- Description: Thesis (MSc (Pharm)) -- Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacy, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
- Authors: Feka, Cedric Nyahchong
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192408 , vital:45223
- Description: Thesis (MSc (Pharm)) -- Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacy, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
Ubomi Sisilonda: Ingqokelela Yemibongo
- Authors: Yanta, Luvuyo Mkhululi
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) South Africa , Xhosa poetry 21st century , Diaries -- Authorship , South African poetry (English) History and criticism , Xhosa poetry History and criticism , Poetry Therapeutic use
- Language: Xhosa , English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192364 , vital:45219
- Description: Esi siqingatha sethisisi yingqokelela yemibongo-ngoma eyilwe ngeenjongo zokuzama ukuveza nokupholisa isilonda esidalwe ziimeko zobom esiphila kubo singabantu, izinto endizibonileyo nendidlule kuzo. Ndibhala ndibonakalisa ubumnyama endiphile kubo, apha ndizama ukusondela ekukhanyeni. Ndiqala ngokupholisa ezam izilonda kuqala. Ulwimi endilusebenzisayo lulanda imbali yam njengomfana omnyama okhulele elokishini, ilokishi nganye inolwimi lwayo. Ndisebenzisa olu lwimi ndibalisa indlela endikhule ngayo, ndikwakhankanya nokukhula ndiqheliswa ukungathethi ngezinto nokungawavezi amanxeba entliziyo yam phambi kwabantu “ilayithi ayikhali.” Ndinomdla kubabhali ababhala ngeemeko zexesha lanamhlanje, kwiimeko eziphilwa luninzi lwabantu nesimo sentlalo jikelele. Ndisebenzise umsebenzi wababhali abafana noAyanda Billie ukujonga isingqi sobom kwimibongo yakhe njengomntu ongekho kude ngokuhlala nokufuphi ngeminyaka, ndiqwalasele imisebenzi kaS. Zotwana ukuzama ukusondeza isigama kwindlela endikhule ngayo kunye noJ.J.R Jolobe ukuqwalasela ukuba babesebenzisa obuphi ubuchule bokubhala nokupholisa izilonda zabo. Ndikwacaphule kwisimbo sokubhala esikhawulezileyo semibhalo eyenzelwe iqonga njengoko ndichithe ixesha elininzi ndidlala kwaye ndikwaqeqesha abadlali beqonga. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Languages and Literatures, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
- Authors: Yanta, Luvuyo Mkhululi
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) South Africa , Xhosa poetry 21st century , Diaries -- Authorship , South African poetry (English) History and criticism , Xhosa poetry History and criticism , Poetry Therapeutic use
- Language: Xhosa , English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192364 , vital:45219
- Description: Esi siqingatha sethisisi yingqokelela yemibongo-ngoma eyilwe ngeenjongo zokuzama ukuveza nokupholisa isilonda esidalwe ziimeko zobom esiphila kubo singabantu, izinto endizibonileyo nendidlule kuzo. Ndibhala ndibonakalisa ubumnyama endiphile kubo, apha ndizama ukusondela ekukhanyeni. Ndiqala ngokupholisa ezam izilonda kuqala. Ulwimi endilusebenzisayo lulanda imbali yam njengomfana omnyama okhulele elokishini, ilokishi nganye inolwimi lwayo. Ndisebenzisa olu lwimi ndibalisa indlela endikhule ngayo, ndikwakhankanya nokukhula ndiqheliswa ukungathethi ngezinto nokungawavezi amanxeba entliziyo yam phambi kwabantu “ilayithi ayikhali.” Ndinomdla kubabhali ababhala ngeemeko zexesha lanamhlanje, kwiimeko eziphilwa luninzi lwabantu nesimo sentlalo jikelele. Ndisebenzise umsebenzi wababhali abafana noAyanda Billie ukujonga isingqi sobom kwimibongo yakhe njengomntu ongekho kude ngokuhlala nokufuphi ngeminyaka, ndiqwalasele imisebenzi kaS. Zotwana ukuzama ukusondeza isigama kwindlela endikhule ngayo kunye noJ.J.R Jolobe ukuqwalasela ukuba babesebenzisa obuphi ubuchule bokubhala nokupholisa izilonda zabo. Ndikwacaphule kwisimbo sokubhala esikhawulezileyo semibhalo eyenzelwe iqonga njengoko ndichithe ixesha elininzi ndidlala kwaye ndikwaqeqesha abadlali beqonga. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Languages and Literatures, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
Development and optimisation of a mucoadhesive chitosan-based intranasal microemulsion and nanomicelle solution for lamotrigine using artificial neural networks
- Authors: Melamane, Siyabonga
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:45247
- Description: Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Pharmacy, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
- Authors: Melamane, Siyabonga
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:45247
- Description: Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Pharmacy, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
Culture, gender and forests: social differentiation in coping and adapting to climate change and other stressors in the south west and east regions of Cameroon
- Authors: Enokwena Baa, Ojongetakah
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Climatic changes Cameroon , Differentiation (Sociology) Cameroon , Climatic changes Social aspects Cameroon , Cultural awareness Cameroon , Environmental justice Cameroon , Social justice Cameroon , Environmental risk assessment Cameroon , Political ecology Cameroon , Ecofeminism Cameroon , Social capital (Sociology) Cameroon , Community forests Cameroon , Deforestation Cameroon
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/295040 , vital:57284 , DOI 10.21504/10962/295040
- Description: Climate change adaptation scholars and practitioners are beginning to acknowledge that the impact of climate change and other related shocks and stressors will be felt, and reacted to, differently across genders and other types of intersecting social categories, such as age, wealth, and culture, in rural communities. However, to date, most research unpacking these differential impacts and responses has been limited to 'men' versus 'women'. Few studies go beyond this male-female dichotomy to include the different gender structures of households and the intersection with other social factors that contribute to marginalisation, such as ethnicity. This research aimed to explore how different gendered household types in two ethnically diverse communities, the Ejagham and the Baka communities in the SSouth West and East regions of Cameroon, experienced and responded to climate change and other stressors. The central argument of the study is that social differentiation present dynamics and complexities across intersecting identities which determines varied levels of vulnerabilities, adaptive capacity, and livelihood outcomes. The study thus sets out to examine cultural and gendered differentiation in household assets and livelihood activities, how multiple shocks and stressors are experienced, and the differentiated responses to these, focussing specifically on forest and social safety nets. The findings were used to develop an integrated understanding of the complex socially differentiated dimensions of vulnerability and adaptation within the two communities and the implications for more climate secure and equitable livelihoods. The study drew on social-ecological systems, social justice, and feminist political ecology as guiding theoretical lenses. The study further integrated the Moser gender planning and Harvard analytical frameworks as tools for unpacking gender inequality. It followed a mixed methods research design that included household surveys, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions that applied participatory exercises. Financial, human, and physical capital were arguably limited within all household types in both the Ejagham and the Baka communities. Social and natural capital were the most common form of assets that households relied on, with ‘savings groups’ in the Ejagham communities being particularly prevalent. Most households were involved in crop cultivation and forest product collection although there were gendered and cultural differences. Collection of wild fruits, medicinal plants, and condiments, for example, was a more common livelihood activity within the Baka communities and amongst female-headed households. Cultivation of pumpkins and vegetables was dominant amongst households in Ejagham, with these being grown mainly by women, while the cultivation of yams was done by men. Across both communities, female-headed households had less ownership of land compared to male-headed households. The current pressure on agricultural land in the Ejagham communities has decreased crop productivity, with female-headed households disproportionately affected by less ownership of land and thus, options to diversify agricultural activities. Similarly, the rise in individual and private land ownership, in response to resource scarcity and large-scale deforestation in East Cameroon, has further dispossessed female-headed households in the Baka communities, already marginalised by their ethnicity, of land. Inequitable access to assets and the disparity in ownership of these assets across the study communities was both a cause and effect of households' differential livelihood activities and responses to shocks and stressors. Several of the shocks and stressors households were exposed to differed across the two sites. The Ejagham communities, being predominantly agricultural, frequently identified warming temperatures as a climatic stressor and increased sensitivity to the impacts of these. The Baka faced similar climate stressors, although more frequent storms were mentioned as a shock by a significant number of households. The impacts of these storms include damage and destruction of houses due to the traditional construction methods used. Since women are often tasked with the building of houses this adds another layer of stress for them. In terms of idiosyncratic shocks, the death of the main breadwinner was most frequently reported in both communities as a non-climatic shock, although this was higher within the Ejagham communities than in the Baka communities, and particularly so for female-headed households. The varied experiences from multiple shocks and stressors resulted in households' differential coping and adaptation responses. Among the different response options, social and forest safety nets, especially the use and sale of forest products (NTFPs) remained the main response options used by households in both communities. Forest products further supported households during periods of food shortage, especially female-headed households in the Ejagham communities. Households further supported one another through social groups such as savings, farming, hunting (particularly for men) and NTFP collection (for women) groups. By exploring social-ecological interactions, the study highlights the complexities around gender inequalities, vulnerabilities, and responses across socially differentiated groups of people which should be considered in policy, practice, and research. Several of my findings challenge mainstream discourses that generally group women, for instance, as a homogenous category when looking at vulnerability. For example, findings revealed that it is possible for different types of households, both women and men, to be both advantaged and vulnerable at the same time, depending on the shock or stressor faced and the livelihood activities they engage in. The same also applies to ethnicity. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Environmental Science, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
- Authors: Enokwena Baa, Ojongetakah
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Climatic changes Cameroon , Differentiation (Sociology) Cameroon , Climatic changes Social aspects Cameroon , Cultural awareness Cameroon , Environmental justice Cameroon , Social justice Cameroon , Environmental risk assessment Cameroon , Political ecology Cameroon , Ecofeminism Cameroon , Social capital (Sociology) Cameroon , Community forests Cameroon , Deforestation Cameroon
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/295040 , vital:57284 , DOI 10.21504/10962/295040
- Description: Climate change adaptation scholars and practitioners are beginning to acknowledge that the impact of climate change and other related shocks and stressors will be felt, and reacted to, differently across genders and other types of intersecting social categories, such as age, wealth, and culture, in rural communities. However, to date, most research unpacking these differential impacts and responses has been limited to 'men' versus 'women'. Few studies go beyond this male-female dichotomy to include the different gender structures of households and the intersection with other social factors that contribute to marginalisation, such as ethnicity. This research aimed to explore how different gendered household types in two ethnically diverse communities, the Ejagham and the Baka communities in the SSouth West and East regions of Cameroon, experienced and responded to climate change and other stressors. The central argument of the study is that social differentiation present dynamics and complexities across intersecting identities which determines varied levels of vulnerabilities, adaptive capacity, and livelihood outcomes. The study thus sets out to examine cultural and gendered differentiation in household assets and livelihood activities, how multiple shocks and stressors are experienced, and the differentiated responses to these, focussing specifically on forest and social safety nets. The findings were used to develop an integrated understanding of the complex socially differentiated dimensions of vulnerability and adaptation within the two communities and the implications for more climate secure and equitable livelihoods. The study drew on social-ecological systems, social justice, and feminist political ecology as guiding theoretical lenses. The study further integrated the Moser gender planning and Harvard analytical frameworks as tools for unpacking gender inequality. It followed a mixed methods research design that included household surveys, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions that applied participatory exercises. Financial, human, and physical capital were arguably limited within all household types in both the Ejagham and the Baka communities. Social and natural capital were the most common form of assets that households relied on, with ‘savings groups’ in the Ejagham communities being particularly prevalent. Most households were involved in crop cultivation and forest product collection although there were gendered and cultural differences. Collection of wild fruits, medicinal plants, and condiments, for example, was a more common livelihood activity within the Baka communities and amongst female-headed households. Cultivation of pumpkins and vegetables was dominant amongst households in Ejagham, with these being grown mainly by women, while the cultivation of yams was done by men. Across both communities, female-headed households had less ownership of land compared to male-headed households. The current pressure on agricultural land in the Ejagham communities has decreased crop productivity, with female-headed households disproportionately affected by less ownership of land and thus, options to diversify agricultural activities. Similarly, the rise in individual and private land ownership, in response to resource scarcity and large-scale deforestation in East Cameroon, has further dispossessed female-headed households in the Baka communities, already marginalised by their ethnicity, of land. Inequitable access to assets and the disparity in ownership of these assets across the study communities was both a cause and effect of households' differential livelihood activities and responses to shocks and stressors. Several of the shocks and stressors households were exposed to differed across the two sites. The Ejagham communities, being predominantly agricultural, frequently identified warming temperatures as a climatic stressor and increased sensitivity to the impacts of these. The Baka faced similar climate stressors, although more frequent storms were mentioned as a shock by a significant number of households. The impacts of these storms include damage and destruction of houses due to the traditional construction methods used. Since women are often tasked with the building of houses this adds another layer of stress for them. In terms of idiosyncratic shocks, the death of the main breadwinner was most frequently reported in both communities as a non-climatic shock, although this was higher within the Ejagham communities than in the Baka communities, and particularly so for female-headed households. The varied experiences from multiple shocks and stressors resulted in households' differential coping and adaptation responses. Among the different response options, social and forest safety nets, especially the use and sale of forest products (NTFPs) remained the main response options used by households in both communities. Forest products further supported households during periods of food shortage, especially female-headed households in the Ejagham communities. Households further supported one another through social groups such as savings, farming, hunting (particularly for men) and NTFP collection (for women) groups. By exploring social-ecological interactions, the study highlights the complexities around gender inequalities, vulnerabilities, and responses across socially differentiated groups of people which should be considered in policy, practice, and research. Several of my findings challenge mainstream discourses that generally group women, for instance, as a homogenous category when looking at vulnerability. For example, findings revealed that it is possible for different types of households, both women and men, to be both advantaged and vulnerable at the same time, depending on the shock or stressor faced and the livelihood activities they engage in. The same also applies to ethnicity. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Environmental Science, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
Baseline description of the Benthic Biotopes for two Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) stations in Algoa Bay, Agulhas ecoregion, South Africa
- Authors: Parker-Nance, Shirley
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Benthic ecology South Africa Algoa Bay , Long-Term Ecological Research Program , Marine invertebrates South Africa Algoa Bay , Reef ecology South Africa Algoa Bay , Coastal zone management South Africa Algoa Bay , Reef fishes South Africa Algoa Bay , Ecological mapping South Africa Algoa Bay
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191680 , vital:45147 , 10.21504/10962/191680
- Description: Shallow coastal marine ecosystems provide important resources to society but are increasingly under threat from anthropogenic impacts. These systems form an interface between land and sea, providing valuable resources. Global environmental change, overexploitation, habitat transformation, pollution and policies aimed at short-term socio-economic gains are driving the loss of natural resources, productivity and biodiversity. Consequently, a comprehensive and holistic understanding of the current and future states of marine ecosystems is essential. This requires insight into the processes involved in maintaining genetic, species, habitat, community and biotope diversity at an ecosystem level. An understanding of ecosystem processes and the ability to detect changes in biodiversity, biotopes, seascape composition and ecosystem functioning require observation made over time and space. In response to this need, Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) programmes such as those established by the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) supported by the Department of Science and Innovation’s (DSI) Shallow Marine and Coastal Research Infrastructure (SMCRI) collect long–term observational data from different environments and systems. This study aimed to evaluate data collected as part of the developmental phase of a newly established benthic research platform. The datasets constructed are used to develop a baseline description of the benthic biotopes of two study areas within Algoa Bay. It aimed to gain insight into the feasibility of the methods used and the value of the data and derived essential biological variables (EVB). Assessing the sustainability of the programme over time was done through a practical evaluation of the methodology to be used and the technical feasibility of data collection and analysis. It furthermore aimed to assess the data usefulness in describing biodiversity at various scales and its sensitivity in reporting change. This pilot study provides valuable insight into data collection methodologies and introduces new sampling platforms. The baseline dataset consisted of data collected during the first 18 months of the SAEON Benthic Ecosystem Long-Term Ecological Research (BELTER) platform in Algoa Bay, Agulhas ecoregion, Western Indian Ocean, South Africa. This comprised of the collection of images for 150 m2 of the researched benthic seascape and 306 stereo video data streams. The 77 760 point dataset allowed the identification of 12 substrate types, 7 biotopes, 44 sub-biotope units, 377 sessile and sedentary benthic species and 51 ichthyofauna species. The described habitat and benthic communities and the defined benthic biotopes allowed for the assessment of biotope heterogeneity and the construction of a provisional distribution map for the broader biotopes. This work includes a study into the infra- and supra-benthic ichthyofauna associated with the defined biotopes and investigates the role habitat and benthic communities play in the distribution of these fish 3 assemblages. Lastly, it assesses the value of morphological traits and diversity indices for describing and comparing abiotic and biotic components of observed systems within the shallow coastal marine seascape. This study shows that species composition differs significantly between biotopes with habitat type playing a key role in the composition of the benthos. Substrate type, consolidated or unconsolidated, depth and the composition of the soft sediment is the most important determining factors. The White Sands Reef station has a higher species diversity than the St Croix Island Complex station with a higher percentage cover associated with the hard substrate. The dissimilarity between biotopes and communities are generally high although similarity within the biotopes or communities was found to be relatively low. This was considered indicative of high heterogeneity within the biotopes and a patch or mosaic-like distribution of communities within the broader biotope. A fine-scale a posteriori analysis of the data collected confirmed the high heterogeneous nature of both habitat and communities within the broader biotope. The description of the abiotic and biotic variables resulted in the identification of a diverse suite of biotope subunits. The character of the biotope hinges not only on the composition of the substrate and biota present but the contribution of smaller distinct biotopes subunits, their distribution and representation within broader biotopes and the degree these are shared with other broader biotopes. The distribution of these biotope units at different scales is believed to be important in understanding inherent diversity, niche partitioning and connectivity within a highly heterogeneous seascape. Ichthyofauna associated with the broader biotopes were indicative of the substrate type. Low profile reef systems with interspaced sandy stretches supported both reef fish and those typically associated with sandy substrates. Benthic biotopes associated characteristically with higher profile reef systems and less sand or soft sediment were mainly utilized by reef-associated fish species. Substrate type, depth and seasonality were found to be important factors in the observed composition and distribution of ichthyofauna over the seascape. Although fish species were found to have a wide distribution and made use of multiple biotopes the average abundance of the species within the observed assemblages differed. Analysis of ichthyofauna species composition indicated that observed fish assemblages were homogeneous within five of the seven biotopes. Broader biotopes that were found to be significantly different between sample locations are characterised by a diverse complement of biotope subunits and are highly heterogeneous. Traits and diversity indices are important tools for assessing and comparing different systems within the seascape, both spatially and temporally. The classification of the biota into broader phylogenetic groups indicated a significant difference between biotopes. This is especially useful when detailed 4 analysis or species identification is not possible or the skill set is not available. Morphological traits included in this study informed on the physical structure of the communities present and in combination with substrate type provided insight into the three-dimensional structure of the biotope. Species diversity, abundance, density estimates and the Shannon-Weiner diversity index were found to be the most useful diversity indices characterising and comparing biotopes. This was less so for ichthyofauna. Significant differences in the number of species observed were evident only between consolidated and unconsolidated dominated substrates. Although there was no significant difference in the number of individuals observed, both the Shannon-Weiner and Simpson Diversity indices were able to highlight differences in the fish assemblages observed for the different biotopes. The data collected, although permitting a comprehensive baseline assessment of the benthic environment for two research stations within the SAEON Algoa Bay LTER Sentinel Site, is temporally limited. The ichthyofauna dataset used was small and it is understood that the addition of length-frequency analysis of observed ichthyofauna will benefit our understanding of the biotope use by infra- and supra-benthic fish species over their life history within the larger seascape. Seasonal differences were evident and it is expected that datasets spanning several years, including LTER stations within different marine ecosystems types, will provide valuable insights on system dynamics in the short and long term both spatially and temporally. This study is the first attempt to evaluate the methodology developed and data collected in the South African Environmental Observation Network’s, Elwandle Coastal Node as part of the Shallow Marine and Coastal Research Infrastructure Benthic Ecosystem Long-Term Ecological Research (BELTER) platform. Newly designed and developed sample equipment and a sampling regime allowed for the collection of data on a long-term basis. The study was successful in the description of the biotope and biotope subunits for two research stations in Algoa Bay. It permitted the construction of comprehensive species lists for both benthic sessile and sedentary biota and the associated ichthyofauna. The subset of data used was successful in reporting on both spatial and temporal change. This work demonstrates that in the absence of detailed species identifications, traits may be used to describe habitat and community structure and report on abiotic and biotic biotope characteristics. This study furthermore allowed for the comparison of a comprehensive suite of diversity indices highlighting indices that may be especially useful in routine BELTER reporting. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
- Authors: Parker-Nance, Shirley
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Benthic ecology South Africa Algoa Bay , Long-Term Ecological Research Program , Marine invertebrates South Africa Algoa Bay , Reef ecology South Africa Algoa Bay , Coastal zone management South Africa Algoa Bay , Reef fishes South Africa Algoa Bay , Ecological mapping South Africa Algoa Bay
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191680 , vital:45147 , 10.21504/10962/191680
- Description: Shallow coastal marine ecosystems provide important resources to society but are increasingly under threat from anthropogenic impacts. These systems form an interface between land and sea, providing valuable resources. Global environmental change, overexploitation, habitat transformation, pollution and policies aimed at short-term socio-economic gains are driving the loss of natural resources, productivity and biodiversity. Consequently, a comprehensive and holistic understanding of the current and future states of marine ecosystems is essential. This requires insight into the processes involved in maintaining genetic, species, habitat, community and biotope diversity at an ecosystem level. An understanding of ecosystem processes and the ability to detect changes in biodiversity, biotopes, seascape composition and ecosystem functioning require observation made over time and space. In response to this need, Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) programmes such as those established by the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) supported by the Department of Science and Innovation’s (DSI) Shallow Marine and Coastal Research Infrastructure (SMCRI) collect long–term observational data from different environments and systems. This study aimed to evaluate data collected as part of the developmental phase of a newly established benthic research platform. The datasets constructed are used to develop a baseline description of the benthic biotopes of two study areas within Algoa Bay. It aimed to gain insight into the feasibility of the methods used and the value of the data and derived essential biological variables (EVB). Assessing the sustainability of the programme over time was done through a practical evaluation of the methodology to be used and the technical feasibility of data collection and analysis. It furthermore aimed to assess the data usefulness in describing biodiversity at various scales and its sensitivity in reporting change. This pilot study provides valuable insight into data collection methodologies and introduces new sampling platforms. The baseline dataset consisted of data collected during the first 18 months of the SAEON Benthic Ecosystem Long-Term Ecological Research (BELTER) platform in Algoa Bay, Agulhas ecoregion, Western Indian Ocean, South Africa. This comprised of the collection of images for 150 m2 of the researched benthic seascape and 306 stereo video data streams. The 77 760 point dataset allowed the identification of 12 substrate types, 7 biotopes, 44 sub-biotope units, 377 sessile and sedentary benthic species and 51 ichthyofauna species. The described habitat and benthic communities and the defined benthic biotopes allowed for the assessment of biotope heterogeneity and the construction of a provisional distribution map for the broader biotopes. This work includes a study into the infra- and supra-benthic ichthyofauna associated with the defined biotopes and investigates the role habitat and benthic communities play in the distribution of these fish 3 assemblages. Lastly, it assesses the value of morphological traits and diversity indices for describing and comparing abiotic and biotic components of observed systems within the shallow coastal marine seascape. This study shows that species composition differs significantly between biotopes with habitat type playing a key role in the composition of the benthos. Substrate type, consolidated or unconsolidated, depth and the composition of the soft sediment is the most important determining factors. The White Sands Reef station has a higher species diversity than the St Croix Island Complex station with a higher percentage cover associated with the hard substrate. The dissimilarity between biotopes and communities are generally high although similarity within the biotopes or communities was found to be relatively low. This was considered indicative of high heterogeneity within the biotopes and a patch or mosaic-like distribution of communities within the broader biotope. A fine-scale a posteriori analysis of the data collected confirmed the high heterogeneous nature of both habitat and communities within the broader biotope. The description of the abiotic and biotic variables resulted in the identification of a diverse suite of biotope subunits. The character of the biotope hinges not only on the composition of the substrate and biota present but the contribution of smaller distinct biotopes subunits, their distribution and representation within broader biotopes and the degree these are shared with other broader biotopes. The distribution of these biotope units at different scales is believed to be important in understanding inherent diversity, niche partitioning and connectivity within a highly heterogeneous seascape. Ichthyofauna associated with the broader biotopes were indicative of the substrate type. Low profile reef systems with interspaced sandy stretches supported both reef fish and those typically associated with sandy substrates. Benthic biotopes associated characteristically with higher profile reef systems and less sand or soft sediment were mainly utilized by reef-associated fish species. Substrate type, depth and seasonality were found to be important factors in the observed composition and distribution of ichthyofauna over the seascape. Although fish species were found to have a wide distribution and made use of multiple biotopes the average abundance of the species within the observed assemblages differed. Analysis of ichthyofauna species composition indicated that observed fish assemblages were homogeneous within five of the seven biotopes. Broader biotopes that were found to be significantly different between sample locations are characterised by a diverse complement of biotope subunits and are highly heterogeneous. Traits and diversity indices are important tools for assessing and comparing different systems within the seascape, both spatially and temporally. The classification of the biota into broader phylogenetic groups indicated a significant difference between biotopes. This is especially useful when detailed 4 analysis or species identification is not possible or the skill set is not available. Morphological traits included in this study informed on the physical structure of the communities present and in combination with substrate type provided insight into the three-dimensional structure of the biotope. Species diversity, abundance, density estimates and the Shannon-Weiner diversity index were found to be the most useful diversity indices characterising and comparing biotopes. This was less so for ichthyofauna. Significant differences in the number of species observed were evident only between consolidated and unconsolidated dominated substrates. Although there was no significant difference in the number of individuals observed, both the Shannon-Weiner and Simpson Diversity indices were able to highlight differences in the fish assemblages observed for the different biotopes. The data collected, although permitting a comprehensive baseline assessment of the benthic environment for two research stations within the SAEON Algoa Bay LTER Sentinel Site, is temporally limited. The ichthyofauna dataset used was small and it is understood that the addition of length-frequency analysis of observed ichthyofauna will benefit our understanding of the biotope use by infra- and supra-benthic fish species over their life history within the larger seascape. Seasonal differences were evident and it is expected that datasets spanning several years, including LTER stations within different marine ecosystems types, will provide valuable insights on system dynamics in the short and long term both spatially and temporally. This study is the first attempt to evaluate the methodology developed and data collected in the South African Environmental Observation Network’s, Elwandle Coastal Node as part of the Shallow Marine and Coastal Research Infrastructure Benthic Ecosystem Long-Term Ecological Research (BELTER) platform. Newly designed and developed sample equipment and a sampling regime allowed for the collection of data on a long-term basis. The study was successful in the description of the biotope and biotope subunits for two research stations in Algoa Bay. It permitted the construction of comprehensive species lists for both benthic sessile and sedentary biota and the associated ichthyofauna. The subset of data used was successful in reporting on both spatial and temporal change. This work demonstrates that in the absence of detailed species identifications, traits may be used to describe habitat and community structure and report on abiotic and biotic biotope characteristics. This study furthermore allowed for the comparison of a comprehensive suite of diversity indices highlighting indices that may be especially useful in routine BELTER reporting. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
Legal ethics and the lawyer-client relationship in South Africa: A proposal for reform using local values
- Authors: Kruuse, Helen Julia
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192765 , vital:45262
- Description: Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Law, Law, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
- Authors: Kruuse, Helen Julia
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192765 , vital:45262
- Description: Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Law, Law, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
Educating learners with special educational needs in special schools: an interpretative phenomenological study of teachers’ experiences
- Authors: Matebese, Sibongile
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Children with disabilities Education South Africa , South Africa. Department of Education , Inclusive education South Africa , Special education teachers South Africa , Special education teachers South Africa Interviews , Phenomenological psychology
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192270 , vital:45211
- Description: In 2001, the Department of Education introduced a policy known as White Paper 6: Special Needs Education: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System. This policy was a response to the worldwide call for inclusive education. It aimed to ensure that all learners with special educational needs (LSEN) and who experience barriers to learning are accommodated and taught in mainstream schooling contexts. Implementation of this policy in South Africa has been a challenge, and special schools continue to exist. While research has explored the experiences of teachers who teach LSEN, such studies have focused on teacher experiences in mainstream schools. A few international and South African studies have explored teacher experiences of teaching LSEN in special schools; however, these explore specific aspects of teacher experiences and are outdated. Based on this premise and drawing on a phenomenological approach, this study sought to explore and understand the experiences of teachers who teach LSEN in special schools. Using the semi-structured interview, eight teachers teaching in special schools in a city in the Eastern Cape were recruited and interviewed. Five superordinate themes emerged from the shared experiences, namely, ‘personal commitment and the need for a balance’, ‘recognising the learner at the centre’, ‘the importance of a holistic approach’, ‘the ups and downs of teaching LSEN’, and ‘support is available but limited’. Within these themes, the teachers experienced teaching LSEN as involving more than teaching, as a role guided by the learner, as collaborative, associated with positive experiences and challenges, including an endeavour that they are adequately supported in but simultaneously require more support for. In reflecting on this analysis, this study argues that special schools are necessary; teaching LSEN in special schools is important to teachers, and they feel a responsibility for it. Recommendations for future research include repeating the present study with a different population and methodology, interviewing parents of LSEN and LSEN themselves to gain further insights into special schooling. The study makes key recommendations for special needs education to help ensure that such an educational system is sustained as inclusion is a long way from being realised. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
- Authors: Matebese, Sibongile
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Children with disabilities Education South Africa , South Africa. Department of Education , Inclusive education South Africa , Special education teachers South Africa , Special education teachers South Africa Interviews , Phenomenological psychology
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192270 , vital:45211
- Description: In 2001, the Department of Education introduced a policy known as White Paper 6: Special Needs Education: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System. This policy was a response to the worldwide call for inclusive education. It aimed to ensure that all learners with special educational needs (LSEN) and who experience barriers to learning are accommodated and taught in mainstream schooling contexts. Implementation of this policy in South Africa has been a challenge, and special schools continue to exist. While research has explored the experiences of teachers who teach LSEN, such studies have focused on teacher experiences in mainstream schools. A few international and South African studies have explored teacher experiences of teaching LSEN in special schools; however, these explore specific aspects of teacher experiences and are outdated. Based on this premise and drawing on a phenomenological approach, this study sought to explore and understand the experiences of teachers who teach LSEN in special schools. Using the semi-structured interview, eight teachers teaching in special schools in a city in the Eastern Cape were recruited and interviewed. Five superordinate themes emerged from the shared experiences, namely, ‘personal commitment and the need for a balance’, ‘recognising the learner at the centre’, ‘the importance of a holistic approach’, ‘the ups and downs of teaching LSEN’, and ‘support is available but limited’. Within these themes, the teachers experienced teaching LSEN as involving more than teaching, as a role guided by the learner, as collaborative, associated with positive experiences and challenges, including an endeavour that they are adequately supported in but simultaneously require more support for. In reflecting on this analysis, this study argues that special schools are necessary; teaching LSEN in special schools is important to teachers, and they feel a responsibility for it. Recommendations for future research include repeating the present study with a different population and methodology, interviewing parents of LSEN and LSEN themselves to gain further insights into special schooling. The study makes key recommendations for special needs education to help ensure that such an educational system is sustained as inclusion is a long way from being realised. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
A qualitative analysis of the formation and maintenance of the franchisee/franchisor relationship
- Authors: Rodgerson, Jeffrey David
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Franchises (Retail trade) South Africa , RE/MAX (Firm) , Industrial management South Africa , Entrepreneurship South Africa , Prediction of occupational success South Africa , Success in business South Africa , Business ethics South Africa , International Franchise Association
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/190782 , vital:45027
- Description: A number of studies have examined the franchisee/franchisor relationship to investigate how to select the correct franchisee and, subsequently, how to maintain a productive franchisee/franchisor relationship. A literature review was therefore conducted on the selection process and the maintenance of the franchisee/ franchisor relationship. The literature suggests that a set of selection criteria to increase the chance of a successful franchisee/franchisor relationship has not been clearly identified. Therefore, this study’s first objectives are: 1) the selection criteria that are used by the franchisor in selecting franchisees. Specifically, how RE/MAX South Africa selects local franchisees; and 2) how the franchisor manages the relationship to ensure compliance by the franchisees who have been selected. For this study, the selection criteria identified by Nevin (1999) and Olm et al. (1988) will serve as the basis of the first part of the study. The four selection criteria categories that have been identified by Nevin (1999) include: financial capability; experience and management skill; demographic characteristics; and attitude towards business. The literature reveals that the viewpoint of the franchisee is often overlooked by researchers, and yet the need of the franchisee should be ascertained to increase the chance of a successful franchisee/franchisor relationship. The literature has indicated that if the franchisors can keep the franchisees satisfied, the opportunity of franchise success and gaining franchisee compliance is much greater. In other words, if a franchisor can attain the correct people and know exactly what they want out of a franchise relationship, this will provide the franchise with a greater chance of success. The third objective of this research is, therefore, to analyse – from the perspective of both franchisees and their franchisor - how the relationship between them is maintained, and ultimately how the franchisor gains compliance from the franchisees. The model of Trust and Compliance (Davies, Lassar, Manolis, Prince and Winsor, 2011), which sets out the relationship between satisfaction, conflict, trust and compliance, was used to examine the franchisee/franchisor relationship. The practices of RE/MAX South Africa served as a case study for this research. Interviews were conducted, with the CEO and five franchisees, to identify the criteria used to select franchisees and gain a holistic understanding of the process of maintaining the relationship. The interview questions were structured using the Davies et al (2011) Model of Trust and Compliance. The data analysis technique that was used to analyse the interviews was thematic analysis. The findings firstly revealed that due to the fluid and low barriers to entry within the real estate industry, RE/MAX as an organisation does not have a standardised set of selection criteria but that an in-house guideline, called the RE/MAX Formula, was vital to this selection process. Secondly, in maintaining the franchisee/franchisor relationship and referring to the four factors of the trust and compliance model (Davies et al., 2011), the following key findings were noted. Firstly, the relationship between satisfaction and trust was primarily based around reciprocation within the franchisee/franchisor relationship. Secondly, various sources of conflict were identified, and it was noted that if conflict was not dealt with adequately, there was a breakdown of trust within the relationship. Finally, the building of trust was based on transparency, accountability, goal congruency and credibility. Recommendations for franchise management and further research were made. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Commerce, Rhodes Business School, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
- Authors: Rodgerson, Jeffrey David
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Franchises (Retail trade) South Africa , RE/MAX (Firm) , Industrial management South Africa , Entrepreneurship South Africa , Prediction of occupational success South Africa , Success in business South Africa , Business ethics South Africa , International Franchise Association
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/190782 , vital:45027
- Description: A number of studies have examined the franchisee/franchisor relationship to investigate how to select the correct franchisee and, subsequently, how to maintain a productive franchisee/franchisor relationship. A literature review was therefore conducted on the selection process and the maintenance of the franchisee/ franchisor relationship. The literature suggests that a set of selection criteria to increase the chance of a successful franchisee/franchisor relationship has not been clearly identified. Therefore, this study’s first objectives are: 1) the selection criteria that are used by the franchisor in selecting franchisees. Specifically, how RE/MAX South Africa selects local franchisees; and 2) how the franchisor manages the relationship to ensure compliance by the franchisees who have been selected. For this study, the selection criteria identified by Nevin (1999) and Olm et al. (1988) will serve as the basis of the first part of the study. The four selection criteria categories that have been identified by Nevin (1999) include: financial capability; experience and management skill; demographic characteristics; and attitude towards business. The literature reveals that the viewpoint of the franchisee is often overlooked by researchers, and yet the need of the franchisee should be ascertained to increase the chance of a successful franchisee/franchisor relationship. The literature has indicated that if the franchisors can keep the franchisees satisfied, the opportunity of franchise success and gaining franchisee compliance is much greater. In other words, if a franchisor can attain the correct people and know exactly what they want out of a franchise relationship, this will provide the franchise with a greater chance of success. The third objective of this research is, therefore, to analyse – from the perspective of both franchisees and their franchisor - how the relationship between them is maintained, and ultimately how the franchisor gains compliance from the franchisees. The model of Trust and Compliance (Davies, Lassar, Manolis, Prince and Winsor, 2011), which sets out the relationship between satisfaction, conflict, trust and compliance, was used to examine the franchisee/franchisor relationship. The practices of RE/MAX South Africa served as a case study for this research. Interviews were conducted, with the CEO and five franchisees, to identify the criteria used to select franchisees and gain a holistic understanding of the process of maintaining the relationship. The interview questions were structured using the Davies et al (2011) Model of Trust and Compliance. The data analysis technique that was used to analyse the interviews was thematic analysis. The findings firstly revealed that due to the fluid and low barriers to entry within the real estate industry, RE/MAX as an organisation does not have a standardised set of selection criteria but that an in-house guideline, called the RE/MAX Formula, was vital to this selection process. Secondly, in maintaining the franchisee/franchisor relationship and referring to the four factors of the trust and compliance model (Davies et al., 2011), the following key findings were noted. Firstly, the relationship between satisfaction and trust was primarily based around reciprocation within the franchisee/franchisor relationship. Secondly, various sources of conflict were identified, and it was noted that if conflict was not dealt with adequately, there was a breakdown of trust within the relationship. Finally, the building of trust was based on transparency, accountability, goal congruency and credibility. Recommendations for franchise management and further research were made. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Commerce, Rhodes Business School, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
Synthesis and antiparasitic activity of hybrid compounds based on quinoline and thiosemicarbazone pharmacophoric units
- Authors: Makalima, Gwiba Hlonela
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192508 , vital:45232
- Description: Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Chemistry, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
- Authors: Makalima, Gwiba Hlonela
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192508 , vital:45232
- Description: Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Chemistry, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-10-29