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Comparative biocidal activities of some crude plant species powders against the cowpea weevil (Callosobrochus maculatus (F.)(Coleoptera: bruchidae))
Get PDFCallosobruchus maculatus is one of the most important pests of cowpea in storage causing severe economic damage to the grain. This study investigated the efficacies of three plant materials (Azadirachta indica, Calotropis procera and Chromolaena odorata) leaves against the cowpea weevil. Concentrations of 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5g of the plant powders were used on 10g of grains with 10 adult weevils in each and a Control (untreated) in triplicates. The results showed significant (P< 0.05) negatively effects of the plant materials on the survival of C. maculatus at the highest concentration. In all trails, mean daily mortality in adult C. maculatus were significantly(p<0.05) increased. All plant powder type were effective but concentration-dependent, with C. procera recording significantly (P < 0.05) higher mortality at the various concentrations while C. odorata, elicited the least mean daily mortality. The lowest LD50 (0.63g) was obtained with C. procera. These plants materials were found to also affect the egg-laying capacity of C. maculatus. Treatment with C. odorata recorded significantly(P<0.05) higher number of eggs laid at all concentrations, though the egg-laying capacity was also concentration-dependent; whereas C. procera recorded the least number of eggs laid. All the three plants powders tested demonstrated significant insecticidal potency on stored cowpea weevils, with C. procera and C. odorata showing significantly higher and lower insecticidal potentials respectively. These findings will help in solving problem associated with food security especially with respect to stored produce
Examining the implementation of language policy for access and success of students in higher education in South AfricaThe multilingual nature of South African universities requires a multilingual approach towards both administration and academic practice
No full textThe multilingual nature of South African universities requires a multilingual approach towards both administration and academic practice for inclusivity and language equity. While almost all universities in South Africa have language policies, as required by the National Language Policy for Higher Education, a significant impediment to language inclusivity and equity is the implementation of these policies. The purpose of this study is to examine the implementation of a language policy for students’ access and success, and the extent to which African languages are used as academic languages at one historically Afrikaans university (HAU). The study employed a mixed methods approach using probability and purposeful sampling. The findings show that the university’s promotion of monolingualism impedes students’ access to knowledge and limits their academic achievement. Various ways of improving students’ access to knowledge to promote their academic success are discussed. The results also show that African languages continue to be marginalised as academic languages at the HAU. The central recommendation is for a more multilingual approach at this university to increase students’ equitable access to content knowledge and academic success
The Lindela Repatriation Centre, 1996–2014 : Applying theory to the practice of human rights violations
Get PDFThis article is based on media content analysis of more than 230 newspaper articles written on the Lindela Repatriation Centre from its establishment in 1996 to 2014. This centre is South Africa’s only holding facility for undocumented migrants1 awaiting repatriation, and the data revealed that it is a hub of human rights violations. The article juxtaposes the South African Bill of Rights, which supposedly underpinned the establishment of the centre, with the grotesque human rights violations that have occurred there since its inception. In light of this, the article draws on the theorising of Giorgio Agamben (1998), and particularly his theoretical contribution of the ‘homo sacer’ as one who has been left behind or excluded from the territorial boundaries that confer the rights of citizenship. I found that the detainees at the centre are largely living in what Agamben describes as a ‘state of exception’ and that undocumented migrants are often treated as ‘bare life’, as individuals who are subject to the suspension of the law within the context of the centre. Since they are non-citizens of the recipient state, these actions amount to xenophobia, which manifests in a gross violation of human rights
Decolonising incarcerated women’s identities : Looking through the lens of prison abolitionism
Get PDFCriminological discourses among people of African descent globally continue to suffer from a crisis of application of Western explanatory frameworks with gross implications for the development of African-centred epistemologies and frameworks. One of the central arguments in this paper is that criminological discourses, specifically on class-specific, racialised-gendered identities of incarcerated women, are not free of the colonial matrices of power that underpin imperialism. What will emerge in this article is that incarcerated women’s identities should be reconstructed as women’s criminalisation continues to be framed and presented in monolithic law-and-order ways. A focus on reconstruction is important to decolonise women’s imprisonment by imperialist, white supremacist patriarchy, particularly focusing on how their pluralistic identities, which often collude and collide, shape their trajectories in unpredictable and criss-crossing ways to subject them to criminalisation. An analysis of case studies presented in this article will reveal how Black women’s experiences of womanhood in the criminal justice system are shaped by race, gender and class, which produce different forms of subjectivities and embodied selves. The underlying question therefore is: how can incarcerated women’s identities be reconstructed to challenge the hegemony of the western canon in criminology
Poaching of marine living resources : Can the tide be turned?
Get PDFCertain marine living resources of South Africa are under severe threat from international organised crime syndicates in conjunction with local fishers. These criminal activities erode respect for the rule of law and lead to socio-economic degradation and the proliferation of gangsterism. The current government approach as custodians of the resources is to maximise the return from confiscations. SAPS are not using the full power of the law to address poaching of marine living resources, particularly abalone, as a priority crime and do not allocate their resources commensurate with the value of the commodity. As a country that is beleaguered by fisheries crime, overfishing and exploitation, South Africa must take a tough stance and should pursue criminal organisations with all the power that the state can muster. It must also ensure that national fisheries resource management is improved so that local communities can benefit. The implementation of a conforming strategy would be socially and politically unpopular, but the future benefits will outweigh the outlay
‘Bad, sad and angry’ : Responses of the SAPS leadership to the dangers of policing
Get PDFDanger is an integral part of the fabric of South African society. Yearly statistics regularly underscore the extent of danger experienced through reported acts of violence. As generally office bound executives, senior police officers rarely encounter this violence to the same extent as frontline officers.2 These police leaders are ultimately responsible for the strategies and operations employed to prevent police exposure to such dangers. Little research, however, has examined how the senior personnel react and respond to such danger. In this discussion, perceptions of senior South African Police Service (SAPS) officials to the dangers of police work are laid bare. How danger is conceptualised at such senior levels has relevance in initial examinations of why the SAPS may police in the manner in which they do
International Trade Between European Union and Africa: Current Trends and Economic Factors of Intercontinental Business Activity
Get PDFThe importance of international trade and economic openness is widely agreed in business world and governmental policy makers. The active international trade ensures the business development promoting the comparative advantages of different countries, increases consumption and customers satisfaction, strengthens competition, raises the business efficiency, etc. However, the global slowdown of world’s economics in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred also had the negative impact on international trade development. This research aims to analyse the 2011 – 2020 trends and macroeconomic factors of international trade between European Union (EU-27) and Africa. The research results maintain that the European Union markets are significantly sensitive to the macroeconomic deterioration which has a strong negative impact on industrial production imports from Africa. The regression analysis confirmed that officially predicted economic growth of European Union economy will have positive trends on African production exports to EU-27. The main industries and African countries were highlighted in this research that are expected to have the most benefit from international trade growth with European Union. The impact of main African international trade partner countries’ GDP growth on EU-27 exports to Africa was also analysed. The similarities of African countries importing the most EU-27 production to this continent were revealed
Understanding the translocation dynamics of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and its ecological consequences in East Africa
No full textThe Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is the second-most economically important fish species in East African countries (EAC), surpassed only by the Nile perch (Lates niloticus). It is the most-farmed freshwater fish species in EAC and the second-most-farmed worldwide. Currently, in EAC, through direct stocking activities and likely indirectly via aquaculture escapees, Nile tilapia are present in waterbodies where it is not native and where it is thought to have contributed to the fish biodiversity loss observed in recent decades. Introduced Nile tilapia may hybridise with native, congeneric species, promoting genetic introgression that can be detrimental to the sustainability of biodiversity. Moreover, the translocation dynamics and escapes from aquaculture can contribute to artificial geneflow between Nile tilapia stocks, compromising their gene pool and the sustainability of the species as a fishery resource. In the current work, we review some examples of these phenomena in EAC. Additionally, we explore the importance of collecting genetic data to define baseline knowledge for native and non-native Nile tilapia populations that can be used in monitoring programmes for development, management and conservation of tilapia genetic resources
