Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf): Open Journal Systems
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Impact of Two Grazing Strategies on Rangeland Basal Cover and Beef Production in the Sourish Mixed Bushveld
No full textThe sustainability of beef cattle producers in South Africa is greatly dependent on the availability of natural resources. The aim of the study was first to evaluate the effect of two different strategies in the utilisation of rangeland over four years (2011/12 – 2014/15) on the basal cover—secondly, the study compared animal production results from the two extensively managed rotational grazing strategies. Grazing strategies include a traditional rotational system (TRG), where approximately 60% of fodder was utilised, compared with light selective grazing (LSG), where about 30% of fodder was used. Basal cover for TRG ranged from 19% (2011/12) to 15% (2014/15) and for LSG from 18% (2011/12) to 16% (2014/15). The calving percentage varied between 62% and 73%. The calving percentage and cow and calf weight did not differ between the two grazing strategies, although differences between years were observed. Both grazing systems can be implemented successfully in the Sourish Mixed Bushveld without negatively affecting the rangeland. However, basal cover may be more vulnerable during drought conditions under a TRG system. The study further indicates that mainly small-scale farmers, where utilisation levels of rangelands are usually high, are more vulnerable to drought conditions
Identifying the Causes of Failure in the Communal Property Associations (CPAs), State Owned and Household Farms
No full textCPAs, state-owned and household citrus farmers, are important within the citrus fruit group by value and volume. Their success could increase exports, job opportunities, foreign exchange revenue, rural development, and economic growth. This study provides the results of the causes of failure in the CPA's, state-owned and household citrus farms in Mpumalanga Province. The study used primary data collected from a random sample of 150 citrus farm managers, and SPSS was used to analyse the results. The causes of failure within these farming sectors are linked to a lack of participation in drafting business plans. In the study area, government departments or agencies drafted business plans for farmers. Farmers preferred the employment of direct or extended owners, relatives/family members with little experience in managing a farm business, yet they were not competent in managing the farms viably. The high input costs were the biggest cause of failure, and farmers sometimes could not ensure that irrigation water was available when needed. An increased protectionism in the lucrative markets was also listed as one of the causes affecting all farmers; hence, farmers could not access any new markets. This study thus recommends the involvement of farmers in the drafting of business plans and the employment of more local community members with skills in farming, sound farming experience and improved level of education
Caught in the Crossfire: Employers of Emolument Attachment Order Debtors and the Challenge to Achieve Proportionally Fair Wage Deductions:
No full textTo provide society with the benefit of an effective emolument attachment order (EAO) environment, several role-players must fulfil essential interconnected functions. The process relies on the cooperation of the garnishee (the employer of the EAO debtor), who is responsible for the periodic deductions from the employees' salary and the transfer of these funds to the creditor(s). Employers therefore carry an administrative burden to maintain the human resource capacity and administrative systems necessary to properly enforce EAOs. In addition to this administrative duty, employers are at risk of incurring personal liability vis a vis the creditor as well as the debtor. This article will highlight the risk to employers in the administration of EAOs, specifically arising from the legal uncertainty regarding proportionality in EAO deductions. The article describes the current legislative framework and its relevant frailty. It then delineates the scope of the study by exploring the concept of proportionality within the context of EAOs. This is followed with a summary of the relevant historic and contemporary context, before dealing with the prevailing EAO-related challenges. Although a detailed comparative analysis falls outside the scope of this article, it also contains a brief overview of how these challenges regarding proportionality in wage garnishment are managed in England and the United States of America. The contribution concludes with recommendations based on the research findings. Ultimately, the author submits that employers are currently more at risk from liability for the maladministration of their employees' EAOs than they may generally appreciate and that proactive steps should be taken to address the situation
Assessing the benefits of real-time control to enhance rainwater harvesting at a building in Cape Town, South Africa
No full textIn the period 2015–2017, the City of Cape Town, South Africa, faced the possibility of taps running dry due to a prolonged drought. To mitigate the impacts of water scarcity, many households installed rainwater tanks to harvest water to use for non-potable purposes such as toilet flushing and washing. The installation of the rainwater tanks was mainly arbitrary, in response to perceived impact of water scarcity rather than a systematic needs assessment. This study was thus undertaken to determine the available opportunity to optimise the use of these rainwater tanks using real-time control (RTC) techniques. Many studies have demonstrated the potential of rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems to supplement potable water supply and minimize stormwater flows to downstream drainage networks. RTC technology can be used to enhance the performance of RWH systems in achieving these two objectives, by receiving a rainfall forecast and initiating pre-storm release in real time. In this study, RTC was applied on the RWH system at the New Engineering Building, University of Cape Town (UCT) to enhance water supply and increase rainwater retention period. The performance with RTC was compared with the conventional management of the RWH system. It was determined that RWH with RTC technology was generally superior in simultaneously achieving water supply and rainwater retention benefits compared to the conventional management approach. RTC provides an active operation which optimizes the performance of the system across varying conditions but requires an assiduous management process designed to meet set objectives. It was concluded that the active release mechanism employing RTC exhibited great potential; the system opens up the possibility of delivering a more robust and reliable system due to its ability to provide failure detection and centralised control. The system can readily be adapted to variation of local climatic conditions in the short and long term
Smile brighter: unleashing the power of dental marketing strategies
Get PDFAs the CEO of our prestigious organisation, I would like to discuss a matter that concerns me. As a former marketing specialist, I have observed that many of our members are not maximising the effectiveness of their marketing strategy. To this end, I have created a list of marketing methods that members might use to boost their efforts. This list is not exhaustive, but I hope it will provide our members with great insights and actionable advice that will help them thrive in their marketing initiatives
Refusing to treat – is it legal? Is it justifiable? Is it ethical?
Get PDFHistorically, when clinicians wanted to know if certain conduct was ethical, they would consult the guidelines set out in the Hippocratic oath. While adherence to the oath may “represent an expression of the professions’ ethical obligations”, and be useful in promoting their commitment to “abide by these norms”, this assumption is open to question.1 Different practitioners may see and interpret the codes in different ways, depending on their personal ethos as well as the specific time and situation under consideration. At the same time, ethical material can and should reform, and when needed, be re written under optimal cool, calm conditions. Changes should be based on “contributions from those with a variety of perspectives who have access to as much available knowledge as possible” and not implemented as a result of immediate pressures where there may be distorting circumstances.1 Perhaps the best way to judge their value is to debate how well the code addresses the issue at hand in terms of its “comprehensiveness, clarity and consistency”.1 This paper uses an actual patient scenario as a basis on which to pose some clinically and ethically related queries and postulate possible solutions
The occurrence of entomopathogenic fungi in apple orchards and their biocontrol potential against Eriosoma lanigerum
No full textEriosoma lanigerum (Hausmann) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), woolly apple aphid (WAA) is an important pest on apples globally and a key pest of apple production in South Africa. The aphid has developed some level of resistance against several chemical insecticides. Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) have been identified as promising biological control agents against a wide array of insect pests. The main aim of this study was to conduct a survey in local apple orchards in the Western Cape province for EPF and to use isolates to test the susceptibility of WAA under optimum laboratory conditions. Soil samples were collected from apple orchards and EPF, baited and isolated using larvae of Galleria mellonella and Tenebrio molitor. Six EPF species: Beauveria bassiana, Cordyceps fumosorosea, Metarhizium brunneum, M. pinghaense, M. robertsii and Purpureocillium lilacinum were identified from the soil samples. The results from bioassays showed that Metarhizium robertsii and M. pinghaense isolates were the most effective with an average percentage mortality of > 90%. Metarhizium brunneum also proved to be effective when used against the insect with an average percentage mortality of > 80%, while B. bassiana and C. fumosorosea were the least effective with average percentage mortality of 52% and 48%, respectively. The LT50 and LT90 of M. robertsii (2.12; 4.19) and M. pinghaense (2.05; 4.45) showed to require similar mortality time in days of E. lanigerum. The results obtained in the study have provided an insight into the diversity of EPF species across apple orchards of the Western Cape and shown the efficacy of the Metarhizium isolates as potential biological control agents of the WAA
Competition regulation for digital markets: The South African experience
No full textThe study examines the recent experiences of South Africa’s competition authorities in engaging with competition matters in the country’s digital markets. Specifically, the authors examine engagements by the Competition Commission South Africa (CCSA), the Competition Tribunal of South Africa, and the Competition Appeal Court (CAC) with three regulatory elements: (1) mergers, examined through the MIH and WeBuyCars and Google and Fitbit cases; (2) abuse of dominance, examined through the GovChat v Facebook case; and (3) cartel conduct, examined through the Competition Commission v Bank of America Merrill Lynch International Limited & Others case. In reviewing the decisions made in these cases, the authors highlight regulatory considerations that are coming to the fore in response to competition matters in digital markets
Legal History as the Perfect Vessel: Teaching with Infographics for the Development of Digital Visual Literacy Skills in Law Students
No full textDigital literacy development must be regarded equally essential as the development of other literacies and critical thinking skills in Bachelor of Laws students. Because law teachers do not include visuals in learning materials, law students do not develop the skills to effectively interpret them. Digital visual literacy (DVL) is one of the core digital literacies law teachers can advance in their students to prepare them for our visually-driven world. Legal historical course material is the perfect vessel for visual learning materials in law, as these can effectively communicate the spacio-temporal aspects of legal history and legal historical development. A recent empirical study of the views of South African students of legal history indicated their positive sentiments toward a wide variety of visual learning materials and the inclusion of instructor-generated summary infographics in online learning materials. They were also in favour of the inclusion of descriptive visuals like timeline infographics containing additional visual elements in legal historical course content. The study also indicated that reading and interpreting infographics aid the development of DVL skills, and the more infographics students interact with, the better they become at interpreting them. Since the instructor-generated summary infographic can be designed to communicate information about a specific module, it is suited to teaching any legal content. Visual learning artefacts can be created and sourced in numerous ways, but the process can be time-consuming. Sharing these amongst colleagues and institutions as open educational resources (OER) will ultimately aid a collective project aimed at the development of the DVL skills of South African law students. The article provides examples of instructor-generated summary infographics based on legal historical course content, distributed as freely available OER