Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf): Open Journal Systems
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"It is the Poor Who Will Suffer the Most": The Discriminatory Impact of Covid-19 Lockdown Restrictions on the Poor in South Africa
No full textIn 2020 the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread across the globe at a seemingly unstoppable rate. Countries implemented various lockdown regulations to curb the spread of the virus. South Africa was no different and went into lockdown on 26 March 2020 under a five-tier risk-adjusted strategy. Under the regulations, all non-essential economic activity was immediately suspended. This had dire financial consequences for all in the country. However, statistics show that the poorest and most vulnerable in society have borne a disproportionate brunt of the impact of the economic restrictions. In this context this article asks whether the economic restrictions implemented under the lockdown regulations (as promulgated in terms of the Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002) discriminated unfairly on the grounds of poverty. This is in line with a 2018 decision by the Equality Court of South Africa that poverty constitutes unlisted grounds for discrimination as envisioned under the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000 (Social Justice Coalition v Minister of Police 2019 42 SA 82 (WCC)). In this article, the test for unfair discrimination laid down in Harksen v Lane 1998 1 SA 300 (CC) is applied to the economic restrictions implemented under the lockdown regulations to determine whether they constitute unfair discrimination. It is argued that a case of indirect discrimination on the grounds of poverty could be made. However, determining the justifiability (in terms of section 36 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996) of the regulations would require a thorough analysis based on expert evidence. Nevertheless this article lays the foundation for an actionable case that could be brought before a court against the government of South Africa on behalf of a specific community to determine whether the economic restrictions were unfairly discriminatory on the grounds of poverty. This would allow for the consideration of a suitable remedy. This could include the formulation and implementation of development programmes to rectify the harm caused
The effect of the linear alkylbenzene sulfonate, sodium-dodecyl-sulfonate (SDS), on the bioaccumulation of Al, Sr and Mn by Brassica oleracea and Solanum tuberosum
No full textThe hyper-eutrophic conditions in impoundments used for irrigation around South Africa’s major cities promote the co-existence of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) and other pollutants such as metals. The combined effects of LAS and metals, when such water is used to irrigate crops, has not been properly investigated in light of human health risks and prevailing local conditions. To understand the potential risks, pot-culture experiments were conducted to assess the effect of the LAS, sodium-dodecyl-sulfonate (SDS), on the accumulation of aluminum (Al), manganese (Mn) and strontium (Sr) in Brassica oleracea (cabbage) and Solanum tuberosum (potato) plants. The plants were watered with dam water containing 3.48 mg‧L−1 of the LAS (sodium dodecyl sulfonate) and Mn (0.257 mg‧L−1), Al (0.6 mg‧L−1) and Sr (0.16 mg‧L−1) as determined by field surveys, for 20 days. The presence of SDS in the irrigation water at environmentally relevant concentrations did not enhance uptake of Sr, Mn, Al in the two plants, as demonstrated by statistically insignificant differences in the means of the treatments (with and without SDS). In addition, the presence of the metals, high pH, EC and presence of cyanotoxins in the water did not affect total chlorophyll and growth of the plants. These findings imply that the prevailing levels of anionic surfactants such as SDS, metals and other contaminants in the hyper-eutrophic reservoirs pose little risk to crop yields, quality of crops and human health, due to the possible accumulation of these contaminants in irrigated plants. Despite the study reporting no immediate inherent risk to the plants and human health, continuous monitoring of the contaminants in water, soil and irrigated plants is recommended since the conditions, concentrations and other factors can quickly change if the management of the catchment does not improve in the near future
The inability of organic coagulants to purify potable water to its best attainable quality
No full textOrganic coagulants have gained increasing popularity over the past 30 years because they are considered cheaper and more user-friendly than traditional mineral hydrolysing coagulants. Regrettably, in-depth studies have not yet been conducted on their ability to purify water to a healthy palatable drinking quality which is risk-free for lifetime consumption in terms of the national standard for drinking water quality of various countries worldwide, and does not become a source of secondary pollution in the reticulation system. The objective of this paper is to provide information about the natural organic matter (NOM) removal efficiency attained at different waterworks purifying water with different organic coagulants, and to compare this with that attained using mineral coagulants. The findings presented in this article prove that organic coagulants are not an equivalent replacement for mineral coagulants, as the purified water is of an inferior quality which does not comply with the limits set by national standards of different countries worldwide
Establishing a baseline of published air pollution and health research studies in the Waterberg-Bojanala Priority Area
No full textAn umbrella review study was conducted to establish a baseline of published air pollution and health research studies in the Waterberg-Bojanala Priority Area (WBPA). Forty peer-reviewed research studies were included based on the systematic search criteria. Less than ten studies considered air quality and health in the WBPA (as opposed to only air quality) and of these studies, only a few collected human health data in relation to air pollution exposure. Identified studies together showed that air quality is a problem in the WBPA, with ambient air quality levels often exceeding national ambient air quality standards. Based on the findings, we recommend that more focused health studies be conducted in the WBPA to better understand the air pollution-related health burden at the population and the individual level. Such studies will help bolster the baseline evidence of the impacts of air pollution on human health and wellbeing in the WBPA and support decision-making in the future
Initiating activities to tackle the health impacts from air pollution in East Africa: bringing together research, policy and practice
No full textErratum to "The launch of the first-ever Integrated Assessment of Air Pollution and Climate Change for Sustainable Development in Africa"
No full textErratum to "The launch of the first-ever Integrated Assessment of Air Pollution and Climate Change for Sustainable Development in Africa" published in Clean Air Journal, 32(2), 2022, https://doi.org/10.17159/caj/2022/32/2.15320
The original article can be found here: https://cleanairjournal.org.za/article/view/1532
THE FSCA CONDUCT STANDARD FOR BANKS AS A MEANS TO REFORM THE INTERNAL FINANCIAL CONSUMER COMPLAINT RESOLUTION MECHANISMS OF SOUTH AFRICAN BANKS
No full textThe result of South Africa adopting the Twin Peaks model of financial regulation was the establishment of two regulators, namely the Prudential Authority (PA) and the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA). One aspect of the Financial Sector Regulation Act 9 of 2017 is that it specifically empowers the FSCA to regulate and supervise the internal dispute resolution frameworks that financial institutions are required to implement. The FSCA can publish conduct standards, which standards should be used to assist in achieving the FSCA’s objectives. One such objective includes aspects of supervising and regulating the dispute resolution framework of financial institutions. In this regard, the FSCA has produced the Conduct Standard for Banks, which deals, among other things, with certain internal dispute resolution requirements for banks. This article briefly discusses the content and practical enforceability of the Conduct Standard for Banks and considers whether this standard will adequately assist in reforming the internal dispute resolution framework of banks, such that bank customers will be sufficiently protected and treated fairly during the internal dispute resolution process. The change from a voluntary code to a statutory code strengthens the accountability of banks when there is non-compliance. Arguably, the added level of enforceability and level of compliance with set standards for dispute resolution frameworks will ensure that customer complaints are treated more fairly. However, the exact sanction for non-compliance with the provisions remains uncertain and clearer guidance is required. In the end, successful implementation of the Conduct Standard for Banks may depend on the extent to which banks decide to implement its provisions