11613 research outputs found
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Optimal time for post-operative refraction after uneventful cataract surgery
No full textBackground: There is a great discrepancy in current literature as to when the correct time is to do a refraction for spectacles after cataract surgery. Although the current trend is to leave the patient as independent as possible without spectacles, most patients will still need spectacles for optimal vision, mostly for near activities like reading. Purpose: The main aim of this study was to determine when in the first six weeks after uneventful cataract surgery, the operated eye stabilises for the refraction of the new spectacles needed. Methodology: 25 participants from the same practice were included in this study. Four variables were measured at six visits (these visits took place before cataract surgery and then at one day, one week, two weeks, four weeks and lastly six weeks after cataract surgery) to acquire the data after uneventful (no complications occurred) cataract surgery. The four variables that were investigated, included the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central corneal thickness (CCT), central macula thickness (CMT) and the refraction. Stabilisation of these measured variables may indicate the optimal time for refraction. The data was analysed to determine the change of these variables consecutively over the six weeks that the study took place and to investigate the period for each variable to reach stabilisation. Results: Most participants (56%) had stable BCVA two weeks after uneventful cataract surgery. Most participants’ CMT (96%) returned to baseline values at one day after cataract surgery. Most participants CCT (68%) returned to baseline values one week after cataract surgery, respectively. The refraction stabilised two weeks after uneventful cataract surgery. Conclusion: The CMT had no effect on the refraction throughout the six weeks of the study. The CCT was found to stabilise one week after cataract surgery. The BCVA and refraction stabilised two weeks after uneventful cataract surgery, indicating that spectacles can be prescribed as early as two weeks after uneventful cataract surgery
Genetic improvement of beta carotene in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) landraces
No full textThe aim of this study was to identify farmers’ adoption challenges, perceptions and preferences of yellow-flesh cassava. Combining ability and stability of these genotypes were also determined. Total carotenoid content (TCC), proximate values and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) of the yellow-flesh cassava were measured and the retention of carotenoids in boiled biofortified cassava was determined. This information will help breeders to identify genotypes with the best nutritional quality across the tested locations for planting and promotion in Ghana also could provide a basis for implementing a recurrent selection scheme for developing cassava varieties with high levels of carotenoids and dry matter. In all the locations visited, farmers’ knowledge on the improved cassava varieties (white flesh) and the yellow-flesh cassava were generally poor among the men and women interviewed, due to their inability to access planting materials, which could be improved by strengthening the cassava seed system for awareness, and increased availability of the varieties to farmers. Very few men and women cultivated improved varieties and yellow-flesh cassava. The young adults, who are the future of the agricultural sector, lacked access to improved varieties and they must be given extra attention to understand the activities of cassava breeding programmes, to empower them to make use of these materials. The general combining ability (GCA) was larger than specific combining ability (SCA) for cassava mosaic disease (CMD), harvest index (HI) and TCC, with predictability ratios (0.98, 0.88 and 0.92 respectively) close to one. Hence, there is a possibility for improvement of the characteristics by selection. Positive significant correlation between pulp colour and TCC (r=0.59) and pulp colour and cortex colour (r=0.58) were observed. Negative significant correlation were seen between CGM and HI (r=-0.50), CMD and RTN (r=-0.45), and HI and RTN (r=-0.51). It implies that these key traits could be effectively combined in a breeding program. In particular, breeders can rapidly screen for high TCC by visually assessing the pulp colour in addition selection for CMD symptoms (in a high disease pressure zone). The selected individuals for pulp colour at early stage screening can then be quantified for carotenoids at later stages, to save cost. Some of the yellow-fleshed genotypes (progenies) displayed comparable dry matter content (DMC) values as their white-flesh elite parents and were selected for multilocational trial testing towards commercial release in Ghana. Findings of this study demonstrated that it is possible to simultaneously select for yield and quality traits, such as DMC, at seedling stage. It was shown that the yellow flesh cassava varieties could be used in a hybridization scheme with local material to combine both TCC and DMC traits with high yield in a CMD resistance background. Carotenoid-rich varieties also showed variation for important characteristics, which are key drivers of variety adoption in Ghana. In view of this, some cassava varieties, such as IBA090151 and IBA083774, are proposed for release in Ghana. The HCN content of the cultivars varied from location to location and the values observed were below 50 µg g-1 and hence can be classified as sweet cultivars (low HCN). The cultivars that were sweet were, however, above the range of the maximum acceptable HCN limit recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and for that reason need to be processed before consumption (for example as fufu, konkonte, gari). Finally, it is recommended that cassava breeders review their breeding objectives to reflect the preferred traits of end-users, and pay attention to stakeholders’ perceptions of the yellow flesh cassava to develop demand driven varieties that will serve the need of end-users. Education to create awareness on the potential advantages and diverse uses of the improved biofortified cassava is also needed
Delivery of basic services based on the allocated equitable share model, Free State Municipalities
No full textDissertation (MBA (Business Administration))--University of the Free State, 2020The financial sustainability of local authorities in the Free State has deteriorated gradually, primarily due to structural difficulties and the failure of municipalities to raise and/or produce their own revenues. The subject and aim of this study was to evaluate the delivery of basic services based on the allocated equitable share model for Free State municipalities. A quantitative format for the research process was ideally suited to attain the research objective. The analysis was done using questionnaires. The sample was chosen purposefully and included officials with expertise in financial management and those who frequently deal with municipal finances. With most respondents suggesting that the components of the equitable share formula are no longer applicable to current prevailing circumstances, an alteration to the formula is undeniably needed. The respondents further agreed that basic services as well as institutional support were not adequately apportioned for in the formula. In order to add gravity to the claim that the formula needs to be reviewed, the respondents firmly agreed that the existing data used to determine the formula is irrelevant. It was concerning to note that the current infrastructure was not being maintained and that the 8-10% of the budget earmarked for this maintenance was not being utilised. This means that the current infrastructure will deteriorate even more and will further impede the rate at which service is delivered to those who need it most. Also concerning was that the collection of property rates was not above 60% of the amount billed; therefore, the collection efforts of the municipalities were not effective.
The respondents alluded to the fact that credit control mechanisms were not implemented, which further impedes the ability to collect revenue. The indigent registers were also not updated regularly. With the current global economic crunch, municipalities face the real threat of a significant increase in indigent households. This is further exacerbated by the unemployment rates currently faced by the province.
Another concern is that respondents are not of the opinion that the current budget allows the municipality to implement at least 70% of the budget for the Integrated Development Programme. This will result in poor performance by the municipalities and will compromise their ability to fulfil the undertakings made to their respective communities.
It has been concluded that the different components of the equitable share formula should be reviewed as a matter of urgency. Of significance and urgency are the following components:
? the basic services component that is meant to assist local authorities to provide basic services to the poor, as the indigent net has widened substantially since this component was last reviewed; and
? the component meant to assist with the operations of basic municipal government because the legislative and policy frameworks for municipal environments have significantly evolved since the formula was last reviewed.
The current Local Government Equitable Share formulation design needs revision to determine its suitability and significance for the current municipal climate and conditions so as to enable the Free State municipalities to better their provision of basic services to their communities
Rationale and rationality of South African ICC withdrawal: analysis, critique and the way forward
No full textDissertation (LL.M.(Mercantile Law))--University of the Free State, 2020Informed by the strained relationship between the ICC, South Africa and the African Union, and the subsequent 2016 South African notice of withdrawal from the ICC, this dissertation considers whether the African Court on Justice and Human and Peoples Rights (ACJHPR) may be regarded as a viable substitute for the ICC and its system. It also considers the substantive issues that may arise out of South Africa’s withdrawal, should it still wish to withdraw from the ICC, particularly with consideration of the continued protection of human rights and section 7(2) of the South African Constitution.
Considering a closed parameter of factors, the research demonstrates that after an initial strong show of support from Africa, the relationship between the ICC and the AU is disintegrating, mainly as a result of the Al Bashir matter. This led to: (a) South Africa filing a notice to withdraw from the ICC with the UN; and (b) the AU extending the jurisdiction of the ACJHPR to assume jurisdiction over the prosecution of individuals for international crimes.
The dissertation compares the jurisdictions of the ICC with that of the ACJHPR and finds that even though the provisions of the Rome statute were painstakingly deliberated upon, there are still areas that are lacking in clarity.
The research also shows that the Malabo Protocol was drafted in haste, which will not only impact the definitions of the crimes within the court’s jurisdiction but will also place an enormous financial burden on its contributors.
The most concerning aspect of the Malabo Protocol relates to immunity. The immunity provision furthers the view that African leaders are reluctant to contemplate the possibility of being judged for their actions.
In the case of Democratic Alliance v Minister of International Relations and Cooperation and Others, the Executive’s decision to withdraw from the ICC was found to be procedurally unconstitutional. The court did not address the substantive validity of the withdrawal.
In an attempt to address the question of whether a withdrawal from the ICC may constitute an unconstitutional “regressive measure”, the researcher proposed the possibility of the Court declaring that a withdrawal may be constitutional, subject to the withdrawal taking place under court supervision in terms of a structural interdict. In this way, the court may ensure that a withdrawal from the ICC is not only procedurally correct but substantively justified.
In conclusion, the research finds that popular support for the Malabo Protocol by African states seems bleak. It also seems unlikely that in its current form, the Protocol will ever become fully operational, simply because of its budgetary constraints. In the final instance, the research deduces that the ACJHPR will not become a viable substitution for the ICC and its system, mainly because of the immunity provisions in the Malabo Protocol.
The researcher recommends that Article 46A bis of the Malabo Protocol be removed so that no immunity is provided to any individual, regardless of official position. Article 46H of the Malabo Protocol should be amended to clearly provide for continued cooperation with the ICC. Moreover, the AU ought to consider a provision with the effect that cases over which the ICC has jurisdiction are referred to the ICC by the
ACJHR. This stipulation should apply at least until such time as the ACJHR has established itself well enough. To this end, consideration should be given to a gradual phasing in of the crimes within the ACJHR jurisdiction
An experience of articulated thresholds in architecture: a resource centre for District Six’s Street People Community
No full textThis dissertation proposes the design of a multi-functional facility catering to the needs of Cape Town CBD’s street people community. The project is sited on the periphery of the CBD, at its interface with District Six. District Six is an area that was historically subjected to the Group Areas Act (Act no. 41 of 1950)1 implemented by the apartheid government, upon its declaration as a “Whites Only Area” on February 2, 1966. Approximately sixty thousand black/coloured residents were forcibly removed from District Six and displaced to far-flung areas of the Cape Flats with many residents rendered vulnerable and harbouring hopes of returning to a place they once called home. The urban fabric of a community that once was, has since been left fragmented and disregarded with only remnants of the past still visible today. Both the site as it stands today and its past occupants are rendered fragile, in the same way as the unrecognised street people currently dwelling on the site on the periphery of District Six are vulnerable to the powers of other to act over them. Following the ruin of most of the structures and the community that previously inhabited them, the proposed site is itself also found in a state of disrepair and disregard. The “healing” and redress process has further been hampered by an inefficient and ineffective process of land restitution, and Government’s mismanagement of reclamation. 1 The Group Areas Act was first introduced in April 1950 and became Law on the 12th of July of that same year. It was then updated on an annual basis. (sahistory.org.za) Because of the proposed site’s proximity to day-labour and cap-in-hand opportunities, as well as NGOs dealing with homelessness, the city’s most vulnerable inhabitants, the homeless street people, have come to call the site their home. This design dissertation proposes a facility for the homeless that includes various private, semi-private, semi-public and public functions and accommodates institutional, commercial and residential elements. These diverse functions and elements are structured around street, passageway, plaza and courtyard typologies. The architectural proposal aims to sensitively accommodate the street people community at various stages of reintegration into the greater community. It further includes a primary rehabilitation centre for addicts living on the streets, a training facility to provide vocational training to the residents, a feeding kitchen and dining facility, as well as offices for the various NGOs under the banner of “The Street People’s Forum” dealing with the street people community of Cape Town’s CBD
Exploring livelihood strategies for HIV/AIDS-affected households in Zambezi, Mozambique
No full textDissertation (MDS.(Development Studies))--University of the Free State, 2020Mozambique has enjoyed a relatively stable political environment after the civil war that took place almost thirty years ago and which ended after a peace agreement was signed in Lusaka in 1992. The country has experienced economic growth, with a gross domestic product (GDP) that grew by 7.4% every year in the past two decades, making it one of the fastest-growing economies in the world (International Monetary Fund, 2014). However, there are still many people living in rural areas in Mozambique, and the country remains one of the poorest in the world (International Monetary Fund, 2014).
Most of Mozambique depends on subsistence farming or agriculture as the main source of livelihood, which contributed close to 23% of the GDP in 2008 and was a source of employment to 78% of the labour force in the country (USAID, 2008). Furthermore, natural resources such as forests have also made a significant contribution to people’s livelihoods, accounting for over 75% of the farming community in Mozambique. About 67% of the land that is suitable for livelihood strategies and environmental dependency is located in rural areas, while 33% is situated in government-protected areas (USAID, 2008).
In sub-Saharan Africa, HIV/AIDS is one of the major development issues destroying the livelihoods of increasing numbers of people, especially those living in the poorer areas on the continent (Krieger et al., 2003). The HIV/AIDS pandemic has had devastating effects, especially in Southern Africa, where the prevalence rates are as high as 30% in some parts (Kamali, 2010). Data from the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) reveal that each year there are over a hundred and twenty thousand new HIV infections in Mozambique. As further indicated by the UNAIDS (2019), more than a million and a half people are infected with HIV around Mozambique and the national HIV rate, as recently assessed, is around 16 per cent for people fifteen years and older. The UNAIDS revealed that almost half of the population living with the virus that causes AIDS are not accessing antiretroviral treatment or support (UNAIDS, 2019).
The HIV/AIDS pandemic is described as a development disaster in all of Africa, suggesting that HIV has negatively affected the development agenda in Southern Africa (Kamali, 2010). Drimie (2002:3) quotes the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as saying that HIV/AIDS is associated with a state of devastation in an affected household, making it even more unique since it deprives the family, community members and the entire nation of productive and energetic people who are sometimes the main providers for the household. There are fears that as the problem of HIV/AIDS continues to grow, there will be increased pressure on the already fragile relationship between communities and the environment at the local level, as well as on the social infrastructure and community livelihoods. This will lead to increased dependency on the natural environment as a coping mechanism (Oramasionwu, 2011). Zambezia is one of the communities in Mozambique most impacted by HIV/AIDS (USAID, 2008). Recent reports suggest that the over the years, Mozambique has made attempts to deal with HIV, with the number of new HIV infections and the number of AIDS deaths showing a decline since 2010 (WHO, 2019).
Zambezia Province is mostly rural, since it is located in the northern central part of Mozambique (Moon et al., 2010). The Province is heavily dependent on subsistence farming and fishing (Moon et al., 2010). Most of the inhabitants’ livelihoods revolve around agricultural products which include rice, maize, cassava, cashews, sugarcane, coconuts, citrus, cotton, and tea. While this Province includes Mozambique’s largest tea estates, which are based in Gurúè, fishing for shrimps and small-scale mining of gemstones also occur in some areas (Moon et al., 2010). The adult HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in this Province is estimated at 12.6% (INSIDA, 2009), with about 20% of all people living with HIV/AIDS in Mozambique residing in Zambezia (PEPFAR, 2013)
The Monstrous Feminine and the Abject in HBO’s Game of Thrones: conflating three aspects of the pre-Christian, Western European Goddess, or “Sovereignty”
No full textIn Post-Modern Western culture three stereotypical visual representations of witches can be identified, namely: the ‘evil Crone’, the independent ‘Maiden’ and the more Euro-centric traditionally knowledgeable ‘Mother’ (Matthews 1998). HBO’s Game of Thrones combines these three stereotypes into one in the person of the Red Witch, Lady Melisandre (O’Brien 2015, ‘Melisandre: priestess or witch?’). Potentially this problematizes simplistically bifurcated portrayals of witches as either terrifying or alluring, which begs for an analysis of witches’ enduring ability to inspire fear. Witches’ culturally mediated capacity to inspire fear, based on an understanding of Abjection, as described by Julia Kristeva (1982, Power of Horror) and Barbara Creed (1993, The Monstrous Feminine), illustrates the efficacy of Martin’s Melisandre, whose terrifying yet alluring portrayal is intimately connected to her association with the monstrous feminine, magick as well as all three aspects of the Sovereign Goddess of Pre-Christian Europe. Melisandre, while complying with Western ideals of beauty, represents a filmic witch who is both normative and abject, making her both exceedingly terrifying and oddly acceptable. This study re-evaluates witches’ ability to inspire fear, illustrating how the character of the witch in visual texts represents a part of our own individual consciousness which needs to be ordered and suppressed. Barbara Creed (1993, p.71) explains that women are associated with abjection because their genitals threaten castration. Julia Kristeva (1982, p.91) describes ‘abjection’ as a “breakdown in the distinction between what is self and what is Other” which leads to the ‘casting off’ or rejection of abject elements to protect the self. Since the witch, as a horror trope, challenges boundaries, it helps the human psyche integrate itself by re-establishing its own borders. Medieval stereotypes’ unique individual ability to inspire fear, based on the patriarchal understanding of females’ connection to nature, are triplified by their combination in the person of Melisandre. This study investigates the implied relationship between the ‘Monstrous Feminine’ and magick (spelled with a ‘k’ throughout this text to indicate archaic, occult practices as opposed to performance magic), revealing the extent to which visual and/or textual representation of witches has altered from the Middle Ages into the Post-Modern era. Game of Thrones draws on polytheism (Estés 2008, p.4) and historical accounts of the Middle Ages in Western Europe, which is why studies which point to Western witches’ implied relation to the triune aspects of the pre-Christian Western European Goddess also feature in this research. The function of witches in literary sources is described in terms of the educational role of myths and fairy tales in Western Europe’s early polytheistic society (Lawton 2016, p.8-9). Analysing how filmic representations perpetuate or change ideas of witchcraft is therefore crucial since films are imbued with the potential to affect the psychic development of cultural groups. This dissertation uncovers the complexity of dichotomously terrifying, yet alluring witches like Melisandre. Film series like HBO’s Game of Thrones endear witches to Western and global audiences, while simultaneously inviting the rejection of their visual representations, leading to an internal crisis
The amount of morphine administered per patient, for postoperative pain, using a Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) device: at Universitas Academic Hospital, Bloemfontein, from January 2015 to December 2017
No full textBackground: Intravenous morphine patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is one of the modalities used by anaesthesiologists to treat patients after operation for acute postoperative pain. About 50% of patients experience inadequate pain control post-surgery when treated with traditional intramuscular (IM) opioids prescribed pro re nata (PRN). Patient-controlled analgesia can also be used to treat patients with chronic pain conditions, advanced metastatic cancer, and in pregnant patients during normal vaginal delivery. The development of intravenous morphine patient-controlled analgesia has led to more effective management of acute postoperative pain, especially in older patients with more comorbid conditions, where a more controlled administration of opioid analgesia is preferred. Other modalities of pain management, like neuraxial and regional analgesia techniques also provide efficacious control of post-surgical pain versus morphine PCA. These techniques are sometimes difficult to perform and contraindicated in patients taking anticoagulation therapy or patients with pre-existing neurological deficits. Intravenous morphine patient-controlled analgesia remains the gold standard for treating pain in these patients. Objectives: The aim and primary objective of the study was to determine how many intravenous (IV) morphine is being used via intravenous morphine patient-controlled analgesia at Universitas Academic Hospital per patient over a 24-hour period and to determine the amount of morphine unused and discarded as wastage. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted including all adult patients that underwent surgery and received intravenous morphine patient-controlled analgesia at Universitas Academic Hospital in Bloemfontein from 2015 to 2017. Data related to morphine PCA usage and presence of side-effects were collected from the PCA record form which is kept in the patient’s file after discharge. Results: A total of 155 patients who received intravenous morphine patient-controlled analgesia after surgery were included in the study. The median age were 55 years with 48.6% female patients and 51.4% male. The median total dosage of morphine received per patient was 22.75 mg over 24 hours. The median volume of morphine solution discarded per patient was 60 ml. Morphine PCA was mostly used for neurosurgical procedures (28.2%), followed by general surgery (20.8%), and orthopaedic surgery (16.1%). 86.9% of patients reported sufficient analgesia with intravenous morphine patient-controlled analgesia and 77.8% of patients did not require breakthrough pain medication. The intravenous morphine PCA device was used with insight by 76.5% of patients. Only 53.6% of the PCA record forms were assessed as correct and completely documented. Conclusion: This study found that the average total dosage of morphine being used per patient receiving intravenous morphine patient-controlled analgesia was 22.75 mg over a 24-hour period. This is much less than the 90 mg morphine solution being used in the morphine PCA pump. A large volume of morphine gets discarded as wastage. We recommend reviewing the intravenous morphine PCA protocol of Universitas Academic Hospital to decrease unnecessary morphine wastage. Further research opportunities include a cost analysis study of intravenous morphine PCA usage per patient at Universitas Academic Hospital
The administration of social grants for adult persons with disabilities in the Northern Cape
No full textOrientation: Section 195(1)(b) of the Constitution (1996), the White Paper on Transforming Service Delivery (1997), and the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act 1 of 1999), call for an efficient (doing things the right way), effective (doing the right things) and economical (at the lowest possible cost) administration of social services. In line with the progressive legislative prescripts, several improvements were made in the social grants administration arena since the merging of the different administrations (made up of the four provinces and the ten Bantustans) post 1994 and making social grants the responsibility of the national government. These improvements included the establishment in 2006 of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) as an entity of the Department of Social Development (DoSD), tasked with administration and payment of social grants, and the introduction of the 2011 Social Grants Disability Management Model (SGDMM) to deal specifically with challenges relating to social grants for adult persons with disabilities (PWDs). Among other things, the 2011 SGDMM identifies several stakeholders critical to the efficient administration of social grants for adult PWDs, namely applicants of social grants for adult PWDs, SASSA officials and contracted medical doctors. Research purpose: The purpose of the study is to assess efficiency in the administration of social grants for adult PWDs in the Northern Cape (provincial sphere of government) and South Africa (national sphere of government), using the 2011 SGDMM as a point of departure. The study aims, in particular, to explain why, despite the gatekeeping element of the 2011 SGDMM, adult PWDs presenting with the same medical condition, with mild or no verifiable impairment whatsoever, keep returning and are allowed through the system, only to be rejected again, citing the same reasons as before. The motivation for the study: Whereas many studies about social grants for adult PWDs have been conducted, the majority were about the impact of those social grants on the lives of the recipients and their families. Few have considered the administration thereof or have looked specifically at the Northern Cape Region (NCR). The only studies relating to the administration of social grants for adult PWDs that could be identified from the literature search were conducted in 1994 and 2008, focusing on KwaZulu Natal and Limpopo respectively. These studies focused on administration from the perspective of a medical doctor conducting assessments, not the process that applicants of social grants for adult PWDs must go through to have social grants awarded. However, despite social grants for adult PWDs becoming a national competency and the establishment of SASSA in 2006 for administration thereof, the statistical analysis of grants in payment from the 2012/13 to the 2017/18 financial years shows that despite the introduction of screening and gatekeeping elements of the 2011 SGDMM, the number of applications and rejections for social grants for adult PWDs is increasing every financial year, instead of decreasing. Secondly, despite SASSA advocating for one-day turnaround times in the application of social grants, in terms of the current administration process, it takes at least three visits to a SASSA office before a social grant for adult PWDs can be captured and verified on the system, and an outcome communicated. The study focuses on the NCR, which had the largest percentage, at 12.85%, of social grants for adult PWDs in proportion to all social grants in payment as at 31 March 2018 (SASSA, 2018d). This number is 5.69% higher than the national average of 7.16%. The efficiency in the administration of social grants for adult PWDs, rather than the effectiveness of the grants themselves, is what motivated the study. Research paradigm, design, methods of data collection and sampling: An interpretivist paradigm is where the researcher interprets results and details the meaning to people, rather than just understanding what he or she has researched (Maree et al., 2020). In this study, structured interviews (telephonic and face-to-face), focus group discussions as well as semi- structured face-to-face, associated with the interpretivist paradigm, and concurrent triangulation were employed as methods of data collection (Van Thiel, 2014: 32–36). For this study, the researcher followed the phenomenological research approach, which coincides with the interpretivist paradigm. The phenomenological approach is based on a paradigm of personal knowledge and subjectivity and emphasises the importance of personal perspective and interpretation of the situation. As such it is a powerful approach for understanding the research questions: (i) why, despite the gatekeeping element of the 2011 SGDMM, do adult PWDs presenting with the same medical or mental condition keep returning, and why are they allowed through the system, only to be rejected again, citing the same reasons as before? and (ii) how are the two stakeholders (i.e. SASSA officials and contracted medical doctors) organised and managed to achieve the common purpose, which is the administration of social grants for adult PWDs? The primary data, collected by applying the concurrent triangulation approach, consist of responses from structured telephonic interviews and structured face-to-face interviews with applicants of social grants for adult PWDs, semi-structured focus group discussions with SASSA officials, and semi-structured face-to-face interviews with contracted medical doctors. Data were collected from four population groups (successful and unsuccessful applicants of social grants for adult PWDs, SASSA officials and contracted medical doctors) in overlapping phases. Structured telephonic interviews and structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 276 applicants of social grants for adult PWDs (successful and unsuccessful). In addition, four semi-structured focus group discussions were conducted with 34 SASSA officials and, lastly, semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 10 contracted medical doctors. All four data collection methods explored the knowledge, experiences and attitudes of the applicants regarding the administration of social grants for adult PWDs. The secondary data consist of international and national literature, existing Internal Reconsideration Mechanism records (2011–2018) and existing statistics about social grants for adult PWDs (2012–2018). The responses were organised according to the three sections in the structured and semi- structured interview schedules. Snowball sampling was used to select respondents for the structured telephonic interviews and structured face-to-face interviews with applicants of social grants for adult PWDs (successful and unsuccessful), while non-probability, purposive sampling was used to select respondents for the semi-structured focus group discussions with the SASSA officials and for the semi-structured face-to-face interviews with the contracted medical doctors. Main findings: During the literature review, it was discovered that numerous studies have been conducted relating to social grants in general and social grants for adult PWDs in particular, but only two relating to the administration of social grants for adult PWDs were found. These studies were conducted in 1994 (Mhlambi) and 2008 (Tumbo) before the 2011 SGDMM was introduced. Most of the previously conducted studies focus on the impact of social grants, rather than the process of their administration. Existing research also focuses on the inclusion of HIV/AIDS as a criterion for awarding social grants for adult PWDs to address the plight of those unable to be self-supporting due to opportunistic diseases related to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). From the literature review and results of the different interviews, it was evident that if there are no social assistance measures or programmes in place to address a lack of income for the population group aged 19–59 years, the revolving door on applications of social grants for adult PWDs will continue. Extending social grants for adult PWDs to people living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses, while commendable, poses a dilemma – a complexity that was not anticipated by either the Department of Health (DoH) and/or the DoSD. Knowledge of the qualifying criteria for social grants and the reason the government provides them, without the aforementioned social assistance measures or programmes in place, will not address the problem of repeated applications by applicants of social grants for adult PWDs. Practical/managerial implications: The different organs of state (i.e. national and provincial departments) and other critical stakeholders should enter into implementation protocols that clearly describes the role and responsibility of each organ of state; outlines priorities and desired outcomes; and provide for monitoring, evaluation, resource allocation and dispute settlement procedures. Regular interaction is necessary to ensure that development pertaining to policy is coordinated and fast-tracked, and that obstacles are removed where they impede service delivery. Moreover, both the DoH and DoSD should develop policies that are complementary rather than contradictory when it comes to addressing the issue of HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses related to social grants for adult PWDs. Contribution/value-add: The recommendations generated in this study will, inter alia, attempt to improve efficiency in the administration of social grants for adult PWDs in two spheres. In the national sphere, the recommendations will assist policymakers in developing clear, integrated policy guidelines on the administration of social grants for adult PWDs. The recommendations of this study will be captured in the accompanying Regulations to the Social Assistance Act, 2004 (Act 13 of 2004 as amended). In the provincial sphere (SASSA NC), on the one hand, the results of the study will inform uniform processes and structures to improve efficiency in the administration of social grants for adult PWDs as well as future concept documents or standard operating procedure manuals for the NCR. On the other hand, participation in the study will create a platform for stakeholders (applicants of social grants for adult PWDs, SASSA officials and contracted medical doctors) to provide input to the administration process and practices governing social grants for adult PWDs in the NCR
The translation of the Arab Spring: the case of Libya
No full textEarly 2011 saw the rise of protests across the Arab world, including Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Yemen and Libya. As the events escalated, leaders reacted to the protests by addressing the citizens of their respective countries. These speeches became historical milestones in the Arab Spring events (Almutairi, 2018: 95). Shortly after their speeches, certain segments thereof gained national and international popularity and were translated into iconic depictions within popular culture. One such an example is the translation of the first speech of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in the wake of the uprisings, on 22 February 2011. Countless translations of Gaddafi’s phrase, zenga zenga [alley by alley], said towards the end of his hour-and-a-half-long speech, spread online and became part of an international lexicon (Bhatt, 2012: 18). Moreover, Gaddafi’s speech, in its totality, became known as “the Zenga Zenga Speech” (Peel, 2012; Hilsum, 2012: 43 of 263; Bowen, 2013: 95; El Gomati, 2014: 131; Weissman, 2016: 672). The phrase travelled through a variety of mediums, such as simultaneous interpreting on news channels, translations of excerpts published in national and international news reports, satirical songs and cartoons. As a result, the meaning crossed not only geographic, linguistic and cultural borders, but also the borders between politics and comedy, language and music, defiance and witticism. As this study conducts a comprehensive investigation of how Gaddafi’s first speech in the Libyan revolution of 2011 was intersemiotically translated into different zenga zenga signs, translation is conceptualised according to Marais’s (2019) (bio)semiotic theory of translation. Furthermore, because the (bio)semiotic theory is based on Peircean semiotics, the study examines the intersemiotic translations of the zenga zenga signs using Peirce’s triad and sign categorisations. Therefore, the study provides a rigorous description of each sign in order to trace how the translations unfolded and became so popular