UNAM Gā-aisib Repository (University of Namibia)
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The significance of Oshiwambo combat names for the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) fighters during the armed liberation struggle of Namibia (1966-1989)
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Oshiwambo StudiesThe study is based on the anthroponomastics approach and investigated the significance of Oshiwambo combat names for the People Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) freedom fighters during the armed liberation struggle for Namibia’s independence. There is no comprehensive study that focused on the origin and significance of Oshiwambo combat names, hence, this study was conducted to investigate the significance, origin and meanings of Oshiwambo combat names for the former PLAN combatants. In addition, the study investigated the motive behind these names and the role they played during the Namibian liberation struggle. The study adopted two theories. The first theory is that of Brunner and Kellner (1989) which deals with the liberation from all forms of oppression, animated by commitment of freedom, happiness and a rational ordering of society. This theory enabled the analysis of techniques of persuasion and communication behind names and how they reinforced the evolutionary mood, providing motivation and boosting their morale in the struggle towards independence. The second theory is Frege and Russel’s (1975) descriptive theory of reference, which postulates that the meaning or semantic content of proper names is identical to the descriptions associated with it by the speaker. This theory helped in understanding the meaning of a name and to understand that the association between a name and its associated description is established by the speaker of a language of a certain speech community. The study employed the qualitative design which helped the researcher to analyze the combat names provided by the former PLAN combatants. Both purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to select the sample of hundred names. The names were presented and analyzed into different categories. The study revealed that the former PLAN combatants named themselves and their names played a significant role during the liberation struggle. Also, the names helped to conceal their identities and protected them from enemy agents or informers. The combat names inspired and encouraged them in many ways, for instance, to face war challenges such as hunger, thirst and working long distances. The study contributes to the onomastics understanding, and it provides a large corpus of combat names that could be used for further research. Suggestions for further research are made based on the female combat names which are few
Understanding unwanted pregnancy from the perspectives of the Namibia male youth
No full textThe aim of this paper was to understand the perceptions of Namibian male youth regarding unwanted pregnancy. This study is based on secondary data from the study titled “Understanding factors associated with unwanted pregnancy in Namibia, it used mixed methods, integrating qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. For this study, only responses pertaining to male youth aged 15 to 22 years were used for analysis. The research findings showed that, even though the male youth knew about the consequences of pregnancy, they still engaged in unprotected sex. Male condoms were the only male controlled contraceptive available to male youth and condoms were seen to protect against HIV, STIs and unwanted pregnancies. Even though the male youth had this knowledge, it appears that inconsistent condom use remained a challenge. The respondents were aware of and had limited access to condoms, more than 30% of the male youth had impregnated female youth. Impregnating and being a learner-parent inhibit the educational attainment of male youth. Unwanted pregnancy is a concern among male youth and this study recommends targeted sexual and reproductive health intervention for male youth
Improving groundwater recharge estimates and groundwater management for the Cuvelai-Etosha basin
No full textA mini thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science (Water resources management)Various studies have shown that the use of tracer techniques such as the chloride mass balance (CMB) and stable isotopes’ methods are suitable and good practical approaches to estimate groundwater recharge. Estimating groundwater recharge improves the understanding of groundwater availability in making informed strategies for groundwater resources management. Using secondary data, this study estimated groundwater recharge within the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin (CEB) via the CMB and stable isotopes’ methods along six flow paths. Chloride content in groundwater at the flow path’s endpoint was treated as an integral value of what has been happening from the starting point up to that endpoint. The stable isotopes’ method has used the hydro-calculator to compute fractional losses along transects which determined evaporation losses assuming the rest of water retained along flow paths forms part of groundwater recharge. From the CMB method, endpoint recharge rates range between 0.21% and 38.46% of mean annual precipitation. Based on stable isotopes’ method, about 50% of the initial recharge reaches the discharge zones in comparison to only 11% that of the CMB method. From the obtained results, there is much significance between the two methods with the stable isotopes’ method estimating much higher values whilst the CMB method seems to underestimate, however, the notion of using CMB method to calculate integral recharge instead of point recharge seems more usable. Groundwater recharge rates determined by both methods agree well with the range of values found in previous studies. Study outlined the protection of recharge zones such as the southern rim of the basin for great groundwater management strategies. The calculated recharge to aquifer systems has indicated that there is a need for sustainable groundwater use as demands may exceed the current potential in the near future
Evaluation of factors affecting productivity and profitability of Lohmann Brown layers in a semi-arid environment
No full textA prospective 27-week study investigated the effect of age, ambient temperature, humidity and photoperiod on egg weight and production in Lohmann Brown layers, and thus the profitability of the egg-producing enterprise at a farm in central Namibia, designated Farm A. Overall, age of birds, average temperature, humidity and photoperiod were strongly correlated with mean egg weight (r=0.84, 0.7, -0.51 and 0.7, respectively; p<0.001) but there was a weaker correlation of age, temperature, humidity and photoperiod to the number of eggs/bird (r=0.49, 0.41, -0.43 and 0.34, respectively). Increase in the age of birds, temperature and photoperiod resulted in a significant increase in mean egg weight. A decrease in humidity, however, resulted in a significant increase in mean egg weight. Labour and feed costs contributed 51% and 14%, respectively, to the overall costs of the enterprise. Egg sales contributed the bulk of the income at 88%, which was followed by the sale of spent layers at 12%.The study concluded that Lohmann Brown layers performed well in the semi-arid conditions of central Namibia provided that extreme environmental conditions are avoided. The high input costs, especially labour and feed, were the main constraints to profitability and finding ways to reducing these costs is key to increasing profitability. Increasing the size of the flock is one practical way of offsetting the high labour costs
Zero-augmented models for exploring the factors affecting the pass rate of Grade 10 learners in Khomas region in 2016
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Applied Statistics and DemographyThe poor performance of grade 10 learners has been a big concern over the last few years and in the effort to understand this phenomenon there has been efforts to present models that explain it. Modelling semi-continuous data with the presence of excess zeros has become a common phenomenon in real life situations. Common models such as linear models cannot handle zero-inflated data. This study aimed at exploring the factors which influence Khomas Region grade 10 learners’ pass rate using Generalized Linear Models (GLM). The data used for this study was obtained from the Directorate of National Examination and Assessment for the year 2016, with permission from the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the socio-demographic variables, namely: age, location and type of school. Six GLMs were fitted (Poisson, Negative Binomial, Hurdle Poisson, Hurdle Negative Binomial, Zero Inflated Poisson and Zero- Inflated Negative Binomial) to assess their goodness of fit on modelling the zero-inflated DNEA count data. The goodness of fit of each model was determined using the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) value. All analyses were done using the R software version 3.3.1, with its MASS, pscl, and AER packages, as well as the Statistical Package (SPSS).
The Zero- Inflated Negative Binomial performed better based on its lowest AIC values among the six fitted GLMs. The results revealed that the age of the learner, school location and the type of school (private/state) had significant differential in pass rate with p-values less than 0.05 in the Zero- Inflated Negative Binomial model. In densely populated areas, emphasis should be put on building more schools in these areas so that classrooms are not overcrowded per subject. In addition, overaged learners should also be given extra assistance such as extra classes and extra motivation. Government should equip state schools to enable incorporation of visuals and other resources stimulate the learners’ interest
Computational study of the structure and electronic properties of Ag and Au doped (TiO2)n clusters (n=2-6)
No full textA thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science (Chemistry)The titanium dioxide (TiO2) clusters are aggregates of TiO2 units that are intermediate in size between a molecule and the bulk material. It is known that molecular clusters exhibit unique properties as a function of size, composition, and atomic configuration. The goal of this study is to investigate variation in the structure and electronic properties of Ag and Au doped (TiO2)n as the cluster size (n) increases. It is of interest to determine the size limit where the electronic properties of the doped clusters mimic that of the bulk material.
And the need to shift the absorption wavelength of the (TiO2)n clusters into the visible
region of the electromagnetic spectrum has necessitated investigation into doping with
the Au and Ag atoms.
The results reported in this thesis were obtained using mainly BPW91 variant of the Density
Functional Theory (DFT) approximation. The 6-311+G (d) basis set, and the
Stuttgart-Dresden (SDD) effective core potential were used to represent atomic orbitals.
The structures of the most stable undoped and doped neutral cluster are similar for n = 6
only. In case of the anion, similar structures are observed for n = 3 and n = 6, while they
are different for n = 2, 4 and 5. Vertical electron detachment energies (VEDE) are within
3.40 – 5.87 eV while adiabatic electron detachment energies (AEDE) and electron affinity
(EA) vary from 1.92 to 6.52 eV. The values of these properties increase with the clusters
size. The HOMO-LUMO (HL) gap was used as an approximation to the band gap, and it
ranges between 0.33 - 3.59 eV and 0.19 - 3.27 eV for Ag and Au doped TiO2 clusters,
respectively. Singlet – singlet electronic transitions are predicted to occur at the visible
region (400 – 800 nm) for n = 2, 5 and 6, in both doped systems. Major contributions to
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the molecular orbitals are obtained from FMO. Molecular adsorption was the predominant
type of interaction between water molecules and clusters. Binding energy values of
-1.32 and -1.43 eV were obtained for the more reactive interaction of one water molecule
with Ag and Au doped (TiO2)n clusters (n = 2 - 6), respectively. With the exception of the
HL gap of anionic Au doped (TiO2)n, the properties of the doped clusters investigated in
this study did not converge to the bulk values, for n = 6 cluster length
An assessment of the economic effects of anti-money laundering in Namibia
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Accounting and FinanceThis study provided comprehensive details and assessment on the economic effects of anti-money laundering in Namibia. The mixed method was used to describe and analyse money laundering and financing terrorism in Namibia. The study also used a regression model to analyse the effect of money laundering on the economy. The topic is vital with regards to the main findings that revealed that money-laundered negatively affects economic growth. Corruption and tax evasion were identified as the biggest contributors to the problem. The discussion on the effective implementation of the Financial Action Task Force recommendations were performed. There is therefore a low rate of successful prosecution and convictions on money laundering in Namibia. Namibia has shown significant improvement since the previous mutual evaluation in 2005. The country has also shown commitment in preparation for the upcoming mutual evaluation in 2020. The areas that require improvement relate to the prosecution and convictions on money laundering offenses. Overall, there are significant cases of money laundering in Namibia, and legislations in that regard are already in place. Various cases on money laundering are discussed to provide an overview of the problem, as well as effectiveness of the combating systems and mechanisms. The study provided the statistics mainly from the Financial Intelligence Centre as an overview of the magnitude of the suspicious transaction and activity reports involving money laundering. The risk is noted on the statistics regarding the electronic and international fund transfer and cash transaction reports, which gives an overview and magnitude of the financial flows within financial institutions. Overall, Namibia seems to be in a progressive system to address threats and vulnerabilities; however, there are gaps that negatively impede the effectiveness of the national anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism
Geological mapping, petrological characterisation and geochemistry of rocks in the Aus area, Southern Namibia: Implications for potential Copper mineralization
No full textA mini thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science (Applied Geology)The study area is located in the southern part of Namibia within the Aus Domain which forms part of the Mesoproterozoic Namaqua Sector of the Namaqua-Natal Metamorphic Province. The sector hosts some significant base metal sulphide deposits that have been mined for the past century. In this study, detailed field mapping, petrography, geochemistry and U-Pb zircon dating were conducted to evaluate the chemical characteristics and tectonic setting of the area with the intent to assess the feasibility and potential of known copper occurrences around Aus area. The Garub Group represents the oldest rocks in the area and comprises marble, calc-silicates, metapelites, garnet biotite quartz gneisses, amphibolites, mafic granulites and serpentinites, which have been intruded by several, variably deformed granites. The Aus, Tsirub and Kubub orthogneisses are the main intrusives in the area. However, field mapping identified a highly fractured
and metasomatized K-feldspar plagioclase epidote rock which requires further
investigation. Petrographic studies confirm the compositional and deformational
variability observed in the field. Geochemistry reveals that all granitoids within the study area are acidic, strongly peraluminous and products of shoshonitic and high-K calcalkaline magma derived from an A-type source. The A-type granites formed as a result of crustal contamination during the continental extensional phase and have been subjected to compressional deformation. Chondrite-normalised spider diagrams show negative Ta, Nb, P and Ti anomalies, with enrichments in Th and LREE, which suggest that the rocks are derived from an arc environment. Plots of K2O vs SiO2 show a considerably greater degree of scatter, which may be attributed to the effects of crustal contamination. Three geotectonic settings are established, i. e. the syn-collisional-Granite (syn-COLG), Volcanic Arc Granites (VAG) and Within Plate Granites (WPG). These inconsistent plots of samples may be attributed to hydrothermal alteration and/or sharing of varying degrees
of fractionation within multiple flows, and support a collision of crustal fragments model. Granitoid plutonism for Tsirub augen gneiss and Aus granite gneiss occurred at 1110 ± 7 Ma and 1085 ± 36 Ma respectively. Several granites, which could be responsible for hydrothermal activity, quartz veins, fault structures and occurrence of malachite may bear evidence for copper mineralization in the study area
Exploring linguistic "creativity" on social media: A case of selected posts by Namibians on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in English StudiesThe main purpose of this study was to explore linguistic innovation, a case of selected posts by Namibian as expressed on social media platforms: Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. In addition, the study sought to identify the strategies of linguistic innovation and to examine the motivation behind this innovation. By assessing the extent that the innovated language deviates from standard English, the study was able to evaluate the distinction of the innovated language from “incorrect” forms of English as a World English. The qualitative research approach was appropriate for the study because it allowed an in-depth exploration of the various forms and strategies of linguistic innovation among Namibian social media users. The non-probability sampling technique was used to select the 50 conversations as screenshots, which were then analysed using Discourse Analysis. The study revealed that interaction among the youth is made up of informal structures that deviate from standard English, which is a reflection of netspeak among the digital natives. The study found that the youth uses the following strategies of linguistic innovation: emojis and emoticons, code-switching/mixing, colloquialisms and slang, and other forms such as vulgar and acronyms. The study concluded that linguistic innovation and creativity depend on the social media platform, based on features such as text limits and visibility of the conversations or posts. The study was centred on the Sociolinguistics Theory, based on the notion that the youth is part of society with its cultural norms, and who apply language within a context; hence, there is a correlation between social structure and their linguistic structure. Finally, the study concluded that the linguistic innovation is distinct from “incorrect” forms of English, recommending that it should be distinguished by classifying it among World Englishes instead of a World English
Avian influenza H5N8 outbreak in African penguins (Spheniscus demersus), Namibia, 2019
No full textIn January 2019, high mortalities were reported among African Penguins (Spheniscus
demersus) in a breeding colony on Halifax Island, Namibia, Africa. Analysis of samples by reverse transcription quantitative PCR indicated the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) subtype H5N8. Sequence analysis of the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes confirmed the presence of the virus in the birds and its high similarity to HPAI subtype H5N8 identified in South Africa in 2017. There have
been no previous reports of HPAI H5N8 in Namibia