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An assessment of the contribution of peri-urban agriculture on household food security in Tongaat, eThekwini Municipality
Get PDFSubmitted to the Department of Agriculture in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Agribusiness in the Faculty of Science and Agriculture at the University of Zululand, 2018Despite South Africa’s economic growth having been accelerated considerably in the country, poverty levels have not decreased as one would have expected. Urban and peri-urban agriculture have been introduced as a livelihood strategy to alleviate poverty and ensure household food security. Food insecurity is conventionally theorized as a rural development problem and the current theoretical tools to comprehend the challenge and frame the responses are inadequate to address food insecurity in urban areas. The aim of this study was to assess the contribution of peri-urban agriculture on household food security in in Tongaat peri-urban area of eThekwini Municipality. A quantitative approach, employing a cross-sectional design was used to gather data. Stratified random sampling was employed, and a total of 208 households (109 farming and 99 non-farming households) were sampled. Data analysis was done through descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (econometric modelling using a probit regression model). On average, respondents were about 46 years old. There was a high rate of unemployment with the majority (51%) of the total sample indicated that they were not formally employed. The results revealed that labour for gardening activities was predominantly supplied by female household members. A greater proportion (about 46%) of the interviewed farming households in Tongaat were involved with field crops (which included cabbages, spinach, sweet potato and avocado) followed by livestock rearing which accounted for about 40 percent of the sample, poultry (about 35%), fruits (about 4%) and flowers (about 3%). The majority (50% and 62%) of crop and livestock farmers respectively reported that limited land availability and drought were the major farming challenges for each category of farming. The results from the HDDS tool, showed that a greater proportion (54%) of the farming households consumed >6 food groups (deemed to be food secure) as compared to their counterparts, the non-farming households (40%) percent that were consuming >6 food groups. On the other hand, a greater proportion (12 and 47.5%) of the non-farming households were consuming <3 and 4 to 5 food groups respectively (deemed to be food insecure and moderately food secure in that manner). The finding is further supplemented by the HFIAS measure which revealed that a greater proportion (about 72%) of the farming households indicated that they never or rarely worried about food shortages (deemed to be food secure) as compared to their counterparts – the non-farming households (about 61%) that never or rarely worried about food shortages. Again, a lesser proportion (about 4%) of the farming households indicated that they often had to cut down on meal size or on the number of meals (deemed to be severely food insecure) as compared to their counterparts – the non-farming households (about 10%) that indicated that they often had to cut down on their meal size or on the number of meals. Overall farming households were beffer off or more food secure than their non-farming counterparts. Overall the total sampled households showed mixed perceptions regarding the practice of peri-urban agriculture in Tongaat. Overall, there were mixed feelings
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(perceptions) ranging from neutral, positive and negative with respect to societal recognition; attitude; social value; economic; health and knowledge impacts. However, farming households showed an affirmative perception towards the practice of peri-urban agriculture than the non-farming households. Results from the probit regression model showed that the variables land size and land tenure were important predictors with regard to the practise of peri-urban agriculture. The study recommends that peri-urban agriculture should be promoted as a tool to achieve household food security and that land issues regarding to land sizes and land tenure be attended to if peri-urban agriculture is to contribute more positively in ensuring household food security within the peri-urban spheres
Subject advisers’ perception of curriculum delivery in the intermediate phase within King Cetshwayo district
Get PDFA dissertation submitted in the Faculty of Education in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Masters of Education Degree in the Department of Social Science Education at the University of Zululand, 2018.Subject advisors encountered problems that affected curriculum delivery in the intermediate phase of schools in South Africa and other countries. There are factors influencing curriculum delivery in different countries ranging from what happens in and with the government to what takes place and is obtained in the classroom. If challenges or factors influencing curriculum delivery, such as political interference, social, economic, access to technology and environmental factors, are not addressed, this will have detrimental consequences not only to the delivery and implementation of curriculum but also to our education system. Teacher education curriculum, recruitment, training and retaining of teachers, non- professionalization of teachers, poor funding and insufficient ICT access; are the reasons for the challenges faced in the actual delivery of the curriculum. This quantitative research design was conducted in King Cetshwayo District in Kwa-Zulu Natal Province with the aim of finding out what the subject adviser`s perceptions are in curriculum delivery. The sample consisted of educators, SMT`s and subject adviser`s. Data was collected through questionnaires and quantitative research. The study revealed the need for the Department of Education to increase the number of Subject Advisers` with the purpose of educating more educators about the curriculum, through facilitated workshops and other refresher training. The study also divulged the need for the government to improve the existing infrastructures in the schools, in order to motivate educators and members of the school management team in the discharge of their duties
Time Series Analysis of MODIS-Derived NDVI for the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, South Africa: Impact of Recent Intense Drought
Get PDFPeer reviewed article published under Climate Journal, Volume 6 Issue 4The variability of temperature and precipitation influenced by El Niño-Southern Oscillation
(ENSO) is potentially one of key factors contributing to vegetation product in southern Africa.
Thus, understanding large-scale ocean–atmospheric phenomena like the ENSO and Indian Ocean
Dipole/Dipole Mode Index (DMI) is important. In this study, 16 years (2002–2017) of Moderate
Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Terra/Aqua 16-day normalized difference vegetation
index (NDVI), extracted and processed using JavaScript code editor in the Google Earth Engine (GEE)
platform was used to analyze the vegetation response pattern of the oldest proclaimed nature reserve
in Africa, the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP) to climatic variability. The MODIS enhanced vegetation
index (EVI), burned area index (BAI), and normalized difference infrared index (NDII) were also
analyzed. The study used the Modern Retrospective Analysis for the Research Application (MERRA)
model monthly mean soil temperature and precipitations. The Global Land Data Assimilation System
(GLDAS) evapotranspiration (ET) data were used to investigate the HiP vegetation water stress.
The region in the southern part of the HiP which has land cover dominated by savanna experienced
the most impact of the strong El Niño. Both the HiP NDVI inter-annual Mann–Kendal trend test
and sequential Mann–Kendall (SQ-MK) test indicated a significant downward trend during the El
Niño years of 2003 and 2014–2015. The SQ-MK significant trend turning point which was thought to
be associated with the 2014–2015 El Niño periods begun in November 2012. The wavelet coherence
and coherence phase indicated a positive teleconnection/correlation between soil temperatures,
precipitation, soil moisture (NDII), and ET. This was explained by a dominant in-phase relationship
between the NDVI and climatic parameters especially at a period band of 8–16 months
Impact of Node Location on Quality of Service in Infrastructure Wireless Mesh Networks
Get PDFA dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science and Agriculture in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters Of Science in Computer Science in the Department of Computer Science at the University Of Zululand, 2018Infrastructure Wireless Mesh Networks are designed as a possible solution to provide Internet connectivity to the rural community. This is because of its architecture which possesses capabilities such as dynamic self-forming, self-healing, and self-configuration. Infrastructure Wireless Mesh networks also have added benefits such as low up-front costs, reliability, robustness, as well as being easy to maintain. The infrastructure consists of static nodes which could be the routers or Portals. These nodes form and maintain the network automatically. Studies have indicated that the location of a node in the network can impact the network performance. Even though others have looked at the impact of node location their focus was limited to the number of nodes and traffic load distribution. In general, Infrastructure Wireless Mesh networks traffic flow is either node to node or node to Portal. Even then, the impact of node location on these traffic flows has not received adequate research attention. The focus of previous studies has been limited to the effect of node location relative to the network centre, with node-to-node traffic flow being the primary consideration. As Infrastructure/Backbone Wireless Mesh networks provide a means for Internet connectivity, it is also important to investigate the impact of node location relative to the Portal, where most traffic is flowing to or from the Portal. Hence, this study extends the previous studies by exploring the effect of individual node location relative to the Portal. The results of this study in regards to individual node location relative to the network centre revealed that the nodes achieved low packet delivery ratio, low throughput and high delays. This concurs with the previous studies. Furthermore, the impact of node location relative to the Portal, revealed that the packet delivery ratio of the individual nodes is higher than those of the edge nodes. The conclusion drawn from the foregoing outcome is that there is a negative impact on individual nodes closer to the network centre and a positive impact on the nodes closer to the Porta
Economic development and women empowerment in Zamimpilo art and craft co-operative
Get PDFTheses Submitted to the Department of Sociology in fulfilment of the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Sociology in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Zululand, 2018.Development agencies, non-government Organizations (NGOs) and government organizations around the world aim for the betterment of women in all spheres of their lives. Empowerment has been considered the main focal point towards the achievement of the wellbeing of women. The study was about cooperatives and women empowerment. It investigated the extent to which participation, empowerment, capacitation and benefits of membership contribute in enabling cooperatives to empower women. This study applied the Capability Approach (CA) in an attempt to understand the need and importance of capabilities to women in a cooperative. The quality of life of an individual is analysed in terms of the core concepts of functionings and capability, thus the CA focuses directly on the quality of life that individuals are actually able to achieve.
The Capability Approach proposed that the most vital thing to deliberate when valuing well-being is what people are actually able to do. Capacitation to disadvantaged people is very important in that it ensures services and assistants directly meet their needs. Participatory planning can be regarded as an instrument for identifying the needs of all persons within a community, a way of constructing harmony, and means of empowering deprived or marginalised groups. Participatory development has created the need that there should be inclusion of everyone concerned in the decision making that enables the utilization of all ideas and experiences especially of the poor in rural communities and that they should have influence in the decision making process.
The study hypothesized that the perceived level of participation; empowerment and capacitation will determine the benefit of membership in a cooperative. The survey was conducted using a Five-Level Likert scale to decipher respondents’ perceptions of level of participation, empowerment, capacitation, and perceived benefits. In the beginning of analysis, responses (N=110) were reduced using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) to determine how questionnaire items contributed to variables under consideration, variables extracted were correlated and regressed. A linear regression analysis was used to describe how a benefit of membership mediates the relationship between participation, empowerment and capacitation.
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The results showed that members’ perceived levels of empowerment mediate their Perceived Benefits of membership (PERBEME). This shows how benefits of membership in a cooperative are determined and empowerment experienced. Cooperatives have a potential of empowering women and that is achieved through democratic operation, where members equally participate in the daily business.
The findings showed a correlation between independent and dependent variables. The findings further demonstrated that capacitation, empowerment and participation, influence change on the benefits of membership in a co-operative.National Research Foundation (NRF
The effect of seasonal variation on nutrient removal from municipal wastewater using a constructed wetland microcosm
Get PDFA Dissertation Submitted for the Requirement for the Degree of Masters of Science (Microbiology) in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology Faculty of Science and Agriculture at the University of Zululand, 2018South Africa is facing a severe water scarcity due to the exponential deterioration of natural water bodies such as dams and lakes. The deterioration of natural waterways is fuelled by anthropogenic activities that produce bulk amount of wastewater. The haphazard disposal of nutrient-rich wastewater from household, industries and institutions may lead to the occurrence of eutrophication which impair the integrity and quality of water in natural water bodies. This has resulted in the urgent need for the development and implementation of new innovative green technology for wastewater treatment.
Constructed wetlands have proven to be an ideal alternative technology for wastewater treatment. This is because they are environmentally friendly and economically sustainable treatment systems. In addition, these systems have a potential of reducing contaminants to acceptable levels that pose no threat to human and environmental health. Despite these advantages, their application is still challenging in some parts of the world. This is due to the limited information about the seasonal performance of these systems and poor understanding of the influence of environmental parameters in pollutant assimilation. This study delineates the effect of seasonal variation in microbial community structures in wetland microcosm. In addition, this study also investigated the seasonal effect of physiochemical parameters on nutrient assimilation in these systems.
The constructed wetland microcosms were setup at the Empangeni (University of Zululand), and was divided into planted (planted with Amaranthus hybridus and Bidens pilosa) and unplanted (reference) section. These systems were operated in warm and cold seasons for one month. The physiochemical parameters (dissolved oxygen, pH and temperature) were monitored. The removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and
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phosphorus were measured pre- and post-treatment using spectrophotometric methods. The spectrophotometer was used with commercial kits (Merck) following manufacturers protocol.
Nutrient removal was seasonal and varying degree of nutrient removals were observed in planted and reference section of the wetland microcosms. The highest reduction efficiencies were obtained in warm than cold seasons. In warm season, the highest removals were 97%, 95%, 90%, 70% and 74% for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphorus and COD in planted section, while in reference section the removals were 69%, 69%, 82%, 57% and 59% for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphorus and COD respectively. In cold season, the removals were 60%, 73%, 65%, 68% and 64% for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphorus and COD in planted section, while in reference section the removals were 42%, 64%, 50%, 46% and 50% ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphorus and COD respectively. The increase in physiochemical parameters was directly proportional to nutrient reduction in the microcosms. The correlation of physiochemical parameters with the nutrients removal ranged from very poor (temperature (0.11≤r≤0.95), moderate negative (COD (-0.44≤r≤0.94) (pH (-0.45≤r≤0.89) and to a very strong positive correlation (DO (-0.72≤r≤0.89). Based on the discharge limits of nutrients, the effluent for nitrite, nitrate and phosphorus were within the discharge limit while ammonia did not meet the discharge standards in both seasons as per South Africa’s Department of Water and Sanitation.
Microbial community structure and diversity occurred in the microcosms. However, their occurrence was seasonal with warm season showing high abundance than the cold season. Furthermore, the planted sections showed high microbial abundance and diversity than the reference sections. This indicated that macrophytes supported the growth, diversity and activity of microorganisms within these systems. This was supported by the high removal of nutrients in the planted sections than in the reference sections. Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter were the most dominant nitrifiers in the microcosms in both seasons while Thauera, Pseudomonas and
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Acidovorax were the dominant denitrifiers in the both warm and cold seasons. Phosphate accumulating microorganisms were dominated by Accumulibacter in warm season and Bacillus in cold season
The roles of parents and teachers in the education of learners: a case study of Mandlenkosi Secondary School , Lindelani Area
Get PDFA thesis submitted to the Faculty Of Arts in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters in Community Work in the Department of Communication Science at the University Of Zululand, 2018The intention of this research is to define and bring about an integrated role between the triple society components into sustainable education development, and in respect to producing learners who are self-disciplined, self-dependent, skilled, employable and qualifying for higher education. The study investigates communication impact, attitudes and, teaching and learning space between teachers and parents’ involvement from a shared role and a shared partnership necessarily to advance learners basic needs. Hence, this cooperative role is the extension of communication between parents and teachers. Reystek (1999: 111) in Mpofana (2004) observed that parents in black communities disregard their mission of being part of the education of their children. However, the South African Schools Act (Act. No. 84 of 1996) (SASA) suggests that parents must accept the co-responsibility of their involvement. It is on this premise that this research work is designed to investigate into the state of the unknown. The study depicts the understandings and perceptions of Mandlenkosi Secondary School learners at eThekwini North district; a district predominantly black people. The District proves to be associated with an area called Lindelani, an informal settlement which is challenged by socioeconomic transformation. This is in consonance with what Legotlo (2002) who posits that poor and uneducated parents have a tendency to be unenthusiastic towards getting involved in their children school activities because they feel inferior to the highly educated, knowledgeable and rich teachers. In any case this is true. This evidently demonstrates a potential lack of parental involvement in school matters, in as much as teachers are adequately present but there is a vulnerable gap as far as morals and attitude are concern. The theory of overlapping spheres of influence that discusses the mutual interests and influence, policies and practices of all stakeholders’ interaction, family creation and schools can help the learners to become more successful in education by Epstein (2001:15) was employed by the researcher to account for this phenomenon. In order to accomplish the objectives of the study, a mixed research method was used and the main data collection instruments used, were interviews and questionnaires. From a quantitative process, a descriptive research method was applied, of which the study focused on a group of 30 learners studying at Mandlenkosi Secondary School, 10 parents of learners that study at Mandlenkosi Secondary School; and 10 teachers that teach as Mandlenkosi. The present study also made use of a qualitative design to describe the attitudes of the learners, parents and teachers. On a qualitative process, an in-depth interview was done, by the researcher through putting to gather, organizing and interpreting information. In addition, a dominant language like the mother tongue, that is, isiZulu was used to interpret questionnaires as they were written in English. The study findings revealed that there is lack of effective communication from school to parents, and as a result, communication needs to be disseminated in a more proficient and receptive manner. The study also indicated that the performance level between a child with both parents and child with single parents is not the same. In conclusion, the study revealed that there needs to be a social worker or rather an educational psychologist that is always available on the school premises, whose role is to address learner’s behaviour modification, as well as addressing the issues of poverty and entry level [Grade 8] career guidance to learners. In summary, this study concludes that it is appropriate to reward and acknowledge teachers and learner’s performance by using annual awarding programs in order for learners and teachers to be kept motivated, appreciated and recognized
Self-Regulated learning and academic performance among pupils at Qhakaza High School in Kwa-Zulu Natal Province, South Africa.
Get PDFA dissertation submitted to the Faculty Of Arts in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters in the Department of Sociology at the University Of Zululand, 2018In spite of numerous initiatives, resources and infrastructural provision, the continuous decline in Learners’ academic performance remains a global phenomenon that threatens economic development. Scholars have therefore been interested in unravelling factors that enhance or impede academic performance. Self-regulated learning (SRL) refers to a self-initiated and directed learning process; this agentic angle of the social cognitive theory introduces human agency as a solution to students declining academic performance. Self-regulated learning encompasses motivation, self-judgement, self-efficacy, cognition and assessment feedback. Current literature on self-regulated learning and academic performance is limited to subject specific investigations, which seek to determine suitable learning strategies for specific learning areas. The present study investigated the relationship between components of self-regulated learning and academic performance. The purpose of the study was to determine whether self-regulated learning could improve, the academic performance of high school students. Learners’ perceived levels of motivation, self-judgement, self-efficacy, cognition, assessment feedback and their self-reported academic performance were collated using a self-report questionnaire. Motivation, self-judgement, self-efficacy, cognition and assessment feedback are components of SRL. Each variable provides a skill or strategy that is linked to academic success. In a survey, (n=101), data was collected using the Likert scale type self-report questionnaires from grade 10 learners at Qhakaza High School, KwaDlangezwa, in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Province of South Africa. In the first order of analysis, responses were reduced using Principal Components Analysis (PCA), to determine how questionnaire items contributed to the variables of interest. Furthermore, bivariate correlations and hierarchical stepwise linear regressions were carried out to establish simple relationships between the dependent and independent variables. The results showed that cognition and assessment feedback were the only two variables of self-regulated learning which were positively related to Learners’ academic performance. The result thus indicated, contrary to many past, studies that the perceived level of motivation, perceived level of self-judgement and perceived level of self-efficacy were statistically insignificant as predictors of Learners’ academic performance. The results of this study thus showed that cognition and assessment feedback are learning strategies that should be fostered towards improving Learners’ academic performance in high schools. Cognition and assessment feedback are two variables, which are mostly facilitated or provided by teachers. This implies that contrary to the propositions of the SRL’s agentic component, Learners’ responsibilities for their own learning outcomes may not be relevant in the sample of this study as none of the self-directed variables of perceived level of motivation, perceived level of self-judgement and perceived level of self-efficacy were correlated to academic performance. The main conclusion of the study was that not all components of self-regulated learning influence academic performance. It was therefore recommended that the teacher-learner approach should be revised to suit the contemporary classroom environments, since students still struggle with self-directed learning.Prestige Bursar
Identification and structural bioinformatics of druggable proteins in schistosoma species
Get PDFA dissertation submitted to the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology in fulfilment of the requirements for Master of Biochemistry Degree in the Faculty of Science and Agriculture at the University of Zululand, 2018.Schistosomiasis is a debilitating disease caused by a parasitic flatworm found in freshwater. After malaria, this disease is the second most prevalent disease in Africa and is endemic in both tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. Morbidity and mortality attributed to this disease are very high with about 240 million people infected, 800 million persons at risk of the infection and an approximately 280,000 deaths occurring annually. With the exponential increase in morbidity and mortality resulting from Schistosomiasis, there is an urgent need for the development of new drug since studies have shown that schistosomes are becoming resistant to the widely accepted first-line drug-of-choice Praziquantel (PZQ). Therefore, the present study describes the exploration of broad-spectrum therapeutic potentials of Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in the design of alternative anti-schistosomal treatment regimen. AMPs are natural antibiotics produced by all living species; they have multifunctional properties and are currently explored as a vital source for the development of new drugs. The use of therapeutic peptides in various disorder treatment has been receiving significant and great attention in recent years. In this study, six putative AMPs (TAK1-TAK6) were identified to possess very strong anti-schistosomal capabilities using Hidden Markov Model. Added to this, glycosyltransferase and axonemal dynein intermediate chain schistosomal proteins were identified using in silico methods as vital proteins for the survival of the parasite in the host. The 3D structures of the AMPs and the proteins were modelled using the I-TASSER, while PatchDock was employed to ascertain the interaction between these schistosome proteins and the AMPs. Results obtained show that the putative AMPs have good binding affinity to the schistosomal proteins. More so, TAK3 and TAK6 showed highest binding affinities to glycosyltransferase and Axonemal dynein intermediate chain respectively. Site-directed mutagenesis studies based on the putative anti-schistosomal AMPs was carried out to increase
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their biological activities; homology modelling of the mutated AMPs using I-TASSER showed that they are identical to the parental AMPs. More so, results from molecular docking using PatchDock showed that these mutated AMPs are capable of interacting with the schistosome proteins. In conclusion, results suggest that these peptides maybe potential “drug leads” in the design and development of alternative schistosomal therapy and could as well prove to be effective against PZQ-resistant schistosome strains, based on the strong interactions between both the AMPs (Parental and Mutated) and the schistosomal proteins
Experiences of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder attending special schools at uMgungundlovu District
Get PDFA dissertation submitted to the Faculty Of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters in Educational Psychology in the Department of Educational Psychology & Special Needs Education at the University Of Zululand, 2018The study sought to explore and examine experiences of parents with regard to the education of their autistic children in special schools. Previous studies in this area looked at the inclusion of autistic children and focused on educators’ attitudes or perceptions. Thus this study intended to get parents’ perspectives, their ideas and views about the education of their children with autism spectrum disorder in special schools. To find out if they are satisfied, and explore what seem to be the concerns and challenges, the study adopted a qualitative case study design. Data were generated from nine mothers who had children attending special schools. They were purposively sampled from three special schools for children with intellectual impairment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with mothers regarding their views and concerns about the education of their autistic children. A thematic content analysis was used to extract common themes from the collected data. Major findings were that most parents were happy and satisfied with the education of their children, though some lacked understanding and thorough knowledge about autism and special education. Parents raised concerns about lack of therapists in special schools when their ASD children need the intervention of speech and language therapists and occupational therapists. It was also found that parents struggle to access preprimary education for their children. It is recommended that special schools create forums where parents have a platform to voice their opinions and concerns. In conclusion, the study was able to give insight into parents’ experiences, views and concerns with regard to the education of autistic children. Knowing parents’ concerns and opinions may help improve the provision of education for autistic children. With the recent release of the Draft on National Strategy for Autism (September, 2017), perhaps parents’ hope for improvement in provision of education for autistic children might be realize