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Motives and barriers to the implementation of renewable energy sources in South African tertiary institutions
Get PDFOrganisations face major challenges to address the exploitation of non-renewable resources and consider management considerations for dealing with climate change. Organisations have been pushed to play a part in their carbon footprints and in curbing climate change. Among these organisations are tertiary institutions that can greatly impact environmental sustainability and address carbon dioxide emissions by embarking on renewable energy technologies. Tertiary institutions play a major role in society by the provision of skilled labour and personnel that are equipped to deal with a range of advancements and challenges. The sustainability of these tertiary institutions has thus been called into question due to the impact they can bring to societies. This research thus aims to identify the motives and barriers to renewable energy adoption in tertiary education institutions. To do this, a literature review was conducted to identify possible motives and barriers to renewable energy adoption. These were then compiled into a questionnaire that was sent to respondents of three different institutions. Respondents were then requested to give feedback on each of the motives and barriers. The respondents were also asked general questions found in literature that addressed the adoption of renewable energy technologies in tertiary institutions. The data was collected using the designed questionnaires. The respondents were able to articulate their perceived barriers and motives to the implementation of renewable energy technologies in tertiary institutions. Data analysis was done using thematic analysis. The results showed that the barriers in the implementation of renewable energy technologies in tertiary institutions were: ‘Cost to Install’, ‘Transition Process’ and ‘Government Policies’. The motives on why educational institutions need to embark on renewable energy projects were found to be ‘Energy Independence’, ‘Cleaner Source of Energy’ and ‘Reduction in Carbon Emissions’. The cost of renewable energy technologies, the process of moving from the Eskom grid, and renewable energy policies that are ambiguous were some factors that were highlighted by respondents on why it is challenging to adopt renewable energies in tertiary institutions. On the other hand, the effects of load shedding currently being experienced in the country and the migration to cleaner sources of energy that cause less harm to the environment, are some of the drivers noted by respondents on why tertiary institutions need to embark on renewable energy technologies. More emphasis needs to be put by stakeholders on tertiary institutions to migrate to cleaner sources of energy, and policies need to be put in place in order to promote institutions to adopt these types of energies. Governments and other role-players need to be visible at all times in addressing energy challenges in tertiary institutions in the wake of the recent load-shedding concerns that have been crippling South Africa.Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Commerce, Rhodes Business School, 202
Bond market integration in the Common Monetary Area (CMA)
Get PDFThe study reviews the phenomenon of financial integration. During the late 1980s and 1990s, financial market integration around the world increased due to globalisation of investments and the need for higher returns and international risk diversification. The increase was accompanied by a significant increase in private capital flows into developing countries from developed countries. The main goal of the study is to examine bond market integration in the common monetary area The study therefore investigates the co-movement of government bond returns within the CMA using data from Eswatini, Namibia, and South Africa. The study attempts to find the short-run and long-run relationship of these government bond returns using the ARDL cointegration technique. The study uses daily data of 10-year government bond yields spanning from August 2014 to September 2019. The empirical results reveal that there exists a short-run and long-run relationship between South Africa and Eswatini. Between South Africa and Namibia, there only exist a short-run relationship. Just like the previously mentioned studies, the short-run relationship is a result of policy convergence. The lack of long-run relationship between South and Namibia was due to poor institutional developments and limited investment opportunities. In this case, policy measures (or reforms) and a review of the union are necessary to increase integration of these bond markets.Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Economics and Economic History, 202
Square woven table mat, multicolored with edge fringes
No full textTable mat, square, woven, multicoloured, 2 fringes, heavy yarn, reversible. Gift from the Orthodox Church of Romania, recognizing Leading and facilitating workshops and programs representing the World Council of Churches.Donated/gifted to Nelson Mandela University ArchivesForms part of: Brigalia Bam collectio
Financial technology and bank risk-taking behavior: a case of selected South African banks
Get PDFThesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Economics and Economic History, 202
Needs assessment for gender-sensitive training in substance use disorder treatment for gender-nonconforming people
Get PDFResearch suggests that queer people face both general discrimination and inadequate support in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. One recommendation made by scholarship to address this is to improve the treatment capabilities of practitioners, thus improving practitioner readiness and reducing access barriers for a potentially at-risk population. The purpose of this study is to explore SUD treatment practitioners’ experiences of treating queer clients and identify their training needs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven registered mental healthcare practitioners operating in Cape Town, South Africa. Data was analysed via thematic analysis, using a social constructionist approach to gender and practitioner knowledge. The findings reflect a strong interest in gender-sensitive training to better prepare practitioners for treating queer clients. Participants provided feedback on areas in need of improvement and made recommendations on how training should be conducted. Findings indicate that queer clients may enter treatment with a high burden of trauma due to discrimination, and that healthcare structures abiding by a binary approach to gender may not be able to address queer people’s diverse needs. Recommendations for future research are made, with particular emphasis on including queer people in surveillance data. Target areas for training programmes are described, with emphasis on terminological understanding and accessibility of training.Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 202
Be more than a bystander, break the silence on violence: a discursive analysis of student responses to anti-rape poster campaigns
Get PDFUniversity students are a population vulnerable to sex and gender-based violence (SGBV). The use of alcohol is prominent in university life and is argued to contribute significantly to SGBV in South Africa and worldwide. Interventions to reduce SGBV at South African universities are thus a relevant social concern. One increasingly popular approach to addressing SGBV on university campuses is the bystander intervention. The bystander intervention goes to the cause of SGBV by targeting peer acceptance as the primary foundation supporting rape; arguing that witnesses to SGBV can be empowered to interrupt potential SGBV situations. The aim of this thesis was to investigate student responses to anti-rape intervention campaigns of various kinds. Different theories were examined, and this research then proceeded from a social constructionist theoretical perspective, which was relevant as it is about what individuals say, the societies formed, the rules made, the language used to pass on knowledge and the interactions experienced with others and how they all form the reality people inhabit. The study focused on the individual constructions and talk about the posters and the discursive positions he or she took up in relation to them, which is what social constructionism is interested in, as it is concerned with the language and talk people use and how these are molded by society. Forty five student volunteer participants were shown two examples of anti-rape poster campaigns (one using the bystander approach and the other not), and were asked to respond to a structured open-ended questionnaire. Responses to the questionnaire were subjected to Foucauldian Discourse Analysis (FDA). The analysis revealed the ways in which the constructions of sexual violence, perpetrators and victims in the poster campaigns shaped and limited participant responses and talk about SGBV in different ways, according to which of the two posters were being responded to. Key findings of this study showed that the bystander intervention poster produced more positive change in response to dominant discursive constructions in relation to the SGBV poster than did the non-bystander intervention poster. This means the establishment of the potential for success of the bystander intervention in helping to prevent SGBV in a South African context.Thesis (MA) -- Humanities, Psychology, 202
The use of earth observation multi-sensor systems to monitor and model Pastures: a case of Savannah Grasslands in Hluvukani Village, Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
Get PDFGrassland degradation associated with climate change and inappropriate grassland management has been characterized as a global environmental concern driving decreased grassland ecosystem's ecological functioning. More than 60% of South African grassland is degraded or permanently transformed to other land uses and nearly 2% properly conserved. Yet, grasslands are a major source of food for livestock grazing and provide material and non-material benefits to many livelihoods. Therefore, grassland above-ground biomass (AGB) estimation is crucial in planning and managing pastoral agriculture and the benefits derived from it. However, current grassland monitoring techniques used in rural smallholder livestock farms rely on conventional methods, which are destructive, labour-intensive, costly, and restricted to small areas. This study investigated the monitoring and modelling of protected grasslands biomass using current Earth observation systems (EOS), an approach, which is non-destructive, cost-effective, cover larger areas and is a time-saving alternative to conventional methods. Hence, the research objectives were: (i) to map the trends and advances in data and models used in the monitoring of grassland (pastures) with Earth observation systems, and (ii) to assess above-ground biomass estimation in semi-arid savannah grassland integrating Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data with Machine-Learning. This goal was to assess if this approach could provide the requisite information, which could contribute to the long-term goal of developing a semi-automated system for data processing, and mapping grassland biomass to benefit local communities. For this investigation, it was crucial to understanding what research had achieved so far in this area of pasture management. An assessment of the Scopus database showed the recent developments in European Union (EU) programs and Sentinel missions, including statistical models and machine learning for monitoring grassland changes at multiple scales. However, Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data, machine learning models, and variable importance techniques were applied for grassland AGB estimation. These techniques have been used in similar studies to determine optimum machine learning models, influential variables, and the capability of integrated Sentinel datasets for mapping grassland AGB, spatial distribution, and abundance. Results showed improved performance with the Random forest regression (RFR) model (R² of 34.7%, RMSE of 9.47 Mg and MAE of 7.68 Mg ). The study also observed optimum sensitivity of Difference Vegetation Index (DVI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) in all three machine learning models for modelling grassland AGB estimation in the study area. A further, statistical comparison of all three machine learning models showed an insignificant difference in the predictive capacity for AGB in the study area with Gradient Boosting regression (GBR) model (R² of 27.7, RMSE of 9.97 Mg and MAE of 8.03 Mg ) and Extreme Gradient Boost Regression (XGBR) model (R² of 17.3%, RMSE of 10.66 Mg and MAE of 8.83 Mg ). The study revealed that an integration of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 has improved capabilities for monitoring grassland AGB estimation. This research sheds light on the timely and cost-effective techniques for grassland management strategies to enhance or restore the ecological functioning of grassland ecosystems and promote community sustainability.Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science and Agriculture, 202
Soil erodibility indices affecting the development of gully erosion in highly erodible soils of the Tsitsa Catchment in T35D and T35E, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Get PDFThis study evaluated soil inherent properties for the development of gullies and their erodibility potential using the holistic field and laboratory sample investigation approach. The potential of negative impact of sedimentation on dam and water infrastructure performance has raised the need to evaluate the factors promoting soil erosion leading to land degradation. The study aimed to assess the relationship among the selected properties of soil and variability among various soil groups. A case study design approach was adopted at the T35D and T35E areas of Tsitsa hydrologic Basin, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The task was accomplished through detailed random soil sampling in the field, soil chemical analysis and comparative analysis of soil variables. Based on the scope of the study soil laboratory analysis included the following: particle size distribution, soil textural analysis, physicochemical parameters analysis, macro-and-micronutrient analysis, and micro-porosity analysis. Further spatial and scenario analysis of soil erodibility was done using selected erodibility indices such as Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Exchangeable Sodium Percentage (ESP), Dispersivity Ratio (DR), Clay Dispersion Ratio (CDR), Clay Flocculation Index (CFI), Water-Stable Aggregate analysis (WSA), and Soil Erodibility factor analysis (KEF). The findings of the study showed that the catchment hosts sixteen distinct soil forms categorized into seven unique soil groups. The results further indicated that the Katspruit soil form of the gleyic soil group has the highest clay-size particles and a considerably high clay dispersion attribute among others soil forms. It was further deduced that gleyic soil type exhibited the highest soil pH (6.36), a considerably low Ca:Mg ratio (1.43), a substantially high sodium ion (0.50 mg/kg), the highest SAR (0.5), lowest WSA (0.018percent) and a substantially high KEF (0.018ab). Similarly, saprolite soils exhibited the nature of the lixisol with a virtually equal amount of clay (43.63percent) and fine sands (41.68percent), the lowest amount of Ca:Mg ratio (1.35), the highest acid saturation (50.59), the highest ESP (8.39), and a considerably high WSA (38.75). Other remarkable problematic soils identified in the study include the lithic soil and the duplex soil. For instance, the Lithic soil is characterized by the highest fine sand-size texture (61.38percent), considerably low organic carbon (2.63percent), low cation exchange capacity (3.55 cmol(+)/kg), much high DR (0.75), very low WSA (0.027percent), and the highest KEF (0.027a). Whereas, the duplex soil is characterized by the highest DR (0.81), critically high CDR (38.19percent), very low WSA (0.019percent), and a considerably high KEF (0.019a). The relatively stable soils within the catchment are the oxidic, and melanic, where the WSA is highest in oxidic (38.19percent) and relatively high for melanic (36.6percent), CFI is highest in melanic (85.02percent), and oxidic (74.32percent), and KEF is relatively low (0.016b) for both. Correlation of the selected soil erodibility indices shows that CFI shares a perfect inverse relationship with CDR while maintaining a strong significant relationship with DR (R = -0.504). Findings also show that the SAR expectedly produced a robust significant relationship with ESP (R = 0.644), while KEF exhibited a solid inverse relationship with WSA (R = 0.913). The correlation across the physical and chemical properties suggests that DR and CDR can be firmly and positively influenced by dispersive clay. At the same time, the two factors maintain a significantly negative relationship with dispersive sand. Also, clay-sized particles depicted a significant relationship with WSA. Physicochemical and chemical parameters influence only the ESP and SAR. A remarkable finding is the influence of iron and its presence on SAR. On the other hand, ESP was distinguished from SAR due to the inverse influence of potassium. The lithic soils identify as members of the collapsible soil of South Africa, while the gleyic soils identify with duplex and saprolite soils in the class of dispersive soils. The vertic soils characterize as expansive soil, while the Duplex soil also exhibits a soft soil attribute. In general, the study suggests that T35D and T35E areas of Tsitsa catchment vary spatially in soil erodibility potential. T35D area is characterized by dominant oxidic soil cover of relatively stable aggregate whose iron oxide enrichment could be attributed to inculcation of dolerite debris. Overall, the soil erodibility indices showed that the development of gully erosion in Tsitsa catchment is driven by high clay dispersivity ratio of the soil (mean = 0.70; 24percent CV), and poor soil structure relative to the low WSA range (18.1 – 34.0). Erodibility due to high sodicity are associated with saprolite (ESP = 8.02) and gleyic soils (ESP = 7.43) while the high soil dispersion was due to the vertic (46percent), duplex (38percent), cumulic (30percent), and lithic (27percent) soil components. The poor soil aggregates (WSA) were mainly controlled by the lithic (10percent), vertic (27percent), duplex (28percent), cumulic (31percent), and gleyic (34percent) soil components. Meanwhile, the T35E area is dominated by the dispersive and collapsible soils dominated by saprolites and lithic soils. Therefore, the environmental stakeholders are advised to adopt the best management practices within the dam area considering the vulnerability of the catchment to the development of gullies and the potential impact of sedimentation on the adequate performance of Tsitsa dam and its water infrastructures.Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science and Agriculture, 202
Exploring learners’ engagement with literacy in a book club
Get PDFThis study observes the literacy engagement of a group of learners enrolled in Grades 8–10 in Nombulelo High School, a poorly-resourced school in the city of Makhanda in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The learners participated in a book club hosted and run by St Andrew’s College, a privileged independent school, as a community engagement initiative. The idea of extending literacy engagement and engagement with written texts beyond textbooks used in schools is critical for learners with ambitions to enter higher education. Studying at a university requires a lot of reading, and if reading has not been taken up as a practice that involves more than ‘text consulting’ (Geisler, 1994) students will be unlikely to read the number of texts required of them. Studies (see Geisler, 1994 for an overview) have shown how the literacy of the university is very different to school based literacies. The assumption behind the study on which this thesis reports is that engagement with fictional texts might promote reading and bring about understandings of this activity as enjoyable and not a task only associated with schooling. The study is underpinned by a critical realist philosophy which allowed for the identification of structures and mechanisms that led to the emergence of literacy events in learners’ lives and to their experiences and observations of those events. The study was guided by the following questions: How do learners from a poorly-resourced high school engage around fictional texts in the context of a book club? What enables or constrains this engagement? The study was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic in that lockdown requirements meant that learners from St Andrew’s College could not participate in the book club as much as anticipated initially as they had been forced to return home to pursue online learning. Learners from Nombuelo High School were, however, granted access to College premises, where they met in the school library following strict Covid protocols. The study draws on in-depth interviews, observations and document analysis of five learners from Nombulelo High School who participated in the book club, as well as on book reviews they wrote for the book club website. The critical realist analysis allows for the identification of mechanisms in learners’ homes and communities that enable literacies, including those that are screen-based such as using a computer, mobile phones and other technologies. This study found evidence of challenges regarding school based texts, reading fictional texts and viewing it as an enrichment of the school project. Because of children were African the emergence of communal practices and story telling is woven throughout the results section. However, is an example of the complexity of social and economic challenges facing South African marginalised schools.Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Centre for Higher Education Research, 202
A framework for the economic valuation of wetland rehabilitation: case studies from South Africa
Get PDFWetlands are recognised as having the potential to contribute long-term benefits to society; wetland rehabilitation is undertaken to recover these benefits in response to widespread wetland degradation. Increasingly, there have been calls to value the benefits of wetland rehabilitation to justify further investment. Such is the case in South Africa. Furthermore, recent global agendas and targets for ecosystem restoration, such as the declaration of the Decade of Restoration 2021-2030, suggest increasing pressure on governments to implement rehabilitation and imply a concomitant increase in decision-making regarding where and how to rehabilitate. In response to these information needs, this thesis explores the economic valuation of wetland rehabilitation through a narrative review of the foundational theory of values and valuation, a quantitative review of applied wetland rehabilitation economic valuation studies, and the evaluation of five wetland rehabilitation projects from South Africa. Projects were selected as case studies to represent various rehabilitation goals and explore different contexts (urban-rural; beneficiary groups), the timing of the evaluation (ex ante, ex post) and value types and valuation methods. The final chapter of the thesis integrates the case study experiences with the findings of the theoretical research components to propose a framework for the valuation of wetland rehabilitation, which can be applied in South Africa, and more generally, to further demonstrate the values of wetland rehabilitation, and as a tool to guide wetland rehabilitation decision-making. While initially grounded in mainstream economics, the research led into a number of fields including philosophy, social-ecological systems and social-ecological relations thinking, several environmental science areas and livelihood and human well-being frameworks. A deeper look into economic theory and history revealed an evolution of thinking on the meaning of ‘value’ and view of ‘nature’ and numerous critiques of standard neoclassical economics. From the insights gained and the case study experiences, this thesis argues that the neoclassical economic perspective, especially combined with a monetary metric, is too restrictive, and arguably too abstract in its assumptions of human behaviour and reliance on mathematical models, as an overarching framework for the valuation of wetland rehabilition. This is not to suggest that standard economic valuation concepts and methods cannot be useful, as the research case studies illustrated, but rather that wetland valuation must be approached from a value pluralism perspective. To this end, the proposed framework offers a way to think beyond, or in addition to, standard economic approaches in articulating the values of wetland rehabilitation.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Commerce, Economics and Economic History, 202