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Factors leading to Complications following Traditional Male Circumcision among Initiates reporting at Mthatha Regional Hospital, South Africa
Get PDFTraditional male circumcision, a prestigious practice, and pathway to a sense of belonging and manhood among AmaXhosa has left unforgettable pains in the same society that admires it. The pains are due to the irreversible aftermaths such as death and loss of the penis that often accompanies it. Anecdotal evidence suggests that an increasing number of AmaXhosa males though still prefer TMC, only partakes in the cultural lessons at the initiation schools then go for medical male circumcision. But, who is to be blamed? The news reports of the deaths following traditional male circumcision (TMC) are heard and the fears for sure are real. This study was carried out to provide evidence-based knowledge on the prevalence of complications following TMC and factors that lead to such complications. Aim: To find out the types of complications and medical outcomes following TMC among initiates reporting at Mthatha Regional Hospital. Method: A retrospective study design was used. The study population included 23 initiates who sought medical intervention at Mthatha Regional Hospital from June to December 2018. The variables of interest were collected from the admission records and analysed. Results: The mean age of participants was 18.5 years (standard deviation = 1.4 years). The majority (65.2%) of the participants were in the age group 18-21 year, were circumcised in summer (52.2%), waited for 10-20 days before seeking medical intervention (47.8%), and were admitted in the male surgical ward (69.6%). xiv The mean and standard deviation of length of hospital stay was 22.2±20.3 days. During hospitalisation, antibiotics were given to 33.3% and wound dressing to 60.5%. Other medico-surgical interventions wee rehydration therapy (28.1%), analgesics (26.3%), penile reconstruction with a skin graft (23.7%), re-circumcised (5.3%) or had a dorsal slit (5.3%). Grade 3 septic circumcision was the most prevalent (43.5%) among the initiates and 26.1% had Grade 4 septic circumcision. The three main factors leading to TMC-related complications were wound sepsis (32.4%), dehydration (21.1%), and septic shock (12.7%). No variables were associated with TMC complications in the study population. Most (78.3%) of them were treated and discharged. Two (8.7%) participants died, one from septic shock and the other from severe dehydration. Though 82.6% were alive with no deformity at discharge, 4.8% had an artificial penis and another 4.8 percent loss of the penis. Conclusion: Complications following TMC are real. Severe septic complications were common following TMC. There is a need to explore how to transform the harmful aspects of the initiation ritual while promoting the positive ones. There is a need to also determine possible ways of interaction and partnership between traditional leadership and the Department of Health.Thesis (Masters) -- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, 202
Detecting and removing sample contamination in phylogenomic data: an example and its implications for Cicadidae phylogeny (Insecta Hemiptera).
Get PDFContamination of a genetic sample with DNA from one or more nontarget species is a continuing concern of molecular phylogenetic studies, both Sanger sequencing studies and next-generation sequencing studies. We developed an automated pipeline for identifying and excluding likely cross-contaminated loci based on the detection of bimodal distributions of patristic distances across gene trees. When contamination occurs between samples within a data set, a comparison between a contaminated sample and its contaminant taxon will yield bimodal distributions with one peak close to zero patristic distance. This new method does not rely on a priori knowledge of taxon relatedness nor does it determine the causes(s) of the contamination. Exclusion of putatively contaminated loci from a data set generated for the insect family Cicadidae showed that these sequences were affecting some topological patterns and branch supports, although the effects were sometimes subtle, with some contamination-influenced relationships exhibiting strong bootstrap support. Long tip branches and outlier values for one anchored phylogenomic pipeline statistic (AvgNHomologs) were correlated with the presence of contamination
The first ‘Grylloblattida’of the family Liomopteridae from the Middle Permian in the Onder Karoo, South Africa (Insecta Polyneoptera)
No full textHere we describe a new genus and four new species of the extinct ‘Grylloblattida’: Liomopteridae Sellards, 1909: Liomopterum connexus Cawood and Nel, n. sp., Liomopterum daenerys Cawood and Nel, n. sp., Colubrosopterum karooensis Cawood and Nel, n. gen., n. sp., and Paraliomopterum sp. The fossil wings were collected from a new Middle Permian locality near Sutherland, Northern Cape, South Africa, with the horizon close to the Ecca-Beaufort Group contact in the southern Karoo Basin
Developing Relationships for Community-Based Research at Rhodes University: Values, Principles and Challenges
No full textPost-apartheid education policy in South Africa mandates that universities should become more responsive to the socio-economic development of the country, positioning community engagement as a core function of higher education. Community engagement in all its forms, and particularly in the form of community-based research, should develop the social responsibility of both students and the institution by providing opportunities for partnering in community-based projects to promote the social good, thus narrowing the gap between universities and communities. The Community Engagement Division at Rhodes University in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, supported by the highest level of management of the institution, was fully aware that removal of the ‘ivory tower’ image was a herculean task. Thus, they developed a set of values and principles to guide the establishment of community partnerships with the community the university serves. This chapter explains these values and principles, using the Reviving Schools community engagement initiative as an example. It discusses some of the challenges experienced and how they were overcome to build research relationships and a sense of ‘community’ between Rhodes University and its external partners in Makhanda
Traumatic Imagination in Traditional Stories of Gender-Based Violence
Get PDFTraumatic imagination includes creative processes in which traumatic memories are transformed into narratives of suffering. This article emphasizes the importance of storytelling in victims’ mental health and offers a literary perspective on how some women’s experiences of suffering can be expressed in the telling of traditional stories, which confer some protection from stigma to individual women in Turkish and Afghan societies
Limits of the Judiciary in the separation of powers in South Africa
Get PDFThe Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 is the supreme law of the Republic and obligations imposed by it must be fulfilled. The laws of the country and government action draw their validity from the Constitution. The Constitution entrenches principles that ensure democratic processes which promote the objectives, spirit and purport of the Constitution. Separation of powers is one of such principles. Separation of powers is the doctrine that proposes division of power between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. The Constitution confers legislative power to parliament, executive power to the executive and judicial power to the courts. In the South African context of separation of powers, the role of each branch of government is not always clearly defined and sometimes gains perspective as courts interpret parliamentary legislations and executive policies. The Court’s role and limitations in the interpretation of laws often come under scrutiny and bring confusion as to what extent can courts intervene in matters purely left to other branches of government. The current study explores the meaning, implications and practical application of the doctrine of separation of powers by courts. The study pays particular attention to the role and the limits of the Judiciary within the context of separation of powers in South Africa, with the hope of bringing greater clarity of this doctrine to lawyers, academics, government officials and society at large. Keywords: constitutional supremacy, rule of law, separation of powers, legislature, executive, judiciary, judicial intervention.Thesis (Masters) -- Faculty of Humanities Social Sciences and Law, 202
Why Doctoral Education is a Place to be Committed to Social Justice: From Argument to Practice
No full textDoctoral education is the last formal step in a globally accepted higher education certification scheme. It has the formal responsibility of educating the next generation of scholars. This unique role gives doctoral education programs access to people who have, or will have, authority about specific subjects and would be able to make changes that contribute to socially just practices. This chapter is the beginning of an investigative journey to demonstrate that such changes can be executed not only in the research agenda but also in the doctorate research training processes—the research-training ecosystem itself. Using a few examples, we explain how a social justice approach can be used to scrutinize processes of doctoral recruitment and admission, preparation of doctoral candidates for the workplace, and pedagogical decisions exerted throughout the doctorate program. Particularly, in our current era of rising nationalist governments, an alarming environmental crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic raging, we argue that doctoral education can play a critical role of making visible and questioning the norms and values that (re)produce inequity and exclusion in society at the local, national, and global levels
Plagiarism and the commodification of knowledge
Get PDFUniversities have put in place various policies and punishments to manage plagiarism and it is an issue of signifcant interest. This article looks at how plagiarism is discussed in the 55 Higher Education articles between 1982 and June 2022 that make some reference to the term. Many of the articles focused on a police-catch-punish approach and imbued a strong moral charge to the issue. In contrast to such articles were those that presented citation as a complex academic practice that needs to be engaged with educationally. Our understandings of and responses to plagiarism emerge from a number of causal mechanisms but I argue that a key mechanism is the commodifcation of knowledge. Where knowledge is a product to be packaged, bought, and sold, then ownership and attribution become more important than engagement and personal meaning making. Instead of our obsession with a police-catch-punish approach to plagiarism, at a more micro-level, we should be inducting students into the many roles citations serve, and at a macro-level, we should be engaging in considerations of the purposes of a higher education and how we might better enable students to enjoy a transformative relationship to knowledge
The school nutrition programme in mount fletcher and Matatiele, Eastern cape
Get PDFThe Primary School Nutrition Programme (PSNP) in South Africa was established in May 1994 as part of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). A major goal of the PSNP was to provide 30% of the student’s daily nutrition and improve school attendance in quintiles 1-3 primary schools. The aims of the PSNP were to develop the learning abilities of school-going children, alleviate poverty and hunger, and promote women empowerment. This study determines the influence that the implementation of the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) has on active learning in specific schools and did so by focusing on schools located in Mount Fletcher and Matatiele, in the Eastern Cape. The schools under study are divided into semi-rural and deep-rural schools. The study used a quantitative research design in which 80 learners and 60 teachers were sampled from grades 4 to 6 and used a questionnaire to determine recipients’ perceptions of the quality of the food served to learners and the level of active learning taking place after food breaks. A review of literature demonstrated there are different views as to whether NSNP is implemented correctly and is achieving its intended objectives. It was also found that learners felt that the quality of food lacks nutriti onal content and that teachers didn’t comply in terms of the required feeding times. About 45% of the teacher respondents indicated that feeding in some schools in Mount Fletcher continued beyond 10h00. This was largely due to a lack of monitoring by depar tment officials. However, 71% of teachers stated that active learning did take place after feeding. The study led to the conclusion that a connection exists between nutrient content and active learning. Therefore, for effective implementation of the NSNP, regular monitoring by teachers, the NSNP committee, and district officials should be undertaken.Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic science, 202
The influence of customer value On behavioural intention in the LGBT tourism sector
Get PDFThe potential economic implications of the LGBT tourism sector have received the attention of scholars, marketing practitioners and tourism destinations, highlighting the LGBT community as a lucrative sector, while also signifying their distinctive needs of the LGBT community. LGBT tourists spent approximately $218 billion on travel in 2018 and they account for approximately 6% of the global tourism market. The LGBT tourism sector is fast growing in South Africa, and it was predicted that by 2030, South Africa will attract approximately 21 million tourists. Within South Africa, Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg have earned a reputation as LGBT friendly destinations, with LGBT tourists expected to contribute approximately R1.8 billion to the Cape Town economy annually. Furthermore, between 10% and 12% of tourists in Cape Town identified themselves as members of the LGBT community. As a result, South Africa – and notably Cape Town – has been named one of the world’s top destinations for LGBT travellers. A well-known characteristic of the LGBT community is that it is comprised of highincome individuals who travel more frequently compared with their heterosexual counterparts. As a result, it is critical for the tourism sector to gain a thorough understanding of this market to effectively target it. Although travel and tourism are critical aspects of the modern LGBT culture, and LGBT tourism represents a developing and lucrative industry (especially in South Africa), there is limited scholarly research that can assist marketers in better understanding the LGBT tourists and their needs. In addition, no research has been conducted on the relationship between customer value and behavioural intentions in the LGBT tourism sector in South Africa. A major challenge for the tourism sector is the ability to offer value to LGBT tourists; therefore, destinations targeting the LGBT market should ensure that they understand how to create value for their customers. v LGBT tourism is considered unique in that the LGBT tourist views value differently than other markets. It is important to understand the dimensions of value to the LGBT market, as LGBT tourists are likely to be discouraged from visiting destinations that do not provide value, which has a significant impact on behavioural intentions. This study, therefore, investigated the dimensions of customer value and their influence on the behavioural intentions of tourists in the South African LGBT tourism sector. A self-administered electronic questionnaire was used to collect data, and 406 usable questionnaires was received. SPSS version 27.0 and Analysis of Movement Structures (AMOS) version 27.0 statistical packages were used to analyse the collected data and test the relationships between the variables examined in this study. The empirical results of this study showed a positive correlation between most dimensions of customer value and behavioural intention while a negative correlation coefficient was observed between cognitive dissonance and dimensions of customer value. The results confirm a positive significant relationship between the independent variables - functional value, emotional value, reputational value, epistemic value, social value - and the dependent variable - customer value. These relationships imply that if functional value, emotional value, reputational value, epistemic value and/or social value, customer value would improve. Interestingly, the findings show a significant positive relationship between monetary and non-monetary sacrifice, and customer value dimensions. These relationships imply that if monetary sacrifice and non-monetary sacrifice increase, customer value would increase. The findings also reveal that customer value has an influence on behavioural intention. Lastly, customer value was not found to be a mediating factor between customer value dimensions and behavioural vi intentions outcomes, namely revisit intention, tourist loyalty, willingness to pay a premium price and word of mouth. Findings from this study could aid destination marketers to ensure that they provide functional, emotional, reputational, epistemic and social value to tourists to gain competitive advantage. LGBT tourists need a safe haven where they can relax and enjoy themselves without fear of societal discrimination, and destinations should do their best to make this happen. This might be accomplished by creating a space where travellers who identify as LGBT can gather and mingle freely. In addition, to improve revisit intention, positive word of mouth and loyalty, tourist destinations should provide unique experiences. Destination marketers should engage in a number of marketing initiatives, including promoting South African LGBT tourism destinations at tourism expos, LGBT music festivals and prides. Lastly, limitations of the study and future research directions are presented.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic science, 202