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Ownership and occupation contestations in South Africa: the case of state housing in Buffalo City Municipality, Eastern Cape
Get PDFThis thesis examines contestations around access to state-provided housing or simply state housing in South Africa, using a case study of two sites in Buffalo City Municipality, and with a particular focus on occupation without ownership through informal and illegal means. While the South African state, based on an official human rights discourse and regime, seeks to provide state housing to the urban poor, massive housing backlogs continue to exist within urban spaces. As a result, the urban poor turn to self-provisioning through the construction of informal settlements or backyard shacks, waiting at times indefinitely to be allocated a state house via the official housing waiting lists. To overcome this problem, some amongst the urban poor opt to circumvent the process by invading and illegally occupying state houses, leading to occupation without ownership. In doing so, they draw upon their own moral rights-claims to justify their actions. The thesis examines the multiple causes for occupation and ownership contestations in the two research sites as well as the different forms that these contestations take. The study is framed theoretically in terms of a sociology of human rights, identifying and analysing how moral claims to rights amongst ordinary people often come into conflict with a legal-institutional conception of rights adopted by the state. The study also draws on a diverse array of theorists whose work speaks to the manner in which ordinary citizens develop their own ways of acting contrary to state officialdom. Using interpretive sociology, the study considers the views and practices of those illegally occupying houses without ownership and those who feel victimised by these informal actions. It considers these intra-community dynamics in light of the machinations of local state powerholders at municipal level. As with interpretive sociology, then, the thesis privileges social realms of meanings, interpretations, experiences and practices of human agents. Informal state housing occupations in the Buffalo City Municipality are caused by a number of factors related to state incapacity, weak policies and poor planning, corruption, resource constraints and so on. The study vividly demonstrates the tensions arising and existing between the South African state’s legal human rights regime and locally-constructed moral-rights regimes amongst the urban poor. This tension is seen in the interrelated phenomena of ‘occupation without ownership’ and ‘ownership without occupation’, as the poor draw upon and use ordinary logics of rights for recourse. The thesis shows how diverse rights regimes lead to intra-community conflict, in particular along generational and racial lines.Thesis (PhD) -- Humanities, Sociology, 202
Parents and personnel’s partnership in early childhood education provisioning in the East London Education District
Get PDFEarly childhood development is fundamental to human development and success in later life. Several stakeholders influence that development. Developmental policies are advocating for formal education provision at that early childhood age. Therefore, relationships and interactions of these stakeholders are of paramount importance in ensuring effective early childhood education provisioning – especially between parents and practitioners. Yet it has been reported that sharing of information concerning children’s educational development is not happening between parents and ECD practitioners. ECD centres are said to face many problems such as poor teaching and learning which may result in weak childhood educational development. Some of these challenges can be addressed through enhancing the partnership between parents and the ECD practitioners. The purpose of this study was therefore to explore the parents and practitioners’ partnership in early childhood education provisioning in ECD centres in the East London district. This study used the mixed method approach in the sampling, data collection and data analysis processes. The study focused on the partnership between parents and ECD practitioners, on how they work together, their views, how they communicate, on decision making and the strategies to enhance the partnership of parents and practitioners. Research questions in this study required both qualitative and quantitative data and analysis techniques. Quantitative data was collected from the ECD practitioners and principals by using questionnaires and qualitative data was collected through interviews with the parents. Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS and qualitative data was analysed using the thematic approach. The findings indicated that both parents and practitioners are working together in supporting learning and development. Parents are said to provide resources for use at the centre. Parents and practitioners are using different modes of communication for the learning and development of the children, including technology-based WhatsApp and emails. Practitioners are said to include parents in some decision making. The results indicated that even though some parents are working together with practitioners, while other parents are still showing ignorance and lack of knowledge on how they can partner for the educational development of the children.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, 202
The Right to a Speedy Trial for Crime Victims in South Africa
Get PDFDelays in criminal proceedings have characterised South Africa’s criminal justice system. This claim is substantiated by cases that take too long to commence or to be finalised. This study notes that the delays in criminal proceedings result in secondary victimisation of crime victims. Thus, the study argues that alleged crime victims should have a right to speedy trial too. The study further submits that the Constitution is silent about the right to a speedy trial for crime victims in South Africa. This silence has raised a perception among crime victims and the society at large that the Constitution favors the accused person only when dealing with delays. The studies that zoom into the problem of the delays in criminal proceedings have been mostly based on the criminological point of view. Such a topic of scholarly inquiry has been barely investigated from a legal point of view. The study investigates the delays, causes and negative effect that the delayed trials have on crime victims as the background of the study in order to evaluate the realisation of the right to a speedy trial for crime victims in South Africa. The main objective of the study is to propose the realisation and implementation of the right to a speedy trial for crime victims in South Africa. The study submits that most researchers exclusively focused on the accused’s speedy trial right in criminal proceedings and did not tackle this angle, thus leaving a gap in the literature that the study intends to fill. The study submits that the implementation of this right will protect crime victims from undue delays. It will also promote equality in the criminal justice system and eradicate future undue delays in criminal proceedings. Keywords: Accused person, crime victims, speedy trial, the criminal justice system, Constitution, undue delays, and secondary victimisation. his study sought to evaluate factors affecting the quality of food provided by the school nutrition programme in Mthatha, OR Tambo Inland Education District. This was a qualitative study in the form of case study research design. Two (2) schools were conveniently selected and from these, 2 principals, 2 school nutrition coordinators, 4 food handlers and 10 learners were purposefully selected to form the sample. Thus, 18 participants were selected in total. Interviews were used to collect data. A review of literature demonstrated that the school nutrition programme was valuable and played an important role towards addressing some of challenges prevalent in South Africa due to the history of the country. The literature reviewed also highlighted challenges faced by the school nutrition programme despite its tremendous success. These are some of the findings: the school nutrition programme was successful towards improving learner punctuality and engaging in the classroom. This had the potential to improve learner health overall; however, it was observed that lack of training around food preparation and hygiene could reduce the effectiveness of the programme. The provision for appropriate storage facilities was also noted as an issue that placed the programme at risk. These are some of the recommendations: the government should provide appropriate training and proper storage facilities in schools with nutrition programme; this could contribute meaningfully towards improving the quality of food provided by the school nutrition programme.Thesis (LLM) -- Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, 202
Effect of fire severity on Afrotemperate forest tree survival
No full textWeather patterns have changed globally with increased fire danger weather conditions, along with poor management and fire suppression, likely contributing to the increase in prevalence of large wildfires. Ecosystems such as temperate broadleaved forests, where fire is limited by climatic conditions, are particularly at risk of altered fire regimes related to climate change. It is thus important to monitor the effects of fire in these ecosystems. Satellite remote sensing is a cost-effective way to assess spatial variability of fire effects on a landscape scale and has become an increasingly used tool for studying fire severity. In the southern Cape of South Africa during October-November 2018, a large wildfire burnt patches of Southern Cape Afrotemperate Forest (hereafter ‘Afrotemperate forest’). This provided an opportunity to investigate the accuracy of a satellite index for fire severity and the effect of fire on Afrotemperate forest survival. The first objective was to verify through field observations the accuracy of the differenced Normalised Burn Ratio (dNBR) as an index of fire severity derived from Sentinel 2 images in Afrotemperate forest. The second objective was to investigate the effect of fire severity and tree size on the post-fire survival of Afrotemperate forest tree species. For the first objective, stem fire severity, estimated from observed damage to the main stem, was recorded for 1 648 trees in 87 plots and linear regression used to test whether the observed measure of fire severity was related to dNBR. For the second objective, stem fire severity and tree survival 19-24 months post-fire were recorded for 40 species and 1 378 trees in 88 plots. Trees were considered to have survived if they resprouted from the main stem or had green foliage in the canopy. The survival response was assessed in relation to stem fire severity and tree size for all trees collectively and for 10 species (with sample size > 40) individually, using logistic regression. A strong linear relationship between dNBR and stem fire severity (r2 = 0.69, p 60% of individuals), while five species showed low survival (< 40%). This study was the first post-fire assessment of the resprouting ability of Afrotemperate forest trees and a third of the trees surveyed (for species collectively) resprouted from the stem. This suggested that resprouting from the stem is a primary means of post-fire recovery in Afrotemperate forest trees, in contrast with previous assertions that several common canopy species, including Podocarpus latifolius, Afrocarpus falcatus, Scutia myrtina, Scolopia mundii and Rapanea melanophloeos, are unable to resprout. Varying resilience to fire among species supports previous suggestions that fire affects species’ composition and diversity in these forests and calls for careful management of fire regimes in the face of global change.Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, School of Natural Resource Management, 202
Determinants of foreign direct investments into the Southern African Development Community Region: the case of financial sector development, institutional quality and financial openness.
Get PDFThe SADC region is a 15-member states grouping. Countries in the region have experienced low growth coupled with high levels of poverty and inequality. Attracting FDI to the region has been top priority. However, much is still to be realised. The study employed the Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) technique for the period 1980 to 2019. Empirical results show that financial sector development and financial openness are important determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows. The results also showed that institutional quality is also a very important variable in determining the inflow of FDI, even though its effect is conditional on financial sector development and financial openness. These results imply that countries with good institutional framework, as well as a developed financial sector and are financially open tend to attract more capital inflows in the form of FDI, thereby creating adequate conditions to boost private sector and investment abroad. Countries in the SADC region should therefore pursue policies which are aimed at improving the institutional framework, the level of financial sector development and further enhance the openness of their financial openness.Thesis (MCom) (Economics) -- University of Fort Hare, 202
Code of conduct for learners: A strategy for enhancing positive discipline in selected township schools in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
Get PDFDealing with misbehaving learners remains a significant challenge for teachers in South African schools. As the use of corporal punishment and other punitive measures to deal with misbehaving learners is now illegal, alternative positive disciplinary measures have been put in place. The prohibition of negative disciplinary measures has left teachers feeling powerless and frustrated, not knowing how to manage learner behaviour, despite the fact that they are the viable agents tasked with ensuring that positive disciplinary measures are implemented in schools. This study sought to examine how best a code of conduct for learners can be used to enhance positive discipline in schools. To that end, the study offers insights into how positive disciplinary measures may be used, in dealing with learner indiscipline. This is a qualitative study, underpinned by the interpretivist paradigm. The study employed a phenomenological design as a strategy for data collection, to examine how a code of conduct for learners can be used to enhance positive discipline in selected township schools. As this is a qualitative study concerned more with the depth than the breadth of information, the researcher deemed it necessary to focus on two schools, to obtain deep insight into the participants’ lived experiences. Two schools, in Pinetown in Durban, participated in the study. Interviews, observations and document reviews were used as data-collection instruments. In each school, interviews were conducted with the school principal, teacher representatives serving on the school governing board, disciplinary committee members, and members of the representative council for learners. Disciplinary hearings and disciplinary committee meetings were observed, and documents of relevance to the study were reviewed. The findings, as reported on here, revealed that the code of conduct is the most important strategy that schools can use to enhance positive discipline. Other strategies in enhancing positive discipline include the use of a research-based positive classroom management approach; positive reinforcement; integrating community support services; modelling good behaviour; parental involvement; preventive, supportive and corrective discipline; detention; communication (incorporating professionalism and cooperation); the creation of an environment conducive to teaching and learning; and the withdrawal or withholding of privileges. The findings further revealed that positive discipline is an alternative to negative disciplinary measures, such as corporal punishment in schools. Teachers are expected to comply with, and adhere to, disciplinary policies, and to assist learners in unlearning bad behaviours and developing the necessary life skills, values, and attitudes. The participants’ understanding of the use of a code of conduct for positive discipline successfully assisted them, as teachers, in dealing with misbehaving learners, and, in turn, in developing learners’ positive self-control and self-esteem, helping them to become responsible citizens, and courageous and respectful learners, not only in the school environment, but also as members of society at large. The research findings also revealed that many participants believed using a code of conduct (positive discipline) to enhance positive behaviour was a waste of time, and ineffective. As the findings indicate, learners were found to become impervious or immune to positive disciplinary measures put in place to assist them with behavioural problems. The findings also revealed that the ineffectiveness of such a code in enhancing positive discipline could be attributed to the fact that the teachers themselves were not, to a certain degree, fully trained with regard to positive disciplinary measures. A lack of parental support and teacher professionalism, the continued use of (the prohibited) corporal punishment, poor communication, a lack of stakeholder involvement in formulating codes of conduct, a lack of positive modelling and power struggles were found to impede the use of a code of conduct to enhance positive discipline in schools. Based on the research findings, the study recommends that schools ensure that there is a sufficiently detailed code of conduct to assist teachers in addressing learners’ bad behaviour. There should also be advocacy from the Department of Basic Education, for support programmes to be put in place to assist teachers with alternative ways of enhancing positive discipline in the classroom. Awareness of how teachers are to be upskilled as regards positive disciplinary strategies, active parental involvement, and increased support for teachers, are amongst the recommendations. Ultimately, the researcher concluded that the code of conduct was a strategy that schools can use to enhance positive discipline. To this end, teachers must adhere to that code (and other positive disciplinary measures), for positive discipline to flourish in schools.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, 202
Indium phthalocyanines
Get PDFIn this study, the photodynamic antimicrobial activities of a series of new tetra-substituted indium phthalocyanine (InPc) complexes are assessed. An aldehyde substituted complex (2) was initially prepared, which was converted through a condensatioreaction to an imine-pyrrolidine substituted complex (3), which in turn was quaternized to form a tetracationic species (4). Favorable photophysicochemical properties were obtained by incorporating a heavy In(III) ion into the central cavity. Aggregation studies revealed that 2–4 remain non-aggregated in DMSO at concentration below 25 µM. The photodeactivation of S.aureus and E.coli was studied. Log reduction values > 9.0 were obtained for cationic InPc 4 after 30 min of incubation and exposure to light for 75 min
Structural modification of RhIIItriarylcorroles for enhanced electrocatalyzed hydrogen evolution reactions
Get PDFA series of A3 type RhIIItriarylcorroles 2a-c with different meso-substituents with differing electron-donating and withdrawing properties and two A2B type RhIIItriarylcorroles 4a-b with meso-methylthiophenyls at the B position have been prepared and characterized. An analysis of structure-property relationships of 2a-c and 4a-b has been carried out by comparing the optical spectroscopy and electrochemistry of the dyes to trends predicted in DFT and TD-DFT calculations. Rational structural modification strategies that enhance the suitability of 2a-c for use as highly efficient catalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions on glassy carbon electrodes coated with 2a-c/reduced graphene oxide composites and of 4a-b in surface-modified Au electrodes are explored
Fabrication of asymmetrical morpholine phthalocyanines conjugated chitosan-polyacrylonitrile nanofibers for improved photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy activity
Get PDFThe work is based on the synthesis and photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) activities of neutral (1 and 2) and cationic (1Q and 2Q) morpholine substituted phthalocyanines. For applicability, these complexes were covalently linked to modified polyacrylonitrile (PAN) to form 1-PAN, 2-PAN, 1Q-PAN, and 2Q-PAN, respectively. Chitosan was conjugated to PAN (to form PAN-CS) which was then linked to the Pcs to form PAN-CS-1, PAN-CS-2, PAN-CS-1Q, and PAN-CS-2Q, respectively. Singlet oxygen quantum yields improved following the inclusion of chitosan. The PACT activities of the complexes alone and when anchored to both PAN and PAN-CS was evaluated against bacteria: S. aureus, E. coli and fungi C. albicans. Cationic phthalocyanine showed high efficacy values of >7 log reduction value for all microorganisms. These results translated into excellent bacterial colony reduction of >90% against both S. aureus and C. albicans after 1 h of photoirradiation on PAN-CS support
The development of a flow route to synthesize 3- benzyl-6-bromo-2-methoxyquinoline, an intermediate of an anti-TB drug, bedaquilin
Get PDFSA has a high number of reported cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Bedaquiline is a newly approved active ingredient of an anti-tuberculosis drug with high potency against MDR-TB. The limited access to this life-saving medicine to many people in the world has driven a great deal of research effort by the scientific community to find new, better and more practical approaches to this drug. However, many of the reported synthetic procedures suffer from long reaction times, which in turn require many hours of effort by the chemists conducting the reactions. This has prompted us to investigate an efficient process towards the synthesis to produce the key intermediates of bedaquiline using continuous flow technology. Additionally, since there is not much literature on continuous flow synthesis of bedaquiline, this research revealed interesting continuous flow processes towards the drug. Chapter 1: In order to provide insight, the first chapter of this dissertation presents a comprehensive background and literature review on tuberculosis; its pathogenesis, impact, medicines available for the treatment as well as the drug classes with novel mode of action and new chemical entities. Furthermore, bedaquiline is discussed in detail with the various synthetic protocols of the drug. An introduction to continuous flow chemistry is discussed, along with an outline of its advantages and disadvantages. Chapter 2: The second chapter encompasses the experimental procedures utilized for both batch and continuous flow syntheses. The three key intermediates of bedaquiline were synthesized in batch synthesis and these compounds were characterized using 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy. Subsequently, the continuous flow synthesis protocols for the preparations of these intermediates and their optimization are outlined. Chapter 3: The results are explained in this chapter with detailed discussions of the batch synthesis and the continuous flow optimization of each step within the scope of this research. The investigation started with the batch preparation of the primary intermediate, N-(4-bromophenyl)-3-phenylpropanamide via an amidation reaction between 3-phenylpropanoyl chloride and p-bromoaniline. The primary intermediate then undergoes a subsequent formylation and cyclization via a Vilsmeier–Haack reaction to yield 3-benzyl-6-bromo-2-chloroquinoline. The chloroquinoline ii intermediate undergoes a methoxylation reaction to form 3-benzyl-6-bromo-2- methoxyquinoline. Subsequently, the batch protocol was transferred into continuous flow systems, optimized by varying reaction parameters within the synthesis route to achieve the as much yield as possible. The optimization studies showed an improvement in conversions in the various steps with shorter reaction times. The first step was optimized in a 0.2ml microreactor and because of the enhanced safety of flow chemistry, this exothermic amidation reaction was optimised at elevated temperatures to afford the primary intermediate at a 100% conversion within a residence time of 5 seconds using DMF as a solvent with DIPEA as a base. Next, the Vilsmier-Haack cyclization and chlorination was optimised in flow to afford the 2-chloroquinoline intermediate. The ability to use a back pressure regulator allowed for investigation of the effect of high temperature on the reaction and the 2- chloroquinoline intermediate was obtained at 78% conversion in a residence time of 30 min at 150 ⁰C using acetonitrile as a solvent. Subsequently, the optimization of the third step in flow to afford the central core intermediate of bedaquiline, 3-benzyl-6-bromo-2-methoxyquinoline, achieved 100% conversion in DMSO/MeOH solvent system at a residence time of 5 min. The effect of temperature, molar equivalence and solvent on reaction conversions could be observed in these steps. The results obtained from this study clearly demonstrated the successful establishment of an efficient flow chemistry protocol that can be used to successfully synthesize all intermediates within the scope of this research.Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, School of Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences, 202