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The emergence of isiZulu in Skeem Saam (2011) sociolinguistics: factors and the politics of the ‘loss of ethnolinguistic pluralism’at the SABC 1
No full textThis study aims to investigate how an ecological understanding of pol-yglossia is used in the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) television channel, SABC 1 to maintain and create ethnolinguis-tic dominance. Key arguments this study will make are: (1) polyglossia is a language ideology masquerading as ethnolinguistic pluralism, (2) there is a loss of ethnolinguistic pluralism in SABC 1 because of the polyglot culture and its transmissions, (3) isiZulu is emerging as a lan-guage and cultural flare of the channel. This paper concluded that isi-Zulu’s presence is rising in a soap initially meant to be a Sepedi show. And this has negative consequences for language equality in the SABC
An investigation in waste management in Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality: a case study in Whittlesea
Get PDFThe study investigates the state of rendering waste service to Whittlesea within the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality (EMLM). The study assesses into local municipality waste management policy and how the everyday attitude on waste handling has impacted on waste management. The study responds to the contextual gap in EMLM waste service delivery to Whittlesea community. The study addresses the following key research questions: What is the waste management policy in Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality? How was the waste management policy implemented by municipal mangers in Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality to Whittlesea? How did the community of Whittlesea respond to the waste management service delivery of Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality? The study used a qualitative approach, the data collection instruments included document review of policy and other official document, and in-depth interviews of respondents from the municipality and the community. The key findings of this research study were as follows- firstly, the national policy framework was clear on the role and responsibility of the municipality in waste management; secondly, Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality had clearly articulated waste management policy and operational procedure; thirdly, in spite of robust municipal policy and procedures, the inadequate inputs and resources for waste management programme in Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality impacted negatively on service delivery in Whittlesea; fourthly, the challenges experienced by municipal managers in EMLM made it difficult for them to provide efficient waste management services to the Whittlesea community; and, finally the irresponsible attitude of the community in dumping waste worsened the provision of waste management in the municipality.Thesis (MPA) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 202
Cross boundary fluxes: Basal resource use by aquatic invertebrates matches fatty acid transfers from river to land
Get PDFEmerging insects transfer valuable lipids originating in aquatic food sources to terrestrial consumers. The objective of this study was to determine how the export of physiologically important fatty acids from a river to adjacent land via insect emergence relates to the type and quality of the aquatic food consumed, and which emerging insects were primarily responsible for these fluxes. We ran mixing models and hypervolumes incorporating stable carbon isotope ratios of basal resources and emergent invertebrates to determine the major contributors to insect larvae diets. Our data revealed that aquatic food sources (epiphyton, epilithon and suspended particulate matter) were the major organic matter sources (more than 50 %) supporting consumers (Diptera, Ephemeroptera, Odonata and Trichoptera), with allochthonous food sources (C3 plants) being of importance at upstream sites. We calculated fluxes of highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) via emerging insects and found that these corresponded with the spatial and temporal patterns in the nutritional quality of these same basal resources in the river (quality measured as concentrations of HUFAs). These patterns provide evidence of a direct coupling between food quality and trophic subsidy fluxes from water to land, particularly by emergent dipterans and ephemeropterans
From affirmative to transformative approaches to academic development
Get PDFMuch academic development work, whether it be student, academic staff, institutional or curriculum development, is undertaken from an affirmative rather than a transformative approach (Luckett, L., and S. Shay. 2020.“Reframing the Curriculum: A Transformative Approach.” Critical Studies in Education61 (1): 50–65). To be transformative, academic development has to reframe the problem beyond one of poor student retention and throughput. We need to make sense of the conditions from which issues such as poor retention and throughput rates emerge, rather than focusing on mitigating the effects of such conditions within the status quo. Drawing on Fraser’s concept of parity of participation, we suggest that if academic development is to engage in transformative approaches, it needs to adjust the scale of the problem and challenge underpinning assumptions, and thereby review the fitness of universities, curricula and academic development practices for a pluralist society. In sum, a transformative approach to academic development work will entail conceptualising academic development as a political knowledge project
An evaluation of the mechanical, engineering and retails service and training authority staff development project at an Eastern Cape University
Get PDFHigher Education (HE) has undergone significant changes in recent decades, necessitating the adaptation of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to focus on teaching, supporting, and academically developing academic staff. In Africa, some HEIs have requested their staff to obtain certain postgraduate qualifications, as research achievements lead to academic promotion. The MerSETA Staff Development Project was established to train lecturers in the Engineering Department to upgrade their qualifications to the doctorate level and to increase their research skills. This study aimed to evaluate the project's success using project management methodology. A mixed methods approach was used, with a qualitative and quantitative phase. Data was collected through focus group interviews (FGIs) and closed-ended questionnaires. A purposive sampling technique was used in the qualitative phase, while census sampling was used in the quantitative phase. Qualitative data analysis was primarily inductive, with interpretive data analysis techniques (IPA) used to discuss findings with existing literature. Statistical techniques were used in the quantitative phase, with Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) tested. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the features and summaries of the study's sample or data set. Regression analysis was used to test the research hypotheses and establish the relationship between variables under investigation. The study employed appropriate Cronbach alpha formulae to determine a co-efficient above 0.70. The results of this study indicate that the MerSETA Project successfully developed its beneficiaries academically at Walter Sisulu University. However, there are limitations to the study, such as the cross-sectional study design, which cannot reflect changes in variables over time. Further research is required to study the relationships between variables over time using a longitudinal study design. The MerSETA Project demonstrated the importance of understanding project life cycles, knowledge areas, and monitoring and evaluation techniques in managing projects like the MerSETA Project. To enhance causality, further research is needed to study relationships between variables over time using a longitudinal study design. The MerSETA Project, a successful project, requires an understanding of the project life cycle, management knowledge areas, and monitoring and evaluation techniques. The study's findings concluded that the project was a success.Thesis (Masters) -- Faculty of Education, 202
Drug Resistance in the HIV-1 Subtype C Protease Enzyme: A High Throughput Virtual Screening Approach in Search of New Ligands with Activity
No full textBackground: HIV-1 subtype C protease is a strategic target for antiretroviral treatment. However, resistance to protease inhibi-tors appears after months of treatment. Chromones and 2- bis-coumarin derivatives show potential for inhibition of the HIV- subtype C protease. Objective: Different heterocyclic structures from the ZINC database were docked against Human Immuno-deficiency Virus-1 (HIV) subtype C protease crystal structure 2R5Q and 2R5P. The 5 best molecules were selected to be docked against 62 homology models based on HIV-protease se-quences from infants failing antiretroviral protease treatment. This experimentation was performed with two molecular docking programs: Autodock and Autodock Vina. These molecules were modified by substituting protons with different moieties, and the derivatives were docked against the same targets. Ligand-protein interactions, physical/chemical proprieties of the mole-cules, and dynamics simulations were analyzed
Insights into the Dynamics and Binding of Two Polyprotein Substrate Cleavage Points in the Context of the SARS-CoV-2 Main and Papain-like Proteases
Get PDFIt is well known that vital enzymes in the replication process of the coronavirus are the SARS-CoV-2 PLpro and SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro, both of which are important targets in the search for anti-coronavirus agents. These two enzymes are responsible for cleavage at various polyprotein sites in the SARS-CoV-2 lifecycle. Herein, the dynamics of the polyprotein cleavage sequences for the boundary between non-structural proteins Nsp1 and Nsp2 (CS1) and between Nsp2 and Nsp3 (CS2) in complex with both the papain-like protein PLpro and the main protease 3CLpro were explored using computational methods. The post dynamics analysis reveals that CS1 and CS2 both have greater stability when complexed with PLpro. Of these two, greater stability is observed for the CS1–PLpro complex, while destabilization resulting in loss of CS2 from the PLpro active site is observed for CS2-PLpro, suggesting the rate of exchange by the papain-like protease is faster for CS2 compared to CS1. On the other hand, the 3CLpro main protease also reveals stability for CS1 suggesting that the main protease could also play a potential role in the cleavage at point CS1. However, destabilization occurs early in the simulation for the complex CLpro–CS2 suggesting a poor interaction and non-plausible protease cleavage of the polyprotein at CS2 by the main protease. These findings could be used as a guide in the development and design of potent COVID-19 antiviral inhibitors that mimic the CS1 cleavage site
The protection of the rights of people with disabilities in the South African workplace: a critical analysis
Get PDFIn the past, persons with disabilities were marginalised and suffered many disadvantages because of oppression. As a result, that had become an obstacle for them to enjoy their basic rights such as social, political and economic rights. Judging from the inequalities in the workplace, disability appears to be the main challenge hindering the progress of achieving equal prospects and fair treatment in many countries, including South Africa, especially in the workplace. That has resulted in most persons with disabilities living in poverty or rather depending on social support from the government in order to survive, due to employment discrimination. Policies, transformative programmes and employment laws have been promulgated to address employment discrimination. Some of the promulgated transformative programmes were developed to enforce section 9 of the Constitution. However, persons with disabilities are still faced with challenges of discriminatory practices in the workplace even today. This study is impelled by how ineffective these employment laws are, especially when safeguarding of persons with disabilities is concerned. Apart from the ineffectiveness of the current labour legislation in protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, the study aims at identifying how equality rights can be used by disability movements in order to influence policy development and implementation to advance access to work for persons with disabilities, and to further provide them with reasonable accommodation to be able to thrive within the workplace. Also, deriving some guidance from the international perspective of governing disability rights is of paramount importance in achieving equality within the working environment. It is thus extremely important to adopt compelling speedy actions to promote equal rights in the context of disability by bringing proportional aspects of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (PEPUDA) into action. That can be achieved if the policies and legislation created can be interpreted in a manner that is equal and effective, and that promotes implementation more than theory. Therefore, dealing with discrimination against persons with disabilities signifies an essential aspect in defeating the elevated inequality in the apartheid era, which disempowers the recognised constitutional democracy.Thesis (LLM) -- Faculty of Law, 202
The legacy of colonial and apartheid eras on the distribution, composition and representation of street trees in South Africa
No full textSouth Africa is a country of social, economic and racial contrasts and inequities, the roots of which can be traced back to the colonial and the post-colonial, racist apartheid periods. During these periods, urban black South Africans were restricted to living in specifically designated neighbourhoods apart from white citizens. These areas became characterised by institutionalised underdevelopment, insufficient infrastructure, limited opportunities and deep poverty. Despite the democratic transition in the mid-1990s, the imprints of the previous institutionalised segregation remain visible in many facets of the spatial geography of South African towns and cities. The legacies of colonialism and apartheid remain strongly expressed in street trees in terms of where they are found in the urban areas (i.e. very few in the former black neighbourhoods) and the provenance of prevalent species (mostly non-native species in older areas). Similarities to and reproduction of colonial approaches are evident in even contemporary initiatives such as the national social housing programme, the national Champion Trees inventory and the naming of streets after non-native species. This has translated into apathy or antagonism towards street trees in some regions by officials and the public
Neoliberalism’s conditioning effects on the university and the example of proctoring during COVID-19 and since
No full textNeoliberalism has shaped the academy in ways that constrain its potential as a public good. Neoliberalism is based on the assumption that, by submitting to the so-called neutral forces of the market, wealth can be created alongside the achievement of equality and efficiency. Although this assumption is demonstrably false, neoliberalism remains politically powerful. As an example, this article discusses how neoliberalism has enabled the rapid uptake of proctoring software during the covid pandemic and since. ‘Proctoring' is the online monitoring of students’ behaviour as they sit for exams. Many within the academy consider proctoring software to be dehumanizing – essentially legalized spyware. They argue that the software invades privacy and is inherently racist and ableist, amongst other things. It is hoped that by understanding how structural forces such as neoliberalism affect both our agency and university activities, frequently against the common good, strategies can be developed to change these structures