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A review of the application of South African regulations on aquatic invasive alien species
No full textAquatic invasive alien species (IAS) are rapidly colonizing freshwater and marine ecosystems globally, disrupting ecological balance and posing a threat to biodiversity and economic well-being (Dalhu, 2023). This study investigates the role of the pet trade in introducing IAS in South Africa. Fueled by globalization and a growing interest in alien flora, numerous alien plant species have become established, with some progressing to invasive status (Genovesi et al., 2008). The pet trade is regarded as a major pathway for introducing harmful aquatic IAS into South African waters. Unintentional releases, escape during transport, and contaminated plants/equipment can all introduce invasive species. Regulations like NEM:BA are crucial to protect South Africa's unique biodiversity, economic interests, and public health by controlling the import and trade of these IAS. However, gaps in knowledge among traders and potential inconsistencies in monitoring highlight the need for both stricter enforcement and educational outreach programs to effectively combat this threat. In this study, the regulations set forth by the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEM:BA) 10 of 2004 to manage IAS trade are examined to produce a comprehensive literature review on trade of aquatic IAS and the habitat destruction caused by these aquatic IAS. To achieve this aim; a mix of questionnaire and onsite visits to pet shops, aquarium and nurseries around Johannesburg and interviews with IAS practitioners in South Africa were conducted. The results indicated that the trade of the prohibited IAS in terms of section 67(1) i.e. IAS belonging to category 1a and Category 1b species in terms of NEM:BA Act of 2004 is still ongoing hence key recommendations have been provided for all stakeholders to prevent the further increase of trade of IAS. Ultimately, the trade of IAS can be curtailed by following legislation that has been set out. But wider impact can be made by bringing greater environmental awareness to buyers and sellers of these IAS through educational outreach programs.Life and Consumer Science
Pentecostalism and Covenantalism: Towards a Pneumatological Covenant Theology of Dealing with Adversity
Get PDFCovenant theology seeks to explore the connection between deity and
humanity which spans from the time of creation to the time when God sent his
son to redeem the world from sin. The main tenets of the covenant theology
also known as covenantalism are the covenant of works mainly found in the
creation story. Second, it is the covenant of grace based on the promises of
eternal life through faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ, and embracement of the
Holy Spirit. The third component of covenant theology is the covenant of
redemption which recognizes the sending of the Son of God into the world to
die for the sins of the people. This article argued that covenantalism in the
Pentecostal movement is not a mere doctrine based on these three tenets but
rather is pneumatologically defined as a way of dealing with adversity. This is
demonstrated through the theoretical framework of the pneumatological
imagination in illustrating how Pentecostals in Africa are rooted in the
covenant between them and their God through the Holy Spirit. Thus
pneumatology in Pentecostalism becomes the foundation for the Pentecostal
pneumatological covenant theology of dealing with adversity. This changes
how we study covenant theolog., It is not only about religious doctrine but also
a means of dealing with adversity. The study is a literature review within
qualitative methodology. The study makes an important contribution to
covenant theology by suggesting a theology of dealing with adversity beyond
doctrinal issues. Therefore, covenant theology should be studied by taking into
cognizance the role of the Holy Spirit within the framework of
pneumatological imagination in helping believers overcome adversity.Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiolog
Search for top-philic heavy resonances in pp collisions at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector
No full textAbstract
A search for the associated production of a heavy resonance with a top-quark or a top-antitop-quark pair, and decaying into a
t
t
¯
pair is presented. The search uses the data recorded by the ATLAS detector in pp collisions at
s
=
13
TeV
at the Large Hadron Collider during the years 2015–2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139
fb
-
1
. Events containing exactly one electron or muon are selected. The two hadronically decaying top quarks from the resonance decay are reconstructed using jets clustered with a large radius parameter of
R
=
1
. The invariant mass spectrum of the two top quark candidates is used to search for a resonance signal in the range of 1.0
TeV
to 3.2
TeV
. The presence of a signal is examined using an approach with minimal model dependence followed by a model-dependent interpretation. No significant excess is observed over the background expectation. Upper limits on the production cross section times branching ratio at 95% confidence level are provided for a heavy
Z
′
boson based on a simplified model, for
Z
′
mass between 1.0
TeV
and 3.0
TeV
. The observed (expected) limits range from 21 (14) fb to 119 (86) fb depending on the choice of model parameters
Pots and marriage : an archaeometric analysis of sherds from Mgoduyanuka, a late iron age site in Kwazulu-Natal
No full textText in English with summaries in Afrikaans and ZuluThis project tests the hypothesis, driven by Zulu ethnography, that red-coloured sherds from the
Late Iron Age site of Mgoduyanuka in KwaZulu-Natal come from pots that were brought into
the homestead through marriage alliances. In contrast, black-coloured and plain sherds come
from pots that were locally made. To test this hypothesis, three archaeometric techniques were
employed: portable XRF, conventional XRF and XRD. To understand the social origins of
coloured vessels, ethnographic interviews were conducted. XRF and XRD results showed that
there is no difference between the clay fabrics of the sherds. However, the results of portable
XRF showed that there is a significant difference between the fabrics of the red-coloured
sherds and the plain sherds. The fabric of the black-coloured sherds is spread between the redcoloured
and the plain sherds, suggesting that some black pots would have been brought into
the homestead.Hierdie projek het die hipotese, gebaseer op Zulu-etnografie, dat rooigekleurde potskerwe van die Laat
Ystertydperkterrein Mgoduyanuka in KwaZulu-Natal afkomstig is van potte wat in die woonkompleks
ingebring is deur huweliksalliansies, getoets. In teenstelling hiermee is swartgekleurde en gewone (ongekleurde)
potskerwe afkomstig van plaaslik vervaardigde potte. Om hierdie hipotese te toets is drie argeometriese
tegnieke gebruik: draagbare XRF, konvensionele XRF en XRD. Om die sosiale oorsprong van gekleurde potte
te verstaan is etnografiese onderhoude gevoer. XRF- en XRD resultate het getoon dat daar geen verskille is
tussen die materiaal van die potskerwe nie. Die resultate van die draagbare XRF het egter ’n beduidende verskil
getoon tussen die materiaal van die rooigekleurde en gewone potskerwe. Die materiaal van die swartgekleurde
potskerwe is versprei tussen die rooigekleurde en gewone potskerwe, wat suggereer dat sommige swart potte
in die woonkompleks ingebring is.Le phrojekthi beyihlola ngenkolelomboni, ngokokulandisa kwesizwe samaZulu, ngokuthi izingcezu-zebhodwe
ezinombala obomvu ezisendaweni yaseMgoduyanuka iLate Iron Age KwaZulu-Natali zaphuma ezimbizeni
ezazifika ngesikhathi kuganiselwana. Umehluko ukuthi, izingcezu-zebhodwe ezinombala omnyama futhi
ezingahlobile ngezalezo zimbiza noma lawo mabhodwe enziwe endaweni. Ukuze kuhlolwe le nkolelombono,
kuye kwasetshenziswa izindlela ezintathu zokuhlola ubudala balezi zimbiza: nokuyiXRF ephathekayo, yiXRF
ejwayelekile kanye neXRD. Ukuze siqonde imvelaphi yezitsha ezinemibala, kuye kwabanjwa izinkulumongxoxo
ngokulandela incazelo yabanolwazi. Imiphumela yeXRF neXRD ibonise ukuthi awukho umehluko okhona phakathi
kokwakheka kwelezi zindengezi. Kodwa-ke, imiphumela yeXRF ephathekayo ibonise umehluko omkhulu phakathi
kokwakheka izingcezu-zebhodwe ezinemibala ebomvu kanye nalezo ezingahlobile. Ukwakheka izingcezuzebhodwe
ezinombala omnyama kuvela kuzo zombili izingcezu- zebhodwe ezinombala obomvu kanye nalezo
ezingahlobile, okusho ukuthi ezinye izimbiza kwakungezokufika emakhaya.M.A. (Archaeology)School of Art
The effect of psychosocial factors on the academic persistence of undergraduate university students
No full textThe high dropout rate of undergraduate students in institutions of higher learning continues to be a concern for the higher education sector globally. Although university dropout has been studied over the years, little attention has been paid to the psychosocial factors that predict university dropout. Therefore, this study investigated the role of sense of sense of belonging, perceived social support, academic motivation, and academic anxiety on the academic persistence of undergraduate university students. The study also investigated the role of background factors, students' socioeconomic status and generation status on academic persistence. The sample comprised 489 students from a university in South Africa and a quantitative research approach was used to test the hypotheses. The findings of this study showed that sense of belonging, academic motivation, and the generation status of students significantly predicted academic persistence, whereas academic anxiety, perceived social support, and the socioeconomic status of students was not predictive of academic persistence. The findings also showed that sense of belonging significantly mediated the relationship between academic anxiety and academic persistence. In addition, sense of belonging significantly mediated the relationship between perceived social support and academic persistence. Furthermore, sense of belonging significantly moderated the relationship between academic motivation and academic persistence. The findings also showed that sense of belonging significantly and directly predicted academic motivation, academic anxiety, academic persistence, and indirectly predicted academic persistence, via academic motivation. However, the study found that sense of belonging could not predict academic persistence, via academic anxiety. The findings also showed that the relationship between sense of belonging, academic motivation, academic anxiety and academic persistence, with sense of belonging predicted to have a significant indirect effect on academic persistence, via academic anxiety and academic motivation, was moderated by participants’ generation status.
The findings of the study highlight that undergraduate students need to be supported continually through multiple intervention strategies during their studies at university. Furthermore, the findings encourage university administrators to reform and introduce robust student support policies.D. Phil. (Psychology)Psycholog
Assessment of the impact of renewable energy supply, carbon dioxide emissions, trade, and economic growth nexus on maize production from 1979-2021
No full textText in EnglishThe economy most susceptible to climate change is the agriculture sector. Agricultural production is negatively affected by weather patterns and temperature which ultimately impacts the sector’s economy. Food insecurity and a disturbance in the food supply chain are the aftereffects of climate change. A study by Wu et al. (2021). It is foretold that renewable energy utilization will reduce emissions responsible for climate change. The United Nations (UN) has also laid out a global mandate of “a clean and inexpensive energy for all” as part of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study specifically focuses on SDG 7 (affordable clean energy) and 13 (climate change). Many industrialized and emerging nations use maize as an energy crop; South Africa has rarely made use of this potential owing to valid food security concerns. Maize production trends in this study showed growth throughout the years despite a few declines which were mostly as a result of climate change. Trade trends also pointed out that there is minimal maize regional trade between South Africa and the rest of the African countries. At the aggregate level, maize production for human, and animal consumption and for biofuel feedstock depends on several macroeconomic factors, some of which were explored in this study. This study was backed by several macroeconomic theories namely: the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC), the Mercantilist Theory of Trade, the Export-Led Growth Theory, and the Endogenous Growth Theory. The main objective of this study was to assess the impact of Carbon Dioxide Emissions (CO2), Renewable Energy Supply, Trade, and Economic Growth on maize production in South Africa from 1979 to 2021. The nexus offered vital insights on initiatives that could be prioritised to advance renewable energy in the South African agriculture industry. An Auto Regressive-Distributed Lag (ARDL) model using Bounds test econometric approach was employed to estimate the short and long-run nexus between renewable energy supply, carbon dioxide emissions, trade, economic growth, and the production of maize. The existence of unit root in the time-series data was examined using the Augment Dickey-Fuller and Phillips-Perron tests; the robustness of the long-run estimate was assessed using the Fully Modified Least Squares (FMOLS) and Canonical Cointegration Regression (CCR) models. The Pair-wise Granger Causality test was used to test for causality between carbon dioxide emissions, renewable energy supply, trade, economic growth, and maize production. The short-run results indicated that Carbon Dioxide Emissions reduce maize production and renewable energy supply increases maize production both in the short-run and long-run. Granger causality results indicated a unidirectional causality between carbon dioxide emissions, economic growth, and maize production. A bidirectional causality was observed between renewable energy supply and maize production. This study contributes to economic policy regarding the energy-climate nexus in South Africa's agricultural industry. The agricultural industry is not only an energy consumer but also has the potential to contribute to renewable energy, specifically bioenergy through the supply of biomass. Considering that maize is a major global energy crop, its demand globally trickles down to maize-producing countries, and this has implications for supply and demand locally and globally. The study’s emerging insights may be used to guide the use of renewable energy biomass supply and the impact of climate change on the agricultural economy (maize production).M. Sc. (Agricultural Economics)Agriculture and Animal Healt
Perceptions of adolescents in Gauteng, South Africa towards gender roles
No full textAbstract in English with summaries in Sepedi and ZuluGender roles remain one of the most contentious subjects in modern society, due to their far-reaching consequences on both structural and cultural norms. Perceptions of gender roles vary significantly among individuals, ranging from traditional to more egalitarian views. Until recently, research has predominantly focused on adult perspectives, with little attention given to adolescents, particularly in the Global South. This study seeks to address this gap by exploring South African adolescents’ understanding of gender roles within the context of the country’s patriarchal values. The study followed a qualitative research paradigm, guided by feminist approaches and social role theory. A narrative inquiry method was used to gather data from six participants (three males and three females) between 18 and 20 years old (at the time of the study), recruited through snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the data were analysed thematically. The findings reveal that traditional gender roles remain pervasive in the lives of South African adolescents from Gauteng, although the impact on individual agency varies depending on the context. Parents play a key role in transmitting gender role expectations, but these influences are often shaped by the adolescents’ broader social environments, including peers and media. In conclusion, traditional gender roles continue to shape gender relations among South African adolescents. The study highlights the complex and fluid nature of gender and gender role attitudes, emphasising the need for ongoing dialogue and a commitment to improving gender relations in society.Dikarolo tsa bong e ntse e le e nngwe ya ditaba tse tsosang kgang setjhabeng sa sejwale-jwale ka lebaka la ditlamorao tse kgolo ho ditlwaelo tsa popeho le setso. Maikutlo a dikarolo tsa bong a fapana haholo hara batho, ho tloha moetlong ho ya ho maikutlo a tekano. Ho fihlela morao tjena, diphuputso di shebile haholo maikutlo a batho ba baholo, ho sa natswe tlhokomelo e nyane ho batjha, haholo-holo lefatsheng le ka Borwa. Phuputso ena e shebana le ho rarolla lekgalo lena ka ho lekola kutlwisiso ya batjha ba Afrika Borwa mabapi le dikarolo tsa tekano ho latela maemo a naha a bopatriareka. Phuputso ena e ile ya latela mohlala wa boleng ba dipatlisiso, o tataiswang ke mekgwa ya bosadi le kgopolo-taba ya karolo ya setjhaba. Ho sebedisitswe mokgwa wa ho etsa dipatlisiso ho bokella datha ho tswa ho bankakarolo ba tsheletseng (ba batona ba bararo le ba batshehadi ba bararo) ba dipakeng tsa dilemo tse 18-19, ba thaothuweng ka disampole tsa ho thaotha. Dipuisano tse batlang di hlophisitswe hantle di ile tsa etswa, mme datha ya hlahlojwa ka mokgwa o hlophisitsweng. Diphumano di senola hore dikarolo tsa moetlo tsa bong di dula di atile maphelong a batjha ba Afrika Borwa ba tswang Gauteng, leha ditlamorao ho mokgatlo ka mong di fapana ho latela maemo. Batswadi ba bapala karolo ya bohlokwa ho fetiseng ditebello tsa karolo ya bong, empa ditshusumetso tsena hangata di hlohlelletswa ke maemo a bophelo a batjha, ho kenyeletswa dithaka le metjha ya phatlalatso ya ditaba. Qetellong, dikarolo tsa setso tsa bong di tswelapele ho theha dikamano tsa bong hara batjha ba Afrika Borwa. Phuputso e totobatsa semelo se rarahaneng le se sa rarahanang sa maikutlo a karolo ya botona le botshehadi, ho hatisa tlhokahalo ya dipuisano tse tswelang pele le boitlamo ba ho ntlafatsa dikamano tsa tekano setjhabeng.Iqhaza lezobulili lilokhu lingesinye sezihloko ezidida kakhulu emphakathini wanamuhla ngenxa yemiphumela enembangela enkulu ekwakhekeni nasezimisweni zamasiko. Yehluke kakhulu imibono yabantu ngeqhaza lezobulili, kusukela ekubukeni ngokwesiko kuye ngokokulingana. Njengamanje-ke, ucwaningo luzogxile kakhulu emibonweni yabantu abadala, kube kuncane kakhulu okuyimibono yentsha, ikakhulu engxenyeni eseNingizimu yomhlaba. Lolu cwaningo luhlose ukubhekana negebe elikhona ngokuthi luhlonze lokho okuqondwa yintsha yaseNingizimu Afrika mayelana neqhaza lezobulili ngokwezimiso zenzalabantu ezweni. Ucwaningo lusebenzise uhlelo lokuhlaziya iqophelo, ngokuqondiswa yizindlela zokuvikelwa kwabesifazane kanye netiyori emayelana neqhaza lomphakathi. Lapha kusetshenziswe indlela yophenyo elandisayo ukuze kuqoqwe idatha kubabambiqhaza abayisithupha (abesilisa abathathu nabesifazane abathathu) abaphakathi kweminyaka eyi-18-19 ubudala, abatholakale ngokohlelo lokubanxenxa. Kwenziwa inhlolovo evulelekile, kwase kuthi idatha yona yahlaziywa ngokwengqikithi yocwaningo. Imiphumela iveza ukuthi iqhaza lezobulili ngokwesintu lisalokhu lihamba phambili empilweni yentsha eNingizimu Afrika ehlala eGauteng, nakuba umthelela walokhu kumuntu ngamunye wehlukile kuye ngesimo esibhekwayo. Abazali badlala indima ebalulekile ekufundiseni ngalokho okulindelekile ngokweqhaza lezobulili, kodwa lokhu kudalwa nayisimo senhlalo kubantu abasha, okuhlanganisa nontanga kanye nabezindaba. Uma sesiphetha, iqhaza lezobulili ngokwesintu liyaqhubeka nokubumba ubudlelwano bobulili entsheni yaseNingizimu Afrika. Ucwaningo lugqamisa ukwehluka nesimo semvelo yobulili kanjalo nokuziphatha ngokweqhaza lezobulili, ngokugqugquzela isidingo sokuba nezingxoxo kanjalo nokuzibophezela ekwenzeni ngcono ubudlelwano bezobulili emphakathini.M.A. (Psychology)Psycholog
Purchasing and supply competency framework – a South African perspective
Get PDFThe internal support function of purchasing and supply management has evolved into a strategically important human-centric discipline on which a business’s effectiveness is strongly dependent. In South Africa there is a dearth of suitably trained and competent purchasing and supply professionals (PSPs) and no current framework to assist PSPs to identify lacking competencies. Due to this shortage, the primary objective of this study was to make a contribution to the development of purchasing and supply competency framework for PSPs in the private sector of the South African business environment.
The competency framework is based on the specific purchasing and supply objectives PSPs may be assigned, the purchasing and supply processes that they may be involved in and the different purchasing and supply management activities they are predominantly involved in.
A theoretical framework was developed by the researcher through conducting a traditional literature review on purchasing and supply as an internal management function and the different purchasing and supply competencies. Subsequently, an anonymous online self-administered questionnaire was developed to gather primary quantitative data on the competencies PSPs use to perform their tasks and responsibilities efficiently and effectively.
Through exploratory factor analyses and 60 structural equation models, the sub-category competencies that contribute significantly to the overall competence of PSPs were identified.
The final framework of competencies will assist PSPs in identifying the technical-, internal and external enterprise-, interpersonal- and strategic competencies they require to perform their tasks and responsibilities efficiently and effectively.D. Phil. (Logistics, Transport Economics, Purchasing And Supply Chain)Colleges of Economic and Management Science
Measurements of electroweak W±Z boson pair production in association with two jets in pp collisions at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector
No full textAbstract
Measurements of integrated and differential cross-sections for electroweak W±Z production in association with two jets (W±Zjj) in proton-proton collisions are presented. The data collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider from 2015 to 2018 at a centre-of-mass energy of
s
= 13 TeV are used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb−1. The W±Zjj candidate events are reconstructed using leptonic decay modes of the gauge bosons. Events containing three identified leptons, either electrons or muons, and two jets are selected. Processes involving pure electroweak W±Zjj production at Born level are separated from W±Zjj production involving a strong coupling. The measured integrated fiducial cross-section of electroweak W±Zjj production per lepton flavour is
σ
WZjj
−
EW
→
ℓ
′
ν
ll
jj
= 0.368 ± 0.037 (stat.) ± 0.059 (syst.) ± 0.003 (lumi.) fb, where ℓ and ℓ′ are either an electron or a muon. Respective cross-sections of electroweak and strong W±Zjj production are measured separately for events with exactly two jets or with more than two jets, and in three bins of the invariant mass of the two jets. The inclusive W±Zjj production cross-section, without separating electroweak and strong production, is also measured to be
σ
WZjj
→
ℓ
′
ν
ll
jj
= 1.462 ± 0.063 (stat.) ± 0.118 (syst.) ± 0.012 (lumi.) fb, per lepton flavour. The inclusive W±Zjj production cross-section is measured differentially for several kinematic observables. Finally, the measurements are used to constrain anomalous quartic gauge couplings by extracting 95% confidence level intervals on dimension-8 operators
An exploration of the management of murder crime scenes by first police responders in Gauteng province
Get PDFText in EnglishThis qualitative study intends to explore the actions of the first police responder’s management at murder crime scene in the Gauteng province, South Africa. Crime scene investigation is an important tool in the criminal investigation process. The proper processing of crime scenes is a prerequisite for successfully solving a criminal case. In the South African Police Service (SAPS), local police officers are not properly trained or equipped with the necessary items required for the systematic processing of crime scenes. This includes the proper identification and collection of evidence.
It is important to implement and increase capacity-building measures in the SAPS to improve the proper processing of crime scenes. This study focused on the large stations because Gauteng province had high crime rates of murders. Crime scene investigation is the primary point of the criminal justice system, which maintains law and order in society. Therefore, a crime scene is the place where the incident or crime has taken place and contains the required evidence to catch the perpetrator. Therefore, crime scene investigation can be the most crucial part of a criminal case. A lot of the hard work done by law enforcement agents is not reflected in the results, due to poor evidence collection and contaminated crime scenes. Consequently, many cases remain unsolved and are then closed without results.
For this study, data was collected through perusing the existing literature, SAPS information notes, official documents, and articles. Interviews were conducted with a maximum of 29 South African Police Service members. A non–random sampling procedure was used to select participants. The information obtained from the participants was analysed by using the ATLAS.ti software. This is a computer program used to analyse data in qualitative research.Ph. D. (Criminal Justice)School of Criminal Justic