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The impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) and remittances on economic growth in the SADC Region
Full text linkEmerging economies across the globe are faced with a gap between savings and investment needed to grow their economies. Thus, in recent years, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Remittances have been identified as key sources of financing to bridge this gap. The study investigates the impact of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and remittances on economic growth in 16 Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states between 2010 and 2022. Using the Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) analysis, the study finds that the effect of FDI on economic growth in the region is statistically insignificant, whereas remittances have a negative impact on economic growth in both the short- and long-run. The findings also suggest that FDI and remittances have a weak substitutive relationship, rather than being complementary to each other interactively. These findings thus indicate that FDI and remittances do not promote economic growth in the SADC region
Antecedents of mobile banking applications acceptance and usage and its consequence on financial behavior in Namibia
Full text linkBanking is no longer limited to the physical location of a branch. Nowadays, consumers can do banking from the comfort of their own places, anywhere and anytime. Mobile banking applications offer mobility, 24/7 availability, broad reach, convenience, and ease of use unlike traditional banking. Regardless of the numerous advantages that mobile banking applications offer, the adoption rate has not met expectations or reached the level of mobile phone penetration adoption rate in many Lower and Middle Income Countries (LMICs). The use of digital financial services such as mobile banking applications changes consumers' financial behavior. Poor financial habits can cause debt, stress, health issues, and strained relationships. Thus, it is important to understand the impact of using mobile banking applications on consumers' financial behavior, as well as the factors that influence the acceptance and use of mobile banking applications. The study employed the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology and extended it with concepts of financial literacy, branch distance, trust, perceived risk, and financial behavior. The research model that was constructed informed data collection, using an online survey of Nambian banking consumers. 254 useable responses were received and the model was empirically tested. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis revealed that effort expectancy, habit, and trust positively influence consumer intention to accept mobile banking applications and trust negatively influences perceived risk, while habit and behavioral intention positively influence the use of mobile banking applications. Additionally, results show that mobile banking application use positively influences financial behavior in Namibia, implying that their use can lead to more responsible financial behavior
The hydro politics of living with urban wetlands in Zimbabwe: pasts, presents and future
Full text linkUrban wetlands are important ecosystems that support both nature and people, but they are under threat from growing cities, climate change, and economic challenges. This thesis looks at how people interact with wetlands, focusing on the power, policies, and everyday actions that shape how wetlands are used, changed, and cared for over time. It examines the case studies of Borrowdale and Mbare in Harare to discover how communities living alongside wetlands, engage with them, the value they attach to these spaces – social, economic, spiritual, and cultural – and how they are impacted by management policies over time. The research highlights how people have become increasingly disconnected from the natural environment, showing how changes over time – from pre-colonial traditions to colonial rule and modern policies – have reshaped the way people view and use wetlands, by extension how policies get imprinted in landscapes, and how they shift relationships over time. Borrowdale and Mbare tell different stories about who controls wetlands, who benefits from them, and who is left out. Drawing on personal experiences and history to the conversation about wetlands, the aim is to show how focusing only on one field, like conservation, economics, or anthropology, limits how we understand and live with wetlands. Instead, it calls for a broader, more connected way of thinking about these important spaces. In doing so we broaden how we manage and live with wetlands through co-generative and response-able approaches for more habitable futures
Social vulnerability of fishing communities in the southern Cape to change, including additional pressures of COVID-19
Full text linkMarine systems are critical for providing support to the lives and livelihood of millions of people including small-scale fishers (SSFs). However, these communities are faced with many challenges such as resource scarcity, climate change and variability, policy and regulation and the more recent COVID-19 pandemic. This dissertation examines the social vulnerabilities of SSFs in the southern Cape, particularly in the two fishing towns of Bitouville and Melkhoutfontein, to better understand how challenges impact the ability of SSFs to support their livelihoods and how this has changed over the last 10 years. This research made use of a mixed-method technique that included both qualitative and quantitative aspects, drawing on the Global Understanding and Learning for Local Solutions (GULLS) survey that was first implemented in 2013/14 and amended to suit the local context of the southern Cape, which was administered through face-to-face interviews in 2023. Social vulnerability scores were calculated in line with the GULLS framework to gain a deeper insight into the vulnerabilities faced by SSFs and how these have evolved over the last decade. In both Bitouville and Melkhoutfontein communities, vulnerabilities of SSFs were exacerbated by the more recent COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the loss of income sources and available sea days, which in turn contributed to food insecurity. Regarding the evolution of the drivers of changes in 2013/14 and 2023, the results of this study revealed an increase in the social vulnerability scores in both Bitouville and Melkhoutfontein over time as a result of increased exposure to challenges linked to resource scarcity, climate change and variability, and policy and regulation. For example, the continued delay in the implementation of South Africa's small-scale fishing policy (SSFP) has contributed to increased vulnerability as this impacts SFFs' access to fishing rights. The results also revealed that SSFs in Bitouville faced more vulnerabilities compared to their counterparts in Melkhoutfontein, which was attributed to their higher social dependency on fishing, limited livelihood opportunities, higher exposure to environmental changes, and lower adaptive capacity. The vulnerability of these two fishing communities is thus increasing due to compounding stressors such as resource scarcity, climate variability, the COVID-19 pandemic and policy and regulation. This research highlighted the importance of improving the adaptive strategies of SSFs, as limited improvement in these strategies places the livelihoods of these fishing communities at greater risk and exacerbates vulnerabilities in the important, livelihood-intensive southern Cape fisheries
The neglected sound: music “re-invented”, Luciano Berio Sequenza lll the “antidote” for vocal technique
Full text link“…but the voice is maybe not an instrument; it is a collection of technical and expressive possibilities that one must discover every time.”1 This paper undertakes the "rediscovery" of the neglected sounds that makes up the “language” of human vocal expression; exploring the barrier between music and sound. By examining the use of Berio's extended techniques in Sequenza III, particularly in terms of vocal application, this paper will assess how the complex use of the voice in a composition like this can benefit the vocal technical element for classical singers. The technical benefits of extended techniques have been somewhat investigated for different reasons. Though the approach that I will follow is taken from the claims of this technical style being a representation of the echo of our ancestors, meaning it's the closest to what “music” must have been for the early humans. And in terms of practical applications, there is a gap in literature, though there are a few suggestions. This paper will also offer a pedagogy approach to putting into effect this approach of bettering vocal technique. The maintenance of vocal technical health is a crucial element in the life of a professional singer, as it can determine whether their career will be long and successful or short and abruptly ended. By evaluating the potential advantages and consequences of studying this type of work, it is possible to identify a counter approach that can enhance the methods that are employed in teaching singers this genre of music, thereby mitigating some of the consequences
Evaluating multi-satellite chlorophyll-a datasets an ocean colour case study within the Southern Benguela
Full text linkChlorophyll-a (chl-a), a photosynthetic pigment that can be derived from satellite ocean colour, is often used as a proxy for phytoplankton biomass and to derive primary productivity. Initiatives such as the Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative (OC-CCI) produce merged multi-satellite products to create consistent long-term time-series datasets for climate studies at a global scale. Their ability to handle variable in-water conditions is critical for their mission parameters. This study compares the performance of two European multi-satellite chl-a products, from the OC-CCI and GlobColour projects against a regionally tuned Sentinel-3 product within the Southern Benguela region. The three products were assessed against a collated database of coincident in situ chl-a matchups to derive a series of performance metrics. The regionally tuned Sentinel-3 product outperformed the two global products in terms of Mean Absolute Error but showed a slight consistent overestimation bias. Analysis of match-ups showed an underestimation of high chl-a concentrations and overestimation of lower chl-a concentrations by both global products. An application of the products within St.Helena bay during high biomass bloom events showed that the Sentinel-3 product's ability to capture extreme chl-a concentrations was far higher than both global products. Spatial mismatch between zones of high chl-a concentration also indicate differences in processing chains and flagging techniques
Developing instrumentation and software for rapid follow-up and characterisation of near-Earth Asteroids
Full text linkNear-Earth Asteroids (NEAs), a subset of minor bodies in the Solar System, result from resonant interactions with major planets, particularly Jupiter, leading to their escape from the main asteroid belt. The International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center (MPC) database, as of December 2024, lists approximately 37,000 discovered NEAs, with an average daily discovery rate of 10 from dedicated survey programs like Catalina Sky Survey (CSS), the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (PanSTARRS), and the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). This project uses the robotic observing capabilities of the South African Astronomical Observatory's 1-meter telescope, Lesedi, equipped with the Mookodi instrument. Observations are scheduled in robotic mode using automated Python scripts, enabling rapid follow-up of newly discovered NEAs, often within the same night of detection. This rapid response is essential, as smaller asteroids (< 300 metres)—a significantly understudied group— quickly dim as they move away from Earth, making precise measurements challenging. Since the start of this project in February 2023, approximately 230 NEAs have been successfully observed in robotic mode, with an average absolute magnitude (H-magnitude) of 24.4. This magnitude corresponds to asteroid sizes ranging from 32 to 78 metres, depending on an assumed albedo of 0.05 to 0.30. Approximately 75% of these asteroids have a diameter (D) of less than 100 metres. Among the observed NEAs, 15 have been classified as potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs). The findings presented in this study are based on multi-filter photometry and astrometric measurements collected as part of the program. The astrometric data significantly contributes to the MPC's orbital refinement and the observed NEAs designation. Photometric observations using g, r, and i filters enable the extraction of g - r and r - i colours, which approximate the spectral slope. These colours aid in determining the most likely taxonomic type (S, C, X, D, Q, or V-types in this project) of the observed NEAs, as defined by the Bus-DeMeo Classification Scheme. This provides insight into their composition. Using the collected data, the compositional distribution of the small NEA population was determined and compared with previous studies investigating a larger size population
Arabic: The language of Muslimness in Cape Town
Full text linkThis dissertation is a linguistic ethnography of Arabic language use among Muslims in Cape Town. The study seeks to understand how a group of Arabic learners experience and engage with Arabic as the language of Islam. The teaching of Arabic in South Africa has often been seen as problematic by researchers, many of whom have argued that students do not acquire communicative skills in these learning environments (Mall & Nieman 2002; Dawood 2008; Mohamed 1998, 1997). Such critiques conceive of language ability, or proficiency, in terms of four skills, namely, speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension. These four language skills have been deemed lacking among many Arabic language learners. Even though these researchers have acknowledged that Arabic is a religious language, they have tended to overlook the myriad ways in which Arabic ‘lives' in the complex semiotic repertoires of Capetonian Muslims who learn the language for religious purposes. This study shows that Arabic language practices and the ideologies surrounding the language are deeply intertwined with participants' spiritual/religious ideologies about Muslimness. The group of Arabic learners who are at the centre of the research spend hours vocalising Arabic sounds when reciting Quran, performing prayers, and reading religious texts. In other words, their daily religious practices, which form part of their everyday lives, are saturated with Arabic sounds and script. Moreover, they are visually and somatically engaged in writing Arabic script when doing calligraphy and copying Arabic texts by hand. Thus, this study asks, how do Muslim Arabic learners in Cape Town meaningfully engage with Arabic amidst their perceived ‘lack' of communicative language abilities? In what way do they make meaning with Arabic in their daily practices, and in what ways is the materiality of language involved therein? This study included ten participants: eight were in their twenties, and two were in their fifties. Through in-depth interviews and participant observation, this ethnographic study examines how Muslim learners experience Arabic as the language of Islam; how the characterisation of Arabic as a sacred language opens up different pathways of meaning-making; and how Muslim learners experience the (sonic and written) materiality of Arabic in their daily lives. The data were analysed using the constant comparative method (Merriam & Grenier, 2019: 43) alongside MacLure's (2013: 661) approach of attuning to “glowing” data – moments in the data that evoke affective or conceptual resonance. The analysis was informed by theories of language materiality (Cavanaugh & Shankar, 2017: 2) and the aesthetics of language (Jakobson, 1960: 356). These frameworks foreground three key concepts – ideologies, indexicality, and iconicity – which shaped the interpretation of the data. This dissertation argues that Muslim learners in Cape Town meaningfully engage with Arabic as a sacred language by prioritising the aesthetic and affective dimensions of language (Jakobson 1960; Besnier 1990), and in so doing, emphasise the aural and visual materiality of Arabic in their cultivation of Muslimness
A descriptive study of acutely poisoned patients presenting to the Western Cape Emergency Medical Services
Full text linkBackground: The scale and types of acute poisoning presenting to the prehospital provider in South Africa and other low- or middle-income countries is largely unknown. Emergency medical services (EMS) are often responsible for the on-scene management and transport of these patients and have a range of treatment options depending on scope of practice. The aim of this study was to describe acute poisoning patients presenting to the Western Cape Government Health and Wellness EMS. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted utilizing electronic patient care data of acute poisoning cases extracted from EMS records for the calendar year 2022. Results: Of the 2254 acute poisoning cases identified, 69.03% were female. The median age was 27 years, and the method of poisoning was most commonly ingestion (97.20%). A single toxin was involved in 46.85% of cases, while 32.03% of cases involved multiple toxins. In 34.38% of all cases, a toxin unknown to EMS was reported. Paracetamol and alcohol were the most common known toxins observed. The top 5 toxins by single toxin involvement were herbicides and pesticides; antiretrovirals; antiseptics and disinfectants; paracetamol; and hydrocarbons. There were a higher number of cases in the second half of the year, with a peak in November and December, as well as more cases. during weekends. Most cases were triaged as moderate to severe acuity. Activated charcoal was administered in 3.46% of cases; oxygen was administered in 3.82% of cases; intravenous access was obtained in 17.7% of patients and 1.97% of cases had a documented airway intervention performed. Conclusion: There is a necessity for better awareness, and improved training for EMS providers to enhance the care of acute poisoning patients. Further research is warranted to investigate the gaps in management and the implications for patient outcomes, ultimately contributing to the development of effective interventions and educational programs aimed at reducing the incidence and severity of acute poisoning
FinTech as a tool for financial inclusion: a perspective of South African financiers on SME development
No full textAccording to Statistics South Africa, SMEs play the significant role of creating employment opportunities for more than 25% of South Africans. In addition, this not only increases chances but ensures that many have access to means of production, and it also increases the (GDP) and overtime improves the standard of living in many communities. It has been noted that the high unemployment rate of almost 32.9% at the first quarter of 2023 can be significantly reduced by ensuring that sectors such as SMEs are viable and well-funded. It has been reported that nearly 75% failure rate of most SMEs is attributed to limited financial access. Even if financial institutions make efforts to provide SMEs with financial assistance so that their operations run smoothly and they remain profitable going concerns, SMEs still struggle to get financial access which makes it difficult to sustain operations and create job opportunities. Moreover, it was reinforced that for c s to be effective there is need to ensure that they are well developed and have access to financial services. It is therefore justified to undertake this study to explore the role played by FinTech in enhancing financial access to SMEs in South Africa. The study employed the thematic qualitative analytical approach to analyse primary data which was collected from twelve (12) professional bankers, development finance institutions personnel and South African government agencies. These participants were relevant, suitable and credible because they provide various support and services to SMEs including providing transactional services such as tailored current accounts to help manage daily transactions and make payments. In addition, some equally assist in providing financial advice such as identifying financing options, risk management services such as insurance and credit guarantee scheme. The findings indicated that FinTech has significantly contributed to ensuring that SMEs are not financially excluded by assisting them to make use of automated systems which often helps them to improve service delivery. This occasionally helps to foster collaborations among institutions for instance, DFIs partnering with government agencies to work on incubation programmes for SMEs. Moreso, strategic partnerships among businesses are established as businesses have the opportunity to network on platforms such the South African Innovation Summit (SAIS). Although FinTech was assumed to have significantly improved operations and the productive capacity of SMEs some challenges have also been highlighted, and these include failure to comply with stipulated regulations particularly in government institutions who are expected to adhere to PFMA. The other challenge which was identified was the reluctance to use FinTech as people still prefer face to face contact with financial service providers. It was also established that some participants were not technologically savvy therefore, relevant skills development programmes had to be implemented. The other challenge was that government agencies and some (DFIs) were found to be lagging behind with 4IR and AI whilst banks level of readiness was advanced. For instance, it was noted that while it is convenient and effective to provide mechanisms useful in ensuring financial inclusion of SMEs like banking applications (Apps) and other various online systems like the bridge portal, simplyBiz, finfinder, SAP, CRM, and sefalas; the sad reality is that these platforms may either not be sufficiently provided or not fully utilized. Such a setback not only excludes SMEs from accessing financial services such as loans and online banking it reduces their growth rate. On the other hand, some barriers to financial access by SMEs were found to be bureaucracy, collateral and lack of business skills. Therefore, it is recommended that government and DFIs should fully adopt and implement FinTech as it is a tool for financial inclusion of SMEs