National Research Database of Zimbabwe
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Evaluation of the status of water quality of the Great Usuthu River, Swaziland.
No full textSurface water quality is deteriorating due to pollution caused by a number of factors that include anthropogenic activities, poor water quality management and climate change. The evaluation of River Water Quality (RWQ) status remains beneficial in controlling river water pollution and ensuring suitability of river water for intended uses. The Great Usuthu River is a primary water supply source for towns, rural areas, irrigation water and industrial water uses in Swaziland. Its water quality status has raised concerns from the general public and Environmental Management Agency in Swaziland. The study assessed river water quality status, its spatial and temporal variation and suitability for predominant uses. The study also sought to determine the magnitude of pollution. Bimonthly samples of RWQ were collected from 6 sites from 7 January 2016 to 29 March 2016. The collected water samples were analyzed at the Swaziland Water Services Corporation laboratory and the Water Services laboratory of the Department of Water Affairs in Mbabane. Parameters analyzed using standard methods included temperature, pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Dissolved Oxygen (DO) Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Total Coliforms (TC), Escherichia coli (E.coli), chloride, Total Alkalinity (TA), Total Hardness (TH), nitrates and colour. These parameters were required in deriving the Dinius Water Quality Index (DWQI) for assessing the overall RWQ status as is the practice in Swaziland. The study utilized the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster Analysis (CA) to find critical parameters and optimal sampling points. Repeated measurements analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess the significance of variations in water quality between the sampling sites and sessions. RWQ results were compared to local and international limits for domestic, irrigation and industrial water uses. The pollution load was estimated for the principal parameters. Average DWQI values ranged from 52.7 to 59.9, suggesting marginally suitable quality. PCA identified EC, E.coli, TC and colour as the key water quality parameters as they accounted for a total of 99.9% of the variance and individually 10.4%, 8.7%, 65.4% and 15.4% respectively. CA identified 4 key sampling points using the k means clustering algorithm. ANOVA showed statistically significant variation (p0.05). Suitability analysis indicated the RWQ was not suitable for the predominant uses in the study area. Pollution loads were in the range 0.2 tons/day – 256.4 tons/day for the biological oxygen demand, chloride, nitrates and total dissolved solids during the study period. Generally, it was concluded that the RWQ is not suitable for the current uses. EC, TC, E.coli and colour were the principal parameters and four monitoring points were identified as optimal. Addition of two more monitoring sites to the current 2 by the Department of Water Affairs (Swaziland) and treatment of river water prior to use is recommended. More awareness rising to rural people on the use and safety of river water is recommended to discourage raw use of river water. Monitoring of the principal water quality parameters more regularly is recommended. The study also recommends monitoring of pollution load more regularly.,WaterNe
Did children matter? : unprotected children in “protected villages†created by the Rhodesian regime during the liberation struggle for Zimbabwe, (1970-1979)
No full textThis thesis provides a historical analysis of the plight of children who were the most vulnerable group and unprotected inside Protected Villages (PVs). It contributes to the historiography of the liberation struggle in Zimbabwe with special focus on experiences of children inside Protected Villages (PVs/Keeps). PVs were first established in 1973 by the Rhodesian Government as a counter-insurgency strategy to isolate the guerrillas. The thesis further unmasks the official Rhodesian justification of the establishment of Keeps, captures the African perspectives on Keeps, and articulates the psychological ramifications of life inside Keeps on children and the humanitarian crisis faced by caged children. The thesis is empirically grounded in various case studies of Keeps across Rhodesia. The experience of children inside Keeps remains under-researched in Zimbabwean historiography. The thesis contends that children inside PVs deserve serious historical investigation in order to understand and appreciate the fact that children were not spared by war. The thesis demonstrates empirically that children were military targets and were caught-up in the middle as the Rhodesian regime and the guerrillas used violence and coercion as a military and survival strategy. Keeps exposed children to sexual abuse, diseases, hunger, shortages and other vices associated with horrific conditions inside these punishment enclosures. The thesis is based on extensive oral testimonies of former inmates, archival sources, secondary sources and official Rhodesian sources. The thesis subverts the Rhodesian colonial propaganda that Keeps were established for humanitarian reasons as safe havens which protected children in particular and African people in general. The thesis is anchored in the deconstructive approach. Colonial and nationalist narratives of Protected Villages will be deconstructed and a new narrative by those who were children inside them will be constructed. Primary and secondary sources were used in the construction of this new narrative
Assessment and development of remote sensing based algorithms for water quality monitoring in Olushandja Dam, North-Central Namibia.
No full textOlushandja Dam is amongst Namibia’s inland water bodies that store and supply water to towns such as Outapi, Oshikuku and Oshakati. The dam is part of a complex water supply system that transports inter-basin water from the Kunene River Basin into Cuvelai Basin in the north-central regions of Namibia via a canal. There are potential sources of pollution along the route of the canal and around the dam which have effects on the water quality in the canal and eventually in the Olushandja Dam. Therefore, frequent and continuous monitoring of water quality is needed to allow timely decisions on the management of this critical resource. Specifically, the study sought to measure water quality at selected points in the dam and on the canal. This study used Landsat 8, 30 m resolution imagery to derive water quality parameters using retrieval algorithms. Water quality parameters included total suspended matter, turbidity, total nitrogen, nitrates, ammonia, total phosphorus and total algae counts. The study was carried out from November 2014 to June 2015. The retrieval algorithms were developed from a simple regression analysis between reflectance values of satellite images and field measurements. Statistical analyses were carried out to assess correlation between Landsat 8 predicted and field measured data. The field measurements showed that the dam and canal water is of low risk to human and is suitable for livestock watering. Turbidity levels exceeded the recommended limits set by NamWater is thus likely to cause complications in drinking water treatment as well as human and aquatic life. The study also found that all water quality parameter regression algorithms had high correlation coefficients (R2) which was between 0.980-0.999. Therefore, the study concludes that the developed regression algorithms are best fit to predict water quality parameters from satellite data. Remote sensing is therefore recommended for frequent and continuous monitoring of Olushandja Dam as it has the ability to provide information about surface water quality and Namibia has cloud free sky most times of the year. However, accurate monitoring data acquired using traditional methods remain an important input into remote sensing process for prediction of water quality.,WaterNe
An Exploration of the Dissatisfaction of Employees on Organizational Performance: A Case of XYZ Security Services (Gauteng)
No full textThe primary aim of this study was to explore the causes of employees’ dissatisfaction on organisational performance with specific reference to XYZ Security Services (Gauteng). The data was collected through a quantitative research approach and a questionnaire was used as a research instrument. The causes of employee dissatisfactions at the company were found to be intrinsic and extrinsic in nature. It was also found that employee dissatisfaction has impacted negatively on the performance of the company. Although negative impacts are experienced, management has not yet taken appropriate strategies to mitigate the level of employee dissatisfactions. Recommendations that management improve on the extrinsic and intrinsic factors and adopt the principles of a good job design were made
Food security through conservation agriculture (CA) in Zimbabwe: opportunities, prospects and challenges for Gokwe South District: paper presented at a conference held on the 14th-16th July 2015, Elephant Hills Resort, Victoria Fallls, Zimbabwe
No full textTheme: 1st International Research Conference On Driving Socio-Economic Development Through Value Addition And Sustainable Use Of Resources,Food is basic human need. Without food, human body fails to function normally. Yet, globally food insecurity is a problem. The severity of the problem varies from one continent to the other as well as from one country to the other. Generally food shortages are more intense in developing counties than in developed countries. Reasons for these variations are many and diverse; they include level of technology used in production, processing and storage of food. Food production policies may either support or stifle food productivity.
The study was centred on three fundamental objectives. The first one was to identify attributes of food insecurity in Gokwe South district. The second one was to highlight the opportunities and challenges of CA technology on food security in the district. The last objective was to assess CA attribution to food security in Gokwe South district.
CA is a farming system or practice which aims to conserve soil, labour and water by using blanket cover (mulch) to minimise runoff and improve the conditions for plant establishment and growth. This practice includes various mechanisms like use of hand hoes for basin formation, jab-planter, animal drawn direct seeder, animal drawn ripper and motorised equipment like tractor mounted direct seeder, tractor mounted sub-soiler and multi row tractor mounted direct seeder.
Survey results indicated that although CA contributes significantly to household food security, ‘as a best practice’ but it’s not a ‘best fit’ practice since results fluctuates from one area to the other. Introduction of CA in Zimbabwe was input driven supported mostly by non-governmental organisations hence sustainability of the concept is highly questionable. The results revealed that CA is more of a farming system than technology and its key principles are not of equal eminence and farmers are practising CA at a small scale citing labour constraints. Markets play a crucial role in attainment of sustainable food security
Arguments for an appraisal linguistic discourse approach to the analysis of `objectivity' in 'hard' news reports
No full textStudies focusing on the ideal of 'objectivity' in *hard' news reports are numerous, with most of them within journalistic studies and theorised from diverse theoretical insights. This article departs from journalistic to a linguistic discourse approach-presenting evidence that the linguistic discourse analytical framework of Appraisal Theory provides alternative ways of analysing 'objectivity' and ideological bias in 'hard' news reports. Couched in Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) Appraisal is a model that explains the way(s) in which language construes attitude and enables writers and speakers to position themselves evaluatively with
respect the viewpoints of potential respondents and other speakers/writers (White, 2007: Thomson. White and Kitley, 2008). The paper argues that the analysis of the construction of journalistic reality can also be adequately done from a linguistic perspective, specifically from analysing how lexical choices journalists make betray their ideological positioning both in terms of the content as well as context of the news report. In discussing this, the paper comparatively analyses two news reports in two Zimbabwean newspapers on the death of Retired General Solomon Mujuru
Effects of tianda 2116 plant growth regulator on growth and yield of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
No full textTo achieve optimum yield of wheat, supplementation of soil and foliar applied fertilizers with plant growth regulators is vital to assure effective assimilation of nutrients by plants. A trial was conducted at Gwebi Agricultural College Farm in Mashonaland West Province of Zimbabwe, during the 2012 winter wheat season (May to August), to evaluate the effects of differing times of application of Tianda 2116 plant growth regulator on the growth and yield of wheat (variety SC Sekuru). The trial was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The treatments were: Tianda 2116 applied at the following weeks after planting (WAP): 2 WAP, 3 WAP, 4 WAP, 5 WAP, 6 WAP, 14 WAP and no Tianda 2116 applied (control). No significant differences (P > 0.05) were noted among treatments for mean number of tillers per plant and mean number of spikes per plant. Application of Tianda 2116 at 2 and 3 WAP delayed flowering and physiological maturity. Early application of Tianda 2116 increased the number of spikelets per spike, thousand grain weight and grain yield. Conclusively, Tianda 2116 applied 2 or 3 WAP is effective in reducing
growth while enhancing yield parameters in wheat production
Screening indigenous nematicidal plants in Zimbabwe against Meloidogyne javanica: paper presented at a conference held on the 14th-16th July 2015, Elephant Hills Resort, Victoria Fallls, Zimbabwe
No full textTheme: 1st International Research Conference On Driving Socio-Economic Development Through Value Addition And Sustainable Use Of Resources,Plant parasitic nematodes are one of the major economically important pests of Solanaceous plants in many regions of the world including Zimbabwe, with Meloidogyne javanica, (rootknot nematode) being considered the most destructive. Recent prohibition of main soil chemical fumigants for the control of Meloidogyne javanica has prompted for the search of other alternatives to manage root knot nematodes in the horticultural industry. The present research explored plants with nematicidal properties against root knot nematode, M. javanica. Depending on plant medicinal value, leaves or bark or roots of 19 indigenous medicinal plants were screened invivo on highly susceptible tomato variety (Red khaki). Ten plant
extracts caused more than 50% gall reduction during screening under acetone extraction method. Application of botanicals was found to significantly (p≤ 0.05) reduce the formation of root galls on tomato plants. It was concluded from this study that plant extracts are potential botanical nematicides as they have ability to suppress the attack of tomato plants by phyto- nematodes and they can be used as a safe and resourceful control strategy, which can complement other control tools
Chilling freedom of expression to the bone with a chilling offence: Case note on State v Chimakure, Kahiya & ZimInd Publishers (Pvt) Ltd Constitutional Application No. S-247-09; Judgment No S-14-13
No full textThis case note examines the reasoning of the Supreme Court leading to its conclusion that s 31(a)(iii) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23] (the “Criminal Law Codeâ€) is unconstitutional and therefore null and void. It also looks at the implications of this ruling in respect of the rest of s 31 of the Criminal Law Code, as well as other provisions in the Code
Parting the long grass: Public International law and the right to self determination
No full textThe right to self-determination is perhaps one of the most fundamental group rights entrenched, espoused and conferred by various international legal instruments. However, it is also axiomatic that the right to self-determination has been used as a rickety chariot for the conveyance of fallacious and contesting ideologies. It is indeed arguable that the right to self-determination is one of the most over used and at times abused terms. The enormous political and emotional overtones have tended to cloak and cloud the precise nature, scope of operation as well as limits to the right to self-determination. To further exacerbate the uncertainty and malaise have been the contra distinct and varied perceptions regarding the existence of an external right to self-determination. The object of this writing will therefore be to explore the various legal
instruments, judicial decisions and various state practices in an attempt to proffer an exposition of the meaning, nature of the right to self-determination as well as the limits thereto