39624 research outputs found
Sort by
The Role of Audit Committees in Gauteng Local Government
No full textA research report submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Management in Governance and Management, in the Faculty of Commerce Law and Management, Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2025This study explores the roles of audit committees within local government in Gauteng, South Africa, with a particular focus on their oversight of non-financial performance metrics and the promotion of ethical governance. Through a qualitative research approach that encompasses document analysis and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, including audit committee members, senior managers of municipalities, and representatives from the Auditor- General of South Africa, the study seeks to understand stakeholder perceptions of audit committee roles and the integration of non-financial metrics into governance practices. Findings reveal that while audit committees are recognised as essential for ensuring financial integrity, their focus tends to be predominantly on financial reporting, often neglecting broader non-financial performance indicators that reflect community impact and service delivery effectiveness. Additionally, inconsistencies in audit charters across municipalities, a lack of standardised guidelines, and significant challenges, such as limited access to information, inadequate training, and political pressures, impede audit committees from fulfilling their oversight responsibilities effectively. The research highlights the necessity for audit committees to redefine their roles, extending their focus to include comprehensive governance practices that integrate non-financial performance metrics and reinforce ethical standards. Ultimately, the study contributes to the ongoing discourse on local government governance by providing practical recommendations to enhance the functionality and relevance of audit committees, thereby improving accountability and transparency within municipal operations.MM202
Assessing TemperatureDependent Deltamethrin Toxicity in Various kdr Genotypes of Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes
No full textSubtypespecific HIV1 Protease and the role of Hinge and flap dynamics in drug resistance A subtype C Narrative
No full textIf we lose it we are worried Individual and provider level perceptions towards weight change among people living with HIV who undergo TB screening in routine health care settings in Gauteng Province South Africa
No full textCapabilities required of the conventional project delivery CPD approach in producing quality design documentation the Ghanaian construction industry perspective
No full textA Relationship between Asthma and Vitamin D
No full textA research report submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Medicine, in the Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2025Background: Vit D is a micronutrient that plays numerous roles in terms of homeostasis, physiology and immunomodulation. The aim of this study was to investigate a relationship between vit D levels and asthma control. Objectives: We describe the vit D level among an out-patient asthma population in Gauteng, South Africa. Our primary objective was to compare vit D levels between controlled and uncontrolled asthmatic patients and secondarily to estimate the prevalence of vit D deficiency and insufficiency among asthma patients, and to compare vit D levels amongst patients using different therapies (dose of steroid) for asthma. Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional descriptive study using questionnaire, clinical record review and blood results was conducted at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital from March 2020 to 30th June 2022. Vit D levels were measured using a double sandwich immunoassay using a chemiluminescent label. Results: The sample was predominantly female, African, a median age of 52 years, and a mean vit D level was 24.2ng/ml. Only 19% of the cohort had controlled asthma. The prevalence of vit D insufficiency and deficiency were 41% and 35 % respectively, with no significant difference in mean vit D level between the controlled and uncontrolled asthma groups. There were 2 independent predictors of severe disease: the presence of eczema; and increasing waist circumference. There was no difference in terms of vit D levels among asthmatic patients using oral or inhaled corticosteroids in our study. Conclusion: The main finding was the absence of significant difference in the median vit D levels between controlled and uncontrolled asthmatics.MM202
The impact of weather variation on the body condition of cape cobras Naja nivea in the Kalahari implications for climate change
No full textPerformative Materiality: Exploring Meanings and Expressions in the Artworks of South African Contemporary Artist Sikhumbuzo Makandula
No full textA research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Art in the field of History of Art, to the Faculty of Humanities, Wits School of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2025This research addresses the absence of a structured framework for analysing the interplay between performativity and materiality in contemporary South African art. It introduces Performative Materiality, a novel analytical framework, to examine the dynamic relationship between artistic actions and material forms in the work of contemporary South African artist Sikhumbuzo Makandula. His practice integrates performance, ritual, and material culture to engage with South Africa’s socio-political history and spiritual narratives. The study challenges traditional distinctions between passive objects and active performance, arguing that they exist in a reciprocal relationship shaping cultural expression and critique. A multi-layered qualitative approach combines visual analysis and artist interviews, incorporating Feldman’s Critical Analysis Model and the Janice Mason Art Museum’s Four Steps in Art Criticism, with Performative Materiality as the primary theoretical framework. This framework consists of six key criteria—Material Dynamism, Performative Impact, Reciprocal Influence, Contextual Embeddedness, Transformative Interaction, and Embodied Interaction—which together facilitate a nuanced analysis of how performative and material elements actively shape meaning and socio-political engagement. Findings reveal that Makandula’s practice disrupts static historical interpretations by merging embodied actions with symbolic materials, re-signifying cultural memory and resistance. His use of ritual, ephemeral materials, and historic spaces challenges dominant narratives, offering new ways of engaging with identity, colonial legacies, and spirituality. The study demonstrates Performative Materiality’s effectiveness as a structured and adaptable analytical tool in contemporary South African art, highlighting its potential for refinement in addressing temporality, audience engagement, and digital materiality. Ultimately, this research positions Performative Materiality as an essential framework for decoding the complex interplay between performative acts and material agency, reinforcing its significance in contemporary artistic discourse in South Africa and beyond.MMM202
The formation of an early Acheulean ArtificatsBearing Horizons Across the Maropeng Landscape Cradle of Humankind in South Africa
No full textCharacterization of Cavity PD and Corona Under Impulse Voltage
No full textA research report submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Electrical and Information Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2025Understanding the phenomenon of Partial Discharge (PD) under impulse voltage is essential to improving the reliability of High Voltage (HV) equipment. PD in HV equipment can cause severe insulation deterioration, resulting in breakdown, production loss, and high repair costs. HV equipment insulation can fail due to PD activities initiated by impulse voltages, such as lightning strikes and switch- ing operations, which are inevitable phenomena. The latter has been exacerbated by load-shedding switching operations in South Africa. PD detection technology is well developed under Alternating Current (AC) frequency voltage conditions. However, there is inadequate knowledge of the detection and interpretation of PD in non-power frequencies. The challenge in PD measurements is to detect PD during the impulse voltage due to the overlaps between the test impulse voltage and the PD frequencies. In the present work, PD characteristics in cavity PD and corona discharges are studied using a developed balanced PD detection circuit to detect PD current pulses e!ectively. A balanced PD detection circuit e!ectively separates interferences induced by the impulse voltage from PD current pulses. The experimental results showed a distinctive characteristic of the cavity PD with main and reverse discharges located respectively during the rise-time and fall-time phases of the applied lightning impulse voltage. In contrast, positive and negative corona discharges are observed only in the rise-time part of the applied lightning impulse voltage. MATLAB ® Simulink® is also used to simulate cavity PD and corona discharges under lightning impulse voltage, and the characteristics of the PD pulses correlate with the experimental results. The experimental circuit and the simulation model can be developed and used as a standardized PD measure- ment technique under non-power frequencies.MM202