Thesis (MFamMed) -- Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Background Sub-Saharan Africa has been hard hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic with an estimated 22.9 million adults infected in 2010. The advent of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has seen significant reduction in mortality from AIDS related illnesses. With the reduction of mortality and the indisputable positive results seen from the use of Anti-retroviral Treatment (ART), the demand both from people living with HIV and health care providers to phase in less toxic ARVs while maintaining simplified fixed-dose combinations has increased considerably. Botswana like most low-resource countries has adapted the WHO recommendation of daily ART as opposed to the previous twice daily HAART. No evidence from resource limited settings has been found that clearly indicates the superiority of regimens based on AZT, d4T or TDF. Aim The primary aim was to compare treatment response between two cohorts. The secondary aim was to compare any association of regimen to age or gender. Objectives To comparatively determine treatment response at 3 months based on immunological response (shown by an increase in CD4 above pre-therapy levels) and viral load response. Methods The study is a retrospective comparative cohort study. Three ART sites were selected from a total of 6 sites. A sample size of 263 was required to achieve a 90% effect power. An equal number of patient records were reviewed per site and each arm had an equal number of reviewed records. A total of 286 patient record files which fit the inclusion criteria were retrospectively analysed and data entered in Excel before being analysed using Statistica Version 10. A p <0.05 represents statistical significance whilst a 95% confidence interval was used for estimation of unknown variables. Results n=263. The overall sample was predominantly male (75.19%). An overwhelming majority (95.88%) of patients in both arms had undetectable viral loads (VL<400). A significant association was found between the regimen and viral load (p=0.0315-Pearson Chi Test). The difference in CD4 between the two arms was not statistically significant (p=0.655890-ANOVA). A positive association was found between the regimen and gender (p=0.03190-Pearson Chi Test). This was possibly owing to the high numbers of males and no statistical adjustment to gender made. No association was found in the difference in CD4 cell counts for regimen and gender (p=0.612191-Anova). Conclusion Treatment response at 3 months post initiation between once daily and twice daily HAART in Gaborone Botswana by use of virologic and immunologic response has been shown to be comparable. The use of one regimen over the other as first line as recommended by WHO and the subsequent adoption of the current first line regimen by the Botswana Ministry of Health may be justified. This study has therefore reinforced the applicability of previous findings in other settings of this recommendation. As part of the targeted audience and indeed as a partner in the care and management of HIV, the responsibility to ensure applicability of the recommendations set out for resource limited areas has been achieved through this study. However, bigger randomized trials in resource limited settings are needed to justify and accredit these findings as well as add to the evidence obtained in developed countries.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Information System Success Evaluation has been a concept of interest to many organizations for decades now. The main motivation for this activity is usually from the financial view of things, that is, the main interest of an organization carrying out IS success evaluation is mainly to find out whether investing in such a system was a good business decision. This question is often answered by the realization of the direct and indirect benefits realized by deployment of using such a system. Like many organizations the government of Botswana has invested millions of Pula’s in the past number of years in acquiring and implementing different Information Systems in the various Ministries and Departments. One such system is the Vehicle Registration and Licensing System, which was deployed by the Department of Roads Transport and Safety of the Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication. After the VRLS implementation there has not been any formal scientific research or investigation conducted to find out the success of this Information System, especially with regards to the stakeholders who use this system for their daily jobs. This study therefore engaged in a task, which evaluated the success of the Vehicle Registration and Licensing System and answered the question of how effective the system is from the user’s point of view. A well-known Information System success evaluation model, known as the Delone and McLean IS evaluation model, was applied to test the hypothesis of this research. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the research data. The results were analyzed using a common research tool, the SPSS, including cross tabulation and chisquare tests. The findings of this study will further enrich the IS success evaluation Body of Knowledge on the key factors which can contribute to a successful or unsuccessful Information System acquisition investment. Furthermore, the researchers who will further look into this subject may find these findings very useful and also stimulating to do further research on this subject to unveil further evidence of the ingredients of an effective Information System investment which has been accepted by and accredited by its users. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Inligtingstelselsuksesevaluering is ‘n konsep wat baie organisasies nou al vir dekades interesseer. Die motivering hiervoor is hoofsaaklik geleë in finansiële redes. Organisasies wil hiermee vasstel of dit ‘n goeie besigheidsbesluit was. Hierdie vraag word dan dikwels beantwoord deur die verkryging van direkte en indirekte voordele deur gebruik te maak van so ‘n stelsel. Soos baie organisasies het die regering van Botswana miljoene pula belê in die implementering van inligtingstelsels in verskeie staatsdepartemente. Die Voertuigregistrasie en Lisensiestelsel is ‘n voorbeeld hiervan wat deur die Departement van Padvervoer en -Veiligheid van die Ministerie van Werke, Vervoer en Kommunikasie ontplooi is. Geen formele wetenskaplike navorsing is geloods na afloop van die implementering van die stelsel nie, veral nie sedert die gebruik deur motoriste nie. Hierdie studie poog juis om die effektiwiteit van die stelsel te meet, veral vanuit die verbruiker se perspektief. Die Delone en Mclean Inligtingstelselevalueringsmodel word gebruik om die hipotese van die navorsing te toets. ‘n Gestruktureerde vraelys is opgestel om data te versamel. Die SPSS as ‘n algemene navorsingsinstrument is gebruik vir analise, asook vir kruistabulasie en chikwadraattoetse. Die bevindinge van die studie sal die korpus van kennis van inligtingstelselsuksesevaluering verryk ten opsigte van die sleutelfaktore wat kan bydra tot die sukses of nie-sukses van inligtingstelselimplementering. Verdere studie in hierdie betrokke gebied word deur die navorsing gestimuleer, om veral die effektiwiteit van Inligtingstelselbeleggings te bepaal.

This thesis demonstrates that all of the practices which define and produce the Tswana family involve dimensions of risk, conflict, and crisis – glossed as dikgang (sing. kgang) – that also threaten to undo it. Dikgang need constantly to be addressed in the right ways by the right people, in a continuously adaptive process of negotiation. Efforts to negotiate dikgang are also fraught, and often produce further problems in turn. I show that Tswana kinship is experienced, generated, and sustained in a continuous cycle of risk, conflict, and irresolution; and that it creates and thrives on crisis. In a kinship system renowned for its structural fluidity, I demonstrate that these processes chart the limits of family, and define relationships within it. I further suggest that understanding kinship in these terms provides unique insight into the effects of public health and social welfare crises – like the AIDS epidemic – which may work to strengthen Tswana families, rather than simply destroying them. However, governmental and non-governmental interventions responding to such crises operate according to different assumptions about the stability and fragility of the family, and its incapacity to cope with crisis. The thesis argues that the frustrations such interventions typically face may be traced back to divergent understandings about what constitutes and sustains family, and the role of conflict and crisis in that process. The effects of such interventions are linked to the ways in which they enable, invert, disrupt, or bypass everyday practices of kinship among the Tswana, and instantiate practices and ideals of kinship from elsewhere. I argue that holding these intervening agencies and families in the same frame illustrates suggestive links between the spheres of kinship and politics on both national and transnational levels.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine use, knowledge and attitudes towards traditional, complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM) in Botswana among people who visit public health facilities. PRIMARY AIM: The primary aim of this study was to establish the attitude towards, knowledge of and use of TCAM among patients utilizing two public health care facilities in Botswana. METHODS: The study was descriptive and quantitative in design. Data were collected using structured questionnaires in two public sector hospitals. Data included demographics of participants, current or past TCAM use, perceptions of efficacy and safety of TCAM and knowledge sources on TCAM. RESULTS: The median age of participants was 38.5 years with the youngest participants being 18 years and oldest participant 78 years. Just more than half (55%) of the participants were female.The majority of participants were single (65.6%) and about a quarter (24.4%) of participants were married. Of the study population 16 (7%) participants had no formal education and 40% had a secondary school education. The prevalence of TCAM use in the 90 study participants was found to be 48.9% of which 16.7% were currently using TCAM and 32.2% had used TCAM in the past. However, this practice could not be correlated with any particular demographic variable. TCAM was most often used either to promote overall wellness or to treat a specific health condition. The TCAM modality that was mostly used was African traditional medicine and other herbals. The majority of TCAM users were satisfied with the effects of TCAM of whom 68.4% of participants found the products very helpful. Most of the respondents (79%) reported that they perceived the products to be very safe. However, the participants were split in their willingness to recommend TCAM to another person. In terms of knowledge, most participants would not use TCAM with other medicines. Yet the majority of participants also indicated that they have never discussed TCAM use with their health care professional. Most participants have been exposed to information on TCAM from family or friends (80.6%). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of TCAM use in Botswana is similar to findings in other parts of the world. These products were primarily used for overall wellness and to treat specific diseases, but this practice could not be attributed to any particular demographic profile. The majority of TCAM users were satisfied with the effects of TCAM. Findings support a need for greater integration of allopathic medicine and CAM, as well as improved communication between patients and caregivers regarding TCAM usage.

Livestock guarding dogs (LSGDs) have been used for centuries to reduce depredation on livestock and more recently, to facilitate the conservation of threatened predator species. Conservation NGOs (non-government organisations) in southern Africa promote the use of Anatolian Shepherds as LSGDs. However, livestock farmers in Botswana have been using a variety of different breeds for this purpose, including the local mixed-breed “Tswana” dogs. Postal, telephonic and face-to-face interview questionnaires were administered to 108 livestock farmers in Botswana to gauge how their LSGDs were being used, in order to determine what factors contributed to the success and affordability of these dogs. Eighty-three percent of farmers had LSGDs which equaled or decreased livestock depredations on their farms, with an average reduction in livestock depredation of 75 percent per year. This equated to an average saving of US$2,017 annually per farm. The costs of purchasing (average US$27) and maintaining the 198 LSGDs in my study (average US$169/LSGD/year) were very low compared to other countries and helped contribute to the high profits obtained by farmers (average US$1,497/farm or US$789/LSGD). A unique investigation of different breeds was possible due to the diverse array of breeds in the sample (Anatolian Shepherds, Cross Breeds, Tswana dogs, Greyhounds and Pitbulls), with the crossbreed dogs (Crosses and Tswana LSGDs) performing the best. LSGDs that reduced depredation and had minimal behavioural problems were the most likely to incite positive changes in their owners in regards to attitudes towards predators. Sixty six percent of farmers stated that they were more tolerant of predators since obtaining a LSGD, and 51 percent reported that they were less likely to kill predators since obtaining a LSGD. My results indicate that successful, well-behaved LSGDs are a cost-effective tool that has the ability to increase farm productivity and improve predator-farmer conflicts in Botswana. The methods recommended in my thesis, in particular the benefits of using local breeds of dog as LSGDs, can be implemented on farming practices the world over to assist farming productivity and to promote conservation efforts.

The aim of this quantitative, descriptive and co-relational study was to analyze the factors affecting students‟ choice to enrol at private higher education institutions in Botswana. The three specific objectives of the study included, to identify the factors influencing students‟ choice to enrol at private higher education institutions, to predict students‟ intention to enrol at private higher education institutions and, to determine the differences in factors influencing students‟ choice among private higher education institutions. Data was collected using a valid and reliable questionnaire through a survey of 560 stratified randomly sampled first year students from four of the higher education institutions in Botswana. Data collection was done through survey using a valid and reliable questionnaire constructed based on the information gathered from the literature review. A five point Likert‟s scale was adopted to measure the students‟ choice of institution and, intention to enrol at private higher education institution. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, multiple regression analysis and analysis of variance. Principal component analysis revealed thirteen factors affecting students‟ choice to enrol at private higher education institutions. Multiple regression analysis revealed that out of the thirteen factors, only seven factors were found to be significant predictors of students‟ intention to enrol at private higher education institutions. These seven factors were characteristics of programs and course offered, campus life, criteria, procedure and policies for admission, quality of teaching and learning resources, physical characteristics of campus, person based outreach and, electronic based outreach. Analysis of variance and Post Hoc Test determined that only seven factors were significantly different among the four institutions in the study. These seven factors included advice seeking, employment prospects, campus life, quality of teaching and learning resources, person based institutional outreach, electronic based institutional outreach and, policies and procedures for admission. Based on the findings, implications for policy and practice were discussed and appropriate recommendations were made. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

Family businesses have become a topic of growing interest among scholars and policy makers at both international and local levels, particularly given the sector’s contribution to the world economies. The increasingly volatile employment climate that prevails in many African settings today has increased the focus on small and medium enterprises as engines of economic growth and employment creation, and Botswana is no exception. The majority of family businesses are small to medium enterprises. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of governance structures and systems on the sustainability and continuity of family-owned and controlled businesses in Botswana. A study of this nature was important in view that some key sectors of the Botswana economy are dominated by small and medium family businesses. Of concern is the lack of continuity from one generation to the other among family businesses. Therefore, an understanding of the family dynamics and family business governance systems is important for managing the success and survival of the family business. Studies on small and medium enterprises have been carried out in Botswana mostly focusing on their problems, but not on their governance and sustainability. This was done using a cross-sectional research survey design. The target population for the study comprised small and medium family-owned businesses drawn from the manufacturing and professional services sectors and registered with the Business Botswana and Local Enterprises Authority in 2017. A sample of 144 familyowned businesses based in Gaborone and Francistown was polled. Quantitative data for the research was collected using a questionnaire. The quantitative research methodology adopted applied correlation and regression analysis, utilised Pearson correlation tests and Levene’s independent sample tests were performed to measure the relationships between five independent variables and the sustainability and continuity of family businesses in Botswana. This research empirically tested five hypotheses relating to governance factors that affect the sustainability and continuity of family businesses in Botswana. The research findings support the notion that the presence of governance structures, effective communication, decision-making, succession planning, and a vision, mission and strategy have a positive effect on the sustainability and continuity of family businesses. This research also established that small and medium family businesses face the same challenges as any other formation by ownership of non-family small and medium enterprises. Evidence is also provided that the challenges faced by family businesses in Botswana do not differ significantly with challenges faced by small and medium family businesses, with most respondents citing a lack of funding as the major challenge. For small and medium enterprises to continue playing their critical role in the economic development of Botswana, they need to formalise and adopt systematic approaches to strategy formulation and implementation, succession planning, governance structures and compliance. It is recommended that future studies focus on developing systematic generic models and assist small and medium familyowned businesses to implement and improve on their sustainability and continuity of businesses in Botswana. / Business Management / D. Admin.

This study focuses on the induction of novice teachers in Community Junior Secondary Schools (CJSS) in Gaborone, Botswana. The point of departure is that induction is an important factor that is essential to the success of every beginner teacher. It is the responsibility of the school management to provide comprehensive induction programmes that will support beginner teachers and retain them in the teaching profession. This problem was investigated by means of a literature study and an empirical investigation using a qualitative approach. A small sample of beginner teachers in six selected schools in Gaborone formed the sample for this study. Findings indicated that the extent to which novice teachers are given professional guidance and support in schools is not enough. It is recommended that induction programmes receive more priority in schools since the first year of teaching is the most important determiner in the teaching career of an individual. / Education management / M.Ed. (Education Management)

This research investigated the educational orientation of teacher educators in colleges of education in Botswana whether pedagogic or andragogic, and how they influence their educational practice. The methods of investigation were, a literature study of belief systems, andragogy and pedagogy as well as the nature of educational orientation, a survey of the educational orientation of teacher educators in Botswana using a structured Educational Orientation Questionnaire (EOQ) adopted from Hadley (Quam, 1998) and a semi-structured group interview to a stratified random sample of student teachers at two of the colleges of education. The results showed that most teacher educators in colleges of education in Botswana had a pedagogical rather than an andragogical orientation. They predominantly use educator-centred rather student-centred teaching methods. / Educational Studies / M Ed. (Didactics)

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi. Aflatoxins and fumonisins are among the most toxic mycotoxins. They are a significant risk factor for a cocktail of chronic health conditions including cancer of the liver, oesophagus and kidney, teratogenicity, neural tube defects, interference with lipid metabolism, a weakened immune system and a negative impact on micronutrient absorption in both man and animals. This study compared natural contamination of peanuts, peanut butter and sorghum from Gaborone, Botswana and Bulawayo, Zimbabwe with aflatoxins and fumonisins. In total 34 peanut samples, 34 sorghum samples and 11 peanut butter samples were collected randomly from retail shops and informal markets in the two cities. Fungal contamination was determined using standard mycology methods. Aflatoxin and fumonisin contamination was determined using HPLC-FLD. A. flavus/parasiticus species were detected in 66% and 100% of randomly analysed peanut samples from Bulawayo and Gaborone respectively and 27% (3/11) of peanut butter samples from Bulawayo. 67% of randomly analysed sorghum samples from Bulawayo showed A. flavus/parasiticus and Fusarium species contamination while none of the randomly analysed sorghum samples from Gaborone showed any fungal contamination. Furthermore aflatoxins were not detected in any of the sorghum samples; however 61% (11/18) of the Bulawayo sorghum samples showed fumonisin contamination (Range: 8 – 187 ng/g). Three of the peanut samples from Bulawayo were contaminated with aflatoxins (range: 6.6 – 622 ng/g) and no aflatoxins were detected in Gaborone peanuts. All 11 peanut butter samples from Bulawayo were contaminated with aflatoxins (Mean: 73.5 ng/g, Range: 6.8-250 ng/g) and AFB1 was the most prevalent. These preliminary results indicate that peanut butter and peanuts from Bulawayo are contaminated with high levels of aflatoxins. Stricter policing of regulations should be implemented to ensure compliance by manufacturers and public health interventions implemented in vulnerable communities. / Life and Consumer Sciences / M. Sc. (Life Sciences)