SA 's first black film scorer, Zethu Mashika (29) talk us through his journey to a unique profession

M.Phil. (Geography) / Pleae refer to full text to view abstract

M.A. (Social Work) / In recent years the increasing number of assaults, murder and other forms of victimization of the elderly in South Africa have become a topic widely reported by the mass media and frequently discussed in communities. The threatening of the personal safety of an aged person is a matter of great concern with possible repercussions on the lifestyle of the individual concerned. In this regard Harris & Cole (1980:383) accurately state "The fear of crime greatly diminishes the quality of life for large number of older people and restricts their mobility. Much of this fear may came from the fact that older people are acutely aware of their vulnerability to victimization." The aims of this study are: to determine how the aged, living in Benoni, experience their personal safety; to determine how the experience of their personal safety influences the daily activities of the aged; to determine factors in personal safety of which the aged should be informed...

This treatise investigated the productive utilisation of child support grants (CSGs) with particular reference to Benoni town. The South African government introduced the CSG, which replaced the old maintenance grant in 1998. The aim of the CSG is to cater for the needs of vulnerable children living in South Africa such as education, basic health, food, shelter and protection. Since its introduction, CSG has been able to reach millions of vulnerable children in South Africa. Despite this success, the grant is still fraught with administrative inefficiencies and fraudulent activities committed by some CSG recipients. The researcher’s findings exposed the inappropriate and wasteful expenditure associated with the grant usage, by recipients of CSG. The researcher discovered that some mothers use grant money to buy alcohol and beauty products for themselves instead of the child’s needs. The reason associated to this wasteful expenditure was that the child is kept under the care of the grandmother who takes good care of the child, thus giving the mother the opportunity to use the grant she collects as she wishes. The main aim of this investigation was to find out how CSGs can be effectively and efficiently utilised by parents and guardians in Benoni and to make recommendations for better usage. The study also examined the effects of CSGs on children in Benoni and whether they are beneficial or not. The qualitative method of research was used and the study was descriptive in nature. Questionnaires were distributed to state officials and interviews conducted with CSG recipients. The findings from this research revealed that some of the respondents use the money to buy alcohol and beauty product for themselves instead of the child’s needs, making the implementation of CSGs ineffective and inefficient. This shows that there is a misuse of state funds by recipients of CSGs whereas there are millions of vulnerable children out there who do not have access to this cash transfer. The department of social security is encouraged to ensure effective and efficient utilisation of CSGs by recipients through state officials.

The invasion of ecosystems by alien species is a growing threat to the delivery of ecosystem services. This study explored the spatial distribution of water hyacinth in the Benoni Lakes and made analysis of its impact on water availability and usability in order to understand the evolution and its propagation rates. The study used satellite imagery for lake level modelling using Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems for calculations of area covered by weeds in each lake from 2002 to 2012.The modelling approach illustrates the potential usefulness in projecting invasive plants under climate change and enabled the quantification of long term changes in aquatic weeds. The results showed that aquatic infestations in lakes may be used as powerful predictors of correlations between plant abundance and climate change. The study therefore informs decision makers to identify areas where invasion is likely to occur and increase surveillance for early invaders. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)

Text in English / Guided by Connell’s social constructionist theory of hegemonic masculinity, in a study conducted at a township primary school in Gauteng East, I explored the way boys in Grade 7 interact with each other and girls, as a well as the way in which they understand the world around them in the context of gender relations. A purposive sampling method was used to select boys and girls to participate in this qualitative study. A total of 30 research participants, 17 boys and 13 girls, took part in this study. The methodology included the use of individual diaries and focus groups to solicit information and observe gender relations in boys and girls in the construction of masculinity. Masculinity in this study was constructed through power relations. The themes identified when analysing the social relationships between boys and girls were sexuality, the sturdy boy, homosociality, sex roles, defying authority and the comedian. / Sociology / M.A. (Sociology)

Abstract in English / Incineration is still a widely utilised method for treating healthcare risk waste in the Republic of South Africa. As much as incinerators are needed, the fact that they are still a critical source of hazardous toxic air pollutants that are not easy to manage cannot be disregarded. The Ministry of Environmental Affairs has promulgated a new regulation for General and Hazardous Waste Thermal Treatment. This exceedingly stringent air pollution legislation requires that existing incinerators be modified or redesigned to meet the new air quality standards, or face closure in the event that they fail to comply. The regulation contains strict emission requirements for concentrations of stack gases such as CO2, NO2, NOx, HCl, HF, CO, SO2, as well as TOC and PM. To be certain that emissions are within the standard, incineration facilities are instructed to reduce the acid gas emissions and to have permanent on-line monitoring equipment for stack testing of regulated pollutants. Since the promulgation of the new legislation in April 2015, none of the incinerators in South Africa has been able to achieve the new requirements. This study, based on the quantitative approach, was conducted in search of a cost-effective method of controlling acid gas emissions from incinerators without major adjustments to the plants. During the study, 60 kg of sorbacal Ca(OH)2 was injected into a lime feeder every day. A variable speed drive was used to inject Ca(OH)2 into the furnace continuously at a rate of between 2.5 kg/h and 3.5 kg/h. The temperature was maintained between 850°C and 1200°C with the use of four gas burners. Two manual blowers were utilised to ensure a continuous flow of Ca(OH)2 into the reaction chamber and filtration system. Comparative analysis was done to compare gas emission levels before and after the use of hydrated lime. Descriptive statistics were used to compute the mean, frequency and percentages, while Wilcoxon sign rank test established whether hydrated lime was significant in reducing gaseous emissions or not. Wilcoxon sign rank test showed a statistically significant difference (P<0.05) in the reduction of all gaseous emissions using hydrated lime, except particulate matter where there was a significant increase in emissions. This technology was able to achieve high removal efficiency of 97% for HCl, 86% for HF, 83% for NOx, 87% for SO2 and 74% for NO2. The optimum temperature for SO2 and NOx was 1020°C. For HCl it was between 1190°C and 1200°C, and for NO2 it was between 1120°C and 1200°C. The amount of particulate matter increased along with the concentration of the Ca(OH)2 injections. Ca(OH)2 was found to be cost effective in the controlling and capturing of gaseous emissions. It is recommended that combustion requirements, such as heat, oxygen and turbulence, be considered to reduce the amount of gases generated during the incineration of healthcare risk waste. It is also recommended that electrostatic precipitators be used instead of fabric filters to improve the efficiency of capturing the particulate matter. / Environmental Sciences / M.Sc. (Environmental Science)

This study aimed to gain insight into the nature and extent of traditional and cyberbullying among Grade Six and Seven learners in four public primary schools in Benoni. Using the Social Learning Theory as a basis for understanding bullying as a learned behaviour (socially learned through the observation of authoritarian parents), a quantitative research method was applied which utilised an online self-report questionnaire to examine the relationship between bullying and the Authoritarian parenting style. Results indicate that 50.4% of learners had been victimised, while 31.6% and 8.8% had engaged in perpetrating traditional and cyberbullying, respectively at least once (N = 279). Further results revealed that the Authoritarian parenting style is significantly related to the perpetration of both types of bullying. These results bring to the fore the reciprocal relationship between both types of bullying, and indicate a need for systemic intervention at the primary school level (involving parents/caregivers). Interventions should therefore not seek to separate types of bullying into discreet problems, but rather focus on their common underlying aspects, including parenting behaviours / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

This study aimed to gain insight into the nature and extent of traditional and cyberbullying among Grade Six and Seven learners in four public primary schools in Benoni. Using the Social Learning Theory as a basis for understanding bullying as a learned behaviour (socially learned through the observation of authoritarian parents), a quantitative research method was applied which utilised an online self-report questionnaire to examine the relationship between bullying and the Authoritarian parenting style. Results indicate that 50.4% of learners had been victimised, while 31.6% and 8.8% had engaged in perpetrating traditional and cyberbullying, respectively at least once (N = 279). Further results revealed that the Authoritarian parenting style is significantly related to the perpetration of both types of bullying. These results bring to the fore the reciprocal relationship between both types of bullying, and indicate a need for systemic intervention at the primary school level (involving parents/caregivers). Interventions should therefore not seek to separate types of bullying into discreet problems, but rather focus on their common underlying aspects, including parenting behaviours / Psychology / M. A. (Psychology)

Evidence suggests that caring for orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV and AIDS remains one of the greatest challenges facing South Africa. Statistics indicate that there are 1.91 million AIDS orphans in the country (UNICEF, 2012; Statistics South Africa, 2009:8)). The majority of these orphans live in rural and poor urban households. Caring for orphans and vulnerable children places severe strain on support systems, such as the extended family; this spills over into the community. Providing care and support also places an extra burden on the already overstretched welfare sector and drains state resources. The primarily objective of this study was to explore community resilience strategies on challenges faced by orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV and AIDS in Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, Gauteng. A purposive sample of 32 participants was selected and field data were collected over a period of two months using a structured research guide. A combination of data collection methods was employed in order to explore different perspectives of community resilience strategies on challenges faced by orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV and AIDS in Benoni. Emerging data illustrate a clear account on the impact of the AIDS epidemic in Benoni. All of the respondents were directly or indirectly affected by the epidemic. This should be located within the high prevalence of HIV and AIDS and the high number of orphans in Ekurhuleni. The study findings further suggest a correlation between socioeconomic challenges and the AIDS epidemic in Ekurhuleni. This is demonstrated through the challenges experienced by orphans and vulnerable children in Benoni, which include: non-disclosure by parents of their illness; economic deprivation and disrupted schooling; children caring for an ill parent with AIDS and child-headed households; emotional, sexual and economic exploitation, stigmatisation and discrimination. Despite these challenges, through community resilience the Benoni community has taken some initiatives to mitigate against these challenges. This includes the establishment of a community vi based organisation which provides basic services to orphans and vulnerable children in Benoni. To date this organisation has successfully provided material and psychosocial to more than 278 orphans. The success of this initiative confirms the importance of community driven interventions using the resilience framework to supports orphans and vulnerable, rather than dependency on the government imposed programmes- top down approach. However, community based programmes need to be strengthened by the government and non-governmental organisations in order to maximise benefits.