The legacy of the apartheid education system in South Africa has created many challenges. Some of these challenges involve the management of public schools. There was a resistance to change, creating serious managerial problems at many schools which in turn led to deterioration in the quality of education. The first post-apartheid government led by former president, Nelson Mandela and, the subsequent administration led by presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma have emphasized the centrality of education as part of the human development strategy for South Africa. The current administration (Jacob Zuma) has taken this initiative a step further by giving education peak priority. In order to drive this initiative, the government has placed Mathematics, Science and Technology Education on the agenda for the development of scarce in the Further Education and Training (FET) band of the South African schooling system. This has led to the introduction of the National Strategy for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (NSMSTE) as a policy option for the development of scarce skills in some selected schools throughout the nine provinces of South Africa. This study looks at how the implementation of this policy is managed in the Free State province. Since 1994 the government‘s attempts to transform education have been stifled by the failures to translate good policies into sound practices. In describing the failures of the African National Congress (ANC) led administration to implement policies, Biko (2013:191) uses an analogy of a failure to discern the dynamics of competing in a world competitive sport wherein all countries out-compete each other in the preparation of their children for the global workforce of the future. Biko (2013:191), further states that this global workforce does not have boundaries, it is not hindered by language barriers and it is also not tolerant of inflexibility. For the future generations, to be globally competitive, schools must provide quality education. This requires effective and efficient management. Like many other countries, South Africa has made strides in the area of access to education; quality education remains a major drawback. Mathematics and Science education is a flag point of every discussion on quality education. Many university‘s degrees and careers such as engineering require a good grounding in Mathematics and Science. Schools in South Africa incessantly produce few passes in Mathematics and Science. A study that looks into the management practices of the implementers of national policy on the development of scarce skills at school level is expedient. This is a Public Administration study that contributes towards the body of knowledge in finding the solutions for the school managers to implement NSMSTE. Although the challenges of managing schools are intricate and also permeate the broader spectrum of South African schools, provinces are unique in terms of infrastructure and human capital. It is for this reason that the scope of this study is only limited to the human capital of schools in the Free State province. Lessons derived from this study are likely to be applicable to other provinces of South Africa. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lk2014 / School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA) / PhD / unrestricted

Equine sarcoid was diagnosed in the Cape mountain zebra (CMZ) population at the Gariep Nature Reserve (GNR) located in the southern Free State Province of South Africa in 1996. The course of the disease outbreak over the period from 1996 to 2003 is retrospectively described from data gathered during that time. In total, data from 39 affected animals was gathered during the study period. The average population size during the outbreak was 69 individuals. The initial prevalence was 9.4% in 1996. When ompared to the neighbouring domestic horse population, where no cases of equine sarcoid had been noted, the CMZ population showed a high prevalence of sarcoid for reasons unknown at the time. To mimic dynamics in a natural ecosystem with predators, it was decided to remove sarcoid-affected zebra from the population during 1996 and 1997. No sarcoid cases were seen in 1998 and 1999. After thoroughly examining the population in 2000, seven new sarcoid cases were found. Given the endangered status of the CMZ, no further affected animals were culled and a decision was made to study the disease more intensively, with emphasis on epidemiology, aetiology, clinical appearance and pathology, and treatment options as well as to investigate the genetic status of the population and the possibility of a genetic predisposition to the development of equine sarcoid. Prevalence of sarcoid cases in the Gariep CMZ population increased to 24.7% in 2002. Incidence varied between 4.65-17.6% during the study period with higher incidence rates recorded towards the second half of the study period. No sexual predilection was established. Sarcoids were not seen in animals younger than three years of age. Of the affected individuals, 64.1% had a single lesion and no animal had more than four lesions. Sarcoids were mostly of the fibroblastic (57%), verrucose (16%), and nodular (10%) types or a combination of these. The majority of lesions in males occurred in the inguinal area (55.17%), whereas the majority of lesions in females occurred on the head and neck (41.38%). Because treatment trials were conducted in a number of affected individuals, there were not many untreated control animals in which to study the rate of growth of the tumours, but the average annual increase in lesion size in untreated animals was found to be as much as 260%, becoming so large as to mechanically impede movement. During the study period, known sarcoid-related mortalities numbered four, while nine animals were euthanased for humane reasons, and ten other animals having been identified once with sarcoid were not seen again and presumed dead. / Dissertation (MSc (Veterinary Science))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Paraclinical Sciences / MSc / unrestricted