The main objective of this thesis is to provide information about the legal status and activities of a municipality mayor. The topic is related to the analysis of municipality organization and relations among its institutions according to the current legislation, as well as the evaluation of the position of a mayor in various situations that he may encounter during the performance of his duties. The thesis can be divided into several parts. One part consists of the first two chapters which describe the development of local governments and their current legislative framework. The next part consists of chapters Three to Five which deal with the specific functions of a mayor, his rights and obligations in various situations, the start and the end of his mandate, and the position of a deputy mayor. The last part is chapters Six and Seven which describe the legislative framework for local governments in Slovakia and the election process of a mayor there. The seventh chapter primarily deals with the problem concerning the changes in the way mayors are elected in the Czech Republic, from indirect election to a direct one. This diploma thesis is an attempt to summarize information related to the topic. It concerns various spheres of activities of a mayor, legislative framework of the function, which...

Resüme Titel: Die Zuständigkeit der Gemeinden Das Hauptziel dieser Diplomarbeit besteht darin, die Zuständigkeit der Gemeinden in der Tschechischen Republik zu beschreiben. Die heutige gesetzliche Regelung schließt sich seit 1990 wieder an die ehemals Ősterreichisch-Deutsche kommunale Tradition des gemischten Vollzugs der öffentlichen Verwaltung an. Nach einer nötigen kontextuellen Einführung (in der Form der Abgrenzung des Begriffes der "Zuständigkeit" und in der Form eines kurzen historischen Exkurses des Verlaufs der gesetzlichen Regelung bis zum Jahr 1990), folgt das Kapitel über den übertragenen Wirkungskreis der Gemeinden. Das Ziel dieses Kapitels ist die Verankerung dieser Zuständigkeit innerhalb der Rechtsordnung der Tschechischen Republik, ihre Prinzipien und ihre Funktionieren zu zeigen. Der eigene Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit ist in den Kapiteln zu finden, die den eigenen Wirkungskreis der Gemeinden beschreiben. Erst beschäftigt sich die Arbeit mit der verfassungsrechtlichen Verankerung und mit dem Vergleich des Rechts auf die Selbstverwaltung in der Tschechischen und Deutschen Rechtsordnung. Danach ist die Konzeption und die eigene Regelung des eigenen Wirkungskreises der Gemeinden in der Tschechischen Republik und in der Bundesrepublik Niedersachsen beschrieben. Der Vorsatz der Beschreibung der...

Magister Artium - MA / The extent of a community experiencing social vulnerability depends on the community’s ability to access resources that may contribute to coping mechanisms (either within the household or provided externally by a responsible authority) that decrease the impacts and effects of a disaster. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to identify the existence of social and institutional mechanisms that aim to reduce experiences of water inaccessibility and the causes of social vulnerability, and increase coping mechanisms within Kayamandi. Kayamandi is a low income residential community on the north-westerly periphery of the greater Stellenbosch town in the Western Cape. The research attained responses through questionnaires and surveys from residents,community organisations and responsible personnel. These surveys allowed the researcher to produce raw attribute data for each household that assisted in spatially representing vulnerable households and informing the five priority areas of the Hyogo Framework for Action. Contributing to this method of attaining information, secondary geographic data collection was obtained through the Stellenbosch Local Municipality, the National Geospatial Information Directorate and the National Demarcation Board. The findings of this thesis established that household and public water infrastructure contribute to the risk of experiencing social vulnerability that affects economic standings and quality of health within the community. Contributing to this and due to Kayamandi’s politically sensitive and historically fractioned community, social cohesion has also been noted as an area of vulnerability. Although these vulnerabilities are experienced, residents are able to implement technical, social and municipal reliant coping mechanisms. However, although efforts from Stellenbosch Local Municipality do respond to most of the key indicators within the Hyogo Framework for Action, the study found no concrete efforts within the Stellenbosch Local Municipality that illustrate integrated mechanisms to reduce the impacts of disasters and compound effects.

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) played a vital role in the history of the welfare sector in South Africa and are working alongside the government sector to combat social ills. The role of the NGO sector is to ensure the provision of a comprehensive network of social development services that enable and empower the poor, the vulnerable, and those with special needs. The ongoing financial shortages from NGOs were a growing concern for all the stakeholders in the welfare sector. The goal of this study was therefore to explore and describe the challenges in implementing project planning in the NGO sector. This study followed a qualitative research approach and used exploratory and descriptive research designs. Participants were purposely selected from the various NGOs in the Overberg Municipality. The data collection took place in focus group discussions and individual interviews with the aid of an interview guide. Data was analysed according to the eight steps of Tesch (in Creswell, 2003). Findings were verified according to Guba’s (1981) model of trustworthiness based on the criteria identified in Krefting (1991). The findings that were generated during the research study indicated that challenges for implementing project planning in the NGO sector had an impact on their service delivery. An enabling factor for implementing project planning and the writing of business plans was the fact that training in project management assisted project managers to market their services and permitted supervisors to fulfil different roles. The second theme that emerged from the study was disenabling factors or problems facing the planning and writing of the business plan. It demonstrated a lack of knowledge among social workers who lacked those skills and coordination and planning amongst NGO in the same area. The implementation of a basket of services influenced project outcomes, lack of resources and infrastructure for implementation of projects. The third theme that emerged from the study was stakeholders’ influence in project implementation and the influence on efficient and effective project outcomes. It included social work goals versus client goals, the relationship between the board members of the NGOs and social workers, the relationship between the Department of Social Development and social workers in the NGO sector, and relationships between the social workers and their supervisors. Recommendations included short- and long-term recommendations. It was concluded that NGOs experience challenges with regard to implementation of project planning.

In the 1960s, risk management primarily took the form of purchased insurance against force majeure events. Today, many corporate executives are worried about not only these types of events but also many others (Mair and Cendrowski, 2009:3). “People risks” versus environmental risks, financial risks and technical risks are examples of risks that are often overlooked. People risks include, succession planning (this refers to identifying and developing key talent) and competency and skills building (dealing with employees that do not have requisite skills for success), (William & Paul, 2007:4). Massingham (2010:464) mentions that corporate disasters, such as the collapse of Enron, have increased the need for effective corporate governance, while catastrophic natural disasters, man-made tragedies such as the September 11 terrorist attacks and tsunami of 2004, have increased risk awareness as well as its consequences.

The standard anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) used for the treatment of HIV/AIDS have significant side effects resulting in a lack of adherence and the emergence of multidrug resistant viral strains. These drugs are also expensive, making it essential to investigate all alternatives to classical HIV/AIDS treatment. A wide variety of nonconventional medicines are used by patients for the treatment HIV and for symptoms associated with HIV. So long as they are safe and effective, traditional, complementary and alternative medicines (TCAMs) may be considered more advantageous for developing countries as they are relatively cheap, more accessible and widely accepted by local populations. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of TCAM use in HIV-positive patients, prior to, and during ARV therapy. The study was exploratory, cross sectional and observational in nature. Participants were selected via convenience sampling from the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, and included 244 HIV-positive patients, 29 health care professionals (HCPs) and 30 traditional, complementary and alternative practitioners (TCAMPs). A wide variety of TCAMs were used by the sample population. These medicines were more commonly used by non-ARV patients (36 percent) compared with ARV patients (22 percent). A significant statistical difference in TCAM use between the ARV and non- ARV population was found in relation to education, employment, period of status awareness, patient opinion of personal health and the reasons for TCAM use. Amongst the HCPs, 24 percent recommended TCAM use prior to ARVs, and 55 percent were aware of patients self-prescribing before and during ARV treatment. Amongst the TCAMPs, 90 percent provided a wide range of TCAMs for HIV, with some giving consideration to conventional management. TCAMs are commonly used by HIV-positive patients on ARVs, as well as by those not on ARVs. These medicines are also the preferred form of treatment for those not seeking conventional treatment. TCAMs are widely available and recommended by TCAMPs as well as some HCPs. Due to public health concerns, clinical trials of the widely used TCAMs are crucial in order to establish the safety and efficacy of these medicines in HIV.

In an attempt to improve the quality of lives of its citizens, the South African government has introduced low-cost housing projects through the Reconstruction and Development Programme. This is supported by the relevant policy framework and the Constitution. Many historically disadvantaged communities in the urban areas have benefitted from the low-cost housing programmes initiated by government. The community of Joe Slovo, which has houses which were built between 2008 and 2010, in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is one of them. However, concerns about the poor quality of some of the houses delivered through government’s low-cost housing programmes have been expressed. These concerns were attributed to the defects which tend to show up in some of the houses, shortly after they have been built. In view of such concerns and the importance of the optimal utilization of the country’s limited resources, the author decided to undertake this study. In this study he focused on the perceptions of the beneficiaries of the houses delivered through the Joe Slovo housing project in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. The main focus was on the perceptions about the quality of the recently acquired houses. The study revealed that not all beneficiaries were satisfied with the quality of their houses. Hence recommendations for addressing this scenario are made.

This study explored and described the perception of clinical psychologists regarding thebarriers to the provision of psychological services in urban public health settings for people with first-episode schizophrenia. The qualitative research study utilised an explorative, descriptive interpretive research design. Purposive sampling was utilised to gain access to clinical psychologists, who had at least two years of public health experience working with people recently diagnosed with schizophrenia. Data was gathered from 11 participants from the Nelson Mandela Bay Health District of the Eastern Cape by means of in-depth interviews that were conducted in English by the researcher until data saturation had occurred. A computer-assisted qualitative thematic analysis of the collected data was conducted using NVIVO software. The findings have been categorised according to three broad domains: 1)contextual barriers 2)health care system-related barriers and 3)first-episode schizophrenia syndrome-related barriers. Several specific sub-themes were identified for each of these main domains allowing for recommendations and suggestions to be provided for attending to and overcoming these perceived barriers.

In South Africa, the quality of health care is directly related to the concept of patient-centred care and the enactment of the Batho Pele Principles and the Patients’ Rights Charter. The quality of health care delivery has dropped drastically, and reports in the media indicate that public hospitals in the Eastern Cape Province are on the brink of collapse, with thousands of patients being treated in condemned hospitals. Receiving and rendering health care in the face of such challenges, the question arose: “Are patients receiving patient-centred care in public hospitals?” The answer to this rhetorical inquiry appeared to be obvious, but this research study explored and described professional nurses’ perceptions of patient-centred care in public hospitals and their understanding of evidence-based practice and best practice guidelines. The proposed study followed a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design. The research population included professional nurses who are employed in public hospitals in Nelson Mandela Bay, and consisted of nurse managers and nurses who work in the wards. The research study consisted of three phases. In Phase 1, semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with nurse managers and professional nurses working in the wards in order to collect data about their perceptions of patient-centred care and their understanding of evidence-based practice and best practice guidelines. The interviews were transcribed and Tesch’s eight steps of data analysis were followed to create meaning from the data collected. Themes were identified and grouped together to form new categories. The researcher ensured the validity of the study by conforming to Lincoln and Guba’s model of trustworthiness, which consists of the following four constructs: credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability. An independent coder assisted with the coding process. In Phase 2, an integrative literature review was conducted in order to identify previous guidelines regarding best practice for patient-centred care. Relevant guidelines were selected, critically appraised, data was extracted and synthesised for the development of a best practice guideline for patient-centred care. An independent appraiser critically appraised the guidelines, thereby ensuring trustworthiness. In Phase 3, the data in Phase 1 and Phase 2 were integrated to formulate a draft best practice guideline for patient-centred care. The guideline was submitted to an expert panel for review and was modified according to the recommendations of the panel, whereby the best practice guideline for patient-centred care in public hospitals in Nelson Mandela Bay was finalized.

The purpose of this study was to develop an optimal skills development planning and implementation process flow model for application within local government authorities, more specifically for application within the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. To achieve this, a literature review was conducted which provided for an understanding on how skills development structures and strategies have changed in recent times and how the laws which provide the framework and landscape for skills development in South Africa, have been adapted to accommodate these changes. The literature review continued with an analysis of various theoretical training and skills development models in order to determine an optimal systematic approach to training and development in South Africa, and to determine the sequential flow of skills planning and implementation process flow steps. From the literature and theoretical models, an all-embracing skills development planning and implementation process flow model was developed for implementation in local government authorities. This model was used as the basis for the development of a survey questionnaire to establish to what extent metropolitan municipalities, agreed or disagreed, that it implemented the aspects of the proposed model developed in this study. Structured interviews were conducted using the survey questionnaire. The results obtained were used to adapt the theoretical model, and to align it with the viewpoints of the majority of the respondents. Although various facets of skills development were found to be implemented across metropolitan municipalities, the majority of the municipalities did not apply optimal skills planning, nor did they apply optimal sequential process steps to ensure effective and efficient skills development. iv The empirical study established without a doubt that a dire need exists for an optimal skills development planning and implementation process flow model within local government authorities. Based on the analysis and interpretation of the research findings, the model proposed for local government authorities was customised to produce a process flow model to facilitate optimal skills development planning and implementation within the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.