South Africa's public institutions are expected to conduct their activities in a way that satisfy the public interest to ensure the welfare of the people. In formulating public policies and in carrying out their duties, these institutions are constitutionally required to be answerable to the communities, particularly in a democratic state. Hence, many community leaders strongly believe that transparency and public accountability can help to expose and reduce large-scale tendencies of financial irregularities and corruption in public agencies. Despite different racial groups, levels of education and occupation the ordinary members of the public are discontented about inadequate accountability and openness of parastatals. This can tend to lead to unethical and irresponsible conduct in government departments and parastatals. Therefore this thesis assesses an emerging challenge experienced by public enterprises in reacting to the urgent need for increased answerability for the behaviour of administrators and officials. Over the past few years, parastatals have attracted heavy criticism from several quarters of various communities for embracing racial discriminatory policies and conniving with departments of the previous government to fortify those racial policies. The veil of confidentiality clause and the right to privacy, which clouded the abuse of political power by both the government and public organisations, shrouded the activities of the parastatals. However, even the advent of democracy in South Africa in 1994 did not reduce unethical conduct, such as corruption, patronage and nepotism, among administrators and officials. Instead the scale of these unbecoming tendencies have currently either increased or received more publicity. Frequent financial irregularities are continuously reported, which cause great damage to the image of public organisations and erodes public trust. Therefore, in trying to address these problems attributed to the inadequacy of public accountability and transparency, parastatals have to consider and evaluate several bewildering challenges. The main thing is to critically re-examine the role of public accountability and transparency in public institutions. In doing that, a focus must be on finding answers for the following questions. To whom and how are parastatals accountable? Why is it necessary for them to publicly give full account of their activities to the communities? Essentially, this thesis is particularly concerned with a large parastatal in Kwa-Zulu/Natal, which is chosen a point of references, namely, Umgeni Water Board. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

Roads are a significant element of modernity. They are not only sites that facilitate mobility and fluidity needed for modern capitalist economy but also spaces which signify the social relations formed within the system. This conceptualization of the road is central to the project at hand. The aim of this research is to unpack factors influencing route choices of private car owners in the Bisley area in Pietermaritzburg in terms of their primary activities (going to work, shopping etc.) and what socio-political contents inform and frame these rationales. Additionally, this research explores the extent to which crime influences spatial consumption and mobility patterns. The research made use of qualitative approach that sought to interrogate the contexts within which what is considered rational choices are made and provide insight into how private car owners in Bisley area contextualize their decision. In-depth interviews with individuals (owners of private car) from various households in Bisley were conducted. The findings reveal that drivers use routes that provide them with the maximum positive outcomes, and consider their options within multiple factors as they arise out of the conditions on each road and each trip. The study also found variations in terms of the mode of rationality used in situational contexts and their multiplicity. For example, morning traffic prompted the drivers to use instrumental rationality; whereas travel during other parts of the day was not restricted to this form of rationality. The findings of study also in some ways support already existing view that there is a link between spatial consumption and perceptions of crime; however, this requires further interrogation of this theme with systematic data collection appropriate to it. Most importantly consideration of safety on the road definitely shapes decisions of the research participants on which roads and routes to frequent, and at which time of the day. Furthermore, the study through the tracing of participants‟ movements using maps shows the ways in which class and race feature on the roads of the country. The study argues that class rather than race is re-spatialized in post-apartheid South Africa. This was attributed to recent socio-political and economic dynamic developments taking place in South Africa, where the black majority is becoming more affluent. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

Cities, particularly in developing countries, are faced .with the challenge of population increase aggravated by rural to urban migration. This has increased the level of unemployment since job creation does not keep up with the rate at which population influx to cities occurs. This leads to poverty that undermines the economy of the city. Urban agriculture (UA) has the potential to improve livelihoods of the urban poor people through contributing to food security and generating income. However, UA has generally not been practised successfully and in a sustainable manner, owing to the lack of resources (land and finance), farming skills, and inadequate support services from organizations. This study presupposes that the inadequacy of resources in support of UA strongly reflects the level of co-operation and co-ordination among those who are, or could support UA. It will also reflect the levels of commitment of a shared vision. It thus sets out to explore the prospects of organizational collaboration to support UAand uses the Greater Pietermaritzburg Area (PMB) as a focus for the study. The local organizations in PMB were found to have frameworks through which they supported UA and other development projects. They were however found not to have any strategic plan, clear definition of organizations' roles, no common understanding of UA, nor a shared mission or vision of UA. As a result there was poor coordination and commitment to collaboration. It appears that a successful collaboration requires most importantly, an acknowledgement of the complexity of collaboration and a clear understanding of its purpose among the collaborating partners. Also required is accepting the need for leadership, integration of ideas when planning and implementing, clarification of roles and accountability. To appreciate this, organizational and individual empowerment is needed. Empowerment could take three forms: objective (knowledge of collaborations' aim, objectives, and procedures), subjective (assertiveness to undertake work involved), and competency (acquisition of skills to enhance ability to perform). The study believes these .factors could help improve the performance of organizational frameworks in developing UA to a point that its full potential is realized. The findings emphasized the value of adopting a systems approach in organizing delivery of services in support of UA. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

Every time a good is produced, waste occurs as an unwanted by-product. Waste has become a real environmental issue across the world, contributing to the degradation of the environment and human health. As part of a local and international effort to lessen industrial pollution, a concept to reduce waste production at source was introduced to companies in the early 1990s. Pioneered in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (UK), this concept has been termed 'waste minimisation'. Waste minimisation is achieved by implementing changes to business practices and processes, such as improved housekeeping (e.g. prevention of spills), and changes to equipment that is less wasteful. It is often undertaken by a group of organisations, including for example service providers, manufacturing companies and regulators that join a waste minimisation club (WMC). This provides an opportunity in which training can be received by, waste minimisation assessments made on, and information and ideas about waste reduction at source exchanged by member companies. WMCs have been used successfully in Europe to achieve waste minimisation in industry and residential communities. This study aims to contribute to the development of a sustainable WMC model in South Africa. It analyses the WMC support structures in South Africa and compares them to support structures offered in the UK. This offers a point of reference from which the impact of South African support structures on WMCs in general, and the Pietermaritzburg Waste Minimisation Club (PWMC) in particular, can be established. The PWMC consists of small and medium companies across sectors, each with less than 200 employees and with an annual turnover less than 40 million rand. The club was initiated by the Pollution Research Group of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). It was the first of its kind in South Africa, having been facilitated on a small budget by staff and students from the UKZN. The study found that the self-help approach adopted by the PWMC was only partially successful. The PWMC was successful in terms of raising awareness of its members to waste minimisation issues. The study also found that member companies, both from the PWMC and WMCs generally, need to be shown in practical terms that 2 waste minimisation can result in financial savings before management buy-in can be attained. If more University manpower had been allocated, in the form of students for instance, to identify and orchestrate implementation of sustainable waste minimisation solutions, the PWMC member adoption rate of waste minimisation may have been raised. The small PWMC budget may have made this impossible, however. Lack of funding may also have prevented facilitators putting together a large support team, as has been done for a similar and more successful project in England. This demonstrates that self-help WMCs need an initial funding boost to be successful. This funding should be invested in gaining buy-in from company personnel rather than to drive the waste minimisation process on behalf of member companies. Driving waste minimisation on behalf of companies or 'hand-holding' leads to a passive acceptance of waste minimisation as is currently the case in South Africa, as well as 'shirking' as has been observed in the UK. Such a facilitated self-help approach can then lay the basis for WMCs, which use the support infrastructure established by their predecessors. Studies of WMCs in England and Wales based on a self-help approach showed that they achieved financial savings that are comparable to those in demonstration clubs. The promotion of such sustainable WMCs in South Africa needs to be performed by a central support agency such as the British Envirowise. Envirowise was seen to successfully promote waste minimisation among those it reached. However, it reached only a small percentage of overall industry. A successful South African agency therefore needs to promote itself effectively and nation-wide. A successful South African Envirowise organisation should also facilitate the creation of WMCs by leading a forum of industry, service providers, higher education and waste minimisation champions of proven worth, to create an action plan for WMC development for each province. Each province would then allocate funds for a waste minimisation champion who, in conjunction with the local development agency, would create a provincial action plan for the development of facilitated self-help WMCs. The local support and expertise recruited to form and manage WMCs would decrease costs and leverage income. This kind of support agency needs to be upheld by waste management legislation based on the concept of sustainable development, recognising the need for environmental protection alongside that of economic growth. To date no such legislation is in place in South Africa. It is hoped that the White Paper on Integrated Pollution and Waste Management, which endorses the principle of sustainable development alongside with the necessity to reduce waste at source, will form the basis for a successful South African WMC culture. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

This study investigates the challenges and benefits of policy networks. It focuses specifically on the experiences of the Centre for Crimlnal Justice, examining the challenges and benefits it experiences in its networks. In spite of the widely applauded benefits of networks in this study and in other publications, findings from this study still highlight the challenges of networks in labour policy implementation. The study reveals that the element of diversity and the complicated nature of networks' management threaten networks' ability to realize their objectives. The lack of binding regulations and managerial structures in certain networks reveals the drawback in networks' management. Firstly, it raises questions about the legitimacy of any self-initiated coordination in networks since such might not be formally accepted by network members. Secondly, the thesis argues that the lack of binding regulations in some networks deepen the likelihood of uncooperative attitude among actors, especially when it suits them, given that there are no defined consequences for their actions. Other findings in this study draw attention to the operational conflict between the vertical and lateral-minded members of a network. This discusses the question of methodological disagreement between actors of contrasting view points in the execution of certain tasks. Finally, the thesis looks at the question of actors' autonomy in a network. It argues that threats to actors' autonomy or dignity could promote lack of commitment from network members, neglect of responsibility and the possible breakdown of the network if such issues are not properly addressed. In summary, though networks are ideal tools for policy implementation and service delivery in contemporary society, they nevertheless have their challenges. Hence the study concludes with an invitation for proper acknowledgement of the challenges in the process of networks and the need for further studies in this field to enhance the effectiveness of networks in implementation processes.

The aim of this dissertation is to contextualise the use of porcelain by the South African ceramist Thelma Marcuson (1919-2009). This paper focuses on her ceramics in the Tatham Art Gallery’s Permanent Collection in Pietermaritzburg. I hope to give recognition to Marcuson as she is considered one of the pioneer South African studio potters by Garth Clark and Lynne Wagner’s in Potters of Southern Africa as she is ranked amongst the top fifteen in that distinct group (appendix 4: Potters’ art demo). This dissertation is divided into three chapters. Chapter one primarily focuses on the influence of contemporary European studio potters on Marcuson’s work, in particular that of Lucie Rie, Mary Rogers and Ruth Duckworth. This chapter also examines the development of ceramics from industrial ceramics, involving mass productions in factories, to the modernist revival of studio ceramics by Bernard Leach, where each piece was handmade and often regarded as an art form, as in the work of the twentieth century British ceramist William Staite-Murray. Chapter two focuses on Marcuson and South African studio ceramics and considers South African potters who had an influence on Marcuson’s early training, and also looks at her involvement with the Association of Potters of Southern Africa (APSA) founded in 1972. In the last section of this chapter I will discuss ceramic practices and technical issues about porcelain and high-firing glazes, specifying how they are made and used, with particular reference to South African developments and local studio potters. As Marcuson was particularly interested in porcelain, this chapter also outlines glaze applications with specific reference to porcelain and firing methods. Chapter three focuses on Marcuson’s ceramics and offers in particular an analysis of the nine pieces of her work in the Permanent Collection of the Tatham Art Gallery in Pietermaritzburg. Through my research I was able to acquire photographic documentation from other South African museums for comparative purposes, such as the Durban Art Gallery and the William Humphreys Art Gallery in Kimberley, as well as some private collections (see appendix 1). / Thesis (M.A)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

Magister Public Health - MPH / Background: Child abuse is a global public health problem with serious consequences for the victims and society. Most studies on child maltreatment in South Africa have focused on the role of teachers as perpetrators and the prevalence of abuse within schools. Due to their strategic importance in breaking the cycle of abuse, it is important to document teachers‘ knowledge and attitudes towards identifying and reporting suspected cases of child abuse in relation to existing mandatory laws.Aim: To assess teachers‘ knowledge, attitudes and reporting practices of suspected child abuse in independent and public primary schools across all quintile categories in the Midlands education circuit in Pietermaritzburg.Methods: An observational, descriptive cross sectional quantitative study design was used. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 237 teachers selected by multi-stage stratified proportional random sampling from a total of 2496 primary school teachers. The data were analysed using CDC Epi Info 7 (2012b). A descriptive analysis was done and groups were compared with chi square, ANOVA or Kruska-Wallis tests where appropriate. The level of significance was set as 95%.Results: The teachers were generally knowledgeable about possible indicators of child abuse. There were critical gaps in participants‘ knowledge of reporting procedures and most of the teachers (70.2%) have had no training on child abuse detection and reporting. Previous training on child abuse was associated with an increased likelihood to have detected abuse in the past (OR 4.86, 95%CI 2.64-8.96, p < 0.01). An overwhelming awareness of mandatory reporting law did not translate into knowledge of its provisions or substantial compliance. Hence, while most teachers agreed that all forms of child maltreatment should be reported, they still displayed differential reporting of suspected cases. The decision to report was often influenced by their perceived seriousness of the on-going abuse while uncertainty about on-going abuse was one of the most important barriers to lodging a report of suspected cases. Conclusions and Recommendations: Teachers recognised child abuse as a serious issue and are willing to learn and do more. Teachers, and ultimately the children in their care, would immensely benefit from training repertoire which addresses identified contextual issues shaping teachers‘ child abuse detection and reporting practices.

Submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / Background: Running injuries are increasingly common as participation in this sport increases. Health care providers need to be better able to treat and manage these injuries and prevent their recurrence. Thus, there is a need for profiles of different population groups to enable the development of health promotion and injury prevention strategies. This research study profiled and tracked runners over seven marathons held in the eThekwini and uMgungundlovu Municipalities during the first quarter of 2014. Methods: This Durban University of Technology, Institutional Research and Ethics Committee approved retrospective Chiropractic Treatment Facility record analysis, analysed 741 recorded marathon visits. The records were based on a previously validated data collection tool (CSSA questionnaire) that allowed clinical data to be captured relating to patient demographics, anatomical site of the complaint, clinical impression, diagnosis and treatment. These fields were analysed for each visit, and then captured in SPSS version 22 with records only being excluded because they were unsigned. Descriptive and inferential statistics (McNemar’s tests) were compiled and a p-value of 0.05 was used. Results: The majority of the runners were Black males of approximately 40 years of age. A total of 95.6% of runners presented with overuse injuries, of which 73.6% and 89.3% had no history of previous injury or trauma respectively, and with 94.7% being able to continue participation. The shin and calf (21.7%), thigh (21.6%) and lumbar regions (16.1%) were most commonly affected by injuries which were predominantly muscle strains (23.2%) and SI syndrome (21.4%). These injuries were treated by manipulation (82.8%), massage (57.2%) and PNF stretching (33.6%). With runners that presented at subsequent marathons, a significant difference (McNemar’s p=0.013) in history of previous injury between the first and second marathon was found, with the runner being more likely to report a history of previous injury at their second marathon visit. Specific trends, although not significant, were found for specific subgroups (defined by age, gender, ethnicity, history of previous injury / trauma and chronicity of the diagnoses). Conclusion: The data is not dissimilar to the literature on running injuries, although specific trends in terms of sub categories were noted. These trends require further investigation through prospective, longitudinal studies. / M

Dissertation submitted in the partial fulfillment for the requirements of the Degree of Master in Public Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015. / The challenges facing the South African public health systems, especially public clinics seem to be increasing. These Primary Health Centres are having to deliver service under difficult circumstances thereby making the “offering” of the service being perceived as poor. The way in which these centres operate is mainly hampered by infrastucture and resource allocation which is seen as sufficient to render appropriate service to the “black communities”. To the eyes of an outsider, this particular service is seen as ideal, yet the people for whom it is meant, do not fully benefit from it. Prior to 1994, South Africans were faced with poor health facilities; with the democratic elections, they thought the delivery of essential services was going to change for the better. In the White Paper for Transformation of the Health System in South Africa, one of the objectives states that various implementation strategies were to be designed to meet the basic needs of all people, given the limited resources available, but this does not seem to be the case. Research has shown a huge discrepancy in the delivery of service between rural and urban areas. Some of the findings are that one nurse will attend to a huge number of patients without any assistance, either from the doctor or other nurses. The literature review contained in this research indicates that there is still a gap between how the service delivery should be made available to the public and how it is currently administered or managed. This research, which is driven by a passion and love for good public service delivery assesses the perceived quality of service in the public clinics of Sobantu and Scottsville. Interviews were conducted within employees of both the clinics and the patients being served by these two clinics to assess the perceived quality of service received in these clinics / An electronic copy of the Thesis is currently unavailable.

The ushering in of the new democratic government came with high expectations from all South Africans in terms of how development processes were to unfold. The previous system had made it virtually impossible for people on the ground to be informed of all developments within areas where they lived. This resulted in great suspicions on the part of communities as they only saw things just happening, in many instances such activities had no direct impact on their lives. The new government, as elected by the people, had to address this matter in order to ensure that all development processes had a meaning to the daily lives of ordinary South Africans. This assumes that for development to be meaningful, such development should be based on a realistic understanding of the needs of the people. Such needs can only be determined through a process of consultation, and in that process communication between government, other development agencies and communities is vital. Institutions of local government have been seen as critical pillars in the process of uplifting the standards of living of people in South Africa, and therefore this sphere of government is critical for government to be seen as making a positive contribution to people's daily livelihoods. The ability of this sphere of government to address the needs of local people is therefore dependent upon the extent to which communication with residents would be prioritised, and the level at which communities would be accorded an opportunity to make contributions to local development initiatives. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.