Municipal Solid Waste generation has become an inevitable consequence of lifestyles and daily living. However, the nature (quantity and quality) of this waste stream can vary and is largely dependent upon the manner in which waste production is managed, by both government and the public. The increasing practices of littering, dumping and burning of solid waste by households (and industries though not extensively dealt with in this study) in South Africa has led to the finding that municipal solid waste is being irresponsibly managed. In this regard, it becomes necessary to investigate the attitudes and behaviour of individuals and households toward solid waste practices, which further include mitigating measures such as reduction, reuse and recycling for the generation of solid waste. The role of the South African government in providing a refuse removal and safe disposal service to all citizens is suggestive of the responsible role of government to ensure that solid waste is being effectively managed by all sectors of society. The aims of this study in light of the above were to review the municipal solid waste policies and strategies of local government authorities in South Africa, highlighting the shortcomings and discrepancies that exist between legislative policies and actual management practices; which is also reflective of the attitudes and approaches to solid waste management by households. This was achieved by focusing on the case study of the Msunduzi Municipality and included investigations into socio-economic and cultural influences on solid waste disposal practices. The objectives of the study were achieved by means of a questionnaire survey that elicited specific responses from 650 sampled households in five suburbs of differing socio-economic status. A further analysis to identify the nature of household municipal solid waste for landfilling from three suburbs of differing socio-economic status was conducted by categorizing 25 tons of garbage at the New England Road Landfill Site, leading to inferences about consumer purchasing power and disposal practices. Further, key personnel in the Msunduzi Municipality’s waste management division were interviewed to ascertain the solid waste challenges faced at local municipal and national levels of government. The study revealed several significant findings of which the most important is that the implementation of South Africa’s national municipal solid waste legislation policies and strategies are inconsistent with local government practices and procedures; thus compromising equity, efficiency, effectiveness and the sustainability of municipal solid waste disposal. Factors contributing to this are shown to be inadequate management and service delivery. The research has shown that monitoring and control systems which purported to ensure environmental sustainability are lacking and inadequately address issues where the implementation of municipal solid waste regulations are in contravention with national solid waste policies. The outcomes of the questionnaire survey and the assessment of household municipal solid waste for landfilling reveal that socio-economic status and culture do in fact influence the nature of solid waste and the disposal methods used by residents. The receptiveness of households towards adopting suggested municipal solid waste disposal practices was also investigated. The non-compliance of residents with municipal solid waste legislation and policies points towards a lack of monitoring and control measures, thereby not providing for a sustained and adequate service delivery which is environmentally sound. The research further suggests that all sectors of the South African public and the government are inadequately informed in terms of aspects of municipal solid waste. This has led the researcher to recommend that further education and awareness campaigns and its role in environmental sustainability are needed so that a sharing of responsibility between government and the public can be effected to aid municipal solid waste management in the country. It is argued that the insight into the roles of socio-economic status and cultural influences over solid waste practices provide a platform from which municipal authorities can work to specifically address the problems associated with municipal solid waste at a community level. It is the task of the national government to ensure that South Africa’s municipal solid waste is being responsibly managed at the local municipal levels so that the health and safety of the environment and its citizens are suitably addressed, hence the focusing on solid waste legislation and national policies (which have been recognized internationally as being environmentally sound and sustainable) must be translated in terms that local municipalities can adopt, assuming that they have been sufficiently empowered in terms of both knowledge and adequate budgeting. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

Sustainable development’s wide scale adoption has resulted in the rapid emergence of the field Sustainability Science. This trans-disciplinary field of research attempts to understand the interconnectedness, relationships and complexity between the natural environment and society. To understand these relationships and integration between the natural environment, the economy and society within a sustainability context, an ecosystem goods and services (EGS) approach can be taken. EGS research is being incorporated into mainstream environmental decision-making and strategic thinking, particularly within the corporate sector, however, adoption has been slow. The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review (ESR) is a framework, developed by the World Research Institute (WRI), which aims to assess the dependence and impact that a company has on EGS through a systematic approach. This methodological framework can be adapted into a tool that assists in more informed environmental decision-making at a local government level. This adapted tool highlights EGS issues within particular open spaces and links these issues to sustainability targets and identifies risks and opportunities for local government. For this research, the ESR tool was tested on open spaces within the Msunduzi Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, by adapting the ESR methodological framework to relate to local government decision-making and by incorporating existing tools and strategic documents, namely the Environmental Management Framework (EMF) and the Spatial Development Framework (SDF), into the EGS assessment tool. Site-specific EGS issues were identified at two open space study sites through posing different development scenarios, and results from testing the tool revealed linkages between EGS and risks and opportunities for sustainability. The tool has applicability to local level decision-making, particularly in the early stages of development planning, by providing a more holistic input into the environmental decision-making process. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

Ongoing quality concerns in low Income housing have allegedly not been addressed adequately, as has been expressed in numerous speeches and at the Provincial Housing Summit of 2005. This study is an investigation into quality concerns in house construction in governmentsubsidised low-income housing projects in the Pietermaritzburg area. It is informed by total quality management literature. It is motivated by aspects including: (1) government's accountability for public funds; (2) serving as base research for improved resource allocation; (3) and for quality improvement and sustainability strategies; (4) creating an opportunity for introspection by other members in the supply chain; and (5) a responsibility of all stakeholders to realise the ultimate goal of customer satisfaction. Research Design The following research objectives were set: (I) To identify house construction quality concerns in government-subsidised lowincome housing projects in the Pietermaritzburg area. (2) ... To identify the causes of house construction quality problems in the low income housing delivery environment within the Pietermaritzburg area, from the perspective of the developers, municipality and Department of Housing : KwaZulu-Natal. In the context of this research, "developer" is defined as the entity used by the Department or the municipality as an agent for implementing projects. (3) .. To identify how house construction quality issues are currently being addressed. The research was approached in two phases. Phase I was designed to identify whether quality concerns existed in the low income housing projects in the Pietermaritzburg area; and to identify the nature and the extent thereof. Phase 2 was designed to explore the perceived causes of quality concerns, and to identify the systems used by the municipality, its developing agent and the Department of Housing, to ensure sustained quality management. Findings Defects : The findings recorded in Chapter 5 illustrate that there are quality concerns in Pietermaritzburg in relation to government-subsidised low-income housing which were caused mainly by poor workmanship, especially the topping of slabs (i.e., the process in which a final layer of cement is applied to smoothen the floor surface, also refelTed to as "screeding"). The Pareto analysis'indicates that there is a mixture of defect types and causes that need to be addressed, and in order of priority_ These are : (I) screeding; (2) water connection; (3) fitting frames; (4) site clearance; (5) constructions of walls; (6) plumbing, specifically toilet fittings; (7) glazing; (8) corking/filling of gaps; (9) plaster material; (l0) door quality; (11) plaster work; and (12) the quality of frames. Existing systems, norms and standards: Role players are at different stages of advancement with regard to quality and supply chain management. The institutions appear to have an internal focus to quality management that is not customer focussed and lacks information and involvement of all stakeholders. There is no formalised policy on quality management. Such a policy is needed to guide quality improvement and monitoring systems (Gryna, 200 I: 185). The institutions do not appear to have a quality management strategy, or to have a fully integrated quality perspective. Quality assurance and audit process are also lacking. Neither the municipality nor the Department appears to use statistical process control systems to measure and analyse all processes. It appears that the proper infrastructure is not in place to implement a quality management system. Information systems are poor and this is a barrier to effective quality improvement implementation programmes, and to effective project management. There is no common understanding of roles, responsibilities and inspection criteria and processes and internal and external role players are excluded from quality management processes. The management environment and organisational culture within the municipality and the department do not appear to be conducive to encourage a learning organisation approach. Materials quality is not monitored, although it is noted that materials are not perceived to be the cause, and from the sample it is clear that materials have not contributed much to defects. Recommendations: These have been summarised as follows: I. The adoption of a quality management policy that incorporates all stakeholders; 2. The inclusion of quality management in strategic plans with a phased implementation programme; 3. Partnership development and joint planning with all role players; 4. Use of larger contracts, over a longer period of time through a programmatic systems approach; 5. Identification ofbenchmarking partners; 6. The adoption of an audit and assurance mechanism, based on ISO 9000; 7. Development of a learning organisation and change management culture, led from the top; 8. The inclusion of quality performance targets in managers' performance reviews; 9. Clearly defined inspections procedures and documents (including roles and responsibilities), and availability of these on site; 10. Information management systems upgrading; 11. Revision to National Building Regulations in the context of low-income housing; 12. Improved municipal strategies on water connection; 13. On site training regarding topping of slabs, fitting windows and door frames and block work; and 14. Training of all managers and staff on all aspects of quality management theory, tools and techniques, and specifically in relation to low-income housing. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

The study explores the problems faced by the Pieterrnaritzburg-Msunduzi footwear industry as a consequence of globalization. International examples of policies regarded as possible solutions to the problems being experienced are reviewed. The study, a literature review, is based on the findings listed in Stilwell (1999) in which the problems which the Pieterrnaritzburg-Msundusi footwear industry faced were described. The current study extended and expanded on this work by not only looking at the causes of the problems being experienced by the industry, but by evaluating policies which could improve the situation with reference to Pieterrnaritzburg-Msundusi. The primary research objectives of the study were to analyse the local footwear industry's situation, gathering information concerning the levels of employment and output using original data from the most recent Census ofManufacturing. This data was interpreted to reveal changes that had taken place in the local footwear industry to establish what the main causes ofthese changes were. The secondary objective was to evaluate flexible manufacturing and the footwear cluster as possible solutions to the problems which have been identified. The importance of the SN11'v1E in aiding the industry's plight was also highlighted and the significance of these smaller industries discussed. The study concludes with recommendations for pursuing the footwear cluster concept in Pieterrnaritzburg-Msunduzi. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

This work examines the notion of food security, how people see and define food security, how institutions and organizational efforts seek to assist people in food security ventures, and whether such ventures can be turned into sustainable livelihoods. The study was predominantly qualitative using a Sustainable Livelihoods Framework to determine people’s capabilities and capacities to generate food through food gardens, and the role played by food gardens in providing sustainable livelihoods. Thirty-seven unstructured interviews and two focus group discussions were conducted with food garden practitioners, community leaders and development facilitators. The study was done in a rural area of Vulindlela and the peri-urban setting of Imbali Township, both situated in Pietermaritzburg. It was established that irrespective of food availability, and even if nutritious and safe food supplies were adequate and markets were functioning well, food security can still occur, and people can still go hungry if they cannot afford to buy food. The level of education of food garden practitioners was very low, and social grants were the primary source of household income. The respondents defined food security not only in terms of food access and availability, but from the broad perspective of general improvement in their well-being. This includes other factors such as poor health, illiteracy and the lack of access to social services and a state of vulnerability and powerlessness. Access to assets and resources remains a big challenge facing food garden practitioners in the Msunduzi Municipality. Government departments, the business sector and the civil society need to come together to work as a unit in order to speed up service delivery and resource redistribution to the poor in a manner that is effective, efficient and sustainable. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

When single-parent households are consequences of intentional or unintentional reasons, they are often associated with economic and psychosocial challenges. This study aimed to understand, explore, describe and interpret the economic and psychosocial experiences of single parents in KwaDambuza. This study highlights relevant issues that may provide guidance to different stakeholders in their efforts to deal with challenges of single- parent households. Qualitative research processes were used in this study. The sample consisted of 20 single-parent households (ten male and ten female single-parent households). Data collection took place using in-depth interviews and one focus group. The use of these two techniques served to enhance the reliability of the data. The ecosystem theory was utilised as a fundamental conceptual theory to understand the economic and psychosocial plight of both male and female single-parent households. The findings show that there were four key themes and six sub-themes that emerged from the data analysis and which are discussed in relation to the microsystem, mezzosystem, exosystem and macrosystems impacting single-parent households. Theme one focuses on the structural impact of poverty, unemployment on both male and female single-parent households and discusses two sub-themes: the impact of social grants on the family household income and family expenditure and implications for education of children. Theme two provides insight into the psychosocial challenges experienced, and discusses two sub-themes: intrapersonal and interpersonal challenges of males and females single-parent households. The third theme focuses on parental responsibilities and child care as a sub-theme. The fourth theme focuses on the blatant lack of support systems that negatively impact both the male and female single-parent households and discusses one sub-theme: access to service provision. The study revealed that the main challenge is poverty which was closely connected to unavailability and inaccessibility of service providers, and lack of support structures. / M.A. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2013.

Background According to the Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), global statistics show that nearly half a million new cases of invasive cervical cancer are diagnosed each year. More than a quarter million women die of this disease annually, with the highest incidence and mortality rates being in developing countries. In South Africa a woman's risk of developing cervical cancer is one in 26. Each year 6 700 women develop cervical cancer while 3 700 die from the disease annually. The overall aim of this research was to determine the patterns of health seeking behaviour of women being treated for cervical cancer. The specific objectives were to: Describe the health service utilization characteristics of patients being treated for cervical cancer. Describe the need factors associated with decision to seek care. Describe the enabling factors associated with decision to seek care. Describe the predisposing factor associated with the decision to seek care. Analysis of factors associated with health seeking behavior in women treated for cervical cancer. Methods An observational study with a descriptive and analytic component was undertaken. The study was conducted in the Oncology Department of Grey‟s Hospital, which is a referral hospital located in Pietermaritzburg from the Umgungundlovu, Umzinyathi, Zululand, Uthukela and Amajuba Health District which has a population of 995 303. All patients treated for cervical cancer within the study period, who provided informed consent for their participation in the study, were enrolled. The total number included in the study was 109. Descriptive statistics were used to explore frequencies emanating from the data. Pearson Chi square tests were used to explore the relationship between two categorical variables and the p-value was used to decide how much evidence there was against the null hypothesis. Odds ratio was also used as a measure of risk to compare whether the probability of a variable is the same for the outcome variables. Regression was performed on the variables that were found to be statistically significant to the outcome variables in the bivariate analyses. Results The variables that most influenced health seeking behaviour and that still remained statistically associated with the outcome variables under the multivariate analysis were found to be age, marital status, employment status, social support for medical treatment, educational level, knowledge of Pap smear screening and recognition of cervical cancer. Conclusion The study achieved its aim of determining the patterns of health seeking behavior of women being treated for cervical cancer at Grey‟s Hospital. It also identified that proper implementation of HPV vaccination and cervical screening programme can be an entry point to address the incidence and presentation of cancer at advance stages, as well the treatment of precancerous lesions of the cervix in the women of reproductive age. An awareness campaign, support for women to undergo screening program and availability of health centers is also recommended. All recommendations need to be considered by the department of health and appropriate authorities in South Africa to minimize the widespread of cervical cancer. / M. Med. Sc. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2012.

This study explored the lived experiences of a selected group of women principals in Umgungundlovu district. In South Africa women constitute the majority of the teaching force and yet school principals are predominantly men. Literature showed a number of barriers that prevent women from being in leadership positions. These barriers included social-cultural factors, societal expectations as well as women’s perceptions of themselves potentially being in positions of leadership. An attempt was made to investigate how women principals’ lived experiences could shed light on the reasons for their under-representation in positions of educational leadership. A qualitative phenomenological study was used to generate data guided by two research questions. The data was collected from three women school principals in the Umgungundlovu district and they were interviewed in their natural settings in this case, their schools. The findings of the study revealed that women principals encounter many challenges as they begin their careers as principals as a consequence of resistance from the staff, as well as in their efforts to balance their home and work lives. In order to cope with these demands, the women had to network to make sure they have a support system; collaborating with both staff and learners also assisted in meeting the requirements of their positions. In leading their schools they utilised a caring approach to the staff and the needs of the learners. Their major achievement was being able to work as team. In understanding the lived experiences of these women primary school principals of the UMgungundlovu District, six themes emerged. These themes are: first experiences as initially challenging; work and home conflicting demands; networking as a way of dealing with challenges; the need for spirituality as a way of coping with these challenges; mothering and collaboration as a way of leading. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

Nature provides essential services to humans, including climate regulation, water provisioning and regulation. These so-called ecosystem services have economical, societal and environmental value. This research aims at improving the knowledge on the linkages between selected hydrological ecosystem services and current and proposed land uses within the water-limited Mpushini/Mkhondeni Catchments in South Africa. The research contributes to the recognition of feedback and linkages within the complex ecological-human system, so that informed land use decisions can be made. The research aim is achieved by first reviewing the literature on hydrological ecosystem services, land use in an ecosystem services context and the links between the two. The study area is then sub-delineated into land use determined hydrological response units for baseline natural land cover, as well as for current and proposed land use scenarios. Using an appropriate model, selected hydrological processes are simulated in order to isolate the effects of individual land uses on hydrological responses, both on a local and a more catchment-wide scale. Various land uses were found to affect hydrological responses, such as runoff and its components of stormflows and baseflows, as well as transpiration and sediment yields, differently. These responses were found to be suitable indicators of selected ecosystem services such as water provisioning or flow regulation. Irrigation and high biomass crops, such as sugarcane and wattle plantations were found to reduce downstream water provisioning services. Degraded lands were found to reduce physical water quality through increased sediment yield, to reduce water provisioning during low flow periods, while the degraded lands increased stormflows, thereby reducing regulation of high flows. Urban land uses were found to significantly increase runoff, with increased impervious areas causing a shift from evaporation and transpiration towards runoff. Stormflows increased, with high flow regulation being reduced. Baseflows increased as well, as a result of a spill-over of runoff from impervious to pervious urban areas, which led to increased low flow regulation. In addition, in this study area urban return flows are generated from externally sourced water, further increasing streamflows and especially low flows. While urban areas showed an increase in downstream water quantity provision, the water quality was reduced. The combined effects of the current land use mosaic on the annual streamflows partially cancel each other out, while the proposed urbanisation dominated hydrological responses. Influences of various land uses on hydrological ecosystem services were thereby shown, which contributes to a better understanding of the linkages between the two. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2014.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Health Sciences: Environmental Health, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / The Durban University of Technology (DUT) signed the Taillores Declaration (TD) in an attempt to deal with environmental issues and subsequently waste management challenges. A few projects have been initiated within the institution to realise the TD ten point action plans. Currently there is limited data regarding the status quo at DUT. A quantitative descriptive study was conducted to analyse the situation with regards to waste management and recycling practices and to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of students towards waste management and recycling at DUT. An audit of the refuse receptacles was conducted and information obtained was plotted out on a map of two selected campuses. A questionnaire was used to collect data on the practices of waste management and recycling from nine departments. A total of 403 students from the Indumiso and Riverside campuses of DUT were recruited for the KAP study. The findings revealed that refuse receptacles are provided inconsistently and that there is a lack of planning around the provision of these receptacles. Departmental practices regarding waste management and recycling were found to vary from one department to the next. The KAP study results indicated that the students’ knowledge regarding waste management and recycling is poor and their attitudes and practices towards waste management and recycling may be improved by education and enforcement of policy. It is essential to develop a policy regarding waste management and recycling for DUT. In addition, a learning programme should be implemented for all new students entering DUT and during orientation. / M