The alpha taxonomy of the southern African Synodontis is reviewed, based on the analysis of 48 characters. The previously descriptive characters of barbel branching and humeral process shape are compared by various quantitative methods. The variation in colour pattern is recorded with the aid of detailed line drawings. The definitions of head length, head width and humeral process length are altered slightly from their traditional descriptions to ensure greater consistency and precision in measurement. New characters include the size of the caudal fork, the number, shape and arrangement of the premaxillary teeth, and two measurements between the cranium and pectoral girdle. Both uni- and bivariate methods are used to record and compare the intraspecific variation of each character. Principal components analysis of 19 morphometric characters is used to assess the degree of similarity of nine allopatric populations of S. zambezensis. Ten species are recognized from the study area, two of which are described as new: S. nebulosus Peters 1852, S. zambezensis Peters 1852, S. nigromaculatus Boulenger 1905, S. njassae Keilhack 1908, S. woosnami Boulenger 1911, S. macrostigma Boulenger 1911, S. leopardinus Pellegrin 1914, S. thamalakanensis Fowler 1935, S. macrostoma sp.n. and S.vanderwaali sp.n. A key to their identification is provided. Characters are discussed in terms of their contribution to the identification of the southern African species and, where possible, suggestions made concerning the value of these characters to the taxonomy of the genus as a whole. The rejection of certain characters previously used in Synodontis keys is discussed and alternatives proposed. The state of southern African Synodontis taxonomy is assessed and recommendations for future research are given

This thesis is structured around two main and interwoven assumptions operating at two levels. On the one level the external dimension of security threat in Southern Africa is assumed to be the most critical factor for regional renewal and stability. It hinges on pertinent regional issues such as negative trade balances, economic dependence, poverty, unemployment, poor economic growth rates and so forth. The corollary of this assumption is that within the operative framework of SADC, Southern African states are assumed capable of effectively integrating their economies through trade and related arrangements with dominant external actors in the highly competitive global economy. The European Union (EU) and the United States (US) are used as the focal points for illumination. A structured interaction between SADC and the EU within a revised North-South framework of interaction is hypothesized and critically examined. On the other hand, SADC-US interactions are assessed within the context of the new US Africa policy. At another level, the assumption is also made that the post-apartheid democratic state possesses both the political will and the wherewithal to provide regiol].al Leadership. This latter assumption is put to test within the framework of South Africa's regional foreign policy. Adopting an explicit regional unit of analysis, the study utilizes international regime theory as the theoretical and conceptual point of departure. The realist conception of the international system and the underlying assumptions usually considered as obstacles to international cooperation are critically examined in the context of the post-Cold War expanded security agenda. Regime theory is used to provide insight on the motivations that lead states to cooperate in situations of mutual dilemma by institutionalizing patterns of interaction at the regional and international systemic levels. Interstate economic relations at these levels are explained as state actions that are influenced by certain norms and that such norm-governed behaviour is wholly consistent with the pursuit of national interest. Application of the theory explains why such foreign policy behaviour of states is particularly relevant in the post-Cold War era. The thesis has argued that SADC states are capable of conducting a coordinated trade foreign policy in which regional positions are elaborated and adopted. It is argued further that a regional capacity to institute trade and economic policies that reflect local circumstances (necessary for effective integration with the world economy) calls for strong regional developmental democracies in the tradition of social market economy. Regional leadership by South Africa is considered indispensable where Sbuth Africa must find a sustainable balance between its national and regional interests.

Conflicting reports from geomorphic studies appear in the literature describing the environment of the southern African Main Escarpment region adjacent to the Lesotho Highlands during the cold phases of the Late Quaternary. Evidence cites limited glaciation and/or periglacial conditions with or without permafrost. The thesis emphasises debates and presents arguments for alternative interpretation of landforms previously described in the literature as indicative of specific cold environments. Field investigations into the distribution and characteristics of openwork accumulations in southern Africa show that blocky accumulations are found within a range of climatic conditions, including arid and semi-arid environments. Mode of emplacement is highlighted as the critical factor in association with a periglacial environment. Relict openwork block accumulations in the Lesotho highlands area around Thabana Ntlenyana, the highest summit in the escarpment range, supports the contention for a relatively arid periglacial environment during the Late Pleistocene. Findings militate against either deep snow cover or localised glaciation of insolation-protected south-facing slopes. The evidence for periglacial conditions is supported by the presence of relict sorted patterns that indicate deep seasonal freeze. Contemporary soil temperature monitoring indicates a near-surface current seasonal freeze of two and a half months which would have been prolonged and deepened under depressed temperature. No specific evidence for periglacial conditions is found for the escarpment region in the Amatola mountains. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology / unrestricted

Distributional data from 32 years of aerial surveys of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) along the south coast of South Africa were investigated using GIS, over a variety of spatial and temporal scales to test whether their discontinuous yet predictable distribution is related to environmental characteristics. Most whales were found in areas that provided reasonable protection from open ocean swell and seasonal winds as well as having sedimentary floors with gentle slopes, despite these characteristics being less common. Correlation type analyses with whale density only showed significance at the broadest scale. Cow-calf pairs were found significantly closer to shore and in shallower water than unaccompanied whales; they also segregated longshore in nursery areas. No relationship between reproductive success and distribution was found except a higher than expected incidence of neonatal strandings in areas dominated by unaccompanied whales. Habitat choice at this time of year was concluded to be related both to energy conservation for calves and lactating females and protection of neonates. / Dissertation (MSc (Zoology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Zoology and Entomology / unrestricted

Attaining high levels of economic growth and development has been one the goals of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). This paper investigates the relationship between financial liberalisation and economic growth in SADC countries. Annual data for the 15 SADC countries for the period 1985-2011 was used to develop a fixed effect model, generalised method of moments (GMM) as well as the fully-modified OLS (FMOLS) cointegration test. The results revealed that there is a positive relationship between financial liberalisation and economic growth in SADC but there is no long-run relationship between the two variables. It is recommended that the SADC adopt measures to increase the level of financial openness in the region in order to increase economic growth but this policy should be supplemented by other growth enhancing policies in order to increase economic growth over the long-term. However, prior to the increase in the level of financial openness, well-defined property rights and a sound regulatory framework should be in place to monitor the financial liberalisation process in order to avoid financial crises.

This study deals with African neo-traditional choral music of sub-Saharan- and Southern Africa, with specific reference to extemporisation. The research focussed on the evolution of this music through an amalgamation of western choral music and African indigenous and traditional musical practices of sub- Saharan and Southern Africa. Specific reference to the syncretism of western music, which came to Africa through colonisation, and the way African indigenous musical traditions influenced it, is preceded by descriptions on African indigenous musical practices and western choral music traditions. The incorporation of traditional folk songs into African makwaya, or “choir music”, was inevitable. This development saw the birth of African neotraditional choral music as a formal part of many choirs’ programmes. A description of five sample choirs engaging with this music was followed by a case study on the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir. The way these choirs deal with different aspects regarding the preparation and performance of this music highlighted many parallels with African indigenous traditions. It also emphasises the important role of this music in choral performance, as well as choral education. As a genre in evolution, one aspect of this music, namely extemporisation, was studied in more detail in order to suggest another way of engaging with this music. Not only is choral extemporisation a possibility in African neo-traditional choral music of Southern Africa, but it is also a flourishing art form in Scandinavia. In Norway and Sweden it also utilises characteristics and techniques of folk music, which raised the status of this music to be a major art form. This notion prompted the suggested application of choral extemporisation to African neo-traditional choral music of Southern Africa. Even if any method of extemporisation may be utilised, it is proposed that characteristics of African sub- Saharan- and Southern African indigenous music be applied. This may result in the incorporation of more of these African indigenous elements in the neo-traditional choral music discussed than the current western harmonic emphasis. However, the suggestion is seen as a next step in the evolution of this music, which corresponds with international practices, and not to return to indigenous practices as such.

Permanent brittle deformation of rocks of the upper crust is often manifested in the growth of fractures, or sliding along fractures, which may subsequently be intruded by magma and other fluids. The brittle deformation structures described here include faults, joints and dykes. Brittle deformation structures along passive continental margins result from continental fragmentation and related uplift, as is seen around the southern African margins in response to Gondwana break-up. In many cases the fragmentation is accompanied by significant magmatic events, for example the Cretaceous mafic dyke swarms that form major components of the South Atlantic Large Igneous Province (LIP) and originated during the break-up of West Gondwana (Africa and South America). The magmatic events accompanying the break-up of Gondwana resulted in crustal extension and the formation of joint systems and dyke swarms that exhibit distinct geometric features that appear to display fractal patterns. This work analyses the relationship between the Henties Bay-Outjo Dyke Swarm (HOD) on the west coast of Namibia, and the Ponta Grossa Dyke Swarm (PG) on the coast of Brazil, both of which formed ca. ~130 Ma, to test for their co-linearity and fractal geometry before and during West Gondwana break-up. This was achieved by reconstructing Gondwana‘s plates that contained the PG and HOD swarms, using ArcGIS and Gplates software. The dyke analyses was complemented with a comparative study of joints of the Table Mountain Group quartzites (TMG, ca. 400 Ma) in the Western Cape Province and Golden Valley Sill (GVS, ca. 180 Ma) in the Eastern Cape Province, to compare their fractal patterns and possible relationship. Mapping of joints was carried out in the field with the use of a compass and GPS. The HOD trend is positioned largely NNE > NE, but a NW dyke trend is also common. The dominant joints in the TMG trend NNW > WSW and the GVS joints trend WNW > NNE and others. The GVS and HOD orientations appear strongly correlated, while TMG shows no simple orientation correlation with GVS and HOD. The lack of correlation is attributed to the TMG‘s formation in different host-rocks with variable anisotropy and/or the presence of different mechanical processes acting at a different time in geological history. All mapped dykes and joints were analysed to test for fractal geometry. The fractal dimension results of about 18605 HOD dykes from microscopic to mega scale (0.1 mm – 100 km) shows fractal patterns that range between Df = 1.1 to 1.9; and the fractal dimension of about 1716 joints in the TMG and about 1026 joints in the GVS at all scales range between ca. Df = 1.6 to 1.9. The similarity of the fractal patterns indicates that joints and dykes may have formed in response to similar tectonic stress events; and similar orientations may indicate that joints pre-dated the dyke intrusions. However, the data also indicate that dykes are not always related to pre-existing joints.

M.A. / The rationale for economic integration is that countries combine to form regional groupings with the belief that this is a more effective way to improve their well-being politically and economically. Theories of economic integration show that integration may have both positive and negative outcomes. Despite the long standing debates on the negative consequences of regional integration, the dominant views indicate that regional integration may improve the welfare of member nations. The political decision has already been made in favour of trade integration within the SADC region. It is for this reason that this study has been undertaken to determine prospects and problems of economic integration in the SADC. Despite the anticipated problems and challenges for economic integration within the region, some studies and findings show positive prospects. The major findings of this study are that the region is on the right path to economic recovery, and has an opportunity to play a meaningful role within the world economy. The dominant and most industrialized, South Africa, will serve as an economic power within the region. The reform process that have been initiated by the SADC member countries have now put the regional economies on the right track. The region also had a remarkable economic performance as a result of the implementation of the positive macroeconomic policies and strategies. Although Africa is not the main player within the world economy, the region has a meaningful role to play, especially if the region's foreign trade increases by the estimated 18 percent. The role of South Africa as an economic power within the region is expected to serve as a spring-board of economic development within the region. It is also anticipated that economic growth within South Africa may spill-over into the whole region. The smaller SADC economies are likely to benefit from the relocation of South African industries into the region as a result of external tariffs vis-a-vis non member states, as well as higher South African wage levels. It is, however, acknowledged that integration would benefit some countries more than others. What is of paramount importance is that integration will leave all the countries either better off or not worse off, inside the grouping than the country would have been outside the grouping. This means that the economic welfare increases within the region as long as no member country will not be worse off than before joining the union. To remedy the possible unequal benefits of economic integration, compensatory and transfer-of-funds strategies will have to be adopted to minimize all the negative impacts of the imbalance between member countries. The SADC's global competitiveness changed lately as a result of initial steps toward integration and some member countries, are now ranked higher than most countries in the continent of Africa.

This study represents qualitative, historical research. The study documented the origins, milestones, and development of the Southern Bible Institute in Dallas, Texas. This study provided data leading to a better understanding of the impact of segregation on the African American religious community in Dallas, Texas. Data from this study also shows how African Americans responded to segregation in the area of theological higher education through the establishment of the Southern Bible Institute. The research methodology was heavily dependent on oral data from various sources and pertinent data were extrapolated from oral history interviews and historical, internal and external institutional documents. Analysis was based on accuracy, consistency and authenticity. Triangulation was the method used to determine the accuracy and authenticity of the oral interviews. The data were also analyzed for extrapolating factors that lend themselves to inclusion on an institutional assessment. Based on the factors extrapolated from the data and from a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis, an internal institutional assessment checklist was created to assist the leadership in evaluating various aspects of the school. It was concluded that the future seems bright for the Southern Bible Institute, but it is recommended that the administration leverage off identified strengths and establish a plan for addressing the weaknesses noted as a result of this study. The Southern Bible Institute warrants further research that will use the factors identified in this study as the basis for quantitative studies that will clarify the impact of particular factors on institutional growth.

The conservation of biotic diversity is a growing challenge within southern Africa at the beginning of the 21st century. Growing populations and trends toward a questionable Western development model place demands on the use of land for food, fiber, and fuel production. The traditional establishment and use of formal conservation areas is being challenged against the needs of humans and the past unbalances created by colonial rule. Conservation areas, as isolated islands in a sea of change driven by interconnected economic and social systems, may not be a basis for sustainable biodiversity conservation. This thesis examines characteristics of avian species diversity response to abiotic environmental variables and land transformation. Environmental and land-use correlates of species gradients, species diversity patterns, and the spatial patterning of bird assemblages varied with location. The findings supported a conceptual model of multi-scaled controls on bird distribution, and the related notion that local community structure is the result of both regional environmental and local-scale landscape pattern that must be taken in to account in regional conservation planning assessments. An analytical framework including an landscape model, use of complementary-based reserve selection procedures, gradient analysis, and inclusion of the total spatial economy and development needs of the KwaZulu-Natal Province proved to be important for developing an integrated conservation plan for sustainable avian conservation. Pattern recognition results of the spatial economy and landscape pattern revealed the strong dichotomy in Western economic versus rural African landscapes, which have lead to strong differences in avian assemblage patterns. The research described in this thesis targets specific objectives of the Sustainable Biosphere Initiative by addressing requirements for landscape level analysis of humans and ecosystems in an integrated analytical framework. The development of a co-evolutionary landscape ecology framework for examining human-ecosystem interaction provides a strong basis for supporting targeted conservation planning within regions rather than supporting a generic conservation planning framework. / Thesis (DPhil (Sustainable Ecological Management))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Zoology and Entomology / unrestricted