Thesis (MTech(Business Administration))-- Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2012 / In the education and training environment retention and a high throughput rate of students are common objectives of many learning institutions from government sponsored community training programmes to tertiary institutions. High dropout and attrition in many of these education and training programmes is, therefore of great concern for all stakeholders in these institutions. The high dropout rate experienced in entrepreneurial training programmes is, in particular, of great concern, given its importance in the South African economy. The New Venture Creation (NVC) Learnership NQF Level 4, is one such training programme rolled out by the South African government to develop entrepreneurs in the previously disadvantaged section of the South African population for various socio-economic and political reasons. The Services SETA were responsible for the roll out NVC Learnership for previously disadvantaged individuals (PDI„s) within the Saldanha Bay Municipal area. The PDI‟s refer to those sections of the population who were isolated in terms of new venture creation during the apartheid regime. Depriving these South Africans of the necessary entrepreneurial skills for new venture creation had an impact on their participation in entrepreneurship and the formal economy. The social context of the potential entrepreneur, further, impact hugely on objectives envisaged for these programmes. One of the key objectives of the programme is to change the attitude towards entrepreneurship from the tendency to start survivalist to establishing sustainable business ventures. The entrepreneurial mind-set of the trainee and the training context, therefore, play a huge role. In order to address the issue of huge trainee dropout and develop the mind-set of trainees in NVC programmes, this study seeks to explore the issue of academic resilience as a key area of intervention to ensure higher retention and throughput rate.The current study was concerned with assessing the personal factors and other factors in the training context perceived by trainees‟ to influence their academic resilience in the New Venture Creation (NVC) training programme.An in-depth literature study was done to establish the factors on a personal level and in the training context that tend to influence the academic resilience of trainees. Graduates in a NVC Learnership in St. Helena Bay formed the case study to assess these factors by means of a structured questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. The semi-structured interview offered graduates the opportunity to elaborate on certain findings in the questionnaire. A focus group session was held with another group who did a similar NVC NQF Level 4 Learnership, to corroborate and validate the findings of the interviews in the first group.The research revealed that personal and training contextual factors do influence the academic resilience of trainees in the NVC training programme. The research findings, further, revealed that these factors have huge implications for facilitation and, in particular, on a pedagogical level.

Thesis (MScAgric)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study examines the role of contracting in reducing transaction costs in smalIscale mussel farming in Saldanha Bay. Masiza Mussel Growers (Masiza), an initiative by the public and private sector to address the imbalances of the past through entrepreneurial development, are used as a case study hence a case study approach is followed. Two transactions were considered, one between Masiza and Blue Bay Aqua Farm (Blue Bay) and another between La Vie Sea Food Products (La Vie) and Masiza. These transactions form the basis for analysis. Market risks, uncertainties, environmental risks, information incompleteness, illiteracy, limited technical knowledge of farming, lack of appropriate infrastructure and lack of transport facilities are identified and examined as possible sources of transaction costs that constrain the existing supply chain relationship. The study shows that asset specificity, time specificity, and site specificity playa positive role in the supply chain as they result in relative dependency amongst parties. Opportunistic behavior within the existing supply chain is neutral, but appears to be relatively high on the spot or fresh live market. Characteristics of market transactions for mussels and associated transaction costs suggest that fresh-live spot market trading for Masiza is difficult to attain. This therefore motivates parties (Masiza) to contract or vertically integrate, as it is costly and risky to rely on spot live markets. Interviewees (Masiza) pointed out that the benefits associated with contract farming outweigh the transaction costs associated with this governance structure. Hence a market specification contract with the La Vie (a processing company), and a production management and resource provision contract with Blue Bay (a larger producer) were designed. They reduce transaction costs associated with fresh-live markets and ensure a more stable and reliable market for growers. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie ondersoek die rol van kontraktering in die vermindering van transaksie koste vir klein skaal mossel produsente in Saldanha baai. Die Masiza Mussel Growers (Masiza) word as gevallestudie gebruik. Twee transaksies met o.a. Blue bay Aqua Farm (Blue Bay) en La Vie Sea Food Products (La Vie) was ter sprake en laasgenoemde het as basis vir die analise gedien. Mark risiko, onsekerheid, omgewings risiko, gebrekkige informasie, ongeletterdheid, beperkte tegniese kennis, beperkte infrastruktuur en beperkte verroer fasiliteite is geidentifiseer en ondersoek as moontlike oorsake van hoë transaksie koste wat die huidige aanbod ketting strem. Die studie toon aan dat interafhanklikheid tussen die betrokke partye deur bate, tyd en area spesifisiteite bevorder word en dus 'n positiewe rol in die aanbod ketting speel. Opportunistiese gedrag binne die bestaande aanbod ketting is neutraal, maar blyk hoog te wees in die vars mark. Transaksie kostes en eienskappe blyk beduidende beperkinge te wees vir kleinskaal mossel produsente om aktief deel te neem in die mark. Die opstel van kontrakte (of vertikale integrasie) blyk dus 'n uitkoms te wees. Respondente het aangetoon dat kontrak boerdery voordelig blyk te wees. Laasgoemde het tot die ontwikkeling van mark kontrakte met die La Vie ('n verwerkings maatskappy) asook produksie bestuur en hulpbron voorsiennings kontrakte met Blue Bay ('n groot kommersiële produsent) gelei. Die kontrakte beperk transaksie koste vir die vars mark en verseker 'n stabiele en betroubare mark vir produsente. 'n Transaksie koste analiese word gebruik om transaksie kostes te ondersoek en te verifieer binne die industrie.

Thesis (MS en S)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT:The study focus on the Greater Saldanha and environment by evaluating the socio-economic impact of the Saldanha Steel project on the area. Major development projects, like the SSP, can create significant impact on the socioeconomic features within the region of influence. This impact affects the provision of public services (education, health services, police protection), social services (housing, transport, urban land use) as well as the fiscal features of the region. Following the National elections in 1994, the new government implemented the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) to address social and economic problems in specific regions. The RDP was followed by the Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) strategy. Spatial Development Initiatives (SDI's), form part of the GEAR strategy and aims to address regional differences and promote sustainable long term development, economic growth and employment in the region. The West coast Investment Initiative (Well) is one of the eight SDI's that were identified. The Saldanha Steel project (SSP) is the focus project of the WCII. The initiative is a mixed industrial and agrotourism SDI. Great expectations were formed with respect to the number of employment opportunities that would be provided by the SSP, as well as the economic progress and development within the region. This study project evaluates the socio-economic impact of the SSP by focussing on the demographic aspects, social infrastructure and services, employment and income, housing and development, infrastructure provision as well as the SSP's involvement within the communities of Greater Saldanha and environment. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie fokus op Groter Saldanha en omgewing deur die sosio-ekonomiese impak van die Saldanha Staal projek (SSP) op die gebied te evalueer. Groot ontwikkelingsprojekte, soos die SSP, kan 'n groot impak maak op die sosio-ekonomiese kenmerke binne die streek of area van invloed. Die impak word veral ervaar in die verskaffing van publieke dienste (opvoeding, gesondheisdienste, polisie), sosiale dienste (behuising, vervoer, stedelike grondgebruik) sowel as die fiskale karaktertrekke van die streek. Na die Nasionale verkiesing in 1994, het die nuwe regering die Heropbou en Ontwikkelingsprogram (HOP) geimplementeer om sosiale en ekonomiese probleme aan te spreek. Die HOP is in 1996 gevolg deur die "Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) strategie. As deel van die GEAR strategie, is Ruimtelike ontwikkelingsinisiatiewe deur die Nasionale Regering ingestel om streeksongelykhede aan te spreek en volhoubare lang termyn ontwikkeling, ekonomiese groei en werksgeleenthede te verseker vir die streek. Ag ruimtelike ontwikkelingsinisiatiewe (ROI) is ingestel, waarvan die Weskus Beleggingsinisiatief een is. Die Saldanha Staal projek (SSP) is die fokusprojek van die Weskus Beleggingsinisiatief. Die inisiatief is geidentifiseer as 'n gemengde industrieële en landboutoerisme ROI. Groot verwagtinge is geskep ten opsigte van die hoeveelheid werksgeleenthede wat geskep sal word deur die SSP, sowel as ekonomiese vooruitgang en ontwikkeling binne die streek. Die werkstuk evalueer die sosio-ekonomiese impak van die SSP deur te fokus op demografiese aspekte, sosiale infrastruktuur en dienste, indiensneming en inkome, behuising en ontwikkeling, infrastruktuurvoorsiening sowel as die SSP se betrokkenheid by die gemeenskappe van die Groter Saldanha en omgewing.

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Since the construction of the causeway and the jetty during the early 1970’s in Saldanha Bay, various alterations to the coastline in the area of the Langebaan Lagoon mouth were observed. These alterations include the erosion of Langebaan Beach located near the town of Langebaan. An investigation was undertaken to identify the possible impact these structures had on the hydrodynamics and sediment transport of the Saldanha Bay and Langebaan Lagoon systems, focusing on the entrance to the Langebaan Lagoon. A two-dimensional numerical model was implemented for this investigation. The outdated information available for the generation of a bathymetry, which indicated the conditions prior to the erosion of Langebaan Beach, complicated the calibration process. However, calibration of the numerical model was acceptable. Due to the bathymetry not providing an indication on the current situation at the Langebaan Lagoon mouth, the results from the numerical model were approached with caution, providing an overview of the hydrodynamics present in Saldanha Bay and Langebaan Lagoon and would be able to broaden the understanding of the impact the causeway and jetty had on the hydrodynamics and sediment transport of Saldanha Bay and Langebaan Lagoon. Results provided by the sediment transport model only provide an indication on the effect tidal variations and wind forcing have on the bay and lagoon and not realistic total sediment transport rates due to the omission of wave action during the modelling process. Results from the numerical model, based on tidal oscillations and wind forcing only, have indicated that no major impact on the hydrodynamics and sediment transport were experienced due to the construction of the causeway and the jetty. During the investigation of the impact of various extreme water level and extreme wind conditions, it has been observed that a 1 in 100 year wind velocity across the longest fetch towards Langebaan Beach resulted in the greatest velocities prior to the construction of the causeway and the jetty, and after the construction of the causeway and the jetty tidal storms, or storm surge, generated the greatest velocities and thus the most sediment transport in the main channels of the mouth of the Langebaan Lagoon. From this investigation it was recommended that future studies would require an updated survey of the area, to ensure accurate modelling of the conditions as experienced during field surveys. Further recommendations on the investigation of sediment transport were the inclusion of wave action to provide realistic results. Wave action is a fundamental part of sediment transport along the coastline. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Sedert die konstruksie van die breekwater en die kaai gedurende die vroeg 1970’s in Saldanhbaai, is verskeie veranderings aan die kuslyn in die gebied van die Langebaan strandmeer mond waargeneem. Hierdie veranderinge sluit in die erodering van Langebaan Strand, geleë naby die dorp van Langebaan. 'n Ondersoek is onderneem om die moontlike impak van die bogenoemde strukture op die hidrodinamika en sedimentvervoer van die Saldanhabaai en die Langebaan strandmeer stelsels, veral die strandmeer se kanale, met die fokus op die ingang na die Langebaan strandmeer te ondersoek. 'n Twee-dimensionele numeriese model is gebruik vir hierdie ondersoek. Die verouderde inligting van die seebodem wat beskikbaar was vir die opwekking van die numeriese model het die kalibrasieproses bemoeilik. Alhoewel hierdie proses bemoeilik is kon ‘n aanvaarbare kalibrasie bereik word. Aangesien die gemodelleerde area en die werklike area nie ooreengestem het nie is resultate van die numeriese model omsigtig benader en die resultate geskik gevind om die kennis oor die moontlike impak wat die breekwater en die kaai op die hidrodinamika en sedimentvervoer van Saldanhabaai en die Langebaan strandmeer het, te verbreed. Resultate uit die sedimentvervoer model verskaf slegs ‘n aanduiding van die sedimentvervoer wat deur gety veranderings en wind gegenereer word. Werklike sediment vervoer sal die effect van golfaksie ook in ag moet neem, wat in hierdie studie uitgesluit is. Golfaksie is van kardinale belang by sediment vervoer langs ‘n kuslyn. Resultate van die numeriese model, gebaseer op gety en wind alleen, het aangedui dat geen groot impak op die hidrodinamika en sedimentvervoer as gevolg van die konstruksie van die breekwater en die kaai in Saldanhabaai ervaar word nie. Gedurende die ondersoek van die impak van verskeie ekstreme watervlak en uiterste windtoestande, is dit opgemerk dat 'n 1 in 100 jaar windsnelheid oor die langste stryklengte na Langebaan Strand gelei het tot die grootste vloei snelhede in die hoofkanale voor die konstruksie van die breekwater en die kaai. Na die konstruksie van die breekwater en die kaai is gevind dat gety storms die grootste snelhede en dus ook die meeste sedimentvervoer gegenereer het by Langebaan Strand. Uit hierdie ondersoek is dit aanbeveel dat toekomstige studies opgedateerde opmetings van die gebied moet uitvoer wat akkurate modellering, gebaseer op die toestande soos in die veld, sal verseker. Verdere aanbevelings oor die ondersoek van sediment vervoer is die modellering van .golfaksie wat van kardinale belang is in sediment vervoer langs ‘n kuslyn en dus meer realistiese resultate sal lewer.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Saldanha-Langebaan coastal zone is an important natural resource and serves as habitat for several endangered bird and fish species. Development in this coastal zone holds a constant threat for the natural environment and has a negative impact on the water quality of the bay. It is therefore essential to manage the water quality to ensure fitness for use for all the beneficial users in this coastal zone. This study focuses on the utilization and management of the Saldanha-Langebaan coastal zone. The beneficial users have different water quality requirements. It is therefore important to identify all the different water uses and to determine the occurrence of pollution and the dispersion thereof in the bay. The biophysical characteristics of the natural resource are described as part of the objective determining phase of the integrated water quality management process. The thesis also focuses on the inauguration and functioning of an integrated water quality management organization and the development and implementation of a long term monitoring program, with special emphasis on the sediment en health monitoring results. The result of this research study is a functional management instrument for integrated water quality monitoring and management in the Saldanha-Langebaan coastal zone. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Saldanha-Langebaan kussone is 'n belangrike natuurlike hulpbron en dien as habitat vir verskeie bedreigde voel- en visspesies. Hierdie kussone is egter ook onder konstante ontwikkelingsdruk wat 'n negatiewe impak op die watergehalte van die baai het. Dit is dus noodsaaklik dat die watergehalte so bestuur word dat dit geskik bly vir al die gemeenskaplike watergebruikers in hierdie kussone. In hierdie studie is die benutting en bestuur van die Saldanha-Langebaan kussone ondersoek. Verskillende watergebruikers het uiteenlopende watergehaltebehoeftes en dit is noodsaaklik om die verskillende watergebruikers, sowel as die voorkoms en verspreiding van besoedeling in hierdie gebied te identifiseer. Die biofisiese eienskappe van die natuurlike kusopvanggebied is beskryf as deel van die aanvanklike doelwitbepalingsfase van geïntegreerde watergehaltebestuur. Die tesis fokus ook op die stigting en werkswyse van 'n geïntegreerde watergehaltebestuursliggaam, asook die ontwerp en implementering van 'n langtermyn moniteringsprogram. Daar is veral gelet op die resultate van die . sediment- en bakteriologiese moniteringsprogram. Die resultaat van die navorsingsproses is die totstandkoming van 'n funksionele bestuursliggaam wat as instrument dien vir geïntegreerde monitering en bestuur van die watergehalte in die Saldanha-Langebaan kussone.

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2008 / The merger of South African municipalities in the year 2000, and the dawn of the era of developmental local government, has confronted local authorities with a range of new challenges. In addition to the need to develop a new organisational culture and mutual trust, or the introduction of soft management actions, municipalities have to aetualise the concepts and processes of co-operative governance, integrated development planning, public participation and developmental local government. In addition, the White Paper on Local Government (WPLG, 1998) implores municipalities to lead and learn while they search for local solutions. An inability to learn and manage in a changed context and circumstances will inevitably lead to public displays of dissatisfaction, such as public demonstrations, that undermine municipalities' legitimacy. To overcome legitimacy dilemmas, municipalities need to strengthen their learning capabilities to enable them to operate effectively within changed circumstances and to become learning organisations. Such organisations, according to Senge (1990), have succeeded in formulating a shared vision, displayed a high level of personal mastery and team learning, as well as practising systems thinking. Together with these elements municipalities must identify and improve potentially constraining mental models. However, transforming any organisation into a learning organisation according to Dilworth (1996) requires a particular set of leadership qualities, such as commitment to the improvement of the quality of work life, democratic leadership and the promotion of human dignity. In this thesis, a learning organisation survey of the Saldanha Bay municipality's leadership cadre, consisting of Municipal Councillors, Executive Directors and Departmental Managers and Division Heads is undertaken with a view to determine whether these key functionaries practise the key learning disciplines of team leaming, shared vision, systems thinking, mental models and personal mastery. The results of this study indicated that the municipality in question has not yet succeeded in becoming a learning municipality. It has at best succeeded in laying a foundation for both councillors and officials to build on in order to achieve the desired result.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / South Africa is plagued by municipal service delivery protest actions on a perennial basis. This observable fact is confirmed in the municipal audit reports of the Auditor General (AG) for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 financial years. One of the reasons cited for these poor audit results by the office of the Auditor General is problems linked to the management of performance, or the absence of a proper Performance Management System (PMS). This study aims to establish why a municipality finds it difficult to develop, implement and sustain a proper PMS, and what factors contribute to an efficient PMS in a municipality. This research is based on a case study of a category B-municipality, namely the Saldanha Bay Municipality and explores various factors necessary to ensure the effective implementation of a performance management system. The primary aim of the study is to identify and discuss the negative and the positive factors regarding the case of the Saldanha Bay Municipality over a period of 10 years. It analyses the PMS problem areas and endeavours to understand what contributed to the Auditor General’s “clean audit” finding in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 financial periods. The study utilized the case study approach as this is arguably the most appropriate approach to understand and interpret the phenomenon that was studied. The study also concentrates on both primary and secondary sources of data. Secondary sources include books, journal articles and government reports whilst the primary sources include personal observations, structured interviews and a survey questionnaire. The survey questionnaire was adapted from the de Waal and Counet (2009) questionnaire and applied to the management / staff of this municipality. This instrument is appropriate in that it allowed the researcher to probe and explore the 31 performance categories against which the implementation of a Performance Management System in the Saldanha Bay Municipality was assessed. The key findings of this study, especially in the first 5 years of the decade in discussion, indicate that the lack of management commitment, leadership and support played a role in the problems related to the implementation of a PMS. Other factors that were also evident were the lack of enough time and resources for the implementation of a PMS and the lack of a comprehensive change management process during the implementation phase. A fourth finding was that the PMS did not present enough benefits for management, particularly in their daily management activities, which resulted in a culture of compliance, rather than a culture of performance.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / The Saldania Belt in southern Africa, a product of the Pan-African Saldanian Orogeny, forms part of a system of Neoproterozoic mobile belts that border and weld older cratons on the African continent. It is a low-grade orogenic belt situated along the southwestern margin of the Kalahari Craton and is composed of several inliers of greenschist facies metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks (Malmesbury Group), unroofed in megaanticlinal hinges of the Permo-Triassic Cape Fold Belt. The Malmesbury Group rocks were syn- and post-tectonically intruded in a pervasive transpressive regime between 555 Ma and 515 Ma by Neoproterozoic to early Cambrian S-, I- and A-type granites, monzodiorites, gabbros and quartz syenites, which collectively constitute the rocks of the Cape Granite Suite (CGS). Along the south-western coastline of South Africa, the Saldanha Bay Volcanic Complex (which forms part of the CGS) is divided into two eruption centres both of which have been identified as “intra-caldera pyroclastic ignimbrites”. The Postberg eruption centre is situated to the south of the Saldanha Bay entrance and the Saldanha eruption centre is situated to the north of the entrance. Both eruption centres display distinct geochemical signatures, the most apparent being the greater TiO2 concentrations (> 0.25 wt. %) of the Saldanha centre ignimbrites when compared to its Postberg centre counterparts. The Postberg eruption centre consists of S-type rhyolitic ignimbrites which are subdivided into the two geochemically distinct Plankiesbaai and Tsaarsbank Ignimbrites. Small amounts of the Jacobs Bay and Saldanha Ignimbrites (less felsic tephra from the Saldanha eruption centre) are also present in the Postberg eruption centre. A robust geochemical analysis of both the Plankiesbaai and Tsaarsbank magma groups display high SiO2 content (>76 wt. %), a lack of variation in TiO2 and Zr, high Al2O3 and ASI (aluminium saturation index) values (> 1.0 and generally >1.1 which, on average, is higher than the Saldanha eruption centre ignimbrites), low CaO and Na2O, and a highly ferroan character. The Plankiesbaai ignimbrite also display lower #Mg concentration compared to the Tsaarsbank ignimbrite. Typical geochemical trends in the Postberg eruption centre include the lack of variation in Zr content, higher Rb content and lower Sr, Ba, V and Zn concentrations when compared to the tephra of the Saldanha eruption centre found in the Postberg area. The study’s main aim is not only to assess the geochemistry of the ignimbrites relative to the previous phases of magmatism originally proposed by Scheepers (1995) for the magmatism of the Cape Granite Suite, but also their age distribution. Previously defined phases of magmatism include Phase I (S-type granites subdivided into Sb, Sa1 and Sa2 all of which are dated to 555 - 540 Ma), Phase II (I-type granites subdivided into Ia and Ib both dated to 540 – 520 Ma), Phase III (A-type granites subdivided into Aa and Ab dated to ~ 520 Ma) and Phase IV (S-type volcanic and subvolcanic rocks dated to 515 Ma). Re-examination of the geochronology displays a U-Pb age for Postberg Centre Jacobs Bay Ignimbrite (tephra from the Saldanha eruption centre) of 538 ± 2.2 Ma: and for the Postberg Centre Tsaarsbank Ignimbrite between 536 ± 2 Ma – 540 ± 3.4 Ma. These new dates, in combination with the geochronological work done in the Saldanha Centre (particularly in light of the Clemens and Stevens (2016) and Clemens et al. (2017) studies that reclassify these rocks differing from the original and previous studies), place all the ignimbrites of the Saldanha Bay Volcanic Complex securely within the age bracket for the initial S-type magmatism of the CGS. This thesis presents a revised order for the phases of magmatism of the Saldania Belt, and by extension, of the Cape Granite Suite. All S-type magmatism, including that of the Saldanha Bay Volcanic Complex (Sv), forms part of the Phase I magmatism of the Saldania Belt (Sa1, Sa2, and Sb) emplaced between 555 – 540 Ma.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Few studies of shallow water marine nematodes have been conducted around South Africa, and none from the west coast. Here, I analyse the composition of nematode communities from six stations along a 3 km transect in Saldanha Bay during both summer and winter, in order to describe the communities present and to explore the effects of sediment composition and heavy and trace metal concentrations on community structure. In order to put the local data into a global context, these data are analysed together with some consolidated data from elsewhere and patterns of richness and composition (at the level of genus and species) examined The transect in Saldanha Bay extended from below a mussel raft at one end into the bay, and six cores (35.7mm diameter) were collected at each station. All nematodes were counted and 100 randomly identified from each core. A total of 136 nominal species, 117 genera and 36 families were identified from both summer and winter stations. Nematode abundance was highest at stations under the mussel raft, which were characterized by high mud content and high concentrations of trace and heavy metals: diversity was comparatively low and the assemblage was dominated by a few, non-selective deposit feeders (especially Sabatieria). Abundance decreased, but diversity increased, with an increase in distance from the mussel raft, which was coupled with an increase in the particle size of sediments and a significant reduction in metal concentrations. There were three dominant (Comesomatidae, Desmodoridae and Linhomoeidae, present in 96%, 85% and 83% of samples, respectively) and four subdominant families (Chromadoridae, Microlaimidae and Xyalidae, all in 79% of samples) that were largely responsible for determining the community structure across the bay. Multivariate analysis of the data using PRIMER indicated that copper was the single variable that best accounted for the structure of the communities (70.1%), and the best 2-variable combinations were copper and organic nitrogen (70.3%), followed by copper, organic nitrogen and mean grain size (69.7%). Abundance was higher at all stations in winter than summer, and the results of the PERMANOVA test on station and season indicated that the variation in between Station- Season accounted for 27% of the differences in community structure. Although these results should be treated with caution owing to limited temporal sampling, they are similar to those obtained elsewhere in the world and indicate that nematodes can be used to study anthropogenic impacts in a local context. Despite the fact that Saldanha Bay has been subjected to industrial activities for more than thirty years, estimates of species richness for Saldanha Bay were surprisingly high: S= 136; ICE = 150; CFE= 173. As too were estimates of generic richness (S= 117; ICE = 131; CFE= 149), which were the fourth most rich of those global sites compared from similar depths. Incorporation of these data into a global dataset revealed an absence of any clear latitudinal pattern in the distribution of richness (genera or families), and there was no obvious geographic structure to global communities, based on the available data. These results suggest that genera and families are poor proxies for species (at the evolutionary level, but not at the ecological level) and they support the idea that everything is everywhere. Comments on ways that nematode research can be advanced in South Africa are made.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / The Saldania Belt in southern Africa, a product of the Pan-African Saldanian Orogeny, forms part of a system of Neoproterozoic mobile belts that border and weld older cratons on the African continent. It is a low-grade orogenic belt situated along the southwestern margin of the Kalahari Craton and is composed of several inliers of greenschist facies metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks (Malmesbury Group), unroofed in megaanticlinal hinges of the Permo-Triassic Cape Fold Belt. The Malmesbury Group rocks were syn- and post-tectonically intruded in a pervasive transpressive regime between 555 Ma and 515 Ma by Neoproterozoic to early Cambrian S-, I- and A-type granites, monzodiorites, gabbros and quartz syenites, which collectively constitute the rocks of the Cape Granite Suite (CGS). Along the south-western coastline of South Africa, the Saldanha Bay Volcanic Complex (which forms part of the CGS) is divided into two eruption centres both of which have been identified as “intra-caldera pyroclastic ignimbrites”. The Postberg eruption centre is situated to the south of the Saldanha Bay entrance and the Saldanha eruption centre is situated to the north of the entrance. Both eruption centres display distinct geochemical signatures, the most apparent being the greater TiO2 concentrations (> 0.25 wt. %) of the Saldanha centre ignimbrites when compared to its Postberg centre counterparts. The Postberg eruption centre consists of S-type rhyolitic ignimbrites which are subdivided into the two geochemically distinct Plankiesbaai and Tsaarsbank Ignimbrites. Small amounts of the Jacobs Bay and Saldanha Ignimbrites (less felsic tephra from the Saldanha eruption centre) are also present in the Postberg eruption centre. A robust geochemical analysis of both the Plankiesbaai and Tsaarsbank magma groups display high SiO2 content (>76 wt. %), a lack of variation in TiO2 and Zr, high Al2O3 and ASI (aluminium saturation index) values (> 1.0 and generally >1.1 which, on average, is higher than the Saldanha eruption centre ignimbrites), low CaO and Na2O, and a highly ferroan character. The Plankiesbaai ignimbrite also display lower #Mg concentration compared to the Tsaarsbank ignimbrite. Typical geochemical trends in the Postberg eruption centre include the lack of variation in Zr content, higher Rb content and lower Sr, Ba, V and Zn concentrations when compared to the tephra of the Saldanha eruption centre found in the Postberg area.