A country’s competitive advantage is linked to its educational outcomes. South Africa, as a developing country wants to shift from being a resource based economy to being a knowledge based economy. To enable such a shift, schools must be able to graduate learners who are adequately prepared for the demands of institutions of higher learning. Schools, therefore, must become centres of excellence and a culture of performance must be prevalent in schools. The National Development Plan as outlined by the National Planning Commission (2011) identified education as one of the pillars from which South Africa’s economy will be driven. However, recent studies have rated South Africa’s education system as one of the worst among middle income economies and sometimes even worse than many low-income African economies. To bridge that gap, there is a need to drive schools to be centres of excellence. This study sought to identify factors that influence a performance culture in schools. In order to achieve this objective, literature was scanned and five factors that influence a performance culture were identified (organisational school climate, teacher attitude, school managerial processes, organisational school value and organisational school structure). These factors were initially identified and used by Marcoulides and Heck (1993) in a corporate organisation and later adopted for testing in a school setting by Gomez, Marcoulides and Heck (2012). A school in Johannesburg East district was sampled through convenience sampling and data was collected through a questionnaire which was administered to the principal, teachers and staff, school governing board members, parents and alumni of the school. The total sample was 120 and a total of 94 questionnaires were returned giving a response rate of 78%. Descriptive statistical techniques were performed to establish the mean and standard deviation of perceptions among the respondents. Inferential statistical techniques were used to measure and ascertain reliability through Cronbach’s alpha, comparisons of responses through t-testing and ANOVA, association through correlation and hypotheses were tested through multiple regression analysis. All the variables were found to be valid and reliable. Furthermore, statistical results revealed that in the sampled school, even though all the five factors had an association among each other, only organisational school culture and organisational school value had an association to the dependent variable, performance culture. Organisational school value, however, was found to be the only variable of great influence to performance culture at the sampled school. The ideologies and activities that represent the values, therefore, influence the performance culture of a school.

Stormwater attenuation policy has, over recent years, become a highly contentious issue for the property development community. Increased urbanisation, locally and internationally, has forced municipal authorities to reconsider the role of stormwater management in this evolving urban landscape. It is within this context that the legislative support and municipal policy for stormwater management in the City of Johannesburg has been explored, particularly in terms of the economic impact on property developers. The research aimed to explore the relationship between stormwater attenuation policy and the economic impact thereof on private property developers. Consideration was given to the cost, risk and time factors of legislative and policy requirements within the development process. Further consideration was given to the physical environment that has brought about current pressures. Based upon research of international issues highlighted in countries with well developed attenuation policy, a questionnaire was constructed to evaluate the response of local private property developers to selected issues as key sub-problems. The responses were tested against the developed set of hypotheses. The research indicated that developers had a generally poor level of knowledge with regard to the stormwater management policy of the City of Johannesburg, as well as the supporting legislative requirements of provincial and national policy documents. The results of the survey also indicated that developers were strongly opposed to the loss of developable area, but indicated a limited financial impact of the current stormwater attenuation policy. The risk inherent in incorporating an attenuation facility within a development was identified as being low with little perceived impact. Developers further indicated that the inclusion of attenuation facilities was seen as a significant contributing factor in the delay, approval and acceptance of new developments in which attenuation facilities were required, while maintenance costs were indicated to be of a low level of importance. Recommendations in response to the research findings included the establishment of detailed policy documentation and support for effective distribution channels in conjunction with industry and public focused information campaigns, improved municipal capacity and a greater level of technical support. A need for additional stormwater research and an increase in the capture of relevant data for GIS purposes was identified.

Intergroup conflicts are rife in public schools and often the bone of contention is promotional posts. These conflicts can affect the quality of teaching and learning if the focus of the teachers moves from the primary purpose of teaching to contesting senior posts. In addition, such contestation often splits the teaching staff into groups or factions. One such split is between the group made up of teachers belonging to the politically-aligned union and the group of teachers from non-politically aligned teacher unions or those not unionised at all. The School Governing Body parent-wing is often caught in conflict between these two groups as it has the legislative power to recommend appointment to the District Director. It is within this context that this study explores the perceptions of stakeholders in selected schools in Diepkloof with regard to intergroup conflict and investigates whether cadre deployment plays a role in this conflict. The findings of this study reveal stakeholders' perceptions that politically-aligned unions tend to exert influence to have their members promoted and, in the process, often overlook better qualified educators.

Thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Architecture (Professional) to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Architecture and Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2017 / Ever since we as humans sat around fires in caves, we have been sharing stories in an attempt to understand life and the need to survive. Storytelling is an integral part of human experience. We define our lives in narrative form. It gives us a means to explain the inexplicable and understand our lives in the context of a greater whole. The increasing prevalence of technologies like cell phones, tablets, and laptops has lead to a phenomenon of disconnection between people in the physical dimension. Instead of communicating faceto-face, with all of our senses engaged, we rely on technology to interact with friends and share our stories. South Africa’s current political climate, and particularly the protests on University campuses across the country in the past year, has emphasised the idea that society is suffering from a lack of real communication. This research proposes that stories can create change in the built environment, through building design, in the same way that stories affect our personal beliefs and understanding. Thus the concept of narrative and memory and how it manifests itself in architectural design and discourse is explored. This report finds that nostalgia and phenomenology play a significant role in producing connections between people and the built environment and these theories must be employed to create strong narratives in architecture. Orange Grove, once a vibrant suburb along Louis Botha Avenue, has suffered from a lack of investment and development since the 1990s. Ultimately I employ perceptual and conceptual design philosophies to design a sustainable intervention within the already rich context of Orange Grove. The Story Exchange building design proposes that only through art, craft and open tactile interaction (that involves all the senses) - can one produce architecture that becomes a catalyst for the creative upliftment of the area and its community. / XL2018

Research report submitted to the School of Architecture and Planning, University of the Witwatersrand, March 2014, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Urban Studies. Supervised by Professor Claire Benit-Gbaffou. / A response to socio-economic issues (crime, disinvestment) and management-related problems (grime) in Johannesburg’s urban neighbourhoods; Residential City Improvement Districts (RCIDs) are seen as a powerful strategy on the road to socio-politico-economic prosperity for inner city areas, and are thus increasingly being implemented. Having led to the renovation/regeneration of public furniture – ‘sanitised’ lanes, upgraded pavements characterised by surveillance cameras and functional lighting – and attraction of business; RCIDs such as Hillbrow’s eKhaya appear to slowly but surely be reconfiguring perceptions of inner city neighbourhoods as ‘slums’ and/or ‘no-go crime hot spots’. Yet in so far as RCIDs appear to be effecting positive urban neighbourhood change, their impacts on the (‘inside’ management of) buildings comprising them still remain to be seen. Using the interesting case of eKhaya Neighbourhood CID Hillbrow South – a ‘voluntary’ RCID which is arguably the first of its kind in a densely populated low-income urban neighbourhood – this research focused on the relationship between internal building management and external public space management in inner city Johannesburg’s RCIDs. The study was particularly concerned with uncovering the extent to which norms and rules governing eKhaya’s public space may infiltrate the governance/politics of the internal building governance and/or supervision. In attempting to do this, the study used the eKhaya RCID building caretakers/managers – in their capacity as transmission belts and brokers between RCID drivers (property owners, RCID coordinators) and tenants - as its primary objects. Drawing from, among others, the Foucauldian concept of ‘Neoliberal Governmentality’, Lipsky’s ‘Street-Level Bureaucracy’and Olivier de Sardan’s ‘Practical Norms’; the study made use of housing supervisors’ daily micro-practices to uncover the extent to which rules and norms governing eKhaya are internalised, appropriated, negotiated, bent, and resisted within – and around - residential buildings constituting eKhaya RCID

A research report submitted to the School of Architecture and Planning, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Development Planning. / The strategic spatial plans of the City of Johannesburg have been centered on densification as a key spatial planning tool to address spatial fragmentation by facilitating development of affordable housing through the private sector. City of Johannesburg and Johannesburg Development Agency have developed a working relationship with TUHF Pty Ltd to co-promote priority areas for affordable housing development. TUHF is a financial provider that provides access to finance for entrepreneurs to purchase and subsequently convert or refurbish buildings in the inner cities of South Africa. The research examines the support being provided by City of Johannesburg, Johannesburg Development Agency and TUHF in supporting small scale developers in the inner city of Johannesburg. One of the key concepts of the research is that of the small scale developer which is a slippery term to define. In order to ground the research and define a sample , small scale developers were defined at the inception of the research according to TUHF’s recognition and support of emerging property entrepreneurs operating in the inner city. The conceptual framework explores the complexities of the interaction of the small scale developer with the municipal instruments to gain development approval and with financial institutions to access credit to finance developments. The research uses the inner city as a case study as it provide an ongoing site based application of initiatives that are supposed to support small scale developers. The research uses semi-structured interviews, participant observations and secondary data to examine how small scale developers are being supported. The main research finding is that there is no nuanced definition of the small scale developer from the perspective of the City of Johannesburg and TUHF. Small scale developers face administrative, technical and financial challenges in the property development process and the collaboration between municipal agencies and financial institutions plays an important role in the support of small scale developers. / TL (2020)

The City of Johannesburg exists primarily due to the discovery of gold, and its urban form has largely been shaped by the mining strip that runs from east to west along the gold reef. The City initially grew along the mining axis, with the Central Business District (CBD) developing just to the north of the belt. Today, the strip of mine tailings and slimes dams creates a vast space of leftover, mostly undeveloped land adjacent to the City centre. The south of the City is physically separated from the north by this strip of wasteland, and most current development is usually only directed northwards towards Sandton and Pretoria. This study considers the future significance of the mining brownfields and how the land can be re-claimed, re-used and re-developed in order to structure and enhance the urban landscape of Johannesburg. The mining strip represents the divisive and collective history of the City and can potentially be used to create the connective tissue that could address this division and ultimately form a cohesive Johannesburg. The linear mining strip is currently supported by railways and industry and as such, provides an ideal setting for development, as useful infrastructure is already present. Brownfield sites, which are previously-developed urban sites with a potential for redevelopment, and specifically mining brownfield sites, form the core of the research for this study. The tailings and slimes dams of Johannesburg require extensive reclamation and reprocessing, yet provide the ideal landscape for redevelopment. The variety of brownfield sites, as well as the different ways to approach them is discussed within this document. In order to validate the extensive effort that is required to overcome the many issues associated with redeveloping the Johannesburg mining sites, the theory of Compact Cities pioneered in the Netherlands has been investigated and is used as a case study in this document. The current segregated and dispersed format of Johannesburg is not sustainable, and all future development should aim for a denser City, greater mixed-use environments and the predominance of public transport. The focus initially will be on developing the land within the City, rather than that on the outskirts, focusing primarily on the vacant land of the mining belt. Careful consideration will be given to the fact that the natural environment is a key aspect to a future sustainable City, and reviews of where this theory has been successfully implemented form a basis to the proposal of this design. This study considers the use of natural landscapes as the catalyst for development within Johannesburg. Natural systems are crucial to the form of the City and can create the base for the linkage of open space systems, which is used to structure future development. Natural mitigation techniques are also one of the best ways to remediate brownfield sites Lastly, the specific history and character of the City of Johannesburg, and specifically the mining belt, is considered in this document, as certain factors will define the process of re-development. The existence of the Witwatersrand Reef and the historical development of the City have led to the current status quo of the City. This thesis studies the patterns of growth that the City has followed and how it has been impacted by gold mining. The design portion of this thesis begins by forming a proposal to create a movement system within Johannesburg based on the existing natural space networks. It considers integrating the mining belt with this system in order to create a new structuring device to inform the development of the urban form of the City. The second part of the thesis attempts to construct a strategy that can be used in the development of the vacant land along the mining belt, based on the above-mentioned open space system for Johannesburg. A pivotal site within Johannesburg has been identified in order to test the principles and concepts that have been explored. There are many challenges that arise when developing on former mining land and this thesis attempts to address these issues spatially, through an urban design framework.

No description available.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Management in the field of Public Policy / This study investigates oversight and accountability in the City of Johannesburg. The study explores the City of Johannesburg’s new governance model as implemented after the 2006 local government elections. The study is premised on establishing an understanding of the issues that the City of Johannesburg is grappling with since rolling out its oversight and accountability model as adopted by its Council in 2006. The Constitution of South Africa (1996) vests both the executive and legislative authority in the Municipal Council. This is in contrast to other spheres of government, namely National and Provincial, whereby there are specific chapters on what the Executive, the Parliament and Provincial Legislatures powers are. The study begins by discussing the cases of separation of powers in local government in the United Kingdom and the City of Johannesburg governance model and the rationale behind implementing such a model. The study then makes an analysis of the legislative framework in South Africa that gives expression to oversight and accountability in government broadly. The study discusses its research methodology and the rationale for such a methodology in investigating issues that the City of Johannesburg is faced with in implementing its oversight and accountability model. In this case study the researcher explores the functionality of the model. In doing so, the researcher then proposes ways of ensuring that the oversight and accountability could be more effective and whether there are any legislative impediments, and then propose to national law makers what needs to be done as informed by the research conducted

Thesis is submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science in Development Planning to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2016 / The current increase in demand for accommodation in the Johannesburg northern suburbs is linked to the political and demographic changes that took place within South Africa post 1994. During this time there was a flight of affluent white South Africans away from what was then the centre of the country’s economy, the Johannesburg Central Business District (Garner, 2011). There has been an increase in the size of South Africa’s black middle class post 1994, due to the removal of racist legislation impeding the economic advancements of black South Africans, as well as due to the progressive affirmative action policies designed to fast track the advancement of black South Africans (Southall, 2016). Consequently, there has been a steady increase of black middle class people moving into the northern suburbs of Johannesburg. The study was conducted in the Sandton suburbs of Johannesburg, Gauteng. It sought to understand what factors have led to the increase in demand for accommodation in these suburbs from the black middle class. 27 interviews were conducted with participants in the case study areas of Illovo, Sandton Central Business District, Sandown, Bryanston and Sandhurst. The researcher made use of direct observations during the semi-structured interviews. The results showed that research in this area was imperative as it helped to explain the buying and renting patterns of the black middle class. This is important for property developers and the government because the black middle class is a fast growing economic subgroup within the country. This can impact on policy and property development in the country. The study found that the black middle class are moving to the northern suburbs for pragmatic reasons and that proximity to their places of work, proximity to amenities and security are the most important factors causing them to move. / MT2017