This study has its beginnings in the intriguing idea of how people think things are as opposed to the way things really are. This idea forms one of the central themes of the post-modern paradigm of knowledge that underlines the more inventive role of language in the constitution of knowledge. So much intrigued by this idea, I decided to plot my own expedition to gain more insight into two particular appearances of the conceptualisation of the Tshwane urban space, namely: the picturing of the current urban condition and the preferred concepts used by planners to shape a better urban future. The expedition consists of two voyages. The first voyage (Part 3 of the travel journal), paraphrases the latest themes on the contemporary spatial scenery. In these sketches I tried to make sense of the s(t)imulating sites and sights by offering a personal localisation/contextualisation of these emerging spatialities. This part of the expedition highlighted the need for considerable modifications to the concepts we as planners currently use to describe the spatialities of our time. With this expectation, I commenced with my second voyage (Part 4 of the journal). By employing my refined mode of deconstructive reading, termed expansive scanning, I firstly (1) began to critically appraise how the current spatialities of Tshwane is observed, visualised and described and secondly (2) what shades of a better urban future are directed into position. The travel journal concludes with a review that attempts to bring the multiple revelations/field notes together in a more meaningful whole as my answer to the query I staged at the start of the expedition. The reading is also ended with some reflections on possible openings for further readings and more pertinent descriptions and actions by planners. / Dissertation (M (Town and Regional Planning))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Town and Regional Planning / M (Town and Regional Planning) / unrestricted

In South Africa, trypanosomosis also known as Nagana, transmitted by Glossina brevipalpis and G. austeni, is the major cause of anaemia and chronic debilitating condition in cattle. There is a wealth of entomological information on the ecology of the two tsetse species generated following the devastating outbreak in cattle due to Nagana in 1990. However, it is unfortunate that these entomological data has not been supported by parallel studies on the epidemiology of the disease. Therefore, the present study presents the first intensive epidemiological investigations since 1990 to address the problem of animal trypanosomosis in South Africa. The relationship between trypanosomes herd average prevalence (HAP), herd average anaemia (HAA) and herd average packed cell volume (HA-PVC) were investigated in cattle in three communal diptanks located by the Hluhluwe-uMfolozi Game Reserve by regular monthly sampling for 15 months. The tsetse challenge with G. brevipalpis in two of the diptanks, Mvutshini and Ekuphindisweni, was high but low in the third (Ocilwane). In addition, G. brevipaplis and G. austeni coexist in Mvutshini diptank. This high and low tsetse challenge presented different disease scenarios. Cattle at Mvutshini and Ekuphindisweni diptanks had the highest HAP of 12.3% and 8.9%, respectively, which is significantly different (p = 0.001) from the HAP obtained from cattle at Ocilane (2.9%). Both cattle herds at Mvutshini and Ekuphindisweni diptanks also had the highest HAA, 27.7 and 33.4%, respectively, while cattle at Ocilwane had the lowest, 11.1% (statistically different; p = 0.001). Conversely, cattle at Ocilwane diptank had the highest HA-PCV, ranging between 29-32% while cattle at Mvutshini and Ekuphindisweni diptanks had the lowest HA-PCV (24-29%). The interaction between HAP and HAA is significant (p = 0.021). The overall effect of HAP on the animal health condition is clearly demonstrated when comparing the anaemia in trypanosomes infected and uninfected cattle at the 3 diptanks. Fifty percent, 63% and 100% of trypanosomes infected cattle were anaemic at Mvutshini, Ekuphindisweni and Ocilwane diptanks, respectively. In comparison, the prevalence of anaemia in uninfected cattle in the 3 diptanks was 20, 30 and 10% at Mvutshini, Ekuphindisweni and Ocilwane diptanks, respectively. By combining the data from the 3 diptanks (1,800 observations), the overall HAA in infected and uninfected cattle was 62 and 20%, respectively The results of trypanosomes seasonal surveys conducted at 7 communal diptanks in tsetse infested areas, showed that all cattle at the diptanks were infected with trypanosomes with mean HAP and HAA of 10.3 and 35.3%, respectively. The highest HAP (range 15-31%, n=4) was recorded in Ngwenyambili diptank. This high infection in the cattle herds produced high values of HAA (50%; range 40-60). The infection rate with trypanosomes in G. brevipalpis caught from the field showed immature infections in the midgut of 3.5% (16/458) while only one fly was found with mature infection in the proboscis (1/458, 0.22%). Very few G. austeni were collected (total of 9) during the same period and dissected. The infection rate with trypanosomes immature and mature infections was found to be very high; 5/9 (55.5%). Blood samples were collected from a total of 132 buffaloes randomly immobilized for tuberculosis testing by the Hluhluwe-uMfolozi Game Reserve Authority. Two buffaloes were found to have T. congolense infection by the buffy coat technique. The presence of trypanosomes infected buffaloes in this study confirms the occurrence of sylvatic cycle at the tsetse/livestock/Hluhluwe-uMfolozi Game Reserve, thus, presenting a high risk of serious disease to cattle. The objective of the study on the strategic treatment of trypanosomosis conducted on one farm in endemic area was to treat adult cows and calves at an arbitrary HAP threshold before the disease produces any clinical symptoms or production losses. The strategic use of ethidium bromide and novidium chloride produced attractive results whereby cattle were protected for an extended period of 3 to 6 months with no development of anaemia during this period. Therefore, two to four treatments per year may be sufficient to keep cattle productivity on the farm under the tsetse challenge Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Veterinary Tropical Diseases / unrestricted

A central question in agricultural extension evaluation is whether extension staff is familiar with appropriate evaluation prescripts for evaluating extension activities, and to what extent or how often do they implement those prescripts. The study assessed the approaches followed by the extension staff to evaluate agricultural projects in Bojanala Extension Region. It, specifically, provided a demographic orientation of extension staff in the Region. It also provided some orientation to project performance, and determined the effect of independent variables on the proficiency to formulate project objectives and determined knowledge with regard to formulation of objectives, the frequency at which these extension staff evaluate projects, and their knowledge on committee involvement in evaluation. Lastly, the study looked at the effect of PMDS rating of the extension staff on their proficiency to formulate project objectives, the frequency at which they evaluate projects and their knowledge on committee involvement in evaluation, and determined the respondents’ knowledge (intervening variable) with regard to the dependent variables. A total of 40 respondents (extension workers) were involved in interview sessions allowing extensive interaction and discussion before individuals were requested to record their viewpoints regarding various alternatives in questionnaires and prepared for that purpose and which were subsequently analysed. The results reveal that there is under-representation of female extension staff, with relatively old extension workers (40 years and older). The majority of the Regional extension workers are in possession of technically specialised qualifications. Also, it is clear that technically advised agricultural extension projects are more successful than the LRAD, Food Security and LandCare projects. The results also provide evidence, that project objectives are often not clear, specific, and measurable. Only 50% of the respondents in possession of NQF Level 7&8 qualification scored average points regarding project objective formulation. 31.5% respondents in all ranks indicated only an average and even below average ability to formulate objectives. Merely 33.3% in possession of NQF Level 7&8 evaluate projects on a monthly or less basis. Extension workers with 15 years or less experience evaluate their projects more frequently than the respondents with 16 years or more experience. The agricultural technicians seem to be having limited responsibility of evaluating projects in which they are involved. The other disappointing revelation is that only 23% of the respondents evaluate the projects after completion of every activity and only 29.7% clearly indicated that they know exactly to what extent committee members are involved in the evaluation of projects. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc(Agric))--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

The research will compare the alignment of the remuneration between United States and South African banks with respect to the Economic Value Added, a measure of a firm's economic profit that adjusts profit by subtracting the cost of capital.South African banks have been widely recognised for their high standard of corporate governance and stability during the financial crisis. Executive remuneration based on short-term equity has been recognised by both academic literature as well as bank regulators as one of the causes of the financial crisis. The research seeks to understand the differences in remuneration alignment between the failed and surviving banks.Misaligned incentives within the United States banks are accepted by both academics and regulators as one of the causes of the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent economic downturn. This research puts this theory to the test by comparing the alignment of executive remuneration between South African banks that were internationally recognised for successfully navigating the financial crisis, and the largest United States banks, of which three failed catastrophically over the same time period.The remuneration for the largest United States and South African banks is tested for correlation against Economic Value Added (EVA®), share price and return on equity. Correlation between executive remuneration and the constructs is tested between the two countries before as well as after the financial crisis.South African bank executive remuneration correlated strongly with EVA® and this correlation strengthened after the financial crisis. In comparison, the United States sample banks exhibited strong correlation between share price and remuneration before the financial crisis. The failed United States banks had no correlations between executive remuneration any of the constructs, a pattern that has been repeated in the United States Banks that have survived the financial crisis.Practically, the research demonstrated the vast differences in executive remuneration alignment between the United States and South Africa. In South African banks, executive remuneration is far more closely aligned to EVA®, whereas the United States banks only correlated with share price before the financial crisis, raising the question of whether managers are able to exert excessive power. The research demonstrates the magnitude of the gap between the recommendations of regulators and remuneration policies, with South African banks far more closely aligned than their United States counterparts.The research findings concur with theory presented in literature that misaligned incentives based on equity contributed towards the financial crisis. Of particular concern is the change in remuneration correlation after the financial crisis, where South African banks increased correlation with EVA® while United States banks no longer correlated with EVA®, ROE or share price. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

In South Africa, courts and academia frequently refer to contracts as bonae fidei agreements. Often this term is invoked without further explanation or reflection on what the meaning of this term is. Upon closer inspection it seems that the phrase “bonae fidei has largely become devoid of any meaning. This study embarks upon a critical analysis of case law leading up to the remarks of the Constitutional Court in Everfresh Market Virginia (Pty) Ltd v Shoprite Checkers Ltd 2012 (1) SA 256 (CC); 2012 (3) BCLR 219 (CC), with the aim of determining what the role of good faith in the South African law of contract is and how this concept is approached by South African courts. A brief overview of the historical origins of the concept is given and the English law is considered as a foreign jurisdiction in order to gain understanding of how the concept is dealt with elsewhere. This study does not propose to undertake an in-depth study of consumer protection legislation. The justification for this decision lies in the fact that moving beyond this scope will prove to be too wide a field of study; hindering the in-depth discussion and evaluation of the common law and moving beyond the research aims of this dissertation. A critical analysis of South African case law indicates that it is unlikely that the courts in South Africa will adopt a general defence based on good faith that would empower courts to set aside otherwise enforceable agreements. The principle of good faith now forms part of the umbrella defence of public policy: it is finally accepted that public policy is invested in equitable contractual relationships and not only in upholding the principle of pacta servanda sunt. This study shows that good faith has a more active role to play in the law of contract as there is a duty upon courts to develop the common law so as to bring it in line with constitutional norms and values. This study illustrates the importance of open-ended concepts such as good faith and ubuntu to achieve a greater degree of equity and justice between contracting parties. The conclusion is reached that public policy is informed by the reigning ideology of the day: the contract law of South Africa must reflect its adherence to upholding and promoting the values and norms underlying the Constitution. If courts step up and uphold the constitutional mandate to develop the common law to bring it in line with constitutional values and norms, there will be very little need for legislative interference. / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Private Law / unrestricted

South Africa faces a shortfall in its provision of housing for low income households. This study explores the potential to use public private partnerships (PPP) to address these supply problems. A review of the housing market and an examination of the opportunities and challenges presented by PPP are presented, including a review of the international experience in the provision of social housing. Interviews with key stakeholders are undertaken to evaluate the appropriateness of PPP in the South African social housing sector. PPP are believed to have the potential increase the supply of social housing, provided there is continuing support from the state. However, none of the key stakeholders were keen to use the “traditional” PPP process, suggesting a need for innovative partnership models more appropriate for the sector. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

No abstract available Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Plant Science / unrestricted

Understanding the extent and cause of small mammal diversity and movement in an area is one of the major challenges in modern ecology. Rodents are a very successful group forming the largest Order of mammals, but monitoring trends in populations remains complicated, especially when populations are influenced by changes in vegetation structure, seasonal climate fluctuations and different management practices. This project aims to determine the biodiversity of rodent populations in the northern plains of the Kruger National Park and to investigate the possible role they may play as bio-indicators for different management practices. Movement of rodents from one area to the next is expected to be restricted due to changes in the habitat structure. This study describes the results of small mammal trapping in, surrounding and outside the N’washitshumbe enclosure site, an area enclosed since 1968 for the protection of endangered antelope species in the northern plains of the Kruger National Park, South Africa. The study refers to plant association, seasonal change, management practices (e.g. presence or absence of fire and elephant impact) and community dynamics of rodents. It is argued that progress in estimating rodent diversity to develop an understanding of small mammal community dynamics will be enhanced by building local inventories of fluctuations of species diversity and abundance, and in descriptive and experimental studies of the structure of the communities. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Zoology and Entomology / unrestricted

The African wild dog Lycaon pictus is Africa’s second most endangered carnivore. Only 14 out of 39 countries in Africa still have wild dogs present. This makes the populations of wild dogs in South Africa very valuable with respect to the entire species. Kruger National Park (Kruger) has the only self-sustaining and viable population of wild dogs in South Africa, making Kruger the core area of conservation for South African wild dogs. It is of vital importance to know the numbers of wild dogs present in Kruger. In chapter 2 of this dissertation I monitored and gathered demographic information from as many southern Kruger wild dog packs and individuals as possible over a three month period. I used real time text messaging to collect the information. A wild dog hotline number was used for tourists to contact immediately after they sighted a pack, noting location, time and number of wild dogs sighted. This new technique resulted in more than 300 reported wild dog sightings in three months enabling a count of individuals and packs. This also created an opportunity to take identification photographs and to collect DNA samples. In 1997 it was decided to establish and manage several small wild dog populations in various geographically isolated reserves in South Africa as one large managed metapopulation. In order to simulate the natural dispersal patterns of wild dogs, individuals are translocated between the managed metapopulation reserves, imitating natural gene flow and hopefully preventing inbreeding. To date, all decisions have been made using demographic data only. This in time is likely to result in a loss of genetic diversity and subsequent inbreeding. The aim of chapter 3 was to obtain genetic information from wild dogs in the managed metapopulation and Kruger (chapter 2) to provide a basis for sound population management including monitoring of inbreeding and maintaining levels of genetic diversity similar to those found in large self-sustaining populations (such as Kruger). This study included both mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear microsatellite loci to determine the genetic structure of South Africa’s wild dogs specifically with regards to genetic diversity, population structure and relatedness. The results showed a difference in historical and recent diversity between the managed metapopulation and Kruger. Two genetic clusters were evident in South Africa, however one was due to wild dogs from Botswana being translocated into the managed metapopulation. After the Botswana influence was removed from the analysis, three genetic clusters were observed in the South African wild dogs. These three genetic clusters comprise too few wild dogs to manage them as separate units. Relatedness between and within populations, reserves and packs were estimated and can in future be used to guide translocations of wild dogs to maximise their genetic variability. It is suggested that due to the low numbers, and historical and recent trends in genetic structure of South Africa’s wild dogs, they should be managed as one unit, allowing movements to and from neighbouring countries. All translocations should follow an isolation-by-distance pattern. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Animal and Wildlife Sciences / unrestricted

Mycobaterium bovis is the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (BTB) and it is a member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC). This bacterium has a wide host range of which, cattle is considered as the maintenance host. Humans, goats, wildlife, cats, dogs and lions are also susceptible to the bacterium and are considered putative spillover hosts as infection is not confined in these hosts. Mycobacterium bovis is prevalent in developing countries especially in farmed animals. This presents a problem since BTB is a zoonosis. People living in close contact with infected cattle or those who drink unpasteurized milk are at risk of infection. About 10% of cases of human tuberculosis are thought to be caused by M. bovis. In some instances, wildlife provides a reservoir for the pathogen and transmits it to cattle in farms and poses further risk to humans at the wildlife/livestock/human interface. Certain countries like the United Kingdom where BTB was previously eradicated are experiencing substantial increase in BTB infection. This is thought to be a result of wildlife reservoirs that infect farmed animals, especially cattle. Such reservoirs make eradication of the disease extremely difficult and require programmes to be put in place to control spread of the disease. This makes M. bovis a pathogen of economic importance since the programmes may be costly. In addition, wildlife that is infected cannot be exported and this further affects the economy negatively. In order to control the spread of the pathogen, it is essential to determine the source of infection. However, it is difficult to determine the source or to track the spread of BTB especially in wildlife where animals have unrestricted movement. The inability to conduct epidemiological studies of BTB may be a result of the lack of molecular typing methods that allow bacteria to be identified to strain level rapidly and fairly simpler than culture, thus providing much needed information about the pathogen. In recent years, typing of M. bovis isolates to strain level has been made possible by the development of PCR-based technologies such as IS6110 typing and spoligotyping. These technologies were however, found to be unsuitable for differentiating certain species in the MTBC. Newer technologies based on the variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs) in organisms have been developed and allow for the differentiation of members in the MTBC, which have a high level of genome homology. These technologies include multiple-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) and mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit (MIRU)-VNTR analysis. It was also discovered that mycobacteria have genomic regions of difference (RD) that could be used to identify the different species of bacteria in the MTBC. Retrospective studies may play a key role in tracing the source of diseases and following the pattern of transmission. However, in most instances, no fresh samples are available for such studies. For this reason, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue from wildlife in the Kruger National Park (KNP) was used for conducting a retrospective study aimed at determining the epidemiology of M. bovis in the KNP. However, amplification of DNA derived from FFPE tissue for PCR based techniques has been found to be a difficult exercise and not many standard protocols have been developed and validated for the use of such DNA. In this study, different methods of extraction were used to obtain DNA from FFPE tissue since it is difficult to obtain high quality DNA from such tissue, which is degraded. Formaldehyde, the main component of formalin which is used to fix tissue samples, causes degradation and cross-linking of DNA. In addition, previous studies are inconsistent with regards to the best method to use when extracting DNA from FFPE tissue. Three PCR-based techniques were used to type or identify the isolates in order to standardize a protocol for use in typing isolates from FFPE tissue. These techniques included analysis of the RDs, VNTR based methods i.e. MLVA and MIRU-VNTR and spoligotyping. Since there are many factors that influence the quality of FFPE tissue, samples confirmed BTB positive by VNTR analysis, spoligotyping and IS6110 analysis were used in order to optimize a PCR for FFPE tissue. Furthermore, in order to serve as control samples for spoligotyping and analysis of the RDs, DNA obtained from fresh tissue was also used in the study. Despite the various methods used to extract and to type DNA, the DNA from FFPE tissue provided unspecific results that did not allow for an informative retrospective study of M. bovis. This may be due to the fact that the DNA used had a high degree of degradation from prolonged fixation in formalin. Although M. bovis could not be typed in FFPE tissues, it could be identified by analysis of the regions of difference, more specifically the RD9 region. Amplification of RD9 is thus recommended for use in retrospective studies for diagnostic purposes, especially in cases where highly degraded DNA is used. This region (RD9) should however, only be used as a presumptive diagnosis since RD9 also identifies M. africanum, M. microti, M. pinnipedii, M. caprrae and M. bovis BCG. However, RD9 specifically excludes M. tuberculosis. In the SA context, particularly in the KNP, this allows for some sound inferences since the animals are likely to be infected with M. bovis as opposed to M. tuberculosis. This study highlighted statements in previous studies where it was stated that fixation of tissue in formalin should be done in such a way to reduce degradation of DNA in FFPE tissue in order to allow for its use in retrospective molecular studies which may be very insightful in determining the epidemiology of diseases that are difficult to track and/or control. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Veterinary Tropical Diseases / unrestricted