M.A. / The main purpose and objective of this study was to evaluate and determine the impact of regionalisation in Southern Africa on South Africa's developmental goals. With regionalisation coming to the fore as a contemporary reality of the international political economy and with the importance placed on the Reconstruction and Development Plan by the South African Government, the opportinity presented itself where the dynamic impact of regionalisation could be determined and evaluated in a meaningful and relevant manner. The major research concerning regionalisation in Southern Africa focuses on either the economic viability of integration in the Southern African region, or the form of integration which should be pursued. No single study has tried to determine the possible total impact of the process of regionalisation on a specific country. This study breaches this intellectual and academic impasse by doing a multi-leveled analysis of the impact of regionalisation on South Africa's developmental goals. The motivation for this is to lead to more specific research concerning all aspects involved for all countries concerned. The emphasis falls on the holistic nature of this topic - where spesific focus is placed on the complexity and diversity of the roleplayers involved as well as the determinants which influence them. The specific methodology used was to incorporate varied forms of data-gathering, ranging from interviews with major roleplayers to literature studies. The important fact to emphasize is that regionalisation itself must be seen as a complex structure, evolving to the needs and circumstances of the countries involved. This study shows emphatically that the orthodox theory of regionalisation can not be used in the context of developing countries. This theory is based on the experiences of the European industrialised countries. Their methods of analysis is inappropriate in developing countries. It is showed that project- and functional co-operation would suit the requirements and needs of the Southern African region far better in delivering the benefits accrued through regionalisation. Using this as premiss and focussing on the develomental goals of South Africa - the probable impact of regionalisation was determined and evaluated. The Reconstruction and Development Plan and the White Paper on the Reconstruction and Development Plan was used to identify South Africa's developmental goals. Intense research was done to estimate and determine the probable impact of regionalisation, as well as the policy issues it entails, on these goals. An effort was made to integrate each aspect and sector with other sectors and to highlight the complex nature of these interrelated issues. Only broad discussion and recommendations could be drawn. But these are sufficient to lead to futher studies on each specific aspect as well as giving a broad perspective on how South Africa's development goals will be influenced by the process of regionalisation. From this study the conclusion can be drawn that there will be costs involved for South Africa's participation in regional integration. But the benefits derived from project co-operation could make it worthwhile for South Africa to implement positive policy decisions towards further regionalisation. It is important to notice the intense complexity of each sector and the influence a change in one sector will have on all others. Careful consideration should be given before any action is taken. This serves as justification for the study on the grounds that more studies of this nature is necessary for regionalisation to expand in the region, and for Southern Africa to develop as a region. The other member-countries should conduct studies of a similar nature - and through this the most appropriate policy decisions could be taken to improve the well-being of all the people in this region.

M.Com. (Economics) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

This study evaluated potential health risks associated with the consumption of commonly consumed leafy vegetables, Amaranthus hybridus (tepe), Brassica oleracea (cabbage) and Spinacia oleracea (spinach) in the gold mining town of Kanana in North West Province, where these three plants were the most commonly consumed. Structured interviews were conducted with 40 households to determine their socioeconomic status and the consumption patterns of vegetables (cultivated and wild plants). Along with interviews, plant samples were sampled in home gardens and at various harvesting locations in the wild for chemical analysis. Finally, analysis of mercury content in the sampled three leafy vegetable species was performed to ascertain the contributions of the vegetables to the dietary mercury intake among a predominantly young and poor subpopulation of Kanana, which was found to be largely dependent on state welfare grants and on the cultivation and gathering of wild plants for survival. The study found that all three leafy vegetable species under analysis had mercury concentrations that exceeded the maximum permitted by the World Health Organisation. The highest mean mercury concentrations were found in A. hybridus 0.287μg/g dry mass and the lowest in S. oleracea 0.128μg/g dry mass. Equally, mercury ingestion through the three leafy vegetables by adults in the surveyed subgroups of Kanana exceeded thresholds prescribed by the (2007). Based on consumption patterns, dietary mercury intake by adults exceeded the recommended limits by one order of magnitude, with yearly dose exceeding by as much as four and three orders of magnitude. Long term mercury exposure can cause damage to the central nervous system and chronic intoxication. The surveyed subpopulation is therefore exposed to health risks from mercury toxicity. To ensure food safety and to protect the residents from metal toxicity, awareness programmes are recommended to educate communities living in the vicinity of mines to avoid the areas of highest contamination, such as the artisanal mine dumps and (in this case) the Schoonspruit stream, and to control the artisanal use of mercury. Alternative vegetable gardening methods such as vegetable container gardening using unpolluted soil can also be implemented for the community. In addition, remediation of all the sites where local people cultivate vegetables and gather edible wild plants should be considered where feasible. The insights gained through the study should be used to inform local land use planning and create awareness among personnel from local regulators and development agencies. The insights can also be used to inform environmental management planning processes, risk mitigation and social impact assessment for industries in the region, in particular those involved in mining. Keywords: consumption patterns, gold mining, human health risk, leafy vegetables, mercury.

Thesis (M.A.(Demography and Population Studies))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, School of Social Sciences, 2016 / BACKGROUND: Under-5 children in KwaZulu-Natal are highly exposed to dying before reaching five years of life. Studies have been conducted to understand the demographic and socioeconomic factors that influence under-5 mortality, both nationally and internationally, with some contradicting findings on the association between some socioeconomic and demographic factors and under-5 mortality. While some studies found child mortality to be significantly associated with rural geographical place of residence, the reverse has also been established. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between socioeconomic and demographic factors and under-5 mortality in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. DESIGN: The study was cross-sectional, and utilises 2011 Census secondary data set from Statistics SA. Overall, the census revealed that 55 476 children under the age of 5 had died in the 12 months prior to the census nationally. In KwaZulu-Natal this figure was 15 356. The 10% sample showed that 1 474 under-5 children had died in the same period in KwaZulu-Natal. STATA 12.0 was used for the analysis. Binary logistic regression model was used to examine the association between under-5 mortality and the independent variables. RESULTS: The major findings of the study indicated that (i) male children were 1.22 times more likely to die compared to female children under the age of 5 years; (ii) mothers who had no schooling (AOR=1.82); mothers with primary level of education (AOR=2.43); and mothers with secondary level of education (AOR=1.77), were more likely to experience under-5 mortality compared to mothers with tertiary level education; (iii) mothers whose age at first birth was between 15-19 years (AOR=1.47) and those whose age at first birth was between 25-34 years (AOR=2.14) were more likely to experience under-5 mortality compared to mothers whose age at first birth was between 35-49 years; (iv) Black mothers were more likely to experience under-5 mortality compared to Indian mothers (AOR=5.99); (v) mothers who were employed were 1.22 times more likely to experience under-5 mortality compared to unemployed mothers. Lastly, under-5 mortality was less likely amongst mothers in the medium households compared to those from low income households (AOR=0.65). CONCLUSION: This study found that socioeconomic and demographic factors substantively determine under-5 mortality in KwaZulu-Natal. Evidence from this study suggest that interventions aimed at reducing under-5 mortality should focus on black women, the younger women, the less educated and those with low household income. / MT2017

A report on a research study presented to The Department of Social Work, School of Human and Community Development, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree, Masters of Arts in Social Development, 2016 / Prior to 1994, education in South Africa was formally and legally segregated according to race. The post-1994 democratic government had the task of implementing educational policies to promote and facilitate equal access in the educational sector. Twenty-one years later, the expectation is that every citizen should be enjoying equal access, regardless of their socio-economic conditions. However, this is not the case, as most people are still excluded in the education sector by one factor or another. This study attempts to understand the factors that contribute to the slow transformation and access of rural learners to institutions of higher learning. Ten Grade 12 learners, consisting of five males and five females from the Vhembe District in Limpopo, were interviewed for the study. A qualitative research method was used with data collected using in-depth interviews supported by a question guide, to facilitate a discussion with the participants. From the findings of the research, three themes emerged, which participants indicated were constraints in accessing institutions of higher learning. These included educational factors, economic factors and socio-cultural factors. The research found that these factors cannot be treated in isolation from one another. This is supported by General Systems Theory, which argues that everything is connected to everything else (Dawson, 2006). Therefore, in addressing the issue of access to institutions of higher learning, improving the quality of school teachers will not automatically lead to access, as factors such as poverty and unemployment will still be prevalent. Thus, a broader more purposeful approach to social reform, as well as more comprehensive and equitable strategies of redistribution of wealth and income are required, to empower disadvantaged communities to access institutions of higher learning in South Africa. / GR2017

After many deadlocks, accusations of negotiating in bad faith, marches and lunch-time pickets, more than 600,000 Public Sector Workers went on strike on 24 August 1999. The government then unilaterally implemented a 6.3% increase for public servants against their original demand of 10-15% increase. "The dispute goes back to January 1999, to a workshop dealing with the budgetary process. At this meeting the Department of Finance outlined its Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, for the first time to the public sector workers. In the MTEF the parameters for wage cuts, and 'non-negotiability’ were already set. All unions in the public service bargaining council presented their wage demands - 10% to 15%” [COSATU paper on Public Sector Workers Fight for a Living Wage.] Thereafter COSATU and government officials met over the next few months until May 1999, when a dispute was declared. On the 29th March 1999, COSATU commented ‘To the Unions it is clear, government is not prepared to negotiate - it has already made up its mind’ [COSATU document - Public Sector Workers Fight for a Living Wage] During the period May-June COSATU Unions decided to “throw their weight behind the ANC election campaign.’’[ibid.]. By the August 1999 the unions compromised their demand from 10% to 7.3% increase. Towards the end of August the government unilaterally implemented ei 6.3% increase for public sector workers, and 4% increase for itself. It then went on an ideological media campaign against the workers claiming that the 4% increase for members of parliament is much less than what has been granted to the public sector workers. / Vol. 5 no. 3

The Policy Unit of the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) has developed a number of strategic themes embracing many cross-cutting issues. The main thrust of the Unit’s work, however, focuses on the core mandate of the Bank - infrastructure. In order to provide for a coherent whole, rural infrastructure must fit into a broader policy framework. Globally, the goals set for the first two decades of the next millennium are to address poverty and achieve food security. The DBSA can contribute to South Africa’s position on these global themes by addressing the issue of rural infrastructure delivery, taking cognisance of the South African government’s Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) programme. This discussion document will specifically address the local economic development activities of farm production and rural livelihoods in order to achieve food security, address poverty and foster economic growth in the marginalised, infrastructure-deprived rural areas of the country. It is assumed that additional entrepreneurial economic opportunities will arise at village and town level as producers become nett surplus producers, eg in small grain milling, cottage industry, village markets, processing (value adding), etc. In contrast to urban development, where economic activity is assumed by investing in infrastructure, the DBSA will actively have to support the transformation of economic activity in the rural scenario. One of the past successes of the DBSA has been the introduction of the Farmer Support Programme (FSP). The FSP’s provision of services and support, based on the needs of existing smallholders, is embedded in participatory planning and action. Without local initiatives, rural infrastructure cannot be delivered effectively to bolster economic growth, create jobs and redistribute income. Most of the country’s poor live in rural areas, and without rural development there can be no GEAR. Life in these areas needs to be made liveable by encouraging entrepreneurial development, which includes facilitating agriculture, creating jobs and increasing rural income through appropriate government actions for improving the welfare of rural households. One of the ways in which national, provincial and local government could have a broad-based impact is by providing rural economic infrastructure and, to this end, local government, including regional and district councils, has been mandated to develop integrated development plans. These plans have to include economic development plans, and entrepreneurial development has been singled out as important in this regard. From this it follows that district councils and municipalities have a prime responsibility for developing entrepreneurs, including farmers in their rural constituency.

Thesis (M. Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2007. / Apartheid land policy and its constitution as a whole conceptualized and structured South African in a way that encouraged inequalities in terms of land ownership, job opportunities and access to education and recreational facilities. The privileged few (whites and a few black elites and whosoever summarized with the former apartheid regime) got richer and richer while the less privileged people, (in this case, the majority of the black people of South Africa) got poor. They were even denied reasonable access to land and quality education. This investigative study examines the state in which they lived and how they are still living in Squatter Camp as an attempt to make qualitatively justifiable recommendations. Informal settlement is as old as the origin of urban settlement, which existed through industrialization process worldwide. A need for peace, jobs, security, housing and land ownership resulted in the establishment of informal settlement near big towns and mines. The most disadvantaged people, those characterized by poverty due to unemployment, lack of land ownership due to one reason or another move to informally settle nearer to areas in which there are possibilities for employment opportunities and better standard of living. Specifically, this study examines the deficiencies associated with the existing informal settlement through its assessment and evaluation. In this regard all aspects of assessment techniques of the way in which inhabitants of Disteneng informal settlement live i.e. interviewing processes (both structured and informal), observation through site visit, checking of documented information with regard to informal settlement etc have been used. The gaps that exist between urban life and the living conditions of people from squatter camp have been investigated and reflected.

No abstract available / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1974.

No abstract available. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1991.