No description available.

The main focus of this thesis is the challenges that are facing social policy development and implementation in South Africa in relation to the enhancement of human capability. The study adopted a historical approach to assess the model of social policy in South Africa and identified that social relations of domination inherited from the apartheid era continuing to produce inequalities in opportunities. Social policy under the democratic government has not managed to address social inequalities and the main drivers of poverty in the form of income poverty, asset poverty and capability poverty which are the underlying factors reproducing deprivation and destitution of the majority of the population Although South Africa prides itself of a stable democracy, social inequalities continue to undermine the benefits of social citizenship because political participation in the midst of unequal access to economic and social resources undermine the value of citizenship. Also, inequalities in the distribution of income and wealth, and in the control of economic production undermine political equality which is an ethic upon which social rights are predicated. As a result, state interventions are lacking inherent potential to build human capability for people to live the life that they have reason to value. The paradox of social policy in South Africa is that the majority of those who are marginalised are those who were excluded by the apartheid regime even though state intervention is claimed to be targeting them. This points to the failure of incremental equalisation of opportunities within a context of stark social inequities. It is also an indication that the economic growth path delivered by the political transition is working to reinforce the inherited legacy of deprivation and it is avoiding questions related to the structural nature of poverty and inequalities. Therefore, a transformative social policy is an imperative for South Africa. Such a framework of social policy should be premised upon a notion of human security in order to built human capability. Human security focuses on the security of individuals and communities to strengthen human development. It emphasises on civil, political and socioeconomic rights for individual citizens to participate fully in the process of governance. Although this thesis is a case study of social policy in South Africa, it can be used to appreciate the role of social policy in other developing countries, particularly the impact of political decision making on social distribution. Poverty and social inequalities are growing problems in developing countries and so is the importance of putting these problems under the spotlight for political attention.

No Abstract available / Jurisprudence / L.LD.

Educational Studies / MED (EDUC MANAGEMENT)

Changes in Education usually brings along with it problems of curriculum implementation, such as assessment, evaluation and curriculum design. One of the major problems is how learners are going to be assessed for progression and how the teachers are going to adapt to these new approaches. In this research the focus was on the following problems: Are the new assessment criteria met by the facilitator? Can the opinions/ideas and attitudes of facilitators be transformed? Do facilitators understand the new assessment criteria and how to use them? To find out how knowledgeable the educators are on assessment criteria and what the educators average attitudes are towards the new assessment criteria. In the empirical research data was gleaned by means of questionnaires. Thereafter, correlation coefficient was used to determine the correlation between variables and the t-test and chi-square test were used to test the null hypothesis. / Psychology of Education / M.Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry, Durban University of Technology. Durban, South Africa, 2015. / Over decades synthetic composites have become an indispensable part of our lives with their various applications such as packaging, sporting equipment, agriculture, consumer products, medical applications, building materials, automotive industry, and aerospace materials among others. Although these polymers have the desired properties for the above applications, they are invariably costly. Furthermore, they cannot be easily disposed of at the end of their useful lives and simply pile up and cause significant damage to the environment. However, the dwindling supply of fossil fuel, increased oil prices, together with the growing public concern of greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, has forced scientists to search for new development of sustainable materials from renewable resources. Hence in recent years, there is an increased interest in biocomposite manufacturing with natural resources as environmental issues are addressed. The research work presented in this dissertation is to the best of the author’s knowledge a world-first overall investigation pertaining to the concept of synthesizing a banana sap based bio-resin (BSM) reinforced with banana fibres. In this work the chemical composition of banana sap was determined to investigate the chemical reactions taking place in the resin formulation. BSM was synthesized, characterized and proposed as a potential bio-resin to be used in the biocomposite manufacture for non-functional motor vehicle components. BSM, a hybrid bio-resin was synthesized with equimolar quantities of maleic anhydride and propylene glycol and 50% banana sap. A control resin without the banana sap was also synthesized for comparison purposes. It was proposed that the presence of sugars, esters and pthalates from the sap, determined by HPLC and GC-MS, contributed to the cross-linking of the polymer chain. The acid value and viscosity of BSM were determined and found to be within specification of an industry resin. The molecular weights of the BSM and control resins were 2179 and 2114 units respectively. These were within the required molecular weight of unsaturated polyester resins. The gel and cures times of the BSM were 60% lower than the control resin suggesting that the banana sap behaved as an accelerator for the curing process. The lower cure time meant that using the banana sap in the formulation was cost effective and time saving. The thermal properties of BSM showed improved degradation temperatures and degree of crystallinity compared to the control resin. A parametric study showed that increasing banana sap concentration in the resin formulation led to increased tensile and flexural properties with 50% being the optimum amount of sap to be added to the formulation. The synthesized bio-resin and control resin were applied to biocomposites and characterized in terms of physical, thermal, mechanical, morphological, chemical and biodegradable properties. Mechanical tests indicated a 15 % increase in tensile strength, 12 % improvement in tensile modulus and a 25 % improvement in the flexural modulus, when compared to structures produced without banana sap. Natural fibres present the challenge of poor adhesion to the matrix. Chemical treatment of the banana fibre was done to improve on the compatibility of resin to fibre. Fibre pull-out showed that treated fibres had a better bond than the untreated fibre. Parametric studies were also done to evaluate the effect of fortifying the BSM resin with nanoclay. A 5% clay loading resulted in a 24% increase in tensile strength and 28% increase in flexural properties. Finally biodegradation studies of the BSM bio-resin, BSM biocomposite, control resin and control composite were investigated and compared to a positive reference, cellulose. Results showed that over a period of 55 days the BSM biocomposite showed 17.6% biodegradation compared to 8% with the control composite. No difference in biodegradation between the BSM bio-resin and the control resin was recorded. BSM biocomposite was proposed as a potential replacement to synthetic composites that contribute to the environmental landfill problems. The main contribution of this research is the use of the reinforcement and matrix from the same natural source. An enriched understanding of the synthesis, characterization and performance of the banana sap based bio-resin and biocomposite for the use of non-functional motor vehicle components is the key outcome of this investigation.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / Some digitised pages may appear illegible due to the condition of the original hard copy. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Medicine in our country is under severe stress, brought about by internal and external forces that need a response from the medical profession. The profession's attempts and response will fall short unless the profession itself is aligned with the new social ethos and the responses are based on the profession's inherent values. Problem Statement: Medical doctors have always been highly valued in society because of the duty they have when illness and disease set in. As individuals, doctors have fulfilled other important roles in the communities where they work. These include giving advice to young people on career choices, counseling on various matters and provision of material help where there is need. This profession has for a long time been shrouded in mystery, being a trade learnt by a few. All these factors contributed to their social standing increasing phenomenally. There is a view that this has also led to public perceptions that doctors are the rich untouchable elite who have no interest or are unconcerned about problems faced by society. The medical profession faces a challenge that is more significant because of the value placed on it by society. The numerous submissions by the victims of human rights abuses to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission have cast a shadow of doubt on the medical profession for its complicity in these acts. The present government has declared transformation of health care as one of its top priorities. The response of the medical profession to this initiative has so far not led to any significant changes of public perception that the profession is unwilling to participate in the transformation of our society. The challenge and subject of discussion in this thesis therefore is: "What is the ideal role of the medical profession in a transforming South African society?" The medical profession, being the nerve centre of health care, has a big responsibility in social transformation. Doctors stand accused as a collective for failing to protect the human rights of patients and not living up to the standards of ethics required of them when patients' rights were violated. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission record of the hearings into the role of the professional organisations in health is used in this thesis to illustrate how serious society views the medical profession's role in the human rights abuses of the past. Based on the T. R. C's report and the assumption that society traditionally places high value on the medical profession, I conducted a survey among South African doctors to test their attitudes towards a range of policy and transformational issues. The unit of analysis was the medical doctors who are in active practice in South Africa in whatever mode of practice. The survey sought to explore the awareness of the respondents about a range of transformation policy changes and invite their comments on the role that they envisage for the medical profession in the process of transformation of society. There is unfortunately scarcity or a lack of applicable South African literature on this topic thus limiting local material for referencing. The search of international literature only yielded the subject of the study of professional values and not necessarily the role of a medical profession in a transforming society. The medical profession has to re-visit its foundations, analyse its history and map out its future in the context of the South African realities. It must find a way of aligning itself with the new ethos and diverse cultures South Africa possesses. Medicine has its own traditional goals and values derived and adapted from society's diverse cultural value systems. With its national and international networks, the inherent knowledge and skills that it possesses, guided by an ethical code, the Hippocratic Oath that serves as a public promise, it influences policy on the country's health care system - a mechanism that government uses to provide a basic human need. The medical profession therefore has to be responsive to the needs of society as much as society needs to support the profession. This thesis explores the role that the profession should play in a transforming South African society. The argument is that this can only be done through the profession examining its values and aligning itself with broader societal value systems, the moral and social norms. It is further argued that visible realistic commitment by the profession to public health will lead to an improvement in its public image. It is the actions or non-actions of the majority that the public notices. The majority of respondents to the survey have indicated that they approve of the transformation policies in health but that they may differ in the way they were introduced. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die geneeskunde in ons land is onder geweldige druk as gevolg van interne en eksterne faktore en dit is nodig dat die mediese beroep reageer. Dit sal die beroep egter nie help om te reageer indien sy lede hulle nie met die nuwe maatskaplike etos vereenselwig nie en die reaksie op die inherente waardes van die mediese beroep geskoei word nie. Probleemstelling Mediese dokters is nog altyd baie hoog geag deur die gemeenskap as gevolg van die verpligting wat hulle het om na mense om te sien wanneer hulle siek word. In hulle individuele hoedanigheid het dokters ook ander belangrike bydraes tot hulle gemeenskappe gelewer. Dit sluit in: advies aan jong mense oor loopbaankeuses, berading en die verskaffing van finansiele hulp waar nodig. Die beroep as sulks was egter vir baie lank ietwat van 'n misterie omdat dit 'n vakrigting is waarin baie min mense hulle kon bekwaam. Al hierdie faktore het die maatskaplike aansien/waarde van dokters geweldig verhoog. Daar is ook diegene wat van mening is dat hierdie faktore aanleiding gegee het tot die openbare mening dat dokters 'n ryk en onaantasbare elite is en glad nie in die probleme van die gemeenskap belangstel nie. Die etlike voorleggings deur die slagoffers van menseregtevergrype aan die Waarheids- en Versoeningskommissie het ook vrae rondom die beroep se betrokkenheid by sodanige gevalle laat ontstaan. Die huidige regering het die transformasie van gesondheidsorg as een van sy grootste prioriteite verklaar. Die reaksie van die beroep hierop het tot dusver nie tot enige noemenswaardige veranderinge in die openbare mening dat dokters nie bereid is om aan die transformasie van ons gemeenskap deel te neem gelei nie. Wat is die ideale rol van die mediese beroep in die transformasie van die Suid- Afrikaanse gemeenskap? As die senusentrum van gesondheidsorg het die mediese beroep 'n groot verantwoordelikheid in maatskaplike transformasie. Dokters word kollektief beskuldig dat hulle nagelaat het om die menseregte van pasiente te beskerm en nie voldoen het aan die nodige etiese standaarde wat van hulle verwag word in die tyd toe pasienteregte geskend is nie. Die rekord van die verhore van die Waarheids- en Versoeningskommissie oor die rol van professionele gesondheidsorganisasies is vir die doeleindes van hierdie tesis gebruik om te illustreer hoe ernstig die gemeenskap voeloor die mediese beroep se rol in die menseregte vergrype van die verlede. Gegrond op die WVK-verslag en die aanname dat die gemeenskap die mediese beroep hoog ag, het ek 'n meningsopname onder 300 Suid-Afrikaanse dokters gedoen om hulle houding jeens 'n aantal beleids- en transformasiekwessies te toets. Die eenheid van analise was mediese dokters wat in die aktiewe praktyk staan, ongeag hulle praktykgebied. Die opname het gepoog om te bepaal wat die vlak van bewustheid by die respondente oor 'n aantal beleidsveranderinge gerig op transformasie is, en hulle uit te nooi om kommentaar te lewer op die rol wat hulle meen die mediese beroep behoort in die proses te speel. Ongelukkig is daar nie toepaslike Suid-Afrikaanse literatuur oor die onderwerp beskikbaar me. 'n Internasionale literatuursoektog het net studies rondom waardes opgelewer, en nie oor die rol van 'n mediese beroep in die transformasie van 'n gemeenskap nie. Die mediese beroep moet die grondslag van sy wese in oenskou neem, die geskiedenis analiseer en sy toekoms in die konteks van die Suid-Afrikaanse realiteite uitstippel. Die beroep moet 'n manier vind om homself met die nuwe etos en uiteenlopende kulture van Suid-Afrika te vereenselwig. Die geneeskunde het sy eie tradisionele doelwitte en waardes gekry en aangepas vanuit die uiteenlopende kulturele waardestelsels van die gemeenskap. Deur middel van sy nasionale en internasionale netwerke, inherente kennis en vaardighede, die leiding van 'n etiese kode, die Eed van Hippokrates wat as 'n belofte aan die publiek dien, beinvloed die mediese beroep die land se gesondheidsorgstelsel - 'n meganisme van die regering om in 'n basiese menslike behoefte te voorsien. Die mediese beroep moet daarom ingestel wees op die behoeftes van die gemeenskap in dieselfde mate as wat die gemeenskap die beroep behoort te ondersteun. Hierdie tesis ondersoek die rol wat die mediese beroep behoort te vervul in 'n Suid-Afrikaanse gemeenskap waar transformasie besig is om plaas te vind. Daar word geargumenteer dat dit net gedoen kan word indien die beroep sy waardes ondersoek en hom met die breer maatskaplike waardestelsels vereenselwig. Daar word verder geargumenteer dat 'n sigbare realistiese verbintenis van die mediese beroep tot openbare gesondheid tot die verbetering van sy openbare beeld sal lei. Dit is die optrede of nie-optrede van die meerderheid wat die publiek raaksien. Die meerderheid respondente in die meningsopname het aangedui dat hulle die transformasiebeleid vir gesondheid ondersteun, maar dat hulle verskil van die wyse waarop dit in werking gestel is.

Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The practice of partnership to the benefit of education is as old as education itself: Partners of education were involved in the most primitive societies. Partners are still of indispensable importance in postmodern societies. This study points out that the conventional partners to education (parent, church and state) have been of importance through the centuries and that partnership involvement should be of increasing importance in times to come. Concurrently, it has become necessary to involve new up-to-date supplementary education partners to address the numerous challenges in the field of education. The parent comes to light as the first and foremost partner in education and is therefore worthy of the connotation primary education partner. History illustrates how certain communities, due to specific perspectives on wond and life, ideologies and educational institutions, tried to scale down the functions of this partner. Nowhere, however, could it be achieved successfully, without serious harmful consequences for the child who is to be educated. The safety and security that the child experiences in the parental home and within the family structure is of the utmost importance for the young child. The proliferation in the number of parentiess children as a result of an increase in the divorce rate, family murders and especially the pandemic MI virus is alarming in this respect. Additional partners will have to be found to address the child's need of security. The anchor provided by participation in religious activities is likewise for the developing child of importance. In addition, the church, in the widest sense of its meaning, emphasizes certain norms and moral values. It provides programmes, which ensure to prevent the youths from derailment along dangerous and destructive routes. The church needs to be admitted and invited to be an essential partner. The state is justly being viewed as a chief partner to education and training, on account of its functions such as the funding of formal education, the provision of a general curriculum and the making of legislation governing education. This important position in the education partnership does not mean that the state should play the dominant role. It does not qualify the state to prescribe to the other partners how they should perform their roles. Partnership presupposes c0- operation and stringent prescriptions by the state would be unacceptable and counter-productive to the respective partners. The conventional partners will have to realise that each has a meaningful contribution to make, which cannot be substituted. by anyone of the others, A comparative study of partnership in Kenya, Cuba and Germany serves as a background study. In an ever-fast changing wortd in which extremely heavy demands are made to education and its partners, it is clear that new education partners have to be found to assist the school. The conventional partners are just not able to fulfit the task by themselves. This study identifies a number of supplementary partners that could, on account of the particular challenges facing· education in South Africa, make a valuable contribution. Partners deserve their position as partners due to the functional role that they could play at a specific stage in the ongoing process of education development. As times change, and new needs come into existence, other partners will have to be identified to support the existing, conventional partners. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die gebruik van vennote wat vir die opvoeding van waarde kan wees, is so oud soos die opvoeding self. Opvoedingsvennote het in die mees primitiewe samelewings voorgekom en is in die postmoderne samelewings steeds van onmisbare belang. Hierdie studie dui aan dat die konvensionele opvoedingsvennote (ouer, kerk, staat) deur die eeue van belang was en dat hul vennootskaplike deelname in die toekoms verhoog behoort te word. Terselfdertyd het dit nodig geword om nuwerwetse, supplementêre opvoedingsvennote te betrek om die talle uitdagings op onderwysgebied die hoof te bied. Die ouer tree na vore as die eerste en vernaamste opvoedingsvennoot en is as sodanig die benaming primêre opvoedingsvennoot waardig. Die geskiedenis toon aan hoedat sekere gemeenskappe op grond van bepaalde partikuliere wêreld- en lewensbeskouings, ideologieë en opvoedingsdoelstellings die rol van hierdie vennoot wou afskaal, maar dat dit nêrens sonder nadelige gevolge vir die opvoedeling gedoen kon word nie. Die veiligheid, sekuriteit en geborgenheid wat die kind in die ouerhuis en binne die gesinstruktuur beleef, is veral vir die jong kind van allergrootse belang. Die groter wordende getalouerlose kinders as gevolg van 'n toename in egskeidings, gesinsmoorde en veral die pandemiese MI-virus, is in hierdie verband kommerwekkend. Supptementêre vennote sal daarom gevind moet word om die kind se behoefte aan geborgenheid aan te spreek. Die verankerdheid wat deelname aan religieuse aktiwiteite bied, is eweneens vir die ontwikkelende kind van belang. Daarbenewens beklemtoon die kerk, in die wydste sin gedefinieer, sekere norme en morele waardes en voorsien hy programme wat verseker dat die jeug se vryetydsbesteding en drang na plesier nie op gevaarlike, afbrekende roetes ontspoor nie. Die kerk sal steeds as noodsaaklike opvoedingsvennoot toegelaat en uitgenooi moet word. Die staat word vanweë funksies soos die befondsing van formele onderwys, die daarstelling van 'n algemene kurrikulum en die neerlê van onderwyswetgewing met reg as hoofvennoot van die opvoeding, onderwys en opleiding beskou. Hierdie posisie in die vennootskap beteken nie dat die staat die oorheersende rol speel en aan ander vennote kan voorskryf hoedanig hul rolle sal wees nie. Vennootskap veronderstel samewerking en streng voorskriftelikhede sal vir medevennote onaanvaarbaar wees. Die konvensionele vennote sal moet besef dat elkeen se bydrae tot die opvoeding belangrik is en nie deur ander vennote vervang kan word nie. 'n Vergelykende studie van vennootskaplikheid in Kenia, Kuba en Duitsland dien as agtergrond tot die studie. In 'n wêreld wat vinnig en voortdurend verander en waar hoë eise aan die opvoeding en sy vennote gestel word, is dit duidelik dat nuwe opvoedingsvennote gevind sal moet word om bystand te ver1een. Die konvensionele vennote is gewoon nie in staat om die mas alleen op te kom nie. Hierdie studie identifiseer 'n aantal supplementêre vennote wat, op grond van die eiesoortige probleme wat in die Suid-Afrikaanse opvoeding ondervind word, van waarde sal kan wees. Soos tye verander en nuwe behoeftes ontstaan, sal ander vennote geïdentifiseer moet word om die konvensienete opvoedingsvennote te ondersteun.

M. Com. (Development Economics) / In recent years unemployment has received considerable international attention from scholars, policy makers, and labour practitioners, because it has reduced economic welfare, reduced output, and eroded human capital. Researchers argue that South Africa is faced with structural unemployment because of the insufficient demand for low-skilled resources and the sufficient demand for highly skilled resources. However, in terms of highly skilled resources, young South Africans have become better educated over the last decade, resulting in a significant growth in the size of the graduate labour force. This growth emanates particularly from the fact that the majority of the graduate labour force has completed their tertiary education. Despite this growth, graduate unemployment appears to be rising along with the overall unemployment rate. The aim of this study is to sensitise policy authorities to the impact of graduate unemployment on the economy by highlighting the perceived causes of graduate unemployment in South Africa’s banking sector. The research was conducted with the aid of a survey administered to two groups, namely a graduate group and a human resource (HR) manager group. The result derived from the research shows that the quality of tertiary institutions which relates to educational standards and culture, the quality of education, high expectations, a shortage of skills, a lack of work experience, and a lengthy process of application and job search are perceived to be the possible causes of graduate unemployment in South Africa. The study makes several tentative recommendations relating to what can possibly be done to reduce graduate unemployment. Among the recommendations proposed are the improvement of the quality of education and institutions, a well-planned career guidance mechanism, and a graduate recruitment subsidy.

This study develops a model for university adult education to guide the Qwa-Qwa Campus of the University of the North in its quest to play a role in adult education practice. It explores the route that the Qwa-Qwa Campus could take in extending its resources to a wide range of individuals, special interest groups and targeted audiences in the North-Eastern Free State community that was historically marginalised from university education. In developing the envisaged model the study explores a number of international and local (South African) approaches in university adult education. This academic endeavour is intended to provide some guidelines for the Qwa-Qwa Campus’ envisaged role in university adult education. In pursuance of these aims (lie study investigates the typical role that a university plays in adult education by reflecting on the following issues: _ University outreach __ Distance education _ University Extension programmes / service _ University adult and ccntmuing education _ Universities and communities __ Sources o f funding for university adult education practice. A review of literature including a home-page survey are used as methodologies of unravelling typical University Adult Education approaches of four universities in Australia ii(La Trobe, Deakin, Ballarat and Charles'STtirt), one university in the United States of America (Tuskegee), two universities in Southe; s Africa (Botswana and Lesotho) and four Universities in South , . . Africa (Western Cape, Cape ToWd, Witwatersrand and Transkei). Key people at selected South African Universities actively involved in adult education practice were interviewed. Three people fi/nn the community were interviewed to assess the needs of surrounding people in the Qwa-Qwa area. The study brings these elements together in an attempt to develop a realistic model for the involvement of the Qwa-Qwa Campus in adult education.