The study of landforms has, to a large extent been neglected by exploration geologists. This is surprising because field geology is intimately related with landforms of one type or another. An understanding of the geomorphological history of a particular area will assist in the appreciation of the surficial environment, the processes of weathering, soil formation and duricrust (calcrete , ferricrete silcrete) formation. This has direct application in planning and interpreting geochemical sampling programmes. In order to understand the evolution of landforms it is necessary to study slope development in some detail. Agents of erosion and denudation constantly at work, remove detritus from hillcrests down to the drainage lines which form the local base level from whence material is transported down to the sea. The system is one of dynamic equilibrium, and the concept of grade is important in understanding hillslope evolution. Thus Section (1) of this discussion deals with past and present theories of hillslope evolution. Very little work has been done recently on the geomorphology of Southern Africa and the presently accepted classification of land surfaces is based on the work of Prof. L.C. King (numerous publications). However, through the more recent work of De Swardt and Bennet (1974) on the geomorphology of Natal, it is apparent that the present system of landform classification in Southern Africa requires widespread revision. The relationship of erosion cycles in Southern Africa to the late Jurassic-early Cretaceous break-up of Gondwanaland has received insufficient attention in the past. Erosion cycles bear an intimate relationship to offshore Cretaceous and Tertiary-Recent sedimentation. Valuable information on these sediments has only recently become available as a result of offshore exploration for oil. The findings of De Swardt and Bennet (1974) are summarized in Section (2) and the present land surface classification of Southern Africa is reviewed. Finally, some suggestions on a new interpretation of land surfaces in Southern Africa are given.

Allopatric populations of Pseudocrenilabrus philander were found to differ in male breeding coloration. These colours are described and attention is drawn to the possibility that male coloration might prevent population hybridisation. Behaviour of the allopatric populations was studied in the laboratory. The execution of behaviour patterns of the various populations was found to be indistinguishable, and very similar to that of Haplochromis. Behaviour of P. philander was recorded in three morphologically different natural water bodies. Diurnal activities were found to follow a set rhythm. Though P. philander was shown to have adapted to a variety of habitats they retained their behavioural Components in an unchanged form. Field and laboratory observations are used to propose a behavioural mechanism for the natural regulation of population density. Although aggression between conspecific territorial Sarot herodon mossambicus habituated so that neighbours could live close to one another, it was found that P.philander are intolerant of their neighbours and are consequently forced apart. Though the execution of behaviour patterns was apparently identical for all populations of P. philander, field observations indicated that the frequency of performance differed. An experimental procedure was established to quantitatively compare the behaviour of various populations. As a result of comparative and choice chamber investigations, it is suggested that one of the four populations of P. philander would be unlikely to hybridise with the others if they were to become sympatric. These popUlations would be kept apart because of colour and behavioural differences. Differences of egg-size, fry-size, developmental and interbrood periods were also found, providing further evidence of incipient speciation. Evolutionary divergence of the allopatric populations of P. philander is discussed against a background of geological and geographical evidence. Consideration is given to the role of male coloration, ethological barriers and the importance of ethological differences to taxonomy. Behavioural evidence suggests that P. philander has closer affinities with the haplochromids than was initially realised. It is concluded that the clinal populations of P. philander should not be taxonomically separated, and it is argued that it would be premature to give the Kuruman population an elevated taxonomic status.

1. Twenty four species of the genus Sisyphus known in southern Africa are listed with their synonyms and their taxonomy is discussed. 2. A key to the adults of 23 of these species is given. 3. The known distribution of 23 species and seasonal occurrence of 19 species are illustrated and briefly discussed. 4. The general biology of the genus Sisyphus is discussed and the major behavioural and biological differences between the two subgenera Sisyphus and Neosisyphus are given. 5. The laboratory and field investigation into variations in behaviour and biology in eight species occurring in the Mkuzi Game Reserve, with regards to interspecific competition, is presented. 6. The known possible natural enemies of Sisyphus are mentioned and the extent of competition from other genera, based on field and laboratory observations, is outlined. 7. Summary tables of all data with a final tabulated evaluation of the suitability of species for introduction into Australia is given. 8. Nine species have been highly recommended for Australia. Six more species could be considered but most of these still need further investigation. The remaining nine species were found to be unsuitable for transfer to Australia.

This thesis examines the contribution made by "alternative" tourism towards community development in the provinces of Phuket, Phangnga, and Krabi in southern Thailand. Aside from providing novel, adventurous, and presumably authentic travel experiences, "alternative" tourism promotes forms of community development characterized by equitable distribution of resources, quality of life, and environmental sustainability. Alongside conventional, mass tourism development in southern Thailand, nature-based "alternative" travel activities such as sea kayaking and jungle trekking have grown increasingly popular among foreign tourists and have emerged as measures of diversification within a slowly stagnating regional tourist trade. This study assesses "alternative" tourism along the lines of the tourism industry, tourist, and host perspectives, and addresses three key issues, or themes: "alternative" tourism as a theoretical and practical "alternative" to conventional, mass tourism; the role played by authenticity and ethical concern in distinguishing "alternative travellers" from mass tourists; and "alternative" tourism's contribution to community-based economic, social, and environmental development in southern Thailand. The results of this study are based upon several types of data, including selfadministered surveys, analysis of statistical and other documentary sources, field observations, and interviews with tourists, government officials, company owners, and Thais working in the tourism industry. Three central findings emerge from this research. First, "alternative" tourism in southern Thailand shares many structural and conceptual links with the existing mass tourism industry. Rather than signalling a true departure from conventional, packaged tourism, "alternative" tourism constitutes a regenerative niche in Phuket's mass tourism industry. Second, discrepant expectations of, and levels of desire for, authenticity serve to differentiate categories of "alternative" tourists, many of whom display insensitive behaviour and place inappropriate demands on their Thai hosts. Third, certain forms of "alternative" tourism, such as "mass ecotourism," foster equitable community development, while others, such as backpacking and adventure travel, remain limited as engines of economic development. In addition to discussing theoretical and policy implications, the thesis concludes with a localized model of "alternative" tourism in southern Thailand. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this paper is to document and quantify the primary reasons for the gradual erosion of southern Democratic hegemony in presidential elections during the last twenty-four years. The results confirm and reinforce the findings of the historical study, which indicates the primary reason for changing southern allegiance has been the changing philosophy of the Democratic Party in the civil rights field.

Tamarix (Tamaricaceae) is from the Old World, but has become naturalized and invaded other parts of the world including South Africa. Tamarix usneoides is the only species native to southern Africa, but the exotic species T. aphylla, T. chinensis, T. parviflora and T. ramosissima have been reported to be present in South Africa and these Tamarix species are hypothesized to be hybridizing among themselves and with the indigenous T. usneoides. Among the exotic species, T. chinensis, T. ramosissima and their putative hybrids have become invasive. Tamarix usneoides is used in southern African mines for phytoremediation as it has the ability to hyper-accumulate sulphate and heavy metals from Acid Mine Drainage from Tailing Storage Facilities and excretes gypsum (CaSO4). Tamarix species are morphologically and ecologically similar, making them difficult to distinguish and hybridization adds to the taxonomic confusion. Identification of Tamarix species in South Africa is of great importance because of the invasive potential of T. chinensis, T. ramosissima and their putative hybrids, and also because of the potential usefulness of T. usneoides. This investigation aimed to identify populations of pure T. usneoides that can be cloned for cultivation for phytoremediation on the mines, and to reveal the geographic origin of the invasive species to facilitate a biological control programme. Nuclear (ITS) and plastid (trnS-trnG) DNA sequence data and the multilocus Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) markers were used in this study to characterize southern African Tamarix species and their putative hybrids. Phylogenetic analyses and population genetic structure confirm the presence of three Tamarix species in South Africa (T. chinensis, T. ramosissima and T. usneoides) with admixed individuals (Tamarix hybrids). The indigenous T. usneoides is clearly genetically distant from the alien species T. chinensis and T. ramosissima. Although the exotic species remain largely unresolved in the phylogenies, they are distinctly separated through AFLP markers. The Tamarix infestation in South Africa is dominated by hybrids between T. chinensis and T. ramosissima, and the parent species match their counterparts from their places of origin in Asia. These places of origin in Asia can provide the source of potential biological control agents. Some remote populations, e.g. Witbank, Goodhouse and Henkries in the Northern Cape Province/South Africa at the border with Namibia, of pure breeding T. usneoides have been identified and these should be used as a source of genetic material that can be propagated for planting on the mines for phytoremediation programmes.

Background: Studies have reported that one of the outcomes of on-going social and demographic transition is breakdown in families’ structure. Thus the emergence of single mother families is an observed trend which is associated with poverty and negative child outcome. This study examines the levels and factors associated with single motherhood in Southern Africa. Data source and methods: This is a cross-sectional study of Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data sets for three Southern African countries of study: Lesotho (DHS) 2009, Swaziland (DHS) 2006-2007 and, Zimbabwe (DHS) 2010-2011. A total sample of 5586 women aged 15-49 for Zimbabwe, 4063 for Swaziland and 2541 for Lesotho who are either currently married or not and have at least one dependent child prior to the survey was included in the study. Data analysis was done at three stages; univariate, bivariate and multivariate level. Multivariate logistic regression which yielded odds ratio was used to identify the socioeconomic and demographic correlates of single motherhood. Results: The findings showed that the level of single motherhood in Zimbabwe is 20% (1091), Lesotho 25% (1011) and Swaziland 41% (1041) with premarital childbearing as the main source of single motherhood in the region, while widowhood and divorce is relatively low. Comparing the three countries of study in terms of correlates of single motherhood, the evidence suggested that age of respondents and number of living children, are correlates of single motherhood while religion was found not to be associated with single motherhood in all the countries of study. Younger women were more likely to become single mothers compared to older women while women with more than 2 living children are less likely to be single mothers compared to those with 1 or 2 living children. Conclusion: This study concludes that single motherhood is high in southern Africa. The implication of the rapid spread of single motherhood both reflects and reinforces the declining significance of marriage as a family status and a context for bearing and raising children. Also it may have negative implications for children from single mother families and the mothers themselves.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC), formerly known as the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC), is an organization of Southern African states initially formed to reduce economic dependence on South Africa (then an Apartheid state) and to harmonize and coordinate development in the region The vision and mission of SADC reach well beyond the harmonization of development within the region. It extends to fields that include political stability, peace building, the maintenance of security and justice as well as economic cooperation. The attainment of these goals requires well co-ordinated regional mechanisms; as such over the past decade member states have paid particular attention to the possibility of attaining these goals through regional integration. The transformation from SADCC to SADC indicated that the body would no longer be a loose association (conference) of states but rather a regional body that would have a legally binding effect on its member states. The question is, when the member states assembled in Windhoek, August 1992, did they create an institutional framework, and policies that would have enough legal force to ensure that the institutional agenda of integration is not defeated by member states? The argument of this dissertation is that the Treaty and the policies established afterwards contain principle imperfections that are self defeating for the pursuance of regional integration. The work will begin by discussing regional integration in general, highlighting the historical origins of SADC as well as the role of the African Union. The work will then discuss the dimensions and functioning of SADC, laying the foundation for a proper critique on how the institutional framework contains inherent weaknesses that eventually hinder the progression of SADC. The dissertation ultimately will discuss and benchmark the European Union against SADC, in an attempt to extract important lessons for the progression of SADC. / Thesis (LLM) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2011

No description available.

Thesis (MScAgric (Agricultural Economics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / Regional food security is considered one of the major challenges for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. SADC is one of the regions in the world currently facing widespread transitory and chronic food insecurity (malnutrition), as well as persistent threats of acute food insecurity (famine). The objective of this thesis, therefore, was to investigate and assess the prevailing causes of food insecurity in Southern Africa. The research revealed that transitory and chronic food insecurity (malnutrition) in the SADC region exists due to the problems experienced with both the supply and demand sides of the food security equation. However, though SADC has made limited attempts to tackle the problem of food insecurity in the region, the Community did not appear to learn from the 1991/92 food insecurity crisis when it recurred in 2001/02. This study consequently recommends that further investigations take place into the primary data available in an attempt to address various issues relating to the causes of food insecurity in Southern Africa in order to ensure long-term food security. Such issues include the following: mobilising agriculture to increase food production rapidly enough to meet the needs of the growing population of the region; bridging the prevailing gap between the public actors, on the one side, and the private and informal actors, on the other, in order to deliver effective food security services to the needy in the region; the designing of well-targeted food pricing policies as an interim compromise between the social concerns relating to high and volatile food prices and long-term economic growth and food security in the region; and the identification of the role of women as food producers and agents of food security in the region. On the supply side, the main food availability problems in the region lie on the agricultural level. Low productivity and frequent disasters have been of a cyclic nature in SADC, leading to additional difficulties with supplies. Such difficulties have been compounded by the inadequate political support of the sector; a lack of investment therein; the instability of the world market; and an increasingly unfair trade environment. Other major dimensions of the problem include: the imposition of trade barriers, such as tariff, non-tariff and technical barriers, particularly the complex and confusing tariff structure imposed by the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) countries against other non-SACU SADC countries; the high cost of transport, especially in landlocked countries, which has come about as a result of the weakening of the capacity and efficiency of the transport system in the region, due to a lack of investment in, as well as the poor performance of, the transport sector. A lack of a diversified production structure in the SADC region was cited as the main obstacle to the successful trade integration and economic development of the region. Looking at the demand side, the main food access problems in the region consisted of a lack of food entitlement (poverty) due to the weak economic growth resulting from unsuccessful macroeconomic policies; a poor balance of payments situation; highly skewed patterns of income and wealth distribution, resulting from maladministration due to short-sighted past colonial policies; high levels of unemployment and land tenure insecurity; the failure of governance, both as regards a lack of accountability and opposition to democratisation; and financial mismanagement. Rapid population growth in the region resulted in an escalation in the demand for agricultural products, in particular foodstuffs, and the reduced availability of arable land. The widespread preponderance of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) infection was complicating the task of fighting hunger and undermining any attempts to strengthen the livelihoods of the poor by depleting the adult agricultural labour potential in Southern Africa. A lack of financial resources and institutional capacity (in the form of policy gaps) were the main constraints to the implementation of successful poverty and food insecurity alleviation programmes in the region, as comprehensive government intervention aimed at maintaining food security in the region for most Southern Africans was unfeasible in the near future. The research was conducted using the qualitative method of literature study, which proved a useful descriptive and analytical framework for revealing significant causes of food insecurity prevailing both in individual, households and at national levels in the SADC region. The study focused mainly on the availability, and the ability to acquire, food, in an attempt to see how balance could be achieved between the supply and demand sides of the food security equation by means of relevant investigations. Documentary data were consulted in investigating the problem, in the light of the fact that publications, such as books, academic journals and documents, illustrate the problem most clearly. In the planning of policy interventions, food insecurity in Southern Africa appears open to improvement in the long term only if the actual income of households is increased, so that they can afford to obtain enough food. Such improvement can take place in two ways: Firstly, by giving the people who face transitory and chronic food insecurity the opportunity to earn enough to ensure that they can maintain an adequate food supply through domestic production, by improving agricultural yield, and hence ensuring food security, at household level, and secondly, by means of the facilitation of trade (in the form of food imports), by eliminating tariff, non-tariff and technical barriers, and investing in the development of the transport infrastructure in the SADC region.