Thesis (MScEng (Electrical and Electronic Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The importance of Language Identification for African languages is seeing a dramatic increase due to the development of telecommunication infrastructure and, as a result, an increase in volumes of data and speech traffic in public networks. By automatically processing the raw speech data the vital assistance given to people in distress can be speeded up, by referring their calls to a person knowledgeable in that language. To this effect a speech corpus was developed and various algorithms were implemented and tested on raw telephone speech data. These algorithms entailed data preparation, signal processing, and statistical analysis aimed at discriminating between languages. The statistical model of Gaussian Mixture Models (GMMs) were chosen for this research due to their ability to represent an entire language with a single stochastic model that does not require phonetic transcription. Language Identification for African languages using GMMs is feasible, although there are some few challenges like proper classification and accurate study into the relationship of langauges that need to be overcome. Other methods that make use of phonetically transcribed data need to be explored and tested with the new corpus for the research to be more rigorous. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die belang van die Taal identifiseer vir Afrika-tale is sien ’n dramatiese toename te danke aan die ontwikkeling van telekommunikasie-infrastruktuur en as gevolg ’n toename in volumes van data en spraak verkeer in die openbaar netwerke.Deur outomaties verwerking van die ruwe toespraak gegee die noodsaaklike hulp verleen aan mense in nood kan word vinniger-up ”, deur te verwys hul oproepe na ’n persoon ingelichte in daardie taal. Tot hierdie effek van ’n toespraak corpus het ontwikkel en die verskillende algoritmes is gemplementeer en getoets op die ruwe telefoon toespraak gegee.Hierdie algoritmes behels die data voorbereiding, seinverwerking, en statistiese analise wat gerig is op onderskei tussen tale.Die statistiese model van Gauss Mengsel Modelle (GGM) was gekies is vir hierdie navorsing as gevolg van hul vermo te verteenwoordig ’n hele taal met’ n enkele stogastiese model wat nodig nie fonetiese tanscription nie. Taal identifiseer vir die Afrikatale gebruik GGM haalbaar is, alhoewel daar enkele paar uitdagings soos behoorlike klassifikasie en akkurate ondersoek na die verhouding van TALE wat moet oorkom moet word.Ander metodes wat gebruik maak van foneties getranskribeerde data nodig om ondersoek te word en getoets word met die nuwe corpus vir die ondersoek te word strenger.

Thesis (Ph.D. (International Relations))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, 2016 / This thesis examines the efforts of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to promote regional integration between 1980 and 2015 in the areas of trade and security. The conceptual framework provides a focused review of general and specific literature on two key concepts of regional integration: divergence, and convergence. Throughout the thesis, the core focus is on the divergence and convergence of COMESA and SADC. The thesis articulates two analytical frameworks: the neoclassical economics approach, and the neoclassical realist approach. A historical account focuses on the history of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) of 1981 that evolved into COMESA by 1993. A history of Southern Africa’s Frontline States (FLS), which evolved into the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) in 1980, and later into SADC in 1992, is then provided. The thesis discusses apartheid South Africa’s involvement in the Eastern and Southern African regions. The thesis provides a discussion on the debate on the rationalisation processes of these two organisations: COMESA and SADC, between 1991 and 1997. The thesis next expands on the regionalisation processes of COMESA and SADC between 2008 and 2015. The main actors and factors assessed involve South Africa’s market-led regional approach, its regional developmental role and its economic impact on both regions since it joined SADC in 1994. The thesis expands on the two main regional integration approaches adopted by the COMESA–EAC (East African Community)–SADC Tripartite bloc (created in 2008) of variable geometry and trade liberalisation, as it moved towards its Tripartite Free Trade Area that was signed in June 2015. The thesis also provides definitions and assumptions of two new theories deployed to strengthen the research: i) neoclassical economic regional integration, and ii) neorealist security convergence, which are applied in the thesis. The thesis thus expands on how COMESA and SADC (as both institution and member states) manage multiple memberships. A central argument of the thesis is that multiple memberships have become a stumbling block for convergence. In furtherance of this argument, the thesis explains the benefits of regional integration schemes. Therefore assessed, is how developing countries are likely to be better served by “North–South” than by “South–South” free trade agreements. The analysis is expanded by a discussion of economic convergence in the neoclassical economic approach of open trade in regional trade agreements within the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) – whose five members all belong to SADC - with the presence of a regional hegemonic state: South Africa. To further expand the concept of regionalism to encompass security cooperation, the thesis finally assesses COMESA and SADC’s managing of regional security since the 2008 Tripartite Agreement, by employing the concept of regional security complexes. / MT2017

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil (LAS) (Land and Agrarian Studies) / This study assessed the type, extent and modalities of intra-regional fish trade between South Africa and other SADC countries. Cross-border fish trade and its importance in boosting intra-regional fish trade between South Africa and the rest of SADC is poorly documented and as such, little systematic effort has been made to understand its type, extent and modalities in order to address the problems of those engaged in the activity. Regional fish trade continues to be important even though it is not always adequately reflected in official statistics. The qualitative research methodology formed the basis of this study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with fish traders at Park City Central Bus Station in Johannesburg and in-depth interviews with selected key informants from customs, port, health and immigration officials at the Beitbridge and Lebombo border posts. Participants of the study were selected through a combination of purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Geographical Information System (GIS) was used to digitise national boundaries, border posts and the routes used by fish traders from the sources to distribution points in Johannesburg. The study adopted the new regionalism, regional integration and regional trade conceptual frameworks and attempted to apply the pro-fish trade theory as the theoretical framework.

<p>Increasing energy needs globally have recently led to an interest in effectively bringing energy services in the trading system. Energy services were part of the Uruguay Round of negotiations, whose main achievement was the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). The objective of the GATS is to achieve progressive liberalisation and reduction or elimination of trade barriers of all services sectors, including energy services. The GATS has made commendable progress in liberalising many service sectors, however it has not made meaningful progress with energy services. Furthermore though the SADC region engages in energy services trade through bilateral and regional agreements, a variety of&nbsp / barriers inhibit major successes from being achieved. Effective energy services trade and liberalisation has therefore proved problematic both at the multilateral, regional and bilateral level. This study, seeks to investigate why energy services liberalisation and trade at the multilateral, regional and bilateral level is problematic, with a particular focus on&nbsp / the SADC region.</p>

The main objective of this thesis is to investigate corporate governance practices in South Africa listed companies. Specifically, the thesis strives to achieve the following objectives. First, it investigates the extent of compliance with the best corporate governance practices as recommended by the King Committee on Corporate Governance prior to and post 2002 in order to understand whether there is improvement in corporate practices. Second the thesis investigates whether compliance with the best corporate governance practices are related to ethnicity of board structures (in particular Board Chairman, Board Dominance and Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director) and other factors such as company characteristics, market and performance related variables. Third it investigates the views/opinions of key stakeholders [e.g. regulators, King Code Commissioners, companies and institutional investors] regarding the state of corporate governance in SA and its influence in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The findings from regression results indicate that compliance with the King Code increased substantially between 2002 and 2008. The results also indicate that compliance is high for accounting and auditing and boards and directors issues and lowest for integrated sustainability reporting issues. The findings also indicate that ethnicity influences corporate compliance with best practice governance principles such as the King Code, as per prediction. Compliance was also found to be high for large firms, firms with multiple listings in other stock exchanges and firms audited by Big 4 audit firms. Finally, the findings from the views of key stakeholders indicate that the Code has indeed improved corporate governance standards in South Africa, is suitable for the country because of its consideration of local circumstances and influences corporate practice in the SADC region.

<p>Increasing energy needs globally have recently led to an interest in effectively bringing energy services in the trading system. Energy services were part of the Uruguay Round of negotiations, whose main achievement was the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). The objective of the GATS is to achieve progressive liberalisation and reduction or elimination of trade barriers of all services sectors, including energy services. The GATS has made commendable progress in liberalising many service sectors, however it has not made meaningful progress with energy services. Furthermore though the SADC region engages in energy services trade through bilateral and regional agreements, a variety of&nbsp / barriers inhibit major successes from being achieved. Effective energy services trade and liberalisation has therefore proved problematic both at the multilateral, regional and bilateral level. This study, seeks to investigate why energy services liberalisation and trade at the multilateral, regional and bilateral level is problematic, with a particular focus on&nbsp / the SADC region.</p>

No abstract available. / Thesis (LL.M.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

This research is an interpretive case study, which investigated the relationship between the development and use of the teaching and learning support material, “A Year of Special Days”. An in depth investigation was conducted in South Africa and Zimbabwe where developers and users of the booklet were asked to contribute their experiences with the booklet through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and workshops. Developers contributed on the purpose for which the booklet was produced while the users explained how the booklet was being used in different contexts. The research also tracked the development and use of booklet in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region through a workshop held at the Environmental Education Association of Southern Africa (EEASA) Conference in Lusaka, Zambia, in May 2005. Some personal interviews and informal encounters with people who have used it in the past and those using it now were also conducted at EEASA. This case study explored the axes of tension between the development and use of the resource material, “A Year of Special Days”, with the view to informing development and use of materials at the SADC Centre. A long-term intention is to use the framework developed, for similar work in the wider SADC region. The research recommended on how the SADC Centre can track the relationship between the materials developed at the Centre and their use in different contexts. The study established that the booklet “A Year of Special Days” was initially developed for informal education by faith communities mainly in the Anglican Church but turned out to be a resource more applicable for formal education mainly in the national school system of South Africa for environmental learning. That the resource material lacked effective monitoring support from the developers for the initial intended users where there was no formal education structure was an important link in materials development. It is important for resource materials developers to facilitate the participatory monitoring and evaluation of resource materials when they are in use. The study also established that SADC resources materials are easily adaptable and that the process of resource materials development offers important networking opportunities, which allow the adaptation and adoption of similar resource materials for local contexts. The booklet was adapted and adopted by at least eight countries in the form of a booklet, a calendar or a poster. This study provides some recommendations that may be used to guide the Southern African Development Community Regional Environmental Education Programme (REEP) to enhance processes in the development and adaptation of teaching and learning support materials by environmental educators in southern Africa.

Despite according high priority to regional economic integration and being clustered by regional economic schemes, Africa’s regional economic integration record is not inspiring. With the transformation of the OAU to the African Union (AU), the New Partnership for Africa`s Development (NEPAD) was adopted as the development program of the continent to drive the impetus of economic integration through trade. At the time NEPAD was adopted, regional integration schemes in Africa were facing problems of low intra-regional trade levels despite trade being identified as the engine of activity and economic growth for regional economic integration. The study was centered on Southern Africa with precise attention on SADC. Even though trade is accepted as a vital engine of economic growth and development, this is not the case with SADC. The study was looking at the contribution of NEPAD in intra-regional trade in Africa with special focus on SADC. This was prompted by the fact that regional integration is business as usual within the sub region while problems that have been confronting regional schemes are continuing unabated after the adoption of NEPAD. The study used the historical approach because it provides the study with an advantage of accessing existing literature with regards to what is really stalling intra-regional trade in SADC. The study findings noted that NEPAD has not fully addressed the problems of intra-regional trade within SADC and the continent at large. The study lastly concludes by giving a way forward for NEPAD to respond to the specific needs of SADC for the promotion of intra-regional and equitable trade.

The main question posed in this study is: How do black mineworkers in the goldmining industry conceptualise and experience fatherhood in present-day South Africa? The following four subsidiary research questions were formulated to address this: * How do the respondents characterise fatherhood? * What are the respondents' own recollections of being fathered? * How do migrant and resident respondents' experiences of fatherhood differ? * What influence do biological mothers or female partners have on father-child relationships as described by the respondents? The scripting perspective chosen underscores this study because it is a multilevel approach that takes the fathers' social milieu into account without ignoring their agency. This perspective focuses on three levels - cultural scenarios, interpersonal and intrapsychic scripting. During 2002 a qualitative study was undertaken by way of in-depth interviews conducted with 30 respondents, with ten being re-interviewed in 2003. These interviews were augmented with general observations and fact-finding interviews conducted with key informants. In terms of the first research question regarding the way in which the respondents characterise fatherhood, it was found that the breadwinner role is salient. However, traces of patriarchy and the so-called "new fatherhood" are often intertwined with the economic aspect of fatherhood. The respondents' own recollections of being fathered were found to include a stern disciplinarian pattern ("father is like a lion"), a "bad fatherhood" pattern and a "good fatherhood" pattern. Resident respondents related more involvement with their children compared with migrant respondents, although varying degrees of distant and involved fatherhood could be detected amongst the migrant respondents. Resident respondents conveyed active involvement in father-child activities such as giving guidance to children and playing with them. Some respondents have little contact with those children they fathered with a woman other than their current partner. Female partners tend to hinder any type of relationship with children born as a result of adulterous relationships but children born from previous relationships may be taken care of. However, respondents who openly stated double standards regarding sexual practices for men and women tend to take care of all their biological children and show little concern for their wives' views. / Sociology / D. Litt et Phil (Sociology)