Swaziland is a British Protectorate of approximately 6,700 square miles. It is a subtropical country, border in the East by Mozambique and in the North, West and South by the Transvaal. There are approximately 270,000 Africans and 10,000 persons of other races living in the Territory. The country is divided into Highveld, Middleveld and Lowveld regions. The work described here was carried out in the South Western highveld. This is mountainous terrain, with an approximate altitude of 3,500 feet and an annual rainfall of about 30". The terrain is a succession of mountains and valleys, with several perennial streams and rivers coursing through it. The climate is variable, with hot summers and cold winters, with rainfall predominantly in the summer. Large man made forests are scattered throughout the area, and there is some cutting and processing of timber, but industries as such are not found in that part of the Territory.

The study investigates the role of co-operatives in smallholder dairy production and marketing in Swaziland. The study was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of cooperatives in improving production and marketing as well as in minimisation of transaction costs. Expectations were that co-operative members perform better than independent farmers in terms of production and productivity, have larger herd sizes, generate a higher income, and also incur lower transaction costs indicated by a higher quantity of milk sold. Results of the survey indicate that co-operatives play a positive role in production and marketing activities of smallholder dairy farmers, although certain developments such as provision of support programmes need to take place in order for them to make a more significant contribution. Co-operative members produce and sell higher quantities of milk (19.3% higher and 24.5% higher respectively), which is mainly attributed to provision of technical inputs. Co-operatives also provide farmers with a reliable market, although price paid is lower (35% lower) compared to that of independent farmers in the same areas. Low income is compensated by the fact that co-operative members incur lower transaction costs indicated by the lower transportation costs per unit of output, adequate access to market information through frequent visits of extension officers and regular training, as well as a lower percentage of losses incurred compared to independent farmers. Results of the study confirm the hypothesis that co-operative members perform better and incur lower transaction costs than independent farmers. Results of the regression model indicate that distance, access to market information, milk output and co-operative participation significantly influence the quantity of marketable milk, and hence contribute to lower transaction costs incurred. The results show that co-operative farmers incur lower transaction costs although they sell their milk at a lower price. Nevertheless, the fixed price effect renders co-operative farmers not susceptible to price fluctuation risks that independent farmers are faced with because of their volatile prices. The study suggests that there is a need for support programmes that will help motivate individual farmers and strengthen co-operatives, as their contribution to smallholder production and marketing is still marginal. Support programmes include provision of a supportive policy environment, infrastructure development, access to financial and credit facilities and improvement of training and extension to provide more extensive dynamic opportunities to farmers. In terms of further research, the study recommends that a similar study be undertaken in other areas of Swaziland so that the study is representative of the whole country. In addition, further research is needed on performance of dairy cooperatives to enable replication of successful co-operatives in the country which will go a long way in improvement of the dairy industry as a whole. / Dissertation (MSc(Agric))--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

No abstract available / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies) / (M. A. (Development Studies))

M. Tech. Business Administration / The question of energy supply and reliable sources of energy is a topical issue in most developing countries, as the reliability of energy supply has a significant impact on development. Swaziland, like most underdeveloped countries in sub-Saharan Africa, suffers from poverty and low economic activity, particularly in the rural areas. The kingdom's rural areas are characterised by low entrepreneurial activities, which may be attributed to the lack of reliable access to energy, and in particular, electricity. To reverse the scourge of stagnant economic development, Swaziland, like many other developing countries in Africa including South Africa and Zimbabwe, has introduced rural electrification programmes to improve access to energy within rural communities. Against this background, the purpose of this study, therefore, is to assess how rural electrification promotes entrepreneurship in rural areas.

Thesis (MDF)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The research examines agriculture value chain finance as it has been applied in the Komati Downstream Development Project. It seeks to assess whether the Komati Downstream Development Project has addressed the challenges of access to finance, markets and support services and enabled smallholder farmers in the project area to operate commercially. The Swaziland National Development Strategy of 1999 committed to increase investment in agriculture. The Komati Downstream Development Project was in line with this strategy. However, for smallholder farmers to commercialise they needed to first overcome the constraints they faced, which included access to finance, access to markets and access to both business and technical support. This research will contribute to future developments and decisions involving the increase of financial flows and investment to the agriculture sector in Swaziland and in other developing countries. This is an empirical research study primarily using a qualitative method to answer the research question. The research design included a review of documentary evidence from a desktop study to collect secondary data and a field study through face-to-face interviews to collect primary data. The primary data was gathered through semi-structured interviews. The organisations interviewed included ten farmers’ associations, the outgrower development department, Swaziland Industrial Development Company and Swaziland Water and Agriculture Development Enterprise. Content analysis was used to analyse the results identifying similar themes and patterns from the interview transcripts. Secondary data on the performance of the KDDP farmers with respect to production volumes and quality of produce was collected and analysed to answer the question whether the smallholder farmers had moved from operating at a subsistence level to a commercial one. The research findings show that the agriculture value chain finance approach as applied in KDDP has improved access to markets, access to finance and access to support and services, and, in the process, the smallholder farmers are now operating commercially. The farmers are able to engage with bigger markets for both inputs and outputs in large-scale sugarcane farming. However, notable findings were made with respect to access to finance and support. Most of the farmers reported the need for continued support by Swaziland Water and Agriculture Development Enterprise and training despite the need to wean them off. Regarding access to finance, farmers reported improved access with more financial institutions selling financial products to the farmers and wanting to finance them. However, none of the farmers’ associations interviewed had accessed additional funding from any of the financial institutions following the initial funding they had acquired. The farmers’ associations have instead turned to internal sources of funds. Though these challenges do not change the conclusion, they are of concern and need to be addressed.

There is a rich inventory of the oral arts within Swazi culture. In a culture that relies heavily on annual events saturated with song, dance and praise poetry lies the opportunity for people to express themselves more freely than within more conservative dialogue. Swaziland has a lack of freedom of expression in casual conversation and media. Many people fear for the harm that might come to them if they speak out of turn. But there is a new generation full of burning questions towards culture, a youth that has access to most international information through the internet, cellphones and television and yet struggles to get the answers they need from Swazi culture. Many boundaries within Swazi culture are caused through respect for powers of a spiritual nature and love of King. However there are few opportunities for the youth of Swaziland to voice their concerns and ask the questions that would help them affi liate more closely to Swazi tradition. The Lobamba Interpretation Centre of the Oral Arts and Landscape explores the possible solution of a forum that enables the youth to interact with their culture, to unearth the ghosts of the past on a more regular basis through the medium of the arts, a medium they have become familiar with due to technology. The oral arts of storytelling, poetry and song are a neutralized means of communication and an opportunity for dialogue in a respectful and entertaining way that can still bring forth a message without disrespecting the cultural element of speech, essentially using culture to answer cultural issues. Politics is always controversial but the arts allows for the disparity and a layering of opinion. This thesis is in no way a critique of Swazi culture, it merely aims to source solutions from Swazi culture to accommodates dialogue and freedom of speech in a growing Swazi society. It aims to understand the importance of performance, a language familiar to the people of Swaziland. It unearths examples of traditional Swazi methods of communication that have been used for centuries, in order to include a younger generation that is very heavily reliant on international customs due to their accessibility to the media, a media that embraces global news but shies away from the bigger issues behind culture. Swazi culture and landscape form a tight bond .The Swazi are a people of their land who listen and base many of their cultural decisions on natural vegetation, weather, river sources and topography. In order to fully embrace Swazi culture and expression, one must also begin to understand the dialogue between Swazi culture and landscape. My building is an interpretation centre of the oral arts in Lobamba, Swaziland, the heart of Swazi culture. My building suggests the opportunity of a site that allows for a freedom of expression in the very heart of these tensions, without disrupting /disrespecting the cultural norms of its context. This will be programmed with a series of platforms for expression, stages and exhibition spaces that can allow for connection points between the youth and culture.The building will house an exhibition space for the oral arts as well as accommodation for the infl ux and subsequent dispersal of people that take part in cultural ceremonies through pilgrimages 4 times a year. My thesis allows for a discovery of this complex and layered landscape, an unpacking of time, landscape and space and refl ects back its impact on Swazi culture and the oral arts namely: storytelling, song and praise poetry. It also documents the existing built form and topography and begins to make sense of the area’s patterning. It builds an understanding of the oral arts and its importance in Swazi context in order to sustain the notion of tradition. In this book, I will be taking you on a journey through my thought process towards the interpretation center of the oral arts and landscape. All quoted poetry within this book is my own work that I have marked with “inverted commas”.

Teachers play a pivotal role in the education system and in society at large. With this in mind, the government should address their particular needs. In the context of positive psychology, issues of happiness and subjective well-being could lead to increased educational outcomes and general health. The purpose of the research was to determine the relationship between orientations to happiness and subjective well-being and to determine whether the orientations to happiness hold predictive value for satisfaction with life. A cross-sectional survey design was used for the study. A sample of 175 (N=175) teachers in Swaziland was used. Three demographic questionnaires were used: the Orientations to Happiness Questionnaire (OHS) (Peterson, Park, & Seligman, 2005), Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985) to measure subjective well-being, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) (Goldman & Hillier, 1979) as well as a biographical questionnaire. Results indicated that pleasure and engagement (subscales of orientations to happiness) were positively correlated with satisfaction with life. General health subscales, somatic symptoms, anxiety/insomnia, and severe depression had a negative relationship with satisfaction with life. Of the three orientations, pleasure was found to have predictive value for life satisfaction. Implications of the findings on the relationships between orientations and subjective well-being for helping teachers to promote a more satisfying life are discussed. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

The aim of this study was to describe the knowledge and attitudes of college students of the Manzini Nazarene Teacher Training College with regard to HIV/AIDS. The aim was to identify risky sexual practices of the college students as well, which may require redress in order to enhance their effectiveness in combating the spread of HIV.

The purpose of the study was to analyze the process of facilitating collaboration between traditional healers and western trained health care workers in the management of chronic illnesses, hypertension and diabetes. This process was facilitated through qualitative participatory action research which utilized the principles of Action Science Enquiry. This was a qualitative research. Two phases were as followed: phase one was the analysis of the problem of collaboration while phase two was the implementation of strategy one and two. Strategy one was the development of the constitution of traditional healers towards the establishment of the Swaziland traditional Healers' Council and a traditional healers' department within the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. Strategy two was a small comparative survey into the safety and efficacy of traditional medicine. The survey compared clients who utilized only traditional medicines and those who utilized only western medicines to control their hypertension. Data was collected through interviews, meetings, observations and clinical measurements. Audio-taped and field notes were transcribed, carefully studied and analyzed. The editing analysis described by Crabtree and Williams (1992) was utilized in the analysis of data. The results of phase one was a descriptive profile of traditional healers and the way hypertension and diabetes were managed by the traditional healers and the western trained health care workers, with the aim of finding out how they could collaborate. A number of barriers for collaboration were identified such as the lack of a legal body of traditional healers, negative attitudes of western trained health care workers towards clients and traditional healers, ethical issues, perceptions of illnesses and payments as well as the lack of transparency. Enhancers for collaboration were also identified. Consequences of a successful collaborative process were established by the participants. Strategies to solving the problems of collaboration were identified and two of the strategies were implemented. A traditional collaborative model was identified and compared to an existing modem collaborative model. Phase two, strategy one, the legalizing of traditional healers in Swaziland, was decided upon during one of the meetings held between traditional healers, clients and western trained health care workers. Barriers to successfully organize this strategy were also identified, such as organization and exclusion, leadership style, traditional and cultural structures, lack of resources, poor communication and different traditional healers' categories. Action plans to solve those problems were developed and progress was made. The end result was that a draft of the traditional healers' constitution content was developed. Stakeholders who would be part of the development of the constitution were contacted. The stakeholders included the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture, the Swaziland World Health Organization, the Ministry of Justice and the University of Swaziland. The traditional healers managed to form an interim committee called the Traditional Healers' Constitution Development Committee. This committee was still in a process of involving all traditional healers in Swaziland to furnish their views and opinions to the committee concerning the constitution. The target date for the constitution to be completed was set to be around April, 2001. The researcher will still be working with the committee until the legalizing process is completed. This would take another one year to complete. Phase two : strategy two, establishing the efficacy of traditional healers' medicines to control hypertension was established to enhance trust between the traditional healers and the western trained health care personnel. From the small sample, it would seem that fluctuations of blood pressure levels were similar between the two groups. This showed that traditional healers medicines to control hypertension in Swaziland is effective. Though it was difficult to establish the safety of those clients who utilized only the traditional medicines, there were no abnormalities discovered to be associated with the use of the traditional medicines. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

The study was designed to examine and describe mental health care provided by the nurses in the primary health care settings of Swaziland. The study sought to answer one main questions namely: • what was the nature of mental health care provided by nurses in the primary health care clinics? A sample of 31 primary health care clinic nurses was used to generate data for the study. The sample consisted of registered nurses with only one having a mental health qualification. The study used both qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection. Data analysis involved simple frequency and percentage counts using SPSSmanual as well as descriptive narratives using NVIVO computer analysis methods. Findings revealed that mental health care in the primary health care clinics was mainly traditional involving immunizations, family planning and antenatal services, Limited mental health care was provided by the only mental health nurse involved in the study, Nurses stated that the care they provided was in line with their job descriptions, The study concluded that the mental health care provided at the primary health care clinics was based on the traditional approach that did no encompass mental health care, Recommendations made were related to the promotion of the integration of mental health care into the services provided in the primary health care scttings with nurses being prepared for the role. / Thesis (M.Cur.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2000.