The impacts of invasive species on the environment, human health, and the economy continue to gain interest from public and private agencies, scientists, and the media. This study aimed to investigate the utility of SPOT 5 imagery and Artificial Neural Networks, in the identification and mapping of Acacia mearnsii within environments of varying complexity. Results showed that it is possible to identify and map Acacia mearnsii using SPOT 5 imagery, depending on the classification algorithm used. It was established that the neural network algorithms performed with greater success when compared to the performance of traditional classifiers, confirming other similar studies. The utility of the various classification algorithms was also investigated in terms of their applicability to environments of varying complexity. The neural networks once again, proved to be more successful and performed well in both the complex and relatively simple environments, indicating the robustness of the neural network algorithm. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

The period after World War II has witnessed an upsurge in the interest in the plight of the people entrapped in desperate poverty and deprivation in the Third World countries. However, even with the focus on underdeveloped countries, the number of rural poor in the Third World continues to increase and their living conditions degrade. The crux of the problem is that the rural poor cannot contribute significantly to their own development owing to the nherent inequalities in the distribution of production factors and the benefits economic development and technological advancements under the umbrella of capitalism. In response t.o this, rural development is a deliberate intervention programme designed to augment the coping strategies of the rural poor by drawing them gradually into the mainstream of development action in an attempt to alleviate rural poverty and misery, and empower them to realise their potential and human dignity. This thesis is a critical evaluation of the rural development process and its impact on the living conditions of the rural poor in the former Transkei with special reference to Xalanga District. Transkei and Xalanga District have been chosen for the study because the former is the poorest and most populous ex-homeland and the latter is the poorest district in the former Transkei. The roles of rural development functionaries, in terms of their policies, programmes, practices and achievements, and the living conditions, needs, aspirations and perceptions of the beneficiaries came under the spotlight. Rural development is a multi-faceted concept therefore the approach of the study was eclectic, rooted in the realist and structurationist philosophies; and the data solicited was analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The quantitative techniques employed were factor and discriminant analyses The study revealed that the rural development process in the sub-region is fraught with administrative, political and social, fmancial and technical constraints. Consequently, the process has not had any significant impact on the living conditions of the rural poor with regard to the alleviation of rural poverty, unemployment and inequalities in the distribution of incomes and assets. Besides, it has not created sound economic bases in the rural areas and has thus failed to empower the rural people to take effective charge of their lives. The development efforts continue to be concentrated in the urban and peri-urban areas, causing considerable imbalances in the spatial development of the territory. On the basis of the outcome of the research, some suggestions have been offered for a meaningful rural development programme for the former Transkei. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1997.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of spatial and categorical resolution of satellite images in landcover classification. Three images namely, SPOT 5, Landsat TM, and MODIS were used, each of varying spatial resolution. Landcover classes were chosen for each of the classifications, were placed into groups of 11, and then merged to 8. This was to evaluate the effect that the categorical resolution plays on the final classification algorithm. Three traditional classifiers were used to create landcover maps. It was found that the higher resolution imagery produced higher accuracies at the 11 class level and these accuracies were improved by reducing the number of classes to 8. The coarser resolution imagery was able to classify larger features more accurately than the smaller features. This allowed the conclusion to be drawn that, before classifications are to be done, the size of the features to be detected should be considered when deciding which imagery to use. To improve upon the accuracy of the maximum likelihood classifier, an Artificial Neural Network was trained using ancillary data and the SPOT 5 image. Results showed an increase of over 30% in the classification accuracy of the ANN. Specific classes were easily identified, showing the ability of the ANN to classify imagery from a complex savanna environment. Experiments with various parameters of the neural network confirmed that there are no general guidelines that can be applied to a neural network to obtain high classification accuracy. / Thesis (M.Sc.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

The condition of the rural road network in South Africa is in a severe state of deterioration and remains a matter of concern for inhabitants of rural areas. Apart from heavy use, the main problem is that road development is often neglected and the main focus is placed on the geomorphic environment. The objective of this study is to identify the nature of the geomorphic constraints of vehicular access on unarmoured roads in the rural areas of KwaZulu Natal and the Limpopo Province of South Africa, and to gain a better understanding of how these function. It is hoped that some of the insights gained can then be used to inform policy decisions regarding the location and design of rural roads in the future. In this study, a number of unarmoured roads were studied in detail to identify the possible environmental constraints on vehicular access. A number of soil physical and chemical properties were used to examine the state of road degradation. These properties included particle size analysis, soil strength, Cation Exchangeable Capacity and Exchangeable Sodium Percentage. The results of the investigation of soil properties have shown that they play a significant role in road degradation. The major geomorphic factors involved in road deterioration include soil type, soil erosion and precipitation characteristics, mass movements, slope conditions and human activity. The physical characteristics, especially the soil and slope conditions, make the access roads in all study areas susceptible to soil loss. Factors such as geology, drainage and friable soils vulnerable to mass movements have been identified as seriously constraining vehicular access. Soil erosion problems in the study area are largely the result of physical and chemical properties of soils combined with steep gradients and have been identified as the primary cause of road degradation. It was further found that the socio-economic conditions, together with the anthropogenic influences such as the construction of rural access roads on vulnerable slopes, population density and the removal of vegetation cover in all the study areas have significantly enhanced road deterioration. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

The main aim of this study is to provide a social geography of one of the less privileged communities in South Africa. The township of Merebank, about 15 km west of Durban was chosen as the study area.In order to assess social well being of residents conventional social indicators relating primarily to economic well being were used. Furthermore,access to opportunities was evaluated to determine social well being in a broader context. All aspects of quality of life cannot bemeasured in monetary terms alone and the degree of access a person may have to an amenity or service may often be a far more meaningful measure of social well being. The study also provides useful information about socio-economic conditions in Merebank, attitudes of residents, and positive and negative features of the residential environment. A number of recommendations are suggested which if implemented by planners, can help amelioriate problems and improve the quality of life in Merebank. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1983.

Obtaining access to housing is the greatest hurdle for women throughout the developed and the developing world. However, this phenomenon varies from country to country, and it is determined by the level of each country's economical and technological development. Social and political power relations of a country also play a crucial role in determining who is to be provided with housing, where and when. Patriarchal family structures and government policies often marginalise women regarding their access to housing. In South Africa during the period when the Nationalist Party was in power (between 1948 and 1993), Black women were prevented from obtaining access to housing in formal urban townships. This was also the time when an influx of Black people to urban areas was occurring. The government responded by establishing mass housing for Black urban workers, but under strict conditions, which excluded women. The marginalisation of women in housing delivery resulted in many of them taking jobs where accommodation was provided such as nursing and domestic service. Clermont township was established in the 1930s, during the years of rapid industrial development in South Africa. Due to availability of African-owned housing, which could be rented privately in Clermont, many industrial workers particularly women were able to find accommodation there. This trend continued, until the Nationalist Party government extended the right to rent housing in all townships to women. This occurred in the late 1970s. A case study of Clermont, (a township characterised by a freehold tenure), was undertaken to investigate the position of women in housing development, and how changes in the political situation have affected their access to housing. This thesis reveals that the number of households headed by women in Clermont township exceeds those headed by their male counterparts (53 per cent of women compared to 47 per cent of men in the sample). These women were mainly renters rather than house owners. Some of them implemented alternative strategies to access housing despite their low incomes, insecure jobs and the prevailing government restrictions. These strategies include illegal occupation of land (land invasion) owned by the state (nearby Clermont) and land owned by individual people in Clermont township. The Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) , which is the socio-economic policy framework of the Government of National Unity (elected in 1994), 'identified the provision of housing as a priority area. There are many programmes that have been implemented by this government in order to increase the housing access for women. It is unfortunate that these new programmes many not be accessible to some women, as most are still caught in a web of unemployment. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1998.

This thesis recognises that quantitative research distances the researcher from the people who form part and parcel of squatter settlements. Therefore, in the course of analysing whether upgrading is a realistic option for the Ntchaweni squatter settlement, this qualitative study has not concerned itself with the activities of the inhabitants alone, or only with the buildings which house squatters, but investigates those units of experience within which physical form, activities and the degree of attachment that squatters have for the settlement of Ntchaweni are amalgamated to form place. A contention of this thesis if we are to plan successfully for squatter areas, it is necessary to understand that squatters have the potential to think and plan ahead for themselves. Squatter settlements are not necessarily the domain of criminals and unemployed people. The Ntchaweni squatter settlement is a complex place in which the inhabitants exhibit a strong attachment to the place.This validates the methodological emphasis on a people-place study of the squatter settlement, as does the acknowledged importance of community participation in upgrading schemes. In contrast, the "top-down" re-organising of squatter settlements into idealistic settlements conforming rigidly to some grand theory developed by technocrats cannot possibly help to alleviate the severe physical and social problems experienced in squatter areas. It is therefore necessary to arrive at a realistic option for the improvement of the Ntchaweni squatter settlement by analysing what the squatters perceive to be a suitable living environment. Any upgrading option for the Ntchaweni squatter settlement must also take into account the system which perpetrated the poor conditions evident in the study area. Within this context, the areal expansion of the Ntchaweni squatter settlement into its present size qualifies the notion that this place has an important function from a social, cultural and economic perspective. The historical development and the present political situation in the study area are both important considerations in a study which aims at investigating the betterment options for the area, be it site and service schemes or in situ upgrading. In order to gain a better understanding of squatter settlements, we must record both objective and subjective aspects of place. Together, these investigations put us into a position to discuss the possibilities for generating realistic options for designing and producing places suitable for human habitation in Ntchaweni. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1992.

In recent times much attention has b een focussed on the spatial development of countries, especially in those countries of the world referred to as the Third World. Many factors have given rise to this interest. It has arisen due in part to the important position of development today both as a means of enhancing the wealth of man's environment, and as a means of raising living standards. It is also a result of the problems being experienced by many countries due to the large spatial inequalities in development that has arisen in these countries. In Transkei a history of racial discrimination and the impact of its close relationship to its former colonial power, South Africa, have combined to produce a spatial pattern of development in which inequalities have become evident. Unfortunately, meaningful efforts have not been evolved to manage the inequalities in such a way as to achieve a balance in spatial development. The need therefore exists to study the factors causing variations in spatial development in Transkei and to suggest methods through which the evolving pattern can be adapted to conform to, if a balance in spatial development is to be obtained from the present pattern of inequalities. Arising from the background given, this study set out within the growth pole framework to examine the linkages between Butterworth, the most industrial region in Transkei and the rest of the space economy. Forty nine industries and a total of 645 industrial employees of various categories were selected for the study. Linkages were measured with respect to sources of raw materials, destination of finished goods, origin of industrial employees and the destinations of remittances by industrial employees. Through the use of techniques such as percentage concentration, correlations, and regression analysis among others for the analysis of the data, the following information emerged from the study: (i) agglomeration economies for the industries in Butterworth are minimal. (ii) Linkages between Butterworth industries and the rest of the Transkeian space economy are minimal. The minimal agglomeration economies and linkages have been due to the fact that industries are set up in Butterworth neither because a market exist for its products nor that raw materials exist that are to be utilised in production. This implies that industrial developments as at present is not being properly guided to ensure the attainment of a balanced spatial pattern of development. From the above findings, it has been proposed that programmes geared towards the establishment of linkages such as the production of raw materials for the industries will be more beneficial than the present regional development strategy. The need for support measures for the industries in Butterworth has also been proposed as a method of raising their economic efficiency and hence their ability to transmit developmental impulses to other regions in Transkei. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1991.

In many parts of South Africa, a growing trend to convert traditional commercial agricultural farms to wildlife-based forms of land use is having significant but largely unexplored impacts on farm dwellers and neighbouring rural communities. This trend is very evident in the province of KwaZulu-Natal where there has been a significant shift in rural landscapes as land is being “rehabilitated”, from commercial cattle farming in particular, and developed into Private Game Reserves (PGRs). This research forms part of a larger project funded by Southern African Programme for Alternatives in Development (SANPAD). One of the research partners was the Association For Rural Advancement (AFRA), an independent Non-Governmental Organisation working on land rights and agrarian reform in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. AFRA‟s work focuses on black rural people whose rights to land have been undermined, whose tenure is insecure, and who do not have access to sufficient land to fulfil their development aspirations or their basic needs. Very little research has, however, been conducted on the large shift in land use in northern KwaZulu-Natal and how rural communities are being impacted in these areas; a situation this study intends to begin to remedy. This study focuses on the north-eastern area of the province, and in particular the Mkuze region, where the move to create PGRs has significantly changed the social and physical geography of the area. In order to gain a clearer understanding of this phenomenon, research was conducted on the relationship between the tribal/ traditional community of Ingwenya and five surrounding game reserves (namely, Thanda/ Intibane, Mkuze, Phinda, and Kube-Yini). While Mkuze is a state game reserve, created in the early twentieth century, the others are PGRs. The study was both quantitative and qualitative in nature which involved collecting household questionnaire surveys in the community of Ingwenya, in-depth interviews with ex-farm dwellers, questionnaire surveys with the managers of the five PGRs chosen in this study, oral and documentary evidence and participant observation. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

The Umdloti River is relatively small but very important system that is located northeast of central Durban. This river flows pass the coastal town of Verulam and finally into an open/closed estuary, the La Mercy estuary. This fluvial system has a concrete gravity dam that is built in the upper reaches, the Hazelmere Dam, which supplies water to the north local council and surrounding districts under the supervision of Umgeni Water. The river is characterized by human activities, especially urbanisation and industrialization in the middle reaches and intensive agriculture (vegetables, sugar cane and banana plantations) along the catchment. The influence of anthropogenic factors within this catchment results from the dam construction, informal settlements, both commercial and subsistence agriculture, intensive industrial activity, accelerated urban developments, and recreational uses. Consequently there has been considerable concern regarding the impacts of these factors together with natural influences on the water quality and health status of this fluvial system. In this study water samples were taken and analysed for the following variables: nitrites; nitrates; ammonia; pH; Escherichia coli; sulphate; phosphate; total dissolved solids; chemical oxygen demand; biological oxygen demand; calcium and magnesium. The results indicate that the middle and the lower reaches of the Umdloti River are most impacted. Further, results from a questionnaire survey indicate that natural and human induced impacts have impacted negatively on the health status of the Umdloti River. The questionnaire survey also revealed that respondents benefited positively from the construction of the dam whilst the expropriation of land for the construction of the dam itself created much resentment to the prior land owners. The water quality data and the questionnaire analysis indicate overall natural and human induced impacts have had negative effects on the Umdloti River and the La Mercy estuary. It is necessary that local municipal authorities introduce corrective catchment management practices (outlined in the final chapter of the study) to enhance the water quality and health status of the river. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2009.