Tourism is gradually recognized and acknowledged as an important sector to drive economic growth across many nations. It is by no coincidence that the South African government took a bold decision to elevate the importance of tourism in the economy through the establishment of a dedicated tourism ministry in 2009. Tourism derives its mandate from the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 108 of 1996, which outlines tourism function as an area of concurrent competence between the three spheres of government that is national, provincial and local government. According to Tsatsire (2008:1), the new mandate given to local government post 1994 implies that local government is no longer expected to render basic services only, but is also required to serve as an agent of development. The main objective of the study is to identify the challenges faced by the municipalities in the implementation of tourism functions, using UMgungundlovu District Municipality as a case study and pursued the following specific objectives: To establish the roles and responsibilities of municipalities in tourism; To assess whether these responsibilities are adequately performed and to understand the reasons for deficiencies, if there are any; To highlight the contribution of tourism to local economic development; To ascertain the status of the implementation of the tourism strategy for the UMgungundlovu District Municipality (UMDM); To highlight the significance of the role of municipalities in achieving national and provincial tourism objectives and; To recommend appropriate actions to overcome the challenges pertaining to implementation of tourism at a local government level. The study is premised upon the acknowledgement that there are many developmental challenges facing municipalities and tourism is one of them. With tourism being recognised more and more as an essential component of local economic development, municipalities are required to play a central role in ensuring the implementation of national and provincial priorities to boost the sector’s contribution to the economy. The study explores various pieces of legislation upon which tourism mandate on local government is embedded. This has enabled to provide clarification with regards to the roles and responsibilities of local government in tourism. The connection between tourism and local economic development is succinctly discussed to ascertain the benefits of tourism and its contribution in local economy. The study took a form of qualitative research and therefore employing the use of qualitative research techniques in terms of data collection, analysis and interpretation process. Data were collected through the review and analysis of strategy documents including the Local Economic Development Strategy, Tourism Strategy and the Integrated Development Plan of UMgungundlovu District Municipality. Interviews were also conducted with the officials responsible for tourism within UMDM and other local tourism stakeholder organization within the study area including uMsunduzi Pietermaritzburg Tourism Association, Howick uMngeni Community Tourism Association, Pietermaritzburg Business Chamber of Commerce, KwaZulu Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism and Tourism KwaZulu Natal. The methodology that was followed in the study has enabled the researcher to address all the study objectives and to compile the findings report presented in chapter four. Tourism is one of the functions of local government; however, municipalities are faced with a variety of challenges in the implementation of tourism function. Challenges that are pertinent to UMDM are discussed and articulated in this report. The study concludes by documenting the recommendations conferred by the respondents with the objective to overcome the challenges pertaining to implementation of tourism at a local government level. These recommendations are further discussed to explore practical actions on how the UMDM can overcome the identified challenges to enhance local economic development through tourism.

The study identifies the challenges in the implementation of Inclusive Education in the Umgungundlovu District of Education and establishes the possible solutions. The basis for this investigation is the Education White Paper 6, Special Needs Education: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System (Department of Education, 2001). The study was conducted in the Umgungundlovu District of Education in the area of Pietermaritzburg. A qualitative research method was used. Data collection strategies that were used are structured interviews, observation and a questionnaire. The study reveals the following challenges that hamper theimplementation;Negative attitudes of some educators and parents towards inclusion, lack of Skills Development Programmes for educators, minimal involvement of parents as well as lack of infrastructural development. These challenges could be dealt with by appointing a Manager within the District to ensure that advocacy on Inclusive Education, training of educators and infrastructural improvement in all schools are done. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Inclusive Education)

The purpose of the study was to explore the lived experiences of nurses on the implementation of occupational specific dispensation (OSD). Qualitative research using hermeneutic phenomenology was conducted in the three selected public hospitals in the Umgungundlovu district in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Data was collected by means of in-depth interviews with professional nurses, enrolled nurses and nursing assistants and focus group discussions with nurse managers purposively selected at the public hospitals in the Umgungundlovu district. Parse’s extraction synthesis analysis of data was done and seven (7) themes emerged from the participants’ dialogical conversation exploring the experiences of the implementation of OSD. The findings suggested that nurses viewed OSD as unfair labour practice because it divided nurses; there are those who grossly benefitted and those who benefitted less. The researcher concluded that the study will assist the authorities in the department of health both nationally and provincially to review OSD for nurses and close the gaps identified during the implementation as they were the pilot group. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

The purpose of the study was to explore the lived experiences of nurses on the implementation of occupational specific dispensation (OSD). Qualitative research using hermeneutic phenomenology was conducted in the three selected public hospitals in the Umgungundlovu district in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Data was collected by means of in-depth interviews with professional nurses, enrolled nurses and nursing assistants and focus group discussions with nurse managers purposively selected at the public hospitals in the Umgungundlovu district. Parse’s extraction synthesis analysis of data was done and seven (7) themes emerged from the participants’ dialogical conversation exploring the experiences of the implementation of OSD. The findings suggested that nurses viewed OSD as unfair labour practice because it divided nurses; there are those who grossly benefitted and those who benefitted less. The researcher concluded that the study will assist the authorities in the department of health both nationally and provincially to review OSD for nurses and close the gaps identified during the implementation as they were the pilot group. / Health Studies / M. A. (Health Studies)

The study identifies the challenges in the implementation of Inclusive Education in the Umgungundlovu District of Education and establishes the possible solutions. The basis for this investigation is the Education White Paper 6, Special Needs Education: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System (Department of Education, 2001). The study was conducted in the Umgungundlovu District of Education in the area of Pietermaritzburg. A qualitative research method was used. Data collection strategies that were used are structured interviews, observation and a questionnaire. The study reveals the following challenges that hamper theimplementation;Negative attitudes of some educators and parents towards inclusion, lack of Skills Development Programmes for educators, minimal involvement of parents as well as lack of infrastructural development. These challenges could be dealt with by appointing a Manager within the District to ensure that advocacy on Inclusive Education, training of educators and infrastructural improvement in all schools are done. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Inclusive Education)

The research conducted in this study is inextricably linked to a larger study of teacher quality and student performance in KwaZulu-Natal. The aim of the larger study was to explore and establish the relationship between teachers’ mathematical content knowledge, teachers’ practice and learner outcomes in grade 6 mathematics classrooms. This meant ascertaining teachers’ mathematical content knowledge, teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge and teachers’ practice in mathematics classrooms. Videos of lessons were analysed for the following aspects: content coverage, mathematical proficiencies facilitated by the teacher, cognitive demand on learners and teachers’ content knowledge. The analyses of all aspects were initiated at the same time, with different researchers/post-graduate students coding for separate aspects. In this study, the notion of mathematical proficiency as originally developed by Kilpatrick and colleagues (Kilpatrick, Swafford, & Findell, 2001) was used to ascertain the promotion of the strands in the district of Umgungundlovu of KwaZulu-Natal. Essentially the larger study hoped to establish the prevalence and quality of these strands by viewing video recordings of lessons obtained from schools. This in turn would present a view on mathematics learning in the district. The larger study used random stratified sampling to identify schools after which the necessary ethical approval and clearance was obtained. Mathematics lessons of the identified schools were then video-taped and questionnaires and both teacher and learner tests were conducted. I have not included examples of test questions due to agreements about not reproducing these. However, analysis of the recordings, in my view required the formulation of a construct that would interrogate the extent to which the strands of mathematical proficiency are promoted. This was necessary since the five strands in the original formulation represent ‘goals of mathematical understanding. ’In order to achieve these goals, tangible evidence of teacher classroom practice must be observable. Using opportunities as a vehicle of identification of such practice, the notion was formulated. The analytical framework entrenches the notion of ‘opportunity to develop mathematical proficiency’ as a construct with its corresponding descriptor table and is the main feature of this study. This in turn informed the design of the instrument which reflected the notion introduced and allowed ease of use. The research was not simply finding instances of what the instrument describes, but also trailing the applicability and strength of the instrument and the underlying notion of ‘opportunities to develop mathematical proficiency’. The findings reflect the current state of the promotion of mathematical proficiency. Not only is the quality of the promotion weak it is also irregular. An important off spin of the results is the alignment of these results to many studies including the recent ‘Report on the Annual National Assessments 2011’ issued by the Department of Basic Education. The notion introduced in this study with its corresponding analytic scoring method indeed proved to be a useful key to unravelling the answers to the questions posed. The results and findings give a detailed description to the aspect of mathematical proficiencies facilitated by the teacher, one of the aspects the larger study aimed to explore and establish. In this respect, it also shows the applicability and relevance of the developed theoretical notion and the related instrument. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

The purpose of this study was to determine the nurse educators’ experiences in implementing the evidence-based practice (EBP) in teaching and learning, and to describe the importance and benefits of EBP teaching and learning to the nursing profession, especially for nurse educators and student nurses. A qualitative research design and methods were followed in conducting the study. A non-probability purposive sampling technique was used to access the sample of twelve nurse educators from two nursing campuses under KwaZulu-Natal College of Nursing within Umgungundlovu Health District. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, the interview guide, and the digital voice recorder. Data were analysed manually, following a content thematic data analysis approach. Two themes emerged as follows:  Challenges experienced by nurse educators with the implementation of EBP in teaching and learning.  Benefits/value of EBP in teaching and learning. Findings revealed that, although most of the nurse educators are supportive and displayed a positive attitude towards implementing EBP in teaching and learning, the level of knowledge and skills was questionable. This was coupled with a lack of motivation and commitment towards research. Therefore, recommendations for nursing education, nursing practice, and future research were suggested, for successful implementation of EBP in teaching and learning. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

South African history clearly illuminates the idea that women are regarded as unequal when compared to their male counterparts. Hence, women in general have been marginalized, especially when it comes to advancing in the workplace. Women are often defined in relation to motherhood, caring for others and for providing the necessities for sustenance. Society today has not moved very far from this idea. This is the reason why women often suffer a disadvantage when it comes to being appointed in leadership positions in South African education, even though the legislation makes provision for gender balance in South African education. This study examined the role of female principals as transformational leaders to improve schools in the uMgungundlovu District, KwaZulu-Natal. A qualitative investigation at three schools in the uMgungundlovu District was conducted. Nine participants were selected and data was collected by means of in-depth interviews and document analysis was done as a method of data collection. The findings of the study revealed that female leaders are taking a stand in education and are successfully implementing strategies to improve their schools. The study recommends that future female leaders are empowered at the beginning of their careers and they should learn skills that empower them so there are no excuses for being side lined when it comes to leadership positions. / Nalane ea Afrika Boroa e hlakisa mohopolo oa hore basali ba nkoe ba sa lekane ha ba bapisoa le balekane ba bona ba banna. Kahoo, basali ka kakaretso ba bile e behelletsoe ka thoko, haholo-holo ha ho tluoa khatelo-peleng ea mosebetsi. Basali hangata e hlalositsoeng kamanong le bo-mme, ho tsotella ba bang le ho fana ka litlhoko tsa Lintho tsa ho iphelisa. Mokhatlo kajeno ha o falle hole le mohopolo ona. Lena ke lona lebaka basali hangata ba le mathata ha ho tluoa ho khethoa boeta-pele maemo mo thutong ya Aforika Borwa, leha molao o fana ka sebaka sa tekano ea bong lithutong tsa Afrika Boroa Thutong ena ho ile ha hlahlojoa karolo ea basali lihlooho tsa boetapele ba phetoho ho ntlafatsa likolo setereke sa Umgungundlovu, KwaZulu-Natal. Patlisiso e nang le bokhoni likolong tse tharo Seterekeng sa Umgungundlovu e ne e tsamaisoa. Lintlha li ile tsa bokelloa ka lipuisano tse tebileng le sampole ea barupeluoa ba robong le tlhahlobo ea litokomane e entsoe e le mokhoa oa ho bokella data. The liphumano tsa boithuto li senotse hore baetapele ba basali ba nka karolo lithutong mme ba sebelisa ka katleho maano a ho ntlafatsa likolo tsa bona. Boithuto bo khothalletsa hore baetapele ba basali ba kamoso ba matlafatsoa qalong ea mesebetsi ea bona le bona ba lokela ho ithuta malebela a ba matlafatsang kahoo ha ho na mabaka a hore ba beheletsoe ka thoko ha e tla maemong a boetapele. / Umlando waseNingizimu Afrika ukhanyisa kahle umbono wokuthi abesifazane babhekwa njengabalingani uma kuqhathaniswa nabalingani babo besilisa. Ngakho-ke, abesifazane bebonke bebelokhu ebekelwe eceleni, ikakhulukazi uma kukhulunywa ngentuthuko emsebenzini. Abesifazane bavame kuchazwa maqondana nokuba ngumama, ukunakekela abanye nokuhlinzeka ngezidingo zeukondla. Umphakathi namhlanje awusususanga kude kakhulu kulo mbono. Lesi isizathu sokuthi kungani abesifazane bavame ukuhlupheka lapho kukhulunywa ngokuqokwa ebuholini izikhundla emfundweni yaseNingizimu Afrika, yize umthetho ubeka umthetho ukulingana ngokobulili emfundweni yaseNingizimu Afrika Lolu cwaningo luhlolisise iqhaza lowesifazane othishanhloko njengabaholi bezinguquko ukwenza ngcono izikole esifundeni saseMgungundlovu, KwaZulu-Natali. Uphenyo olufanele ezikoleni ezintathu ezifunda eMgungundlovu District yaqhutshwa. Idatha iqoqwe ngokusebenzisa izingxoxo ezijulile ngesampula ye ababambiqhaza abayisishiyagalolunye kanye nokuhlaziywa kwedokhumenti kwenziwa njengendlela yokuqoqa idatha. The Imiphumela yocwaningo iveze ukuthi abaholi besifazane bayabamba iqhaza kwezemfundo ukusebenzisa amasu ngempumelelo ukwenza ngcono izikole zabo. Ucwaningo luyancoma ukuthi abaholi besifazane besikhathi esizayo banikezwa amandla ekuqaleni kwemisebenzi yabo futhi bona kumele afunde amakhono awanikayo amandla ngakho-ke akunazaba zokufakwa kolayini lapho iza ezikhundleni zobuholi. / Educational Management and Leadership / M. Ed. (Education Management)

The National Health Act (Act 61 of 2003) defined Municipal Health Services and gave full responsibility for this function to district municipalities and metropolitan municipalities. District municipalities were required, by law, to provide municipal health services which were previously rendered by local municipalities and the Provincial Department of Health. This, therefore, required the transfer of staff, assets and liabilities from local municipalities and the Provincial Department of Health to district municipalities. The purpose of the study was to identify barriers to and facilitating factors for the transfer of municipal health services from the seven local municipalities and the Provincial Department of Health to the uMgungundlovu district municipality. A cross-sectional, descriptive study design was employed. A structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from local municipalities and the Provincial Department of Health on the package of environmental health services offered and the available human resources. Qualitative data was collected through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with key role players in the provision of environmental health within the district. The key findings of the study were: There were no changes to the package of environmental health services offered by local municipalities and the Provincial Health following the definition of Municipal Health Services. The Provincial Department of Health continues to play an important role in the provision of Municipal Health Services in the district There was a lot of awareness-raising on the integration process; however planning for the integration was very poor. The lack of progress in integration has had a negative impact on service delivery and on the environmental health personnel involved. The relationship between district and local municipalities, a lack of understanding of environmental health, budget allocation, communication, lack of commitment, capacity, and lack of a champion were seen as the main barriers to the integration process. The study was able to identify possible gaps in the planning process that, if revisited could assist the district municipality in better handling the process. / Thesis (M.Med.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

The purpose of the study is to determine the knowledge of midwives on implementing clinical guidelines for the management of pre-eclampsia with the aim of improving midwifery practice and preventing maternal and neonatal death due to pre-eclampsia. A quantitative, descriptive, cross sectional study design was used for the study. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire from 100 midwives working in the maternity section of the clinic referring to the regional hospital in UMgungundlovu District. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 was used for data analysis. The findings show that respondents to the study have a high mean value (3.6) of knowledge but need support in terms of providing training on the new guidelines. The study also showed that there is need to improve on distribution of guidelines. There was no significant association between demographic factors and the knowledge of midwives on clinical guidelines for the management of pre-eclampsia. A clinical audit of maternity records as well as a quality care project can be developed based on the findings / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)