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<p>The South African government plays a direct and active role in facilitation the development of a skilled workforce. The effective mobilisation, development and utilisation of South Africa's human resource capacity are critical for the success of the economy, institution building and the transformation process. In this context, the development of a system of Recognition of Prior Learning is one of the government's significant initiatives. This research examined whether the policy documents of the universities in the Western Cape comply with the requirements of the National Government Recognition of Prior Learning policy.</p>

This thesis explored the relationship between community adult education and social action. The study investigated how LEAD (Leadership Education for Action and Development), a non-governmental organisation based in the Western Cape, has empowered women to assume leadership and take social action in their communities.

Large numbers of students tend to experience failure and dropout in their first year at university. The fundamental aim of this research was to explore protective factors that could foster resilience amongst first year students. It is hoped that resilience research can give young adults the skills and support to survive academic challenges with the help of the university. This study undertook to determine resilience traits that could contribute to academic success. Students who enrolled at the University of the Western Cape for the first time during the year 2003 participated in this study.

The aim of this study is to determine the extent to which the UN/OSCAL (United Nations Office of the Special Coordinator for Africa and the Least Development Countries) model of microfinance is being applied in the South African context, its scope for application and recommendations for implementation. The hypothesis is that, the better South African microfinance initiatives conform to the model, the more successful it will be in fulfilling the ultimate mission of microfinance which is to supply financial services to the poor by cutting the cost of outreach with beneficial effects on poverty..

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / Although research has shown that alcohol abuse in the Western Cape is amongst the highest in South Africa, lesbian-identified women have largely been ignored in this area of research. International literature has identified alcohol abuse amongst lesbian-identified women as a significant problem, with alcohol consumption rates considerably higher than their heterosexual counterparts. This interpretative phenomenological analysis explored lesbianidentified women’s lived experiences (n = 25) with alcohol abuse through in-depth semistructured interviews, in order to gain insight into their motivations for abusing alcohol and the impact this had on their lives and relationships. The core theme that emerged from the analysis of participants’ narratives was that alcohol abuse was related to coping with emotional distress and pain. The emotional distress participants experienced was due to their sexual minority status and encompassed aspects related to internalised homophobia, escaping pain, rejection, discrimination based on sexual orientation, mental health issues, patriarchy, heteronormativity, and homophobia. Results substantiate the need for the development of prevention, intervention, and support strategies, aimed specifically at sexual minority groups, in order to facilitate effective coping with sexual minority stress, mental health issues, and other distresses related to alcohol abuse.

Magister Educationis - MEd / This study aimed to explore the nature and consequences of an existing mentoring programme aimed at assisting beginner teachers make the transition from university graduates to school practitioners. It addressed the broader problem of teacher retention, working from the premise that beginner teachers leave the teaching profession within the first five years of formal teaching. The main research question the thesis addressed is: What is the nature and consequences of an existing mentoring programme aimed at assisting beginner teachers make the transition from university graduates to school practitioners? The theory used to frame this study both theoretically and methodologically is Vygotsky’s constructs of the Zone of Proximal Development, his notions of mediation and scaffolding, and Lave and Wenger’s notion of communities of practice and their notion of legitimate peripheral participation. Noting that the conceptual tools of Lave and Wenger, are grounded in a broader theoretical framework, of Bandura’s concept of “situated learning”, which shares historical links with Vygotsky’s socio-cultural views of how people learn. Methodologically, this qualitative interpretive single case study made use of semi-structured individual interviews, focus group interviews and document sources to explore this fairly under-researched area. The unit of analysis is a mentoring programme at a secondary school in the Western Cape, which comprised of three embedded cases, namely, the school principal, two mentors and two mentees. The main findings suggest that a disjuncture exists between initial teacher education and the real school context, creating a need for a formalised mentoring programme. It also outlines the multiple Communities of Practice’s (CoPs) in action within a mentoring programme revealing ways in which communities and boundaries could impact learning within a mentoring programme. Furthermore, the findings show the conversational dimensions of mentoring interactions; how talk and learning brings about a shift in the dyadic relationship between a mentor (old-timer/ the knowledgeable other) and beginner teacher (mentee/newcomer). In addition, this study illuminates the importance of mentor-mentee pairing in terms of willingness to participate and compatibility between the mentor and beginner teacher. The thesis therefore contributes towards a growing body of knowledge on beginner teachers by focusing on how a formal mentoring programme can facilitate the smooth transitioning of beginner teachers into the teaching profession thus addressing the global problem of teacher retention.

ABSTRACT Looking up at the sky, we would never guess that our atmosphere contains between one and three billion tons of dust and other particles at any given time.1 Wind assists in keeping this dust airborne, but gravity wins most of the time, forcing the dust particles earthward, proving the old adage: “what goes up, must come down.” Precipitant dust levels in the Western Cape do not follow the same pattern as the precipitant dust levels in the summer rainfall areas of South Africa. Due to the very dry summer conditions in the Western Cape, the precipitant dust levels can be very high, especially if sources of fugitive dust are ignored. An environmental consulting company positioned precipitant dust monitoring units at strategic locations, taking process and open dust sources into account. Both wet and dry depositions have been reported on in this report as one figure. Seasonal changes in, and long-term trends of, the amount of precipitant dust were documented and statistically analysed to determine if the precipitantdust levels were above the South African legislated action levels. The particle size analysis performed on the precipitant dust indicated that the dust was predominantly less than 100_μm and that about 22 percent of the particles by volume were under 15_μm. No significant decline in the precipitant dust levels around the calcining industry was noted. Recommendations are that they increase the dust control measures on site, especially near to the DHF sampling location. There was a significant decrease in the precipitant dust levels to the north and south of the smelting industry from October 2001 to April 2005, p-value 0.005 and 0.048. The recommendations for the smelting industry are that they continue to eliminate fugitive dust sources and that they continue to maintain a high awareness of dust control.

This document is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree: Master of Architecture [Professional] at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, in the year 2014. / ‘Unless someone like you cares an awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not.’ (The Lorax, Dr Seuss) How can architecture play a role to make us understand and realise the vulnerability of Fynbos? The Western Cape is the habitat for one of the six species of the floral kingdom, Fynbos. This botanical treasure is in danger of becoming extinct. There are thousands of types of Fynbos, each endemic to a specific region within the Western Cape and it is important to raise awareness of this unique species as creating a familiarity and deeper personal connection with the plant can help to protect this endangered flora. I propose a Fynbos Research and Education Centre set in Clanwilliam, a historical area within the Cederberg Mountain Range. The centre will be created to allow a deeper understanding of Fynbos and to this effect, aims to educate people about Fynbos so as to give them a better knowledge about sustainable living and the value of this plant species. It will be a place of calm and learning and the landscape will have a fundamental effect on the form. A vital part of the work to be carried out by this centre will be research into methods of conservation as well as into possible medical and cosmetic uses inherent in this species. Looking to plant structure, organic architecture and the analogy of nature, and its influence on architecture from both the geology of the region and the natural landscape setting, to discover what this then means for the architecture of the centre. The idea of Nature’s constant generation and degeneration, life coming from death and the influence of ruins on architectural imaginations will be fundamental in this building. Fynbos is endangered but this centre will aim to prevent it from becoming a memory and perhaps once it has been saved the structure will be left for nature to take over once again. The relationship between Fynbos and the landscape will shape and determine the architecture and materiality. Organic rammed earth walls will rise out of the sandstone formations which are the foundation of the Cederberg, to create this centre. The walls, made up of the very sand that sustains the Fynbos will exemplify it as at one with nature. As fire reignites life within the Fynbos seeds which lie dormant beneath the soil, so too can the building and the garden ignite passion to save this species, incorporating various design mechanisms into the architecture representing fire and its giving of life, in the case of the Fynbos, or preventing destruction in terms of the building. The creation of an education centre, restaurant and research facility will encourage a steady stream of visitors to Clanwilliam throughout the year. This will help to build tourism and eco-tourism to the town and surrounding areas, giving a much needed economic injection by creating job opportunities. Importantly, it will also increase awareness and exposure to the Fynbos species, with the building encouraging the visitor to linger and get involved with the plants and site and to develop a deeper affinity with this dwindling flora. This thesis aims to take its visitors on a journey, by means of architecture, creating a human experience and therefore a connection with their surroundings, exploring and uncovering the landscape of the Cederberg and its local identity and heritage, creating a bond forged by a new understanding.

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018. / This study investigates students’ perception of factors that contributed to dropouts at a selected FET college. Despite receiving government funding, drop-out continues to increase. An understanding of perceived factors influencing drop-out rate would help to develop and deploy retention strategy for FET college students. Previous studies on drop-out shows that students that have dropped out are more likely to be unemployed and living in poverty compared to those students that have successfully completed their programmes. In 2006 the Minister of Labour declared that FET Colleges in South Africa have a major role to play in assisting youth in gaining skills and thereby halving poverty and the unemployment rate by the year 2014. This declaration highlights the importance of FET colleges and amplifies the need for a strategy to maximise students’ retention and minimise drop-out rate. This study utilise a random sampling method to select respondents. Data were collected using a questionnaire with a quantitative approach and designed in a Likert scale format. The study was limited to students at West Coast FET College’s campuses namely: Atlantis, Vredenburg, Malmesbury and Citrusdal. One hundred and fifty students were used as respondents and data were gathered from the questionnaires. The findings derived from the data revealed that multiple factors are perceived to be the cause of high student dropout. These factors are lack of finances for transport and accommodation especially for the first years and social context of individual learners. The study concludes that although finance and social context of individual learner are perceived drop-out factors, other personal attributes like learners’ attitude to learning and commitment also plays a role in students drop-out and drop-out intention.