Includes bibliographical references. / In this qualitative study mothers’ perceptions of their experience of a local parent-infant home visiting programme were described. Research has shown positive results for home visiting programmes which are being implemented increasingly throughout the world. International and local research on home visiting programmes, psychodynamic theory including attachment theory, and systems theory underpin this research.

The aim of the study was to explore youth participation in Community Development Organisations and its implications for positive youth development from the perspective of a select sample of Youth in the Western Cape. A purposive sample of 18 youth respondents between the ages (14-35) from five communities in the Western Cape were approached. The study used Lerner (2004) and Lerner et al.'s (2005) Positive Youth Development model (PYD), and the Critical Youth Empowerment model (CYE) by Jennings et al (2006). The study adopted a qualitative exploratory approach, using a structured interview schedule for face to face interviews with the young people. The findings revealed that young people volunteer in youth-initiated organisations within their communities because they are able to occupy instrumental roles. The findings also revealed that young people participate because they want to see positive change in their communities. Additionally, youth participation in community development has a positive impact on young people's lives (skills acquisition, personal growth, opportunities made available, connection to their communities and community members). Lastly, the findings revealed that young people are capable of making a positive contribution by getting involved in meaningful activities in their communities. The study's main recommendation is for increased efforts in education institutions, community councils and development organisations to involve young people in effective and instrumental participation in community development initiatives. Another recommendation is for the adoption of the Positive Youth Development approach in community and youth development programmes/strategies across the country.

This study explored the challenges facing immigrant traders in the Western Cape Metropole at the Greenmarket Square and the Hout Bay Harbour markets. A purposive / convenience sample was drawn of twelve immigrant traders and five key informants (seventeen participants). An exploratory, qualitative approach was adopted using semi-structured interview schedules to guide face to face interviewing. The data was analysed using Tesch's (1990) approach.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / It has been shown that educating girls has powerful externalities, which, if scaled, can act as a catalyst for socioeconomic development. However, there are many gender inequality factors that prohibit girls from accessing and succeeding in educational pursuits. This report explores the South African example, looking specifically at the Cape Area Panel Study, to find whether these gender inequality factors are present and if so, what effect they are having on educational outcomes.

Includes abstract. / This dissertation posits that recruitment methods used by businesses in Cape Town are shaped by intricate mechanisms within business spaces. The walk-in recruitment method used by the two restaurants interviewed, is influenced by two distinct social mechanisms. The use of this recruitment method proves to be a geographically limited and it therefore reduces the prospects of employment for those living on the periphery of the city. Therefore, the walk-in recruitment method has exacerbated the spatial mismatch within Cape Town. However, there are Cape Town businesses that have specific mechanisms within their businesses that have shaped their use of word-of-mouth recruitment. The use of this method, has lessened the effects of the spatial mismatch, creating 'passages' into employment for those living on the periphery of the city. Once recruited through word-of-mouth, workers living on the periphery face the prospect of long-term employment through the use of in-house recruitment or promotion.

Includes bibliographical references. / Cross border migration is an ordeal that forces migrants in vulnerable situation and compromise their ability to negotiate preventive health care choices. The purpose of this study is to explore the factors that influence behavioural intentions and attitudes of young migrants in Cape Town South Africa towards condom use. The study is a qualitative study that utilized purposive sampling and snow balling as its methodology to investigate and obtained findings to the intentions of migrants’ behaviour. It employed in-depth open-ended questions developed for interviews in English. Participants consisted of 20 young migrants in the 18-35year cohort. The 20 respondents are from Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo respectively. The 20 samples consisted of; 13 males and seven females; 10 singles and 10 married; nine single males and one single female; six married females and 4 married males.

The presence of trees in urban spaces has been identified as providing numerous environmental, psychosocial, and economic benefits. However, rather than being an equally distributed resource which all city residents share, tree cover in Cape Town, South Africa tends to be a marker of environmental inequality and racism, with trees being significantly more prevalent in wealthy, predominantly white, areas as opposed to poor, predominantly black, ones. The present study aims to analyse the potential for urban forestry to address this inequality. In order to gain in-depth understanding, a case study of an urban forestry project at the Lathi-Tha School of Skills in Khayelitsha is conducted. Within this framework, semi-structured and photoelicitation interviews are undertaken with 5 learners and 4 staff members in order to determine participants’ experiences and perceptions of their urban forestry project. The findings suggest that urban forestry does have the ability to redistribute the environmental, economic, and psychosocial benefits of tree cover to poor communities. Additionally, participation in urban forestry in South Africa is shown to have the capacity to tackle social inequalities that continue to recreate green-space inequality.

HIV and AIDS has severely inflicted suffering on the global population and reported to be the worst killer disease in sub-Saharan Africa. Preventive measures such as condom use among young people is still low and less effective in preventing the spread of the disease, it was recommended by the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV and AIDS (2001) to accelerate the development of HIV vaccine aimed at curbing the disease. This study sought to explore young women’s experiences and perceptions about HIV prevention vaccine clinical trials so as to inform the design and implementation of vaccine trials in Africa. The study employed purposive sampling to interview 27 participants using semi-structured interview schedule. A tape recorder was used to capture data and coding procedures were used to analyze data. Findings drawn from participants’ responses and compared with literature from previous studies on vaccine trials and social development theories indicate that participants decide to join HIV prevention vaccine clinical trials because they hope to be protected from HIV infection. Most importantly participants hope to get access to medical care and treatment, meanwhile some participants perceived HIV vaccines harmful to humans hence they usually decline to participate. The study also identified study participation challenges related to socio-cultural and historical aspects. Although vaccines have had some success stories in the prevention and control of infectious diseases such as the eradication of polio, smallpox and measles, prevailing challenges need to be addressed if vaccine development is to be feasible. Providing more information, reinforcement of community awareness and mobilization around issues of HIV vaccine clinical trials at all levels of vaccine design and implementation is required to ensure appropriateness and acceptability of vaccine trial participation.

This dissertation seeks to critically investigate, examine and describe how four large South African construction companies have responded to and engaged with Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE). Using these companies as a case study, namely, Murray & Roberts, WBHO, Group Five and Basil Read, the paper highlights the extent to which BEE and later B-BBEE implementation has been effective in so far as meeting its objectives as articulated in the scorecard that is embedded in the Construction Sector Black Economic Empowerment Charter. Moreover, the study discusses the strategic changes undergone by each of the firms over a twenty year period (1994-2014) in their efforts to comply with policy, while remaining profitable and sustainable. Additionally, through an evaluation of these corporate strategies and various growth paths, the paper aims to articulate the approaches employed by each company in the face of a reformed political environment, assessing the common tendencies displayed in the industry. The paper consequently seeks to fill in the gaps in literature with regards to the strategies that large companies in the construction industry have gradually adapted in order to continue operating in a democratic South Africa. Thus, through its investigations, it addresses how and why the (1) industry designed and adapted its corporate strategies to fit the institutional arrangements, i.e. B-BBEE, (2), how the industry has responded and implemented BEE, and (3) how the industry has influenced the policy.

In a connected world, the foreign exchange rate for any country ensures that exports are competitive, imports are affordable, and there exists an economic environment conducive for sustainable growth of the economy. South Africa as an emerging country is no exception. Many stakeholders including, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) as the monetary authority of the country are interested in understanding the key factors that influence the South African exchange rate and how these factors may be managed effectively to ensure sustainable economic growth for the South African economy. This research studies the fundamental determinants of the real exchange rate (RER) for South Africa under a market driven floating exchange rate arrangement from March 1995 to December 2014. The research investigates the effects of the fundamental determinants of the RER on the South African rand using Johansen's method and a Vector Error Correction Model (VECM). The results of the research show that five fundamental variables drove the RER for the 20 years from 1995 to 2014 mainly commodity prices, interest rate differential, net foreign assets, terms of trade, openness and productivity. The most significant of these determinants were commodity prices, openness and productivity. The interaction of commodity prices and the RER point to the fact that South Africa does not suffer from the Dutch Disease. The research also supports the Balassa-Samuelson effect where an increase in productivity causes RER appreciation. In terms of policy, the research recommends that South Africa should continue to strengthen the manufacturing export led strategy as well as diversifying the economy. This entails growing the manufacturing sector, diversifying the export markets to reduce reliance on China and the Euro Zone. South Africa should continue with the inflation targeting policy of the SARB, implemented through the interest rate instrument, which only affects the domestic economy and has no major effect on the RER.