M.A. / With this research, an Environmental Centre for the Northern Cape Province is suggested at Upington as an environmental management initiative. Environmental management aims to create an awareness and a concern for the environment and all its facets. In this way, knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivation and commitment are striven for, so that the environment and its related problems can be identified and solved by the community. Formal teaching cannot do this task by itself. An additional source is suggested. An Environmental Centre can benefit the community if it creates an awareness of the various elements of the environment, their interdependency and the necessity of a healthy environment for the survival of man. It can motivate the community to accept responsibility for the environment, provide the knowlegde and values so that solutions can be found for environmental problems. Upington in the Northern Cape Province has several unique qualities which can justify an Environmental Centre: • an unique climate with many human activities, • the availability of the Orange River's water, • its population composition, • Various economic activities(intensive/extensive farming) • a growing tourist sector, and • a very well developed infrastructure. A questionnaire was used to compile a residents profile to test the Environmental Centre initiative. Residents acknowledged the existence of environmental problems and that it must be addressed. An Environmental Centre with a well developed, co-ordinated and integrated environmental management plan, can be a solution. The way man sees his environment, indicates how he will utilise his environment. Knowledge and education about the environment can lead to citizens that know, understand and protect their environment against every form of deterioration. Environmental adulthood can thus be achieved.

Public sector management has, through the years, been characterised by a hierarchical system whereby red tape and bureaucracy were the order of the day. Towards the latter part of the apartheid era, management had complete autonomy in the functioning of the human resource management, financial management, operations and so on, of government organisations. Top management, and to a large extent middle management, in most governmental departments comprised predominantly people classified as White. With the launch of the New Democratic Government in 1994, new legislation in the form of the Labour Relations Act of 1995, the Basic Conditions of Employment Act of 1997 and the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, was instituted. This transformation heralded an about-turn and rethink by government about policies and strategies governing employees and the workplace; for example, the Labour Relations Act of 1995 restricts the concept of unfair labour practices by employers. The employee’s interest was considered in the new legislation, and is currently part of employee wellbeing programmes initiated by government and incorporated into work schedules. In addition, government has launched strategies such as “Batho Pele” (put people first) and “a home for all” (a Western Cape Provincial Government initiative to improve the image of government) to improve service delivery to communities. The above-mentioned political and legislative changes increasingly required a shift from an autocratic to a team-orientated leadership style and from an exclusively task-orientated to a people-orientated organisational culture. The study explored whether management styles, organisational culture, job satisfaction and job performance have changed in the Provincial Government Western Cape (PGWC) after the advent of democracy in South Africa in 1994. The specific research questions that were pursued included (i) has there been a shift from autocratic to a team-orientated management style in the PGWC?, (ii) has there been a shift from a task-orientated to a people-orientated v organisational culture in the PGWC?, (iii) what were the levels of job satisfaction among the employees, and (iv) how did these changes (if any) in organisational culture, management styles and job satisfaction impact the perceived job performance of these employees. The sample consisted of 100 managers selected from various departments in the PGWC. The empirical results indicated that there has been a shift to a team-orientated management style; that there has not been a shift from a task-orientated to a people-orientated organisational culture; that the perceived levels of job satisfaction and job performance levels are high; and that job satisfaction, especially as it relates to a challenging job content and job fit (in terms of personality, ability and skills), was the main determinant of the perceived job performance of the managers in the PGWC. The managerial implications of these empirical results are discussed and recommendations are proposed on the grounds of these discussions.

Many South African estuaries are currently believed to be generating lower levels of services than they used to in the past due to substantially reduced inflow of river water, among other reasons. The basis by which river water is allocated in South Africa has had to be re-examined. Local authorities are now required to integrate into their development planning sensitivity to the ways estuaries work; the relevant legislation being the Municipal Systems Act No. 32 of 2000. Sound water resource management requires that the benefits and costs of different water allocations be compared and an optimum determined. The Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) is used in this study to estimate the benefits of changing allocations of river water into estuaries. This study builds on a CVM pilot project done at the Keurbooms Estuary in the Southern Cape in year 2000 (Du Preez, 2002). Further CVM studies were conducted at the Knysna, Groot Brak and Klein Brak estuaries (Dimopolous, 2004). The CVM is a valuation technique based on answers given to carefully formulated questions on what people are willing to pay for specified changes of freshwater inflows into estuaries. The CVM depends on there being a close correspondence between expressed answers given to hypothetical questions and voluntary exchanges in competitive markets that would be entered into if money did actually change hands. The fact that it has proved very difficult to establish this correspondence has led to CVM being subject to criticism. However, many aspects of this criticism have been addressed in the form of methods to reduce biases, and the application of the technique has grown steadily in popularity during the past 25 years. Four estuaries, the Swartkops, Kariega, Mngazi and Mngazana, were surveyed as part of this study in order to determine users’ willingness to pay (WTP) for changes in freshwater inflows. Considerable research time was devoted at the estuaries getting to know how things worked around and in the estuaries. The Swartkops estuary is a permanently open system within the Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan area. The estuary has the third largest salt marsh in South Africa. Its banks are highly developed with residential and industrial property and it is heavily used for both recreation and subsistence fishing by locals. The Kariega estuary is located near the semi-rural town of Kenton-on-sea, between Port Elizabeth and East London. Although it is permanently open, the Kariega estuary has very low inflows of river water. It is mainly used by retired pensioners living in holiday houses at Kenton-on-sea. The Kariega is not heavily used for recreation and subsistence fishing, except during holidays and the festive season because of its proximity to other estuaries such as the Bushmans and the Kleinemond. The Mngazi and the Mngazana estuaries are located in the Wild Coast area of the Eastern Cape, in the Port St Johns Municipal district. The Mngazi is a temporarily open/closed system which does not have high botanical ratings, although it is heavily used by visitors to the well known Mngazi River Bungalows, a highly rated hotel near the mouth of the Mngazi River. The Mngazana estuary is a permanently open system renowned for its Mangrove forests and excellent fishing spots. Both the Mngazi and Mngazana estuaries are located in rural areas and are heavily used by local village residents for subsistence purposes.

The purpose of this study was to find out whether factors such as the learners’ learning styles, their cultural backgrounds, instructional approaches and strategies used by teachers and the lack of exposure to relevant resources had an influence on the declining English proficiency among learners. The researcher is currently an English teacher in one of the schools in the Qumbu Education District. The researcher expressed concern about the learners’ declining performance in aspects of English language like reading, writing and speaking. The idea of carrying out this study became necessary as English is a compulsory first additional language for most of the schools. Most of the subjects offered in South African schools are taught in English; moreover, English is an internationally-recognized medium of communication. One therefore, has to master the use of English to a certain extent so as to be a successful scholar. The sample consisted of 20 English senior phase teachers who were randomly selected from 13 schools in various circuits around the Qumbu Education District. Data was collected through the use of questionnaires which focused specifically on the learners’ learning styles, their cultural backgrounds, instructional approaches and strategies used by teachers, and also the lack of exposure to relevant literature. These questionnaires were administered by the researcher in person. The data were analyzed and interpreted statistically and also presented through tables and discussions. The findings of this study revealed that the geographical locations of the selected schools for the research study, limited exposure to English-related resources, workload of English teachers, teaching and learning approaches, and knowledge acquisition strategies employed by teachers and learners contribute to the decline in English proficiency among the learners. If these could be attended to effectively, English proficiency could improve among learners. In conclusion, recommendations have been made both for action and possible further research.

M.A. / Natural phenomenon such as droughts have a definite influence on the availability of water sources, soil profiles and vegetation of an area. Man should adapt his activities, such as farming, to the current climatic elements of the area to ensure his existence. Intermittent rainfall and the occurrence of droughts caused symptoms such as desertification. Desertification has reached an alarming level in South Africa, so much so that the level of environmental degradation in the Northern Cape Province caused great distress. This caused many questions into the activities of man in this area. The problem that arose out of this is, does man cause a negative impact on the environment with his farming activities? The specific area of concern is the Southern Kalahari-dunefield, with its unique ecosystems. This area can be described as an semi-arid desert with very sensitive ecosystems. Any form of interference can cause a long term ecological disruption. This area contains several hidden resources which are optimally used by man and animals to live a decent life. The development of these resources (e.g. water) over the past decades lead to the advantage for all concerned. However, the real danger of over-utilisation and exploitation do exist. Questionnaires were used to gather data concerning stock farming activities in this area. Information was obtained regarding water resources, vegetation cover, endemic animals, type of farming, ground cover and other economic activities such as tourism. Man is an additional determinant who causes an impact on his environment in the Southern Kalahari-dunefield. Although a change can be observed over the past decades in the activities of man to enhance sustainable development, continuous strive to the implementation of new methods to preserve resources in the long term, must be encouraged.

<p>Dental caries is a multi-factorial disease that affects everyone irrespective of race, class or gender, however, the burden of the disease is often found in children from lower socio-economic backgrounds. The nature of the disease is such that it can be prevented. Various international studies on fluoride have shown a reduction in the prevalence of dental caries. By using geographical information systems, oral health data can be linked to the fluoride levels and further analysis could be done to identify areas at risk of dental caries as well as show patterns in the distribution of dental caries. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the effects of different levels of fluoride on the prevalence of dental caries in selected towns in the Northern Cape and Westen Cape. It also examined the application of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to oral health data.</p>

The past few months have seen our courageous youth take to the streets to demonstrate their disgust against this system of exploitation and oppression. This militant fervour has touched many young hearts and minds. However, there is always the danger that these energies will burn out and dissipate. Demoralisation can so easily set in if these energies are not constructively channeled. "Channeled into what?” you may ask. ORGANISATIONS. It is only through strong organisations which attempt to give guidance and direction that meaningful action can be undertaken. The WCYL recognises the important need for students to begin to discuss broader issues such as The History of Struggle in S.A. or The Nature of S.A. Society. It is only when students begin to grapple with broader issues such as these, together with more specific ones, in a co-ordinated manner, will their actions be more effective. To this end has "GET ORGANISED" been designed. The handbook is intended as a guide for students in their efforts to organise SRC’s, awareness programmes, among other things, in schools.

The rock engraving site of Driekopseiland, west of Kimberley in the Northern Cape is distinctively situated on glaciated basement rock in the bed of the Riet River, and has a wealth of over 3500 engravings, preponderantly geometric images. Most other sites in the region have greater proportions of, or are dominated by, animal imagery. In early interpretations, it was often considered that ethnicity was the principal factor in this variabilty. From the 1960s the focus shifted more to establishing a quantative definition of the site, and an emperical understanding of it within the emerging cultural and environmental history of the region.

The rock engraving site of Driekopseiland, west of Kimberley in the Northern Cape is distinctively situated on glaciated basement rock in the bed of the Riet River, and has a wealth of over 3500 engravings, preponderantly geometric images. Most other sites in the region have greater proportions of, or are dominated by, animal imagery. In early interpretations, it was often considered that ethnicity was the principal factor in this variabilty. From the 1960s the focus shifted more to establishing a quantative definition of the site, and an emperical understanding of it within the emerging cultural and environmental history of the region.

<p>Dental caries is a multi-factorial disease that affects everyone irrespective of race, class or gender, however, the burden of the disease is often found in children from lower socio-economic backgrounds. The nature of the disease is such that it can be prevented. Various international studies on fluoride have shown a reduction in the prevalence of dental caries. By using geographical information systems, oral health data can be linked to the fluoride levels and further analysis could be done to identify areas at risk of dental caries as well as show patterns in the distribution of dental caries. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the effects of different levels of fluoride on the prevalence of dental caries in selected towns in the Northern Cape and Westen Cape. It also examined the application of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to oral health data.</p>