Magister Artium - MA / Recent research has indicated a significant increase in the crystal methamphetamine abuse in the Western Cape. The study aimed to provide an understanding of the interaction of the social and historical contexts in relation to the life experiences and perceptions of a young person residing in the Cape Flats. Primarily the study aimed to explore the factors that influenced the participant to use crystal methamphetamine. It adopted a social constructionist epistemological perspective and employed Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as the theoretical framework. The subsystems of the ecological systems theory include the individual who is influenced by the microsystem, the mesosystem, the exosystem, the macrosystem and the chronosystem. This was a qualitative research study that employed an intensive case study. Data was obtained through series intensive semi-structured interviews that were approximately 40 - 70 minutes in duration. The participant is a coloured female, aged 28 years from a high-risk community in the Cape Flats. Prior to the interview process, relevant permission was obtained from the participant, which allowed the interviews to be conducted and recorded. The data was then analysed using a narrative analysis. The themes that emerged from the research findings include: childhood trauma; sexual abuse during childhood; social milieu and norms; adolescent delinquency; the cycle of abuse; understanding crystal methamphetamine use and the consequences of crystal methamphetamine use. Findings with regard to the individual factors included psychological well-being, depression and negative affectivity, feelings of hopelessness, suicidal ideations, loneliness, past abuse of legal substances, adolescence, delinquency and childhood sexual abuse. The influential factors that emerged within the microsystem were lack of family support, dysfunctional family dynamics, childhood abandonment, uninvolved parents, several custodial parents, childhood disequilibrium, parental modelling and family drug use. Further findings within the microsystem included peer influence viz. direct persuasion of drug use, peer exposure of drugs, experimentation, delinquent behaviour, gang-related involvement and peer group acceptance. The mesosystemic findings included, lack of emotional support or attachments, social support, lack of structure as well as relocating to numerous schools and homes. Findings located in the exosystem were the availability and accessibility of drugs in all the communities in which the participant lived. Findings in the macrosystem included the social environment of the individual, including the social norms of the community and the home setting as well as the norm of violence, crime and gangsterism. The information and knowledge accumulated would optimistically contribute to addressing the paucity of qualitative literature and present knowledge to improve intervention and prevention strategies. / South Africa

The purpose of this study was to examine how the fear of crime affects the capabilities, perceptions and experiences of black female youth, living in the Cape Flats, Cape Town. Qualitative semi structured interviews were conducted with 18 black female participants between the ages of 18 to 30. This study used Garofalo's model of fear of crime and Amartya Sen's capability approach as theoretical frameworks. With the help of these two frameworks, the researcher sought to gauge what influence the fear of crime can have on people's lives and how crime affects young black females living in communities with high crime rates. It also showed how their life choices and opportunities are influenced by living in unsafe communities. The major challenges and problems highlighted by the participants include: Constant trauma of their daily life (leaving their houses, random shootings, unsafe public transport), mental health issues (losing friends and relatives), lack of proper police service (lack of police presence, incompetence of police, corruption), fear for family or friends, lack of trust and support systems (broken families, loss of trust, no role models, lack of social capital), lack of infrastructure (such as safe hospitals or educational challenges), the effects of gangsterism (gangs and drug wars, effects of drugs, families' or friend's involvement in gangsterism) and the lack of opportunities such as unemployment. This study showed how the peoples' capabilities have been affected by the above-mentioned issues and how the fear of crime affected their daily lives. This study also made recommendations for policy makers and social institutions on what can be done to reduce crime rates and make communities with high crime rates safer

Magister Artium - MA / The way in which people utilise their FREE TIME [that is time left after all commitments (social and physiological) have been met] forms the central theme of this study. An important aspect of this theme for the geographer is the interaction between supply and demand of recreational facilities, because determines the spatial location of facilities in urban areas. In the South African society certain factors which influence the normal interaction between supply and demand have developed which can be identified as problems. In this study the problems which exist regarding recreation and the use of free time are examined with specific reference to the people living in Bellville South, a "Coloured" Group Area on the Cape Flats. Data for the study was collected with the air of a structured questionnaire and thereafter statistically analysed with the intention of answering the following questions: What is the nature and extent of the use of free time during the day, over weekends and during vacations of the inhabitants of Bellville South? How does the politico-economic structure influence the supply of facilities for recreation in Bellville South? What is the influence of the politico-economic structure on the demand for facilities (the recreational behaviour) for the inhabitants of Bellville South? The data which had been collected with the aid of questionnaire, was further supplemented with personal interviews. In order to answer the above questions satisfactorily, recreation resource base in Bellville South was looked firstly. The local supply was measured according to national and international norms based on information obtained from the relevant literature. An attempt was made secondly to determine the demand for recreation generated by the community. It was evident from the literature that the socio-economic level of communities played a vital role in the determination of the extent of their demand. By examining certain socio-economic parameters, it was found that the community of Bellville South consisted mostly of people from the working-class. Subsequently the factors which have an influence on the recreational behaviour of the respondents during the day, weekend and vacation time-periods, were examined. It was found that, as one can expect from a predominantly working class community, recreation was mostly directed at the home environment during all three time-periods. This can be explained by referring to the constitutional constraints (Group Areas Act, Separate Amenities Act), socio-economic constraints and the inadequate recreational facilities in the study area. The interaction between demand and supply within the prevailing politico-economic structures was subsequently examined. The correlation between demographic and socio-economic variables and recreational activities was examined with the aid of crosstabulations. The resulting spatial pattern of the recreational behaviour of the respondents was analysed cartographically. By examining the latent and potential demand for recreational facilities it was found that there are very real needs in the study area. Lastly, recommendations were made with a view of alleviating the problems which have been identified. It was felt that immediate attention should be paid to shortcomings in the supply and maintenance of recreational facilities in Bellville South, while the political problems which make a meaningful utilisation of recreational facilities by everybody in South Africa impossible at the moment, should also be removed.

Background The Parent-Infant Home Visiting Programme (PIVHP) is a home-based parenting programme targeted at new and expectant mothers, characterised as vulnerable. Participants are recruited from low-income communities situated on the Cape Flats, in Cape Town, South Africa. The programme consists of antenatal and postnatal sessions, facilitated by trained Parent Infant Attachment Counsellors (PIACs) recruited from target communities. There are two programme cycles per year: one from January to June, and a second one from July to December. The overarching goal of PIHVP is to contribute towards the prevention of child abuse, abandonment and neglect; and to promote positive infant growth and development. The programme has to date not been guided by an explicit theory of change (TOC). There was no Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system in place, at the time of the evaluation, either. The programme engages in extensive data collection for administrative purposes. This data, however, is not captured nor analysed systematically to monitor progress or measure impact. This formative evaluation aims to capitalise on the existing data. Evaluation Focus This evaluation focused on the first 2019 programme cycle. The main objective of this evaluation was to determine the extent to which the PIHVP had been implemented with fidelity. As such, a process evaluation was conducted to address the following evaluation questions: 1. Did the PIHVP beneficiaries recruited for the first 2019 programme cycle meet the eligibility criteria specified by programme? 2. What proportion of participants completed and dropped out of the PIHVP during the first programme cycle of 2019? What are the reasons provided for programme dropout? questions: 3. To what extent did the PIHVP meet its targeted number of participants? What are the reasons for over/under coverage? 4. Did the participants receive the home-visiting sessions at the duration and frequency prescribed by the programme model? 5. Did PIACs complete and conduct all programme activities, developmental screenings and demonstrations as intended? 6. How did participants perceive PIACs in terms of the support they provided and their preparation level, knowledge, and reliability? 7. To what extent do PIACs implement the skills acquired through their training into their sessions? 8. Are the participants satisfied with the service they received? What are the strengths and limitations they identified? 9. To what extent did participants engage with the PIACs (around the content) during home-visit sessions? Methodology The evaluator first extracted and refined the programme's TOC through structured consultations with the programme manager. The plausibility of the PIHVP's programme theory was then assessed through an extensive literature review. The evaluator then proceeded with the process evaluation. A mixed methods approach was used, as combination of both primary and secondary data sources, and quantitative and qualitative data analysis were used to systematically answer the evaluation questions.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Understanding fluid flow and solute transport within the vadose (unsaturated) zone is an essential prerequisite for protection of groundwater from contaminant sources occurring overland. Preferential flow paths in the vadose zone pose a significant problem because they are potential avenues for rapid transport of chemicals from contamination sources to the water table. The objectives of this study were: i) To review and understand flow and transport processes in unsaturated zones. In this study, particular emphasis is placed on understanding mechanisms that cause non-uniform (preferential) flow for two case studies, namely the Cape Flats sandy environment and the Mpumalanga Highveld fractured rock environment. ii) To evaluate the adequacy of models, in particular MACRO 5.0, in simulating flow and transport in the vadose zone, by making use of two case study sites (Cape Flats and Mpumalanga Highveld). Of particular importance is the evaluation of transfer coefficients to represent fluid and solute exchange between macropores and matrix. iii) To run a sensitivity analysis with MACRO 5.0 in order determine which input model parameters are the most relevant in describing the effects of preferential flow in water and solute transport. Two case studies were investigated, the first at a landfill site overlying sandy unconfined aquifer (Coastal Park, Cape Town), and the second at an industrial site overlying cracking clayey soil and fractured rocks (Mpumalanga Highveld - Secunda, Mpumalanga Province). For the Coastal Park site, simulations of soil water content and leaching of a generic mobile contaminant were compared to monitored soil water contents and chloride concentrations in groundwater. For the Mpumalanga Highveld site, simulations of soil water content and concentrations of boron and fluoride originating from effluent irrigation were compared to soil profile measurements. In both cases, the MACRO 5.0 model predictions agreed with measurements well, provided appropriate input calibration data were used. The sensitivity analysis indicated that soil water properties related to preferential flow (hydraulic conductivity at the boundary between macropores and matrix, soil water content and tension, and diffusion) have influence on simulation results. Similarly, the solute balance is mostly influenced by degradation rate coefficients (both in solid and liquid phases), sorption distribution coefficients and solute concentrations.

<p>Approaches to conserving biodiversity have traditionally left humans out of the picture. However, to separate between humans and protected areas has become increasingly criticized for being ethically problematic and ineffective. As a result, the political landscape for how biodiversity should be conserved has changed during the last 30 years. Instead of exclusive conservation practices, there is a request for so-called people-centered practices that tackle development and conservation jointly. However, several studies show a gap between public policies with people-centered ambitions and what is happening on areas assigned for biodiversity conservation. This study aims to understand if people-centered ideas are converted into conservation practices at four nature reserves in Cape Town, South Africa. The study also hopes to explain if the public-civil partnership Cape Flats Nature (CFN) is a useful arrangement in order to convert people-centered ambitions into practices. Using an ideal type analysis, conducting informant interviews and gathering documents, the findings suggest that people-centered practices are found at all four nature reserves. However, there are significant differences and the two nature reserves partnering with CFN have the most people-centered practices. In these cases, human well being is, for example, viewed to be an integral part of the objectives at nature reserves and fences that tend to keep people out are focused on to a lesser extent than in the other nature reserves that are not partnering with CFN. Even though there are no blueprint solutions, instruments such as CFN can be a useful arrangement for narrowing the gap between people-centered ambitions and conservation practices. However, further studies on for example social network analysis focusing on the role of bridging organizations would perhaps strengthen such claims.</p>

Text in English with abstracts in English, isiZulu, and isiXhosa / South Africa’s education system is in crisis. Problems in education directly impact the country’s economy through its influence on skills development for employability. Young children trapped in an environment under serviced by educational resources and haracterised poor social cohesion cannot reach their full potential. This study, undergirded by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model, sought to establish whether stateled early childhood development centres (ECDCs) in the Cape Flats can establish social cohesion and foster responsible citizenship and youth resilience. A qualitative study was conducted in selected ECDCs. Focus group interviews with caregivers of children from sampled centres and face-to-face interviews with the owners/managers of centres were augmented by an interview with an official from local government. The study concluded that the sampled ECDCs are merely coping, but restricted by various problems. They cannot function optimally as institutions for community development, although the community holds them in high esteem. Recommendations are made for improvements. / Uhlelo lwemfundo yaseNingizimu Afrika lunezingxaki. Izinkinga ezitholakala kwezemfundo zinomthelela othintana ngqo nezomnotho ngenxa yethonya ezinalo ekuthuthukisweni kwamakhono kuzokwenza abantu ukuba baqasheke. Izingane ezisezincane ezibiyelwe esibayeni esincishwa izimfanelo zezemfundo, ezingenakho nokubumbana okufanele komphakathi, ngeke zakufeza lokho ezinamandla okufinyelele kukho. Ucwaningo olususelwe esibonelweni sikaBronfenbrenner ngobudlelwane bomuntu nesizinda sakhe, lwaluhlose ukuthola ukuthi ngabe izikhungo eziholwa ngumbuso zokuthuthuka kwezingane ezincane (ama-ECDC) eCape Flats ziyakwazi yini ukugxilisa ukubumbana komphakathi, zikhulise kumuntu ukuba yisakhamuzi esiqotho nabasha abakwazi ukuqina bomelele. Kwenziwa ukuhlolisisa ezikhungweni zama-ECDC ezikhethiwe. Kwaba nokuxoxisana namaqembu aqokiwe abanakekeli bezingane zakulezo zikhungo ezikhethiwe, kwabuye kwaba nokuxoxa bukhoma nabanikazi/abaphathi bezikhungo, okwengezwa kukho nesikhulu esivela kuhulumeni wendawo. Lolu cwaningo lwafinyelela ekuthini izikhungo ezikhethiwe zama-ECDC zazipatanisa nje ngoba zazinqindwa yizinkinga ezahlukene, okusho ukuthi zazingakwazi ukusebenza ngokuphelele njengezikhungo zokuthuthukisa umphakathi, noma umphakathi wona wawuzibabaza kakhulu. Kukhona nezincomo ngokungase kwenziwe ukuze isimo sibe ngcono. / Isimo senkqubo yemfundo yoMzantsi Afrika simandundu. Iingxaki ezikhoyo kwezemfundo ziluchaphazela ngqo uqoqosho ngenxa yokuba zinefuthe kuphuhliso lwezakhono ezilungiselela ukuqesheka komntu. Abantwana abaselula abakwazi ukuphuhla ngokugqibeleleyo kuba bavaleleke kwimeko yemfundo eneenkonzo ezingekho mgangathweni nakwisimo esingazinzanga somphakathi. Esi sifundo sisekelwe kwinkqubo kaBronfenbrenner yolwalamano lwezinto eziphilayo nendalo, kwaye sizama ukuqonda ukuba ingaba ukusekwa kwamaziko ophuhliso lwabantwana abancinci (iiearly childhood development centres- ECDCs) eCape Flats kungadala uzinzo eluntwini, kukhuthaze ukuba ubani abe ngummi othatha uxanduva, ulutsha lungathabatheki lula kusini na. Uphando lomgangatho lwenziwe kumaziko iiECDCs ezikhethiweyo. Udliwano-ndlebe namaqela abantu abagcina abantwana kumaziko akhethiweyo kwanabaphathi baloo maziko luxhaswe ludliwano-ndlebe esiphathamandla sorhulumente wendawo. Esi sifundo sifikelele kwisigqibo esithi ezi ECDCs zikhethiweyo ziyazama kodwa zikhonkxwa ziingxaki ezahlukeneyo, nto leyo ithetha ukuthi azikwazi ukusetyenziswa ngokupheleleyo njengamaziko ophuhliso lomphakathi nangona umphakathi wona uzixabise kakhulu. Kunikwe iingcebiso zokuphucula imeko. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Horticulture in the Faculty of Applied Sciences at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2013 / Cape Flats Sand Fynbos (CFSF) is one of the most poorly conserved vegetation types in the Cape Floral Kingdom, and a large proportion of unconserved land is degraded, primarily as a result of transformation by agricultural, urban developments and invasion by alien plants. Fynbos restoration is one of the most important management interventions, both within the current conservation areas and in any future land remnants acquired for conservation. Many extant remnants are fragmented and isolated, and if successful restoration protocols are found, it may be possible to improve the conservation targets for this critically endangered vegetation type. On old fields, where indigenous soil seed banks have been lost due to alien plant invasion and anthropogenic action, it is essential to reintroduce the longer-lived fynbos components that contribute to vegetation structure, in order to facilitate the progress of the ecosystem on a more natural trajectory. This research is built on an earlier study of optimal ground-preparation treatments for restoring Sand Fynbos to old fields. This former study indicated that fossorial mammals (molerats and gerbils) may occur in dense colonies on old fields and present an obstacle to successful seedling establishment. The project aims to provide protocols for the establishment of indigenous seedlings from harvested seed onto old fields, in order to restore Sand Fynbos vegetation. Different pre-sowing treatments and sowing techniques were tested on large field plots to determine the most efficient protocol. The objectives of the research were: a) to investigate optimal pre-sowing treatments of indigenous seed for restoring degraded Sand Fynbos vegetation in old field sites; b) to investigate optimal sowing techniques on large field plots for restoring degraded Sand Fynbos vegetation in old field sites with depleted indigenous seed banks; c) to provide guidelines and disseminate information on optimal sowing protocols, and their costs, for restoring Sand Fynbos vegetation in degraded areas and old fields. A further component of the research was to calculate the costs of all treatments on a per hectare basis in order to assess the cost-effectiveness of the different options. Several different seed treatments may potentially increase the germination rate and promote fynbos restoration. These are scarifying, smoke, smoke water, chemical, light and temperature pre-sowing treatments. In order to keep the number of treatments (including their interactions) to a manageable level, only soaking in smoke water extract and seed coat scarification with course sand and grit were tested. A seed sample of each species was x-rayed at the Millennium Seed Bank in the United Kingdom, to test for viability in the seed samples, 52 % of the seed collected were empty, a typical indication of wild harvested seed. All species were germinated at 10/25 °C and 16/8 hours light/dark respectively. Scarification had a larger overall germination success, smoke water had very little effect on CFSF species, it is rather that germination is related to temperatures during a fire that result in seed coat splitting. It was recommended that further investigation using more species across the Sand Fynbos vegetation be conducted on pre-germination effects of heat and scarification. The study site had been cleared of woody invasive alien vegetation and additional site preparation included the application of a systemic herbicide to kill undesirable herbaceous weeds, prescribed fire to clear the site of woody debris and destroy weed seeds, and the local control of fossorial mammals (gerbils and molerats) by placing raptor perches and owl nesting boxes around the site. This research found that the use of herbicide shortly after the prescribed fire and once again prior to sowing was successful in controlling herbaceous weeds and the indigenous grass Cynodon dactylon. The challenge to using prescribed burning on old fields was low fuel loads, which resulted in a cool patchy. It is suggested that cutting and spreading of alien plant biomass is tested as a solution, however, the material must be evenly spread across the site and not stacked into piles which can cause excessively hot fires and scorching of the soil. In order to better understand soil conditions across the site, soil samples were collected prior to sowing, to analyse for soil macronutrients, organic matter and pH. It was established that all the excess nutrients added to the site from agriculture and pasturage over the years had leached from the soil. However, the organic matter content of the soil was extremely low and research needs to be done on the organic carbon content of the soils, how these relate to soil micro biota (which species are present and their relationship with CFSF species) and how best to enrich the site with humic matter for restoration and establishment of Cape Flats Sand Fynbos. The field trial was set up in the Blaauwberg Nature Reserve, a random split-plot block design, was replicated five times and used to investigate the selected seedbed preparation and sowing techniques, namely: broadcast sowing onto unprepared seedbed, broadcast with plank embedding of seed onto disked seedbed, broadcast onto disked seedbed and hydro-seed with disked seedbed. Results from the research found that the most successful methods for sowing seeds were the hydro-seeding and broadcast with plank embed. These methods may have provided better contact between the soil and seeds and better protection from predation and wind. Economically the broadcast and embed was better as machinery was more efficient and effective than manual labour. This study recommended that these two methods be combined with the additional planting of rare and threatened species in clumps to determine the benefits and interactions of each technique over the long term.

Approaches to conserving biodiversity have traditionally left humans out of the picture. However, to separate between humans and protected areas has become increasingly criticized for being ethically problematic and ineffective. As a result, the political landscape for how biodiversity should be conserved has changed during the last 30 years. Instead of exclusive conservation practices, there is a request for so-called people-centered practices that tackle development and conservation jointly. However, several studies show a gap between public policies with people-centered ambitions and what is happening on areas assigned for biodiversity conservation. This study aims to understand if people-centered ideas are converted into conservation practices at four nature reserves in Cape Town, South Africa. The study also hopes to explain if the public-civil partnership Cape Flats Nature (CFN) is a useful arrangement in order to convert people-centered ambitions into practices. Using an ideal type analysis, conducting informant interviews and gathering documents, the findings suggest that people-centered practices are found at all four nature reserves. However, there are significant differences and the two nature reserves partnering with CFN have the most people-centered practices. In these cases, human well being is, for example, viewed to be an integral part of the objectives at nature reserves and fences that tend to keep people out are focused on to a lesser extent than in the other nature reserves that are not partnering with CFN. Even though there are no blueprint solutions, instruments such as CFN can be a useful arrangement for narrowing the gap between people-centered ambitions and conservation practices. However, further studies on for example social network analysis focusing on the role of bridging organizations would perhaps strengthen such claims.

Magister Artium - MA / Adolescent substance abuse is a widely researched area both internationally and nationally. It has been known to affect many problems which are prevalent in most low socioeconomic communities such as crime, school truancy and family fragmentation. It is of particular concern in low socioeconomic communities within the Cape Flats District which continues to be plagued with social ills such as gangsterism, adolescent criminal behaviour, and high rates of school dropout. The problem of adolescent substance abuse cannot be explored in isolation, but rather, in conjunction with all other spheres which it affects such as family relationships, dynamics and functioning. Parents fulfil an important role in managing their adolescent's addiction problem. These parents often feel helpless, hopeless, guilty, and angry, and are inclined to blame themselves for their child's delinquent behaviour. In some cases spouses blame one another for their being too permissive or too stern. However, there is a dearth in research of parents' lived experiences and the ways in which they attribute meaning to their situations. The aim of this study was to explore parents' lived experiences of their adolescent's substance abuse. More specifically the study explored parents' perceptions of the ways in which one family member's substance abuse affects the dynamics and the functioning of the family. At a theoretical level, this study aligned with Bowen's Family Systems theory, as it allowed the researcher to explore the ways in which family roles, dynamics and functioning are affected by a relative's substance addiction. The current study was conducted within the qualitative methodological framework, as the aim was to gain an in-depth understanding of parent's lived experiences of managing their adolescent's substance abuse. Furthermore, this study was positioned within the phenomenological epistemological framework as it aligns well with the aims of this study, which is to acquire an understanding of parents' lived experiences of their adolescent's substance abuse.