Very little is known about the spatio-temporal ecology of the rusty-spotted genet, Genetta maculata. With this study I aimed to describe the activity patterns, resting site use and spatial ecology of G. maculata in Telperion Nature Reserve. I particularly looked at the activity profile and the activity period. I wanted to determine the spatial distribution of resting sites, the number of sites used per individual as well as the index of resting site reuse. I also calculated the distance between resting sites on consecutive days and tested for differences between sexes and seasons. I determined the size of home ranges, as well as that of core areas and compared space use between sexes and seasons as well as vegetation types. A total of six males and nine females were trapped, radio-collared and tracked during continuous night and daytime sessions between September 2015 and August 2016. Rusty-spotted genets were primarily nocturnal (nocturnality index: 0.84) and therefore made use of the darkness for cover when hunting. Overall, male effective activity duration (586 ± 172 min) was greater than for females (564 ± 175 min) possibly because they search for females to mate with as well as due to their larger body size. Seasonal changes in activity were evident – specifically in winter – and were probably a function of both food availability and temperature. Areas with a denser vegetation structure seemed to be more suitable for rusty-spotted genet resting sites. Neither the number of resting sites nor the reuse rate of these resting sites differed between sexes or seasons. The inter-resting site distance on consecutive days was higher for males (938 ± 848 m) than females (707 ± 661 m). This was possibly caused by males travelling larger distances when searching for females to mate with. The inter-resting site distance was higher during autumn, likely due to the decrease in food availability, which made it necessary for genets to increase their hunting efforts. However, a similar increase in hunting effort was not evident during winter as genets decreased their overall activity, possibly in order to avoid colder temperatures. No sexual or seasonal differences in home range size were found. This was attributed to a well-spread and consistent availability of food sources. Core areas only covered on average 7% of the total individual home range which further supports the hypothesis that food was readily available. Both intra- and intersexual home range overlaps were recorded. This was not unusual for carnivores and due to a combination of reproductive and social actions. Home ranges mainly included bushveld vegetation (78%) rather than grassland as these areas provided better cover and likely more abundant food sources. As this was the first exhaustive study of its kind on this species over a full annual cycle, the information gathered is important for the development of conservation strategies for this species, but also for other Genetta species in the rest of Africa. / College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Science)

Limited research has been conducted about the involvement of parents in the education of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in South Africa. The main aim of this study was to explore how involved parents and teachers are in the education of learners with ASD in a special educational needs school in Emalahleni. The research investigation was rooted in Epstein’s model for parental involvement. Situated in the interpretivist paradigm, the study adopted a qualitative approach. Data were collected through interviews, document analysis and observations with four parents and four teachers in a special educational needs school in Emalahleni, accommodating learners with ASD. Only parents of learners with ASD and teachers working with children with ASD were included in the study. The findings of the study highlight the importance of parental involvement, benefits and barriers that are associated with parental involvement in the education of children with ASD. The researcher also reported on ways in which parental involvement in the education of children with ASD can be enhanced. The recommendations concluded that in order to promote academic success, the teachers and the parents need to work together. Lastly, the data obtained in this study can be used as a baseline for future research on the parental involvement in South Africa. Future research is needed in order to determine the barriers and benefits of parental involvement in the education of learners with ASD in South Africa. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

Magister Scientiae - MSc (Biotechnology) / The treatment of mine water at the eMalahleni Water Reclamation Plant (EWRP) results in the production of large volumes of brine. Different brine management methods have been applied to dispose the brine but the evaporation pond method is regarded as the cheaper, most effective and less laborious method for brine disposal. Brine wastewater is pumped into the pond where it evaporates resulting in the mixture of salts. The rate at which evaporation occurs is influenced by many factors such as temperature, salinity, humidity and wind. Due to high salinities in brine the EWRP is currently experiencing a challenge with low evaporation rate. Here, a comparative study was done to determine the efficiency of using a chemical and a biological approach to enhance the evaporation rate of reject brine. The chemical approach involved the addition of various concentrations of methylene blue dye (100 to 300 ppm with 50 ppm increments) to 1L volumes of brine, and measuring the evaporation rate. On the other hand, the biological approach involved the isolation of pigmented halophilic bacteria from eMalahleni brine and Cerebos salt samples. Isolated bacterial strains were characterised based on their morphology, biochemical and salt tolerance characteristics. Furthermore, the strains were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Among the isolated halophilic bacterial strains, EP-3, an Arthobacter agilis isolated from the eMalahleni brine produced a darker pigment compared to the other strains. Therefore, EP-3 was evaluated for its effect on the evaporation of brine using a culture inoculum or the addition pigment extracted from an EP-3 culture. The addition of MB above 100 ppm overcame the effect of salt precipitation and resulted in higher evaporation (41%) rate. Addition of pigmented bacteria or bacterial extracted pigment to the brine respectively resulted in 18% and 24% increase in the evaporation rate.

Sickness is a problem that has not escaped any society and thus is on the agenda of every culture. Since time immemorial cultures have searched for answers to the questions raised by the phenomenon of sickness but none have provided solutions, as it has become clear that sickness is part of our human existence. Many people have resorted to religion in search consolation in times of affliction and the Roman Catholic Church is not immune to this expectation, as we see many leaving the church in search of healing in the African Traditional Religions and other Christian churches because they feel that the church is inadequately dealing with the problem. In this study the author undertakes a research journey within the Diocese of Witbank of the RCC to investigate as to why the church’s healing ministry is not effective. Through engagement with participants in the research field and relevant literature the author discovered that the RCC is seen to be suspicious of the African worldview and consequently does not take its members’ fears and frustrations around the phenomenon of sickness serious as it judges them to be superstitious. This suggests that there is nothing that Western Christianity can learn from African cultures maintaining its superior attitude and further alienating indigenous communities. The author suggests that in order for the RCC to responds with relevance to this problem it needs to reconcile the Christian worldview, which is western, with the African worldview. He puts high on the agenda of Christian theology the urgent call to African theologians to develop an African theology that will give birth to a genuine African Christianity. In conclusion as a solution the author proposes an integrated and intercultural healing ministry for the Diocese of Witbank. This model is aimed at appropriating African values, idioms and language in the RCC to create an atmosphere where the church is seen as a welcome guest who comes bearing gifts but at the same time expects to be taken care of by its host. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Pastoral Therapy)

On first impression, it would seem that globalisation is producing an increasingly homogenous trans-border world, whereby, as a result of key changes including the impact of technological improvements, foreign travel, the spread of westernised cultural identities, market capitalism, and liberal democracy, the point has been reached where it is now becoming difficult to tell different localities apart. In this process, it is often forgotten what role individual places assume in the creation of this globalised world and that not all will benefit from globalisation. In many respects, locally specific activities, including urban renewal, place promotion, and infrastructural developments pursued within a selection of the planet's most strategically connected cities are now the primary catalysts of, and the influence behind, globalisation. Likewise, community-businesses, rural micro-industries, and alternative livelihoods are some of the key mechanisms that under-privileged localities in developing countries are employing to either respond to the marginalization imposed by globalisation, or to simply ensure survival. The emergence of localisation theory has therefore acknowledged and exemplified the importance of the locality in the context of the global economy as either a key node within it or a point within which people must engage in coping strategies, often as a result of the negative impacts of globalisation. In recent years, varying styles of locality-based development have become central to enhancing both the pro-growth global competitiveness of a number of South African localities, as well as for initiating pro-poor interventions in several of the country's smaller towns and rural areas. In the City of Cape Town, millions of Rands have been invested by the municipality and the private sector in urban regeneration strategies,which have led to an economic rebirth in the city centre and have generated numerous jobs in the tertiary and construction sectors that have helped to enhance the city's global stature. In Ndlambe Municipality, two community-businesses, which have received national funding and have strong municipal support, employ fifty people between them and have demonstrated the advantages of participatory action in propoor local development, within the context of the open market. In Emalahleni Municipality, attempts at locality-based development have been instigated directly by the local poor themselves and have been organised by members of the community in the face of non-existent local government support, which have resulted in the creation of several hundred income-earning opportunities for area residents. In summary, these three cases illustrate a range of approaches to locality-based development cunently undertaken in South Africa by different localities possessing widely differing resources, skills, and degrees of global connectivity in order to initiate growth and enhance standards of living. From a theoretical perspective this study provides a South African slant on global theories and processes and further indicates the role that a series of localities in the South are playing in a changing global system. / KMBT_363 / Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in

Abstracts in English, Zulu and Afrikaans / The looming transition from the industrial era to the technologically driven knowledge era has implications for the practice of Knowledge Management (KM) for all organisations across various employment sectors. My awareness of the paucity of empirical accounts documenting how schools, particularly those situated in townships, apply KM exacerbated the need for a social inquiry to determine the extent to which the selected schools leverage KM in their operations. This study was conducted in three education circuits of Emalahleni, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. The qualitative study to investigate KM application in township schools largely drew on the theoretical lenses of Wenger’s (1991) Communities of Practice (CoP), and Rodrigues and Pai’s (2005) Eight Dimensions of KM Enablers and Activators, supplemented by home-grown epistemologies of Ubuntu and Batho Pele Principles. Designed as a case study, the study employed semi-structured interviews to gather data. Responses were solicited from twenty participants comprising of teachers, Heads of Department (HODs), administrative clerks and principals in their varying capacities of knowledge work. Document analysis was done for purposes of triangulation. The study found that, despite a myriad of constraints, the selected schools apply KM sufficiently but not efficiently to meet their constitutional mandate of providing an educational service to learners. In two of the schools where principals practised laissez-faire and transactional leadership styles respectively, organisational cultures were characterised by one-way communication, limited knowledge sharing platforms, dissonance between subordinate staff and School Management Teams (SMTs). In the third school whose principal practised a democratic leadership style, the organisational climate was conducive for knowledge sharing and knowledge creation transactions among subordinate staff and the SMT. However, teachers of this school expressed the need to re-energise the formation of CoPs. In the midst of the cited constraints, personnel’s inclination to do their jobs and their adherence to the gazetted performance standards were found to be major propellants of KM application. The study also indicated that principals’ leadership determines the efficiency of KM application. The main recommendation thereof was that principals must begin to pay equal attention to the knowledge shared by both the subordinate staff and the SMT. / Ushintsho oluzinze kumontho wezezimboni kufikela kumnotho ozinse kwezobuqepheshe lunethmelela engagwemeki kwindlele izinkampani zikahulumeni kanye nezangasese zisebenzisa ngakhona izinhlelo zokuthulwa, zokwakhiwa kanye nokutholakala kolwazi mapheqelezi i Knowledge Management (KM). Ngemva kokuqaphela kwami ukuthi kunokwentula kolwazi olujulile ologxile kusayensi, mayelana nedlela izikole ikakhulukazi ezaseMalokishini zisebenzisa ngakhona i KM kuzinhlelo zazo zangemihla nge mihla; ngakho ke ngiye ngabona kungumqondo ophusile ukuba ngi phenye ngaloludaba. Ngiye ngagxila ukwazi kabanzi ngezikole ezintathu engizikhethile ngaphansi komnyango wezumfundo ehhovisini lasesigodini saseMalahleni esifindazweni saseMpumalanga eNingizimu Afrika. Loluphenyo oluzinze kwi qualitative method lisebenzise umbono ka Wenger (1991) owaziwa ngokuthi yi Communities of Practice (CoPs), kanye nombono ka Rodrigues and Pai (2005) obizwa nge Eight Dimensions of KM Enablers and Activators. Kanti futhi, Ubuntu ne Batho Pele, zasetshenziswa ukusekela lemibono emibili ephothulwiwe. Abasebenzi ababandakanyaka kulolu phenyo bangama shumi ambili emikhakheni ehlukahlukene ezikolweni njengo thisela nabaphathi babo, omabhalane kanye nabo thishanhloko. Ukuthola ubufakazi obungangabazeki ngiye nga qathanisa ulwazi oluphume kwimibono yabasebenzi nalena etholakale emaphepheni amumethe ulwazi mayelana nezinhlelo ze KM kuzo zontathu izikole. Ngaphandle kwezinselelo ezimbadlwana, akungabazekanga ukuba zontathu izikole zinazo izinhlelo ze KM. Futhi kuye kwabonakala ukuthi lezikole zihambisana nemiqathango yomthetho sisekelo wokuhlinzeka ngemfundo. Esikolweni sokuqala uthishanhloko wakhona utholakale esebenzisa ubuholi be-Leissez-faire. Kanti esikolweni sesibili uthishanhloko wakhona utholakale esebenzisa ubuholi be transactional. Kuzo zombili lezikole kusobala ukuthi kunezinselela ezinemithelela engamihle kahle ekwabiweni kolwazi kanye nase kusungulweni kwama qembu wokwakha ulwazi phakathi kwabasebenzi abangenazikhundla nalobo abanezikhundla. Abasebenzi abanganazikhundla ikakhulukazi othishela nabomabhalane baye bazwakalise isikhalo sabo sokungabandakanywa uma izinqumo zezinhlelo ze KM zithathwa. Kanti esikoweni sesithathu lapho uthishanhloko wakhona ebesebenzisa ubuholi bentando yeningi (noma i democratic leadership), kuye kwabonakala ngaphandle kwamathandabuzwa ukuthi abasebenzi abangenazikhundla kanye nabanazo, basebezisana ngokukhulu ukuhloniphana. Yigakho ke isimo salesi sikole sikulungele ukwakhiwa kanye nokwabelwana kolwazi phakathi kwabobonke abasebenzi. Yize noma izinhlelo eziningi ze KM zihamba ngomumu kulesisikole, kodwa othishela bakhona bayebanxusa ukuba kubuye kukhushulwe izinga lokusungula amaqembu wokwabelana nokwakhiwa kolwazi ngaphakathi kwabasebenzi. Kusobala ukuthi ikhono kanye nokuzimisle kwabasebezi emisebenzini yabo linemithelela ethize kwizinhlelo ze KM. Nobuholi bothishanhloko bunemithelela ethize ekuthuthukisweni kwezinhlelo ze KM. Othishanhloko bayacetshiswa ukuthi bamukele ngesasasa elikhulu imibono kwinhangothi zombili zabasebezi, bayeke ukubuka ulwazi oluphuma ohlangothini lwalabo abanezikhundla kuphela. / Die dreigende oorgang vanaf die industriële era na die tegnologies-gedrewe kennis era het implikasies vir die praktyk van Kennisbestuur vir alle organisasies oor verskeie indiensnemingsektore. My bewustheid van die stilte van empiriese rekeninge wat dokumenteer hoe skole, veral dié wat in townships geleë is, pas toe dat Kennis bestuur die behoefte aan 'n maatskaplike ondersoek vererger om die mate waarin die geselekteerde skole-hefboom Kennis bestuur in hul operasie gebruik, te bepaal. Hierdie studie is gedoen in drie bane van Emalahleni, Mpumalanga Provinsie, Suid-Afrika. Die kwalifitiewe studie om kennisbestuur in lokasie skole te ondersoek, het grootliks getrek op die teoretiese lense van Wenger se (1991) Gemeenskappe van Praktyk (CoP), en Rodrigues en Pai's (2005) Agt Dimensies van Kennisbestuur-instaatstellers en Aanwysers, aangevul deur tuisgroei-epistemologieë van Ubuntu en Batho Pele beginsels. Die studie het semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude gebruik om data in te samel. Reaksies is van twintig deelnemers in hulle wisselende vermoëns van kenniswerk versoek. Dokumentanalise is vir doeleindes van driehoeking gedoen. Ten spyte van 'n magdom beperkings het die studie bevind dat die gekose skool Kennisbestuur voldoende toepas, maar nie doeltreffend om hul grondwetlike mandaat te ontmoet om 'n opvoedkundige diens aan leerders te lewer nie. In twee van die skole waar skoolhoofde laissez-billike en transaksionele leierskapstyle onderskeidelik beoefen het, is organisatoriese kulture gekenmerk deur eenrigtingkommunikasie, beperkte kennisverdelingsplatforms, besluitneming tussen ondergeskikte personeel en skoolbestuurspanne (SMT's). In die derde skool wie se skoolhoof 'n demokratiese leierskapstyl beoefen het, was organisatoriese klimaat bevorderlik vir kennisverdeling en kennisskeppingstransaksies onder ondergeskikte personeel en die SMT. Te midde van die aangehaalde beperkings is personeel se neiging om hul nakoming van die prestasiestandaarde te doen, bevind dat groot skroewe van Kennisbestuur aansoek is. Die studie het ook aangedui dat skoolhoofde se leierskap die doeltreffendheid van Kennisbestuursaansoek bepaal. Die aanbeveling daarvan was dat skoolhoofde moet begin om die kennis wat kom uit lae arbeidsmag op dieselfde vlak te waardeer dat hulle die kennis wat van KMO's kom, waardeer. / Educational Management and Leadership / D. Phil. (Education Management)

As a national key priority programme, land reform acts as a driving force for rural development and building the economy of the country. In order for land reform to contribute to sustainable livelihoods for land reform beneficiaries, it must be supported by diversified programmes of pre- and post-settlement support of agrarian reform in a non-centralised and non-bureaucratic manner. Post-settlement support in the context of South African land reform refers to post-transfer support or settlement support given to land reform beneficiaries after they have received land. Support services, or complementary development support, as specified in the White Paper of the South African Land Policy of 1996, include assistance with productive and sustainable land use, agricultural extension services support, infrastructural support, access to markets and credit facilities, and agricultural production inputs. Government’s mandate is, however, not only restricted to the redistribution of land or making land more accessible. It is also responsible for empowering beneficiaries and for creating an effective support foundation to ensure that sustainable development takes place, specifically in the rural areas of the country. In practice, sustainable development entails that, for land reform to be successful, the quality of life of beneficiaries must improve substantially and the acquired land must be utilised to its full commercial potential, after resettlement on claimed land has occurred. Therefore, an effective post-settlement support strategy and model must be set in place. The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) and the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Administration (DARDLA) are the key departments that have been mandated to implement the Land Reform Programme (LRP). DRDLR is responsible for facilitation of the land acquisition (pre-settlement support) and DARDLA for post-settlement support, ensuring that the land or farms that have been delivered or acquired by land beneficiaries are economically viable. Without post-settlement support, land reform will not yield to sustainable development and nor improve the quality of life of rural people. There is, however, little or no evidence to suggest that land reform has led to improved efficiency, improvement of livelihoods, job creation or economic growth. Against this background, the study investigated and unlocked the key challenges related to the post-settlement support of the LRP, with emphasis on the agricultural support programmes rendered by the DARDLA in Mpumalanga Province to land reform beneficiaries. It further examined how such support impacts on the sustainability of the LRP, and made recommendations to the management of the Department on what could be done to further improve post-settlement support to land reform projects towards achieving the objective of sustainable development. / M Public Administration, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

As a national key priority programme, land reform acts as a driving force for rural development and building the economy of the country. In order for land reform to contribute to sustainable livelihoods for land reform beneficiaries, it must be supported by diversified programmes of pre- and post-settlement support of agrarian reform in a non-centralised and non-bureaucratic manner. Post-settlement support in the context of South African land reform refers to post-transfer support or settlement support given to land reform beneficiaries after they have received land. Support services, or complementary development support, as specified in the White Paper of the South African Land Policy of 1996, include assistance with productive and sustainable land use, agricultural extension services support, infrastructural support, access to markets and credit facilities, and agricultural production inputs. Government’s mandate is, however, not only restricted to the redistribution of land or making land more accessible. It is also responsible for empowering beneficiaries and for creating an effective support foundation to ensure that sustainable development takes place, specifically in the rural areas of the country. In practice, sustainable development entails that, for land reform to be successful, the quality of life of beneficiaries must improve substantially and the acquired land must be utilised to its full commercial potential, after resettlement on claimed land has occurred. Therefore, an effective post-settlement support strategy and model must be set in place. The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) and the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Administration (DARDLA) are the key departments that have been mandated to implement the Land Reform Programme (LRP). DRDLR is responsible for facilitation of the land acquisition (pre-settlement support) and DARDLA for post-settlement support, ensuring that the land or farms that have been delivered or acquired by land beneficiaries are economically viable. Without post-settlement support, land reform will not yield to sustainable development and nor improve the quality of life of rural people. There is, however, little or no evidence to suggest that land reform has led to improved efficiency, improvement of livelihoods, job creation or economic growth. Against this background, the study investigated and unlocked the key challenges related to the post-settlement support of the LRP, with emphasis on the agricultural support programmes rendered by the DARDLA in Mpumalanga Province to land reform beneficiaries. It further examined how such support impacts on the sustainability of the LRP, and made recommendations to the management of the Department on what could be done to further improve post-settlement support to land reform projects towards achieving the objective of sustainable development. / M Public Administration, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014