A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, May 2016. / Globally, urban areas are the fastest growing land cover with significant numbers of people residing within these urban spaces. The continuous growth and expansion of urban settlements continue to exert unprecedented negative pressure on the natural environment, and green spaces are increasingly disappearing. In most intermediate and secondary cities of developing countries, loss of urban green spaces is partly due to the knowledge gap in urban planning as well as the lack of comprehensive assessment of the challenges and factors contributing to the deteriorations of urban spaces in these cities. In any given urban environment, green spaces of all types are acknowledged for creating valuable economic, social and environmental services. Urban green spaces are fast becoming means to sustainable development due to their extensive multifunctional roles and benefits to different users. This research focusses on critically assessing the relationship that exists between urban greenness and sustainable development in the city of UMhlathuze, KZN, South Africa. It also explores how urban greening is increasingly tied to urban planning and the challenges that urban greening faces in the context of rapidly increasing urbanisation. Results of this study show that there is increasing need to improve green spaces especially for low income groups who cannot afford to travel out of town to experience natural environments. Urban development therefore calls for stakeholders to follow the principles of sustainable development with reference to ecological systems in urban areas, including community green spaces, gardens, biodiversity, native species and urban green infrastructure. If urban greening is properly planned and integrated into urban development and planning policies, it can brings economic, social and environmental benefits to developing world cities. / GR 2016

Today’s world is a fast developing world, with the transportation sector being one of the fastest developing sectors (Goldschagg, 2007). Through technologies such as an aircraft, one is able to travel across the globe in shorter periods of time. Unfortunately such progress often comes with environmental hazards; one such hazard being environmental noise (Stansfeld et al., 2005). However there has been little attention given to the effects of environmental noise, with much research focusing on aspects such as lead and air pollution on people’s wellbeing (Stansfeld et al., 2005). Yet environmental noise particularly aircraft noise is increasingly becoming an inevitable part of people’s world and has consequences on health, cognitive development and overall quality of life. Consequently this study investigates the impact of aircraft noise on a crucial component of learning (Reading Comprehension). Primary school learners in KwaZulu- Natal (N=834) scores on a test measuring Reading Comprehension (Suffolk Reading Scale2) were compared across a control group and an experimental group. Furthermore because Reading Comprehension involves language acquisition, in addition to investigating the impact of aircraft noise the impact of having English as an additional language on Reading Comprehension was also investigated. Learning in South Africa is predominantly facilitated in English while South Africa has eleven official languages with nine of them being indigenous languages. English for many learners may only be a second or even third language. Significant results were observed for both aircraft noise and language on reading comprehension as well as an interaction effect.

Avatime, a Kwa language of Ghana, has an additive particle tsyɛ that at first sight looks similar to additive particles such as too and also in English. However, on closer inspection, the Avatime particle behaves differently. Contrary to what is usually claimed about additive particles, tsyɛ does not only associate with focused elements. Moreover, unlike its English equivalents, tsyɛ does not come with a requirement of identity between the expressed proposition and an alternative. Instead, it indicates that the proposition it occurs in is similar to or compatible with a presupposed alternative proposition.

Cette thèse concerne la description des constructions possessives en tongugbe, l’un des dialectes de l’éwé, langue parlée au sud-est du Ghana au long du fleuve Volta. La thèse présente une description détaillée des constructions; et tente de comprendre la relation qui existe entre les constructions possessives propositionnelles et les constructions locatives et existentielles. De plus, ce travail présente une première esquisse de la grammaire de tongugbe. La grammaire présente surtout des résultats préliminaires sur le contraste de durée qui existe au niveau des tons de tongugbe et un système de démonstratifs très riche. Les constructions possessives peuvent être regroupées dans trois catégories : les constructions attributives, les constructions prédicatives et les constructions à possesseur externe. Il est montré que les configurations structurelles des constructions possessives attributives sont motivées par des considérations fonctionnelles. Il est aussi démontré que les variations structurelles des constructions possessives prédicatives et des constructions à possesseur externe correspondent à des différences de sens. Enfin, il est argumenté que, synchroniquement, les constructions possessives propositionnelles et les constructions locatives et existentielles ne peuvent pas être réduites à une structure unique. La proposition soutenue est que chaque construction est une correspondance entre une forme et un sens. / This dissertation concerns the description of possessive constructions in Tongugbe, one of the many dialects of the Ewe language, which is spoken in south-eastern Ghana, along the Volta River. It presents a detailed description of the constructions; and explores the relationship that exists between clausal possessive constructions and locative and existential constructions. In addition to this, the work presents a first outline grammar of Tongugbe. The grammar presents notably preliminary findings on the duration contrast in tones of Tongugbe and a rich demonstrative paradigm. The possessive constructions can be grouped into attributive, predicative and external possessor constructions. It is shown that the structural configurations of attributive possessive constructions are functionally motivated. It is also demonstrated that structural variations in predicative possessive and external possessor constructions correspond to differences in meaning. Finally, it is argued that, synchronically, clausal possessive constructions and locative and existential constructions are not reducible to a single structure. The view supported here then is that each construction is a form-meaning pair.

The forests of Hluhluwe Nature Reserve, Kwa Zulu-Natal, were examined to determine composition, grain, classification, dynamics and conservation value. Field sampling took the form of recording DBH for all species in twenty-one 0.04 ha circular plots, walking 5-metre wide transects in mature and marginal forest to record size-classes and analysis of twenty gaps. Data were analysed by the multivariate programs, TWINSPAN and CANOCO. The composition of the canopy and subcanopy is distinct. Four canopy and two subcanopy communities can be detected. Community succession in the mature forest takes the form of almost random replacement of canopy trees through two subcanopy communities. Size-class distributions indicate a prevalence of shade-intolerant species. This forest is deemed to be coarse-grained and can be classified as coastal scarp forest. Comparisons with other forests shows Hluhluwe to have slightly above average species richness. A removal of anthropogenic disturbance by the creation of the reserve may have resulted in present forest canopy structure. Management for conservation of species diversity should encourage disturbance. There is potential for harvesting of certain shadetolerant species by local communities. This forest is a pristine fragment of a rapidly diminishing vegetation type and efforts should be made to conserve its entire expanse, within Hluhluwe Nature Reserve, in order to prevent species loss.

<p>This study focused on participatory governance in the form of involvement of communities and community organisation in matters of local government in general, and citizens participation in the local budget process in particular. The study therefore aimed to assess the theoretical and policy framework for citizens participation in South Africa / and evaluated the perceptions of councillors and civics and ratepayer organisations on participation in the local budget process at the eThekwini Municipality.</p>

<p>This study focused on participatory governance in the form of involvement of communities and community organisation in matters of local government in general, and citizens participation in the local budget process in particular. The study therefore aimed to assess the theoretical and policy framework for citizens participation in South Africa / and evaluated the perceptions of councillors and civics and ratepayer organisations on participation in the local budget process at the eThekwini Municipality.</p>

Cette thèse est une description phonologique et grammaticale de l’ikposso uwi, langue de la famille kwa, du phylum Niger-Congo. Elle est parlée au Togo par la population akposso, située dans la Région des Plateaux et comptant environ 150 000 personnes. Cette langue se divise en six dialectes : le logbo, l’uma, l’uwi, le litimé, l’ikponou et l’amou-oblo. Le corpus sur lequel se base cette étude est constitué (i) de 36 textes narratifs, (ii) de phrases élicitées à partir de livres d’images, (iii) du lexique issu de ces données, (iv) ainsi que de phrases d’élicitation libres, généralement en rapport avec les textes. La langue de travail et de traduction a toujours été le français. Phonologie et tonologie : La phonologie segmentale de l’ikposso uwi (chap. 1) est relativement simple. Les schèmes syllabiques sont peu nombreux et peu complexes. La principale caractéristique de la phonologie segmentale est l’harmonisation vocalique, avec un système à 10 voyelles. L’ikposso est une langue tonale (chap. 2). Les tons sont essentiels au niveau lexical mais supportent aussi des informations grammaticales. Il y a quatre tons ponctuels en uwi. Morphologie : Le nom et le syntagme nominal sont étudiés dans le chap. 3. La morphologie nominale est peu développée, contrairement à la morphologie verbale qui est très riche. Les adpositions font l’objet du chap. 4 et les pronoms celui du chap. 5. Les autres catégories de mots sont répertoriées dans le chap. 6. La morphologie verbale est beaucoup plus complexe que la morphologie nominale, avec de nombreux auxiliaires et préfixes de personne et d’aspect (chap. 7). Ce chapitre montre la richesse du système aspectuel.Syntaxe : L’ikposso est une langue avec un ordre des mots relativement fixe, SVOX. Cette caractéristique est toutefois en évolution, comme le montrent les constructions sérielles avec le verbe yɔ̄‘prendre’ (chap. 13) qui conduisent à un ordre des mots SOVX dans certains contextes discursifs. Le chap. 8 présente les différents types énonciatifs de phrases ainsi que les prédicats non verbaux. Le chap. 9 décrit le système de transitivité et de valence de la langue..... / Introduction : This thesis is a phonological and grammatical description of Ikposo Uwi, language of the phylum Niger-Congo and Kwa family. It is spoken in Togo by the people Akposso, about 150 000 people that live in the Région des Plateaux. This language divides itself into six dialects : Logbo, Uma, Uwi, Litimé, Ikponou and Amou-Oblo. The study relies on a corpus composed of (i) 36 narratives, (ii) elicitedsentences from picture books, (iii) the lexicon build on these data, (iv) and elicited sentences, generally in connection with the texts. The language used during work session and for translation has always been French.Phonology et tonology : The segmental phonology of Ikposo Uwi (Chapter 1) is quite simple. There are few syllabic schemes and they are not complex. The main characteristic is vocalic harmony, with a 10 vowel system.Ikposo is a tonal language (Chapter 2). Tones are very important on a lexical level, but they encode grammatical informations too. There are four level tones in the Uwi dialect.Morphologie : Nouns and nominal phrases are studied in Chapter 3. Nominal morphology is not very much developed, on the contrary to the rich verbal morphology, with auxiliaries, person index and aspectual prefixes (Chapter 7). Adpositions are studied in Chapter 4 and pronouns in Chapter 5. The other categories are identified in Chapter 6.Syntaxe : The word order is quite rigid : SVOX. This feature is however evolving, as we can see with the yɔ̄ serial verb construction (Chapter 13) that lead to a SOVX word order in some specific discursive contexts.Chapter 8 presents the different enunciative sentence types as well as non verbal predicates.Chapter 9 describes the transitivity and valency system of the language. Modifications in the argument structure are generally not morphologically marked. The only exception is the grammaticalization of 3rd person singular commitative pronoun fà : it makes a transitive-causative construction out fromverbs usually found in intransitive constructions. Ikposo uses massively serial verb constructions. Syntax and types of Ikposo’s serial verb constructions are studied in Chapter 10.The verb dʊ́‘to be at, to put’ (Chapter 11) is one of the most frequent positional verbs, due to its broad meaning. It is also used a lot as V2 in serial verb constructions : with this function dʊ́ undergoes either a grammaticalization process or a lexicalization process. The verb ká‘to give’ (Chapter 12), as V2 of serial verb constructions, undergoes a grammaticalization process, with a global dative meaning.The verb yɔ̄‘to take’ (Chapter 13) is used in serial verb constructions that tend to modify the word order of the arguments from SVO to SOV in some discursive contexts. yɔ̄introduces the object of the main verb or represents it on the main verb. In the latter case, the grammaticalized verb is prefixed yɔ̄-.Chapter 14 gathers the other frequent verbs that do not have a dedicated chapter. Among them, we find lɛ́‘to be, to be at’ used as a copula, bá‘to come’ and ɣā‘to go’ used as deictic verbs, tʊ̄‘to come from’ that grammaticalizes into a prepositional locution, and bā ‘to exceed’ used in comparative serial verbconstructions. Chapter 15 analyses the complex sentences of Ikposo. Among them, completivesare probably the most interesting. They are from two types : build with nominalized verbal predicates or with the quotative nʊ̄, more generally marker of reported speech.Finally, Chapter 16 shows the information structure of the language. I mostly studied the morphological markers of that structure, but a deeper analysis should show that the structure is more complex that these markers let think.

The qualitative research approach, applying an explorative, descriptive and contextual strategy of enquiry was used to address the research question formulated, - How do child and youth care workers support child-headed households in the community? In this process the needs, relationships, interactions and encounters which occur between child and youth care workers and young people in child-headed households are described. The research was conducted with children from two child-headed households (12 children in all) and three community child and youth care workers from the Isibindi project in the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal. The findings confirm that the integration of child and youth care work characteristics in the daily life events of the children, contributed to services to children that are therapeutically caring, reclaiming and reflective of the African spirit of Ubuntu – demonstrating a relevant and unique South African expression of child and youth care practice. / Sociology / M. Tech. (Child and Youth Care)

The qualitative research approach, applying an explorative, descriptive and contextual strategy of enquiry was used to address the research question formulated, - How do child and youth care workers support child-headed households in the community? In this process the needs, relationships, interactions and encounters which occur between child and youth care workers and young people in child-headed households are described. The research was conducted with children from two child-headed households (12 children in all) and three community child and youth care workers from the Isibindi project in the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal. The findings confirm that the integration of child and youth care work characteristics in the daily life events of the children, contributed to services to children that are therapeutically caring, reclaiming and reflective of the African spirit of Ubuntu – demonstrating a relevant and unique South African expression of child and youth care practice. / Sociology / M. Tech. (Child and Youth Care)