Considered key landscape elements, ecotones play an important role in landscape ecology. In heavily fragmented, or heterogeneous landscapes, ecotones become a major, even dominant, feature. Yet, there are relatively few studies investigating communities of invertebrates associated with ecotones, especially across natural boundaries. Furthermore, most analyses of habitat loss do not consider the characteristics of the areas surrounding remaining habitat, the matrix. This thesis attempts to partially fill the gap. Afromontane forest-grassland ecotones are characteristically sharp (usually a few metres), are mainly fire-maintained, and have been in existence for, perhaps, millions of years. Therefore they provide a good opportunity to study ecotone, forest patch and grassland matrix characteristics together, and the associated species assemblages. In short, I investigated the diversity and distribution patterns of epigaeic invertebrates across ecotones between the natural and isolated patches of Afromontane forests and the surrounding natural grassland matrix, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In particular, the following primary hypothesis was evaluated; do edge effects, in terms of elevated abundance and species richness, and in terms of abrupt, significant changes in environmental conditions, occur across near-natural ecotones. These edge effects quite often occur across anthropogenically-created habitat junctions, but it is not clear whether they do across natural ones. To test this hypothesis, the following secondary hypotheses were evaluated. Firstly, often a single invertebrate taxon is used for assessing changing landscape patterns. However, recent work has suggested that patterns and responses vary widely between taxa, and that management programmes based on the knowledge of a single taxon would not necessarily predict or safeguard that of others. Therefore, in chapter I, the hypothesis whether a single taxon could be used in biodiversity studies, or alternatively, whether it is better to select an array of taxa, was tested. Several invertebrate taxa were selected to investigate this. These included terrestrial amphipods, spiders, carabids, staphylinids and ants. Indeed, results showed that species diversities and assemblage-compositions of epigaeic spiders, carabids, staphylinids and ants were significantly different in different-sized Afromontane forest patches. Only carabids and staphylinids correlated positively with each other in terms of numbers of species. The other taxa showed only weak positive, or negative, correlations in their species richness. Results supported the multi-taxa approach in conservation studies, even among groups sharing a common habitat stratum. Secondly, organismal diversity usually increases at disturbed habitat edges. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as the biological edge effect. This pattern, however, is not universal and a number of authors have shown evidence contradicting this hypothesis. In chapter II amphipods, ground beetles and ants were collected to test the biological edge effect hypothesis. In addition, a number of abiotic factors were measured across these forest-grassland boundaries in an attempt to relate the biotic with the abiotic. Little evidence was found to support the classical edge-effect hypothesis (elevated species richness at the ecotone). In fact, carabid abundance and species richness was high in forests, decreasing gradually through the ecotone to a low in grasslands. In contrast, ant species richness increased significantly from a low in forests, increasing gradually through the ecotone, to a high in grasslands. Certain species did, however, show a significant increase in abundance at the ecotone, such as Talistroides africana, a terrestrial amphipod, and Tetramorium avium, a seed-predatory ant. Afromontane forest-grassland ecotones are natural and are not the result of anthropogenic clear-cut fragmentation. They also lacked any great changes in micro-environmental conditions. I hypothesise that edge effects are of less importance at more naturally maintained habitat boundaries even if these boundaries are sharp. Thirdly, climatic variation has a major impact on invertebrate communities. The Afromontane landscape experiences hot and wet summers, and cool and dry winters. I hypothesised that invertebrate distribution patterns across an ecotone change from one season to the next (chapter III). For example, it is expected that certain winter-active species might disperse from one location along the gradient to another, perhaps to escape predators, or find winter-refugia. This would, in turn, change the pattern of distribution of the selected taxa across these ecotones. Surprisingly, the general pattern of distribution across these ecotones changed little. However, there were significant differences between summer, spring, winter and autumn catch, and species identities changed from one season to the next. For example, carabid abundance and species richness was higher in the forest, compared to in the grassland, while ants were species richer in the grassland, compared to in the forest. These patterns were consistent from one season to the next. Again, as was found in chapter II, T. africana was significantly more abundant at the ecotone, compared to either forest or grassland interiors, in all seasons throughout the year. To summarise, amphipods favoured the ecotone environment, carabids the forests and ants the grasslands, throughout the year. Finally, scientists have recently become aware of the importance of the matrix surrounding habitat patches, in the survival and occurrence of organisms in the habitat patch. I tested whether the quality of the matrix, as a function of human disturbance, has an influence on invertebrate occurrence and distribution patterns across Afromontane forest-grassland boundaries. Redgrass (Themeda triandra Forssk.) dominated Afromontane grasslands are, and have been experiencing varying degrees of anthropogenic disturbance. Consequently, ecotones vary from being very abrupt (heavy disturbance in the matrix) to gradual (little disturbance in the matrix), although still sharp compared to most ecotones elsewhere. Level of grassland disturbance influenced amphipod, carabid and ant assemblage-structure across Afromontane ecotones (chapter IV). Results support the hypothesis that the dynamics of remnant areas are influenced by factors arising in the surrounding landscape. In particular, carabid assemblage-composition changed highly significantly from undisturbed to disturbed sites (this taxon was mainly captured from forests). Furthermore, only a single carabid individual was captured from 8 to 128 m into the grassland and only 14 T. africana individuals were captured from 2 m inside the forest to 128 m into the grassland of the most disturbed site. Clearly, matrix quality influenced not only the patterns of occurrence of organisms in the grassland matrix, but also at the ecotones and in the forest patches. In conclusion, it is imperative to investigate a number of taxonomic groups in conservation ecology to give more reliable results, and thus conservation recommendations. Of course, not all taxa can be considered, and the selection of appropriate taxa still poses a problem, but a set of taxa that are considerably different biologically is a good start. Native Afromontane forest-grassland mosaics are in urgent need of conservation, as much of this habitat is subject to heavy anthropogenic disturbance such as human settlement, forestry, cattle grazing, agriculture, and frequent, out of season, fires. Unfortunately only 2% of this biome is protected in South Africa. Furthermore, matrix quality is important because it determines the survival rate of propagules moving between remnant patches of habitat, and therefore the success rate of such movements. Private land-owners own most of this grassland area in the Afromontane region, but no guidelines are available to them on how to protect this habitat. Throughout this thesis I emphasised the importance of protecting both native forest and the surrounding native grassland. A first initiative is simply to protect a zone of grassland around the forest patches, both in terms of less frequent burning regimes, and less, or no cattle grazing here. By doing so, a rich grassland ant fauna will be conserved, the grassland matrix quality will improve, and a rich carabid fauna, favouring predominantly Afromontane forest remnants, will be conserved. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2000.

In South Africa, communal land still plays a significant role in the lives of many rural communities. While these communal lands have ostensibly been included within municipal frameworks, decisions about their utilisation still remains a practical reality for many livestock keepers. This research examined current herding and grazing practices, grazing areas being used in summer and winter, and factors taken into consideration by livestock keepers and herders when choosing grazing areas in the communal sub-ward of Okhombe, in the northern Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal. The aim of this research was to investigate the socio-cultural reasons of livestock keepers behind decision making about grazing areas. The primary research question pursued in the study was: How do livestock keepers select areas for livestock grazing in the sub-ward? Three sub-questions were developed to guide the research: What grazing and herding strategies are currently being used? Which areas are used for grazing, and in which season(s)? What are the considerations for choosing areas for livestock grazing? Data were collected from fifty-one (51) cattle keeping households in the sub-ward. Data were collected in five steps. The first two steps involved household and in-depth interviews using interview guides. The latter three steps involved a transect walks, one case study and focus group discussions to test and verify the data. The findings showed a wide range of livestock kept in Enhlanokhombe sub-ward. The majority (61%) of cattle keeping households had cattle and goats, which are important for ceremonial purposes. The primary reasons for keeping livestock involved agricultural, food and cultural purposes. The herding strategies found in the sub-ward involved family/relative member, hired herders and no herder, with the majority using family/relative members as herders. Three areas were used for livestock grazing were Maqoqa, Skidi and Mdlankomo. The key finding showed an increase in supplementary feeding, a decrease in traditional remedy usage and safety from theft as a new factor taken into consideration when selecting grazing land. Other factors involved presence of cropping fields, availability of grass and water, distance from home and family traditions. From these findings, one can conclude that there are clearly tensions between culture and changes in the society, culture and changes in economy; and livestock keepers' heritage and modern lifestyle. These tensions make livestock keepers' decision making processes harder. The grazing and herding strategies, and the choices of communal grazing areas are influenced by these changes. As a result, livestock keepers are shifting from their heritage and culture to being economic and adapting to modern world. The heritage and the clarity of gender roles are breaking down. Grazing and herding are, therefore, no longer simple and familiar, but complex and unfamiliar to livestock keepers. These findings have serious implications for extension, advisory and development approaches used when addressing livestock management among traditional livestock keepers. They imply that what is needed is a multi-dimensional and inclusive view of the livestock keepers' practices. Rather than relying on the long-held assumptions about livestock keepers, serious attention must be given to the tensions in communal livestock keeping and the complexity of communal grazing strategies. These must be deliberately and consciously used to inform interventions designed to improve communal grazing management. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

The sustained growth of small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) could help to reduce poverty, income inequality and unemployment problems in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Public and private sector institutions can identify policies and strategies to, increase the survival and growth rates of SMMEs if they have more information about the factors that constrain business performance, and the link between entrepreneurial quality and enterprise success. The owners of 44 agribusiness SMMEs in a stratified random sample of Ithala Development Finance Corporation (Ithala) clients in KZN were, therefore, surveyed during October 2003-February 2004 to identify what they perceive are constraints on business survival and growth, and how entrepreneurial quality affects business success (using loan repayment performance at Ithala as a proxy for success). Principal Component Analysis of 36 potential constraints ranked by the survey respondents identified eight dimensions of perceived constraints: A lack of access to services; funding constraints at enterprise start-up; a lack of management capacity in the enterprise; access to tender contracts; compliance costs associated with VAT and labour legislation; liquidity stress; a lack of collateral, and a lack of institutional (government and private sector) support. A lack of collateral and access to services seemed to affect the Retailer stratum relatively more, while Speculators considered lack of capital at start-up to be their major constraint. Harvester contractors and Processors seemed to be most affected by compliance costs, while Processors were especially prone to liquidity stress. Possible solutions to ease these constraints include the provision of appropriate infrastructure and training, development of innovative loan products to address cash flow and collateral issues, more transparent tendering processes, and policies to reduce the costs of compliance with legislation. An empirical logit model showed that strong energizer behaviours (current and planned business expansion and staff training) that reflect entrepreneurial quality, more business experience, and family assistance to become an entrepreneur, promote loan repayment (success), while a lack of access to electricity and training facilities increase the probability of loan default. This suggests that more focus on the personal characteristics of credit applicants and (again) the development of appropriate infrastructure and training services could help to promote the future success of agribusiness SMMEs in KZN. / Thesis (M.Sc.Agric.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

The co-owned Umfolozi Mill area has developed as an integrated supply chain. Cane supply reliability was identified as a potential area for productivity improvement at Umfolozi. It is important that the cane supply to a sugar mill arrives at a steady and reliable rate. A reliable cane supply ensures that the mill can operate at an optimum efficiency. Sugarcane supply reliability depends on how the mill area adapts to unforeseeable changes in the supply chain. An important aspect to this is the weather and how it affects the harvesting regimes. The sugarcane supply chain at Umfolozi is divided into two branches, road transport and tram transport. The trams account for 70 % of the cane delivered to the mill and the can is sourced from a climatically homogenous region. In the occurrence of a rainfall event of above 5 mm, infield harvesting cannot take place on the Umfolozi Flats; hence 70 % of the mill‟s supply is halted for one or more days. To address the problem, a stochastic model was created to simulate the effectiveness of an enlarged cane stockpile if it were maintained on the current tram sidings outside the mill and were crushed when wet weather prevented further harvesting. The stockpile was simulated on a first-in first-out principle and was able to supply the mill with enough cane to continue running for 24 hours. The model was then used to conduct a series of Monte Carlo simulations on which sensitivity analyses and economic feasibility assessments were carried out. Results show that the stockpile was effective in reducing the length of milling season and the number of no-cane stops. However, on further analysis into the implications of creating a stockpile it was found that 1% recoverable value (RV) was lost during the 24-hours that the cane is stored outside the mill. The loss in revenue as a result of the RV reduction had a negative impact on any savings created with the implementation of the stockpile. This result made apparent the negative impact of deterioration to the whole supply chain. Further research is required to determine more accurately the rate of deterioration, and therefore, quantify more accurately the losses that occur in the supply chain. A significant outcome of the study was the development of a mechanistic tool which drove decision making at Umfolozi Sugar Mill. It lead to the development of the modelling framework LOMZI, a simulations based framework which places more emphasis on environmental factors and risks. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

The term ‘autism’ was first used in 1906 to describe a condition in adults. The term was later used again in 1943 and 1944 by Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger respectively who used the term to describe symptoms found in children. Autism was a relatively unknown condition until the 1980s and 1990s when research on the condition began to increase. The increase in research and availability of information lead to a better understanding of autism and related disorders and there has since been an increase in the number of people diagnosed with 1 in 150 children being diagnosed with autism in South Africa. Autism manifests before 36 months of age with males being four times more susceptible to Autism Spectrum Disorders than females. Research available on autism and related conditions has focused largely on scientific studies in the attempt to discover a cause for the disorder and a cure for it. In recent years there has been an increase in parents writing about their experiences with their children who have autism, however very little literature is available on non-kin care-givers and their experiences in working with children with autism. This thesis provides a view into the world of the non-kin care-giver through research carried out at two school sites in the KwaZulu-Natal region. This research through participant observation and interviews aims to fill the gap in the literature regarding non-kin care-givers of children with autism. The study looks at why non-kin care-givers choose to work with children with autism, the stress and challenges associated with working with children with autism, the highlights and personal impacts of working with children with autism and why non-kin care-givers continue to work in this field. In addition this thesis looks at the experiences of parents of children with autism and as such aims to describe a symbolic journey that parents and non-kin care-givers embark on with autism. In order to understand this symbolic journey this thesis has used the theoretical framework of van Gennep’s (1960) Rites de Passage and Goffman’s (1969) Spoilt Identity and Stigma, analysing each stage of the participants involvement in relation to the concepts of separation, transition or liminality and finally incorporation. By using these theories to analyse the research findings this thesis argues for the formation of a group identity through shared experiences and understandings of autism and in this way for the creation of an Autism Community. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

The primary focus of this dissertation is to examine the proliferation of the Sufi Orders in the Durban area. The popularity of tasawwuf, (Islamic Spirituality) appears to be on the increase as manifested by the increase in the membership of the more established Sufi Orders as well as an increase in the emergence of new Sufi Orders. This study reviews the history, nature, characteristics and activities of the Sufi groups, and documents their growth over the last ten - twelve years. It also focuses on the reasons which could possibly account for such an increase and it asks the question "What motivates individuals to gravitate to Sufi Orders and groups?" / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.

Today, our Western world faces a paradoxical situation - at the height of technological mastery, architects often misinterpret the body as an object of architecture, which considers the body an unresponsive physical entity, that does not existentially engage with space. This dissertation draws attention to a generalised problem within the realm of architectural practise; the presupposition that in our age of massive industrial production, surreal consumption, euphoric communication, and simulated digital environments is promoting objective and standardised thought patterns. Twenty-first century ideals are moving away from tangibility, physicality, and meaning towards an age of hyperreality and ethereal superficiality whereby our bodily senses are becoming objects of ceaseless commercial manipulation and exploitation. Pallasmaa (1993), a phenomenological theorist whose ideologies make a large contribution to the body of this dissertation, questions whether further technological advancements are pre-empting our growth – or our inhibition – perceptually. He believes we live our lives in constructed spaces, surrounded by physical objects. “[but], born into this world of ‘things,’ are we able to experience the phenomena of their interrelation, to derive joy from our perception” (Pallasmaa, 1993: 40). This study was, therefore, motivated by notions of the subjective body; the body that moves, the body that feels, and the body the senses - in order to explore dialogue in architecture which is often disregarded; concepts such as beauty, essences, embodiment, and relationship (to name a few). The research, therefore, introduces an architecture which transcends fixed notions of style and emerging technologies; it emphasises the lived experiential realm of the built environment which places the human body and its sensations at the forefront of the design conception. Through both qualitative and quantitative research, this study focuses on the need to encourage and illustrate the pursuit of design - not as a project, imposing preconceived ideas upon a situation, but as a process evolving from the inside – from movement, sensation, surrounding, and dialogue between body and architecture. The aim of the research was essentially to investigate the relationship between architecture and the senses. The emphasis was, therefore, placed on the human embodied experience of sensory space. Three parameters of the sensory body were identified, namely: the ‘flesh’ body which introduces the universal role of the traditional five sense modalities in architecture; the environmentally sited body, which broadens the scope and palette of the senses by introducing environmental variations; and the culturally sited body, which identifies the notion of a ‘sixth sense’ - that which is culturally conditioned in order to understand concepts of meaning, memory, and cultural identity. Overall this dissertation identifies an attitude to architecture that recognises the value of the human body not only as an inspiration for design, but as the very reason for architecture to exist at all. The principal conclusion of this dissertation realises that conceiving of the body as a subject of architecture helps architects to appreciate that they build primarily to stimulate the subjective body, and gives credence to corporeal architecture which intensifies spatial experiences. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

The primary goal of development is to alleviate poverty, and thus improve people's lives. Co-operatives around the world are becoming used more regularly as a vehicle for such development. However, as a result of economic pressures, co-operatives have changed over the years, reflecting a more business-like approach in order to compete in a competitive market. As a result certain types of co-operatives come under the banner of 'new wave' co-operatives. This dissertation examines two such co-operatives and analyses what social and economic benefits accrue to individuals as a result of participating in rural co-operatives. It also reflects upon the 'managed' status of the co-operative and its implication for members. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1999.

The promotion of Local Economic Development (LED) increasingly involves the allocation of grant finance for project implementation. This finance is often provided on condition that the grant recipient commits a certain level of co-funding to the project. These co-funding requirements are essentially a risk-sharing mechanism used to avert the agency problems, namely adverse selection and moral hazard, which occur in the relationship between the funding programme and the grant beneficiaries. The purpose of this study is to examine whether these requirements are effective at achieving this aim and to determine their impact on the LED outcomes of various types of projects. This is undertaken through the comparative analysis of projects funded through the Gijima KwaZulu-Natal Local Competitiveness Fund Implementation Programme (LCFI), which provided grant funding for projects implemented by the private sector, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and local government. The findings indicate that co-funding has a positive impact on internally co-funded private sector projects and in this scenario is necessary to achieve optimal outcomes. Inversely, co-funding has a detrimental impact on projects implemented by non-profit groups in that it requires the attraction of funding from additional organisations whose finance conditions may not align to those of the principal donor. Finally, co-funding is ineffective when provided by government for the implementation of community projects due to the lack of risk it assumes. These findings have implications for the design of LED grant programmes and support the assertion that grant programme should be designed to efficiently reflect the objectives and risk preferences of the institutions they support. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

The aim of the study was to investigate the learners' and educators' perspectives of the nature and incidence of bullying in a semi-rural school in KwaZulu-Natal. In this study, a self-report questionnaire and a semi-structured interview schedule were used to elicit data on learners' and educators' perspectives of bullying in this particular context. A sample of 184 grade 7 learners (99 boys and 85 girls) and 13 educators (6 males and 7 females) were used. The grade 7 learners and educators completed self-report questionnaires. The data obtained was analysed through the use of frequencies and percentages. A qualitative understanding of this phenomenon was obtained through the semi-structured interviews conducted with the grade 7 educators (3 males and 2 females). The findings confirm that bullying is a problem at the school. It was also evident that bullying is manifested differently for both boys and girls. The study revealed that boys engage in physical form of bullying (hitting and kicking) and girls in more verbal form of bullying (name calling and spreading rumours). The playground and the toilets were identified as the most common location for the occurrence of bullying incidents. Although most learners reported being victims of bullying incidents in the school, very few chose to talk to educators about it. Although bullying is addressed by the educators as and when it occurs, the seriousness of the problem is overlooked. The findings suggest that until, the problem of bullying is recognized, by all stakeholders of the school community, the incidence of bullying will continue to increase. Appropriate strategies must be put into place so that the incidence of bullying is curbed to ensure a safe and secure environment in which effective teaching and learning can take place. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.