Kenya is a country with high energy poverty rates while millions of people, especially in the rural areas, rely on kerosene lamps as a source of lighting. The usage of kerosene is linked with the degradation of different social and economic aspects and parameters, such as health, education, income etc. At the same time, grid extension and connection to that require a very high capital. In other words, the state’s limited financial resources do not allow the sustainable development of rural electrification while rural families cannot afford the installation and consumption costs of electricity in the areas where the national grid has reached. The latest years, alternative solutions to grid connection such as solar lamps, larger solar kits and microgrids have made their appearance in Kenya and they offer the opportunity to people to turn into cleaner and healthier sources of lighting and electricity. This MSc thesis has two goals. The first one is to measure and quantify various differences on socio-economic parameters between kerosene lamps and solar lantern users. The second one is to identify, design and compare alternative solutions to grid extension for rural electrification. Therefore, this work is separated in two parts. The first part is a socio-economic impact study, conducted in Kenya between May and July 2014 as an interview survey. The second part is a techno-economic comparative study between the different alternatives for rural electrification that exist nowadays in Kenya, which has as a base the designing and sizing of renewable energy microgrids for five remote communities in the country. The results of the socio-economic study showed that the source of lighting has a great impact on people’s quality of life, aspects of development and escape from poverty. Families that use solar lanterns recorded better education, health and income levels while the kerosene lamp usage seem to have great connection to drudgery, high expenditures, bad school grades and degraded living conditions. As far as the techno-economic comparative study is concerned, it has been shown that both solar lanterns and microgrids have a significantly lower cost in comparison to the respective expenditures of rural families in Kenya for kerosene lamps and fuel. As a result these technologies are able to cover the gab that is left by the low or zero rates of grid extension in remote areas and they can be an affordable, healthier and more sustainable solution for those rural households that rely on kerosene as a source of lighting and lack at the same time access to essential services such as phone charging, radios and other appliances.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This research project explored the learning experiences of two groups of first-year students in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, University of the Western Cape during the course of 2009/2010. The aim was to obtain insight into the learning challenges that these students encountered and the reasons why some of them were less successful in the learning process, while others were successful. The perspective of this study was therefore student centred. The project was undertaken against the backdrop of a higher education institution that caters mainly for so-called 'disadvantaged' and 'underprepared' students. Such students come predominantly from marginalised and poorly resourced education environments and socio-economic backgrounds, which suggests that they would find higher learning challenging and, as a result, would most likely experience failure in the learning process. The objective of the research project was two-fold: firstly, to identify and determine which factors have an impact on failure or successful completion of the first year of study in this faculty; and secondly, to derive from the data a socially situated, supportive and holistic learning approach that could assist more students to be successful in the learning process. The argument in the study was that learning is socially situated and constructed. To realise the objective, Vygotsky's social cultural theory and Bandura's social cognitive theory were used as theoretical orientation of the study. This qualitative, interpretive inquiry was characterised by multiple data collection methods. Qualitative data concerning the perceptions of the participants were generated via written reflective pieces, a questionnaire and individual interviews and content analysis. In addition, quantitative data were collected and this further contributed to the triangulation of rich, in-depth data. An 'open coding' strategy for the content analysis was used, but the approach for the analysis was not purely inductive. A student-centred analytical framework based in part on theories and findings of five studies conducted on student learning, failures and dropouts, and the context of UWC as HSU served as a framework for the analysis but new subthemes also emerged from the data collected The results of these two Case studies revealed that some of the students experienced multiple learning challenges simultaneously which increased in severity during the course of the academic year, and that, in Case 1, these challenges became too overwhelming and severe for the students and that was why they were less successful; while in Case 2, the students managed to overcome and deal with these challenges successfully. The findings of this project, while specific to the context in which it was undertaken, contribute to the growing body of knowledge in the field of higher education and in the identification of enabling factors that could assist more students to be successful in their first year of study at a higher education institution. The findings provide guidelines for a socially situated, supportive and holistic learning approach that could help higher education institutions to mitigate the cumulative effects of learning on students' personal, academic and social lives.

This research explores the potential role of intermediaries in the implementation of socioeconomic development (SED) benefits through the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPPP) in low-income communities. SED benefits are a procurement requirement that forms part of REIPPPP's Economic Development scorecard and are required to be implemented in identified beneficiary communities, with the aim of improving livelihoods in such communities. Literature points to the fact that, community development is not a function of the private sector and that intermediaries can have success in partnering with communities in their quest for development. This research is approached through a qualitative inductive study of a case study. The case study is Project90by2030, a not-for-profit organisation (NPO) and public benefit organisation (PBO) that is focused on the mobilisation of and advocacy for clean energy in energy poor lowincome communities. The research pays attention to the organisation's community development approach and what possible learning benefits there could be for the REIPPPP. Interviews were held with community participants and facilitators of the Community Partnership Programme of the organisation. The research finds that low-income communities experience exclusion and inequality and identifies the agents of the said exclusion and inequality. This thesis argues that intermediaries can play an important role to bridge inequality of agency and other power dynamics that work to the detriment of the empowerment of low-income communities. It concludes that socio-economic community development is a contribution to society that business should pursue, with the support of intermediaries and with local government as a key strategic partner.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Hydrogeological characterization of an aquifer system is a first step to determine groundwater quantity, yield potential, socio-economic value, storage capacity and aquifer transmissivity properties of an aquifer as a water resource. Derivative analysis is a technique that has been used to understand groundwater flow systems. This is mainly because derivative analysis of pumping test data and curve matching improves the understanding of aquifer types and hydrogeologic setting of a study site. Time vs drawdown curves produced through pumping tests serve as the most useful tools to analyse aquifer characteristics. The study was conducted through performing pumping test in boreholes of hospital facilities in the Western Cape drilled on the TMG and Malmesbury formation. / 2023

Magister Administrationis - MAdmin / The study aims to investigate whether delays occur within the pipeline of pension pay-outs, where these delays occur and what the policy implementations and management gaps are within the pension administration system. The study intends to produce findings that assist in reducing the aforementioned delays and increasing efficiency. The specific objectives of the study are threefold. Firstly, the study intends to outline the Government Pension Administration Agency’s (GPAA) current policy and pipeline of procedures with specific reference to pension pay-out times. Secondly, it will identify pension pay-out delays and trends with reference to categories and periods of delay. Finally, it will identify the major areas of complaints, pipeline problems and constraints. The methodology used is both a qualitative document analysis (QDA) and a descriptive analysis of the data. It is appropriate, suitable, cost-effective and common for desktop research. The corroboration of findings and confluence of evidence give credibility and thus triangulation of information is of immense value. The limitation of methodology, findings and results is specific to the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) which is the largest employer in the Western Cape Province. This study found that the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) and the GPAA adopted New Public Management (NPM) values and strategies. Furthermore, pension pay-outs exceeding 60 days have been reduced when compared to the period prior to modernisation in 2010. Despite this, delays in payment remain very high. Internal sources include the GEPF Benefits Admin Committee; email and / or telephonic portals (GEPF Call Centre – reactive). External sources include the Public Protector and the Presidential hotline. Finally, total interest paid on late payments in 2010 was R1,054 billion and increased to R1,901 billion by 2017. The implication of these findings is expected to be further reductions in waiting times, as modernisation of the organisation continues. However, this cannot be a foregone conclusion because it will depend on the management of implementation.

Purpose – This research is investigating the Swedish banks transitioning to cashless bank offices. The investigation is carried out to fully understand the reasons behind the transition and what impacts it brought upon the stakeholders affected by it. The purpose of this is to analyze the transition for social and economic effects so that it can be concluded whether the transition was a move towards sustainable banking.  Method – The researchers carried out a case study at one of the biggest banks in Sweden. The empirical data for the research was collected through qualitative interviews and a survey with the bank’s employees as participants.  Findings – Several reasons for the transition to cashless banking were found. Both positive and negative effects brought up on stakeholders were also illuminated from the transition. The transition could not be deemed entirely as a move towards sustainable banking due to negative effects on stakeholders. However, it provides important information about the negative impacts and the stakeholders affected.  Implications – No clear answers can be provided due to many interrelated factors that are surrounding the transition, further studies need to be made to which are more focused on each the role of each and one of these factors.  Limitations – The case study is carried out in the Swedish banking sector, therefore, is geographically limited to Sweden as the transition might be different in different societies. The research is investigating the social and economic impacts brought by the cashless transition. Thus, the findings do not provide data regarding environmental impacts.

Introduction: Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is a serious public health concern globally especially in developing countries like South Africa. The main source from which infants acquire the causative bacteria - Mutans Streptococci (MS) is their mothers. The mothers with high levels of MS have a greater chance of transmitting the bacteria, particularly if they are involved in practices such as tasting the infant’s food and/or sharing eating utensils. Current research indicates that dental public health programmes fail to prevent ECC because of late intervention. Objective: This study sought to determine the existing knowledge, attitudes and perceptions (KAP) of pregnant women about ECC in a population in Tshwane district, Gauteng province, South Africa and to compare these KAP across socio-economic groups (SES). Methodology: A cross-sectional analytical study involving consenting pregnant women recruited from selected private and public antenatal healthcare facilities in the Tshwane District area was conducted. This study involved the use of a validated self-administered structured questionnaire and an oral epidemiological clinical examination (modified by WHO Oral Health Assessment 1997 Guidelines). One calibrated examiner using a dental explorer and a mouth mirror under natural light carried out the oral examination. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, principal component analysis to obtain a composite score for participant’s attitude towards ECC; and chi-square and independent student’s T-test to compare different groups. Significance level was set at p<0.05. Results: Response rate was 88.9% (n=353). Respondents’ age ranged from 18-44years (Mean age=31years). Only 18.7% of the respondents had complete knowledge of the cause of dental caries i.e. both sugar (diet) and biologic agent (bacterial plaque) whilst over half of the respondents (55.5%) mentioned only one factor. The participants’ knowledge of the cause of ECC was significantly associated with SES. A few mothers-to-be (13.9%) believed in the caries transmission from mother to child. Reported mean age for the child’s first dental visit was 2 years and 8 months. Only a quarter of respondents received oral health education for their unborn child during the antenatal visits. The majority of the pregnant women (93.8%) expressed the desire to receive information during the antenatal visit. The participants’ attitudes towards ECC was significantly associated with SES. The caries prevalence of the pregnant women was high at 64.3%, with mean DMFT of 2.97(SD 3.20). High participant DMFT was significantly associated with reports of ‘rotten teeth’ in their other children. Only 19.3% mothers-to-be had visited a dental care provider in the last 6-months. Conclusion: The knowledge of the pregnant women studied on ECC is incomplete and limited, while their attitudes and perceptions towards ECC was satisfactory. Therefore there is a need for the integration of oral health education with maternal and child health activities in both antenatal and post-natal clinics. There is a need for the oral health professionals to collaborate with other health works to reduce the prevalence of ECC. / Dissertation (MSc Dent)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Community Dentistry / MSc Dent / Unrestricted

Magister Legum - LLM / This study explores the nexus between gender inequality and food security through the lens of female students at tertiary institutions in South Africa. It aims to highlight the gendered dimensions of the political, socio-economic and cultural structures contributing to South Africa’s national food crisis. In so doing, it argues that legislation on the right to food with specific gender considerations is essential for ensuring food security for female students on campuses in particular and women in general.

The dissertation thesis focuses on the economic view of interventions in the extensive brownfields, ie uninhabited parts of cities, abandoned halls, buildings, industrial zones. It monitors the factors influencing their regeneration, deals with ecological and related financial issues. It examines the possibilities and ways of financing the recovery of these abandoned and unused areas. The work demonstrates the suitability of using the CBA method to determine the economic efficiency of brownfields regeneration projects. Whether the regeneration of brownfields is economically efficient, establishes a new indicator cef as the difference between the financial and economic profitability of the project. The work verifies the suitability of using the indicator on a research sample of 28 implemented brownfield regeneration projects. At the end of the thesis, the expected value of the social benefit of Monte Carlo is determined with the support of the Crystal Ball simulation software.

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