A spirituality which facilitates authentic liberation is one which intuits the evolutive nature of human development. Justice and compassion are biblical descriptions of a liberation effected by the Holy Spirit in and through persons. The development of persons towards being able to embrace such qualities is set within three interconnected paradigms: a theological paradigm, a psychological paradigm, and a socio-historical paradigm. The theological paradigm sees the creative process as continuing an evolutive movement towards the wholeness of persons, society and the cosmos. Within this, persons are defined as created co-creators with God, and are given the responsibility of participating in the process which will achieve this goal. This paradigm is reflected in the works of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin concerning the evolution of consciousness within each material form, towards union in God. The psychological paradigm suggests that the evolution of consciousness within persons gives rise to the probability of the emergence of levels of consciousness capable of initiating and sustaining the manifestation of justice and compassion. In this evolutive process a boundary is perceived by persons between the ego-body as 'self' and the environment as 'not-self'. This boundary prohibits the emergence of the qualities of justice and compassion in human consciousness. The developmental process is constituted by the integration of the 'not-self' into the 'self' at each stage, facilitating the emergence of a consciousness which takes responsibility for the environment as 'self'. The socio-historical paradigm is defined by the perspectives on the world held by the poor. The spirituality emerging from within this paradigm is initiated through encounter with Jesus. It is concretized in a preferential option for the empowerment of the poor, which facilitates and sustains the integration of 'self' and the environment. An examination of the Latin American base Christian communities shows the characteristics of Church life and structure which facilitate the Church becoming the locus of development towards authentic personal and social liberation. The structure of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa is evaluated in this light, in order to encourage clergy and laity to rise towards their full personhood in God.

Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) are non-enveloped DNA viruses, currently comprising 52 serotypes which are divided into seven species, designated A to G. The HAdVs are associated with a number of diseases affecting respiratory, urinary, gastrointestinal tracts and the eye. Human AdVs have increasingly been recognized as important pathogens in immunocompromised individuals. Human AdVs are ubiquitous in the environment resulting in the possible contamination of treated and untreated drinking water supplies by human secretions and excretions. As AdVs do not have an envelope, they are extremely resistant to inactivation, allowing for prolonged survival in the environment. The presence of AdVs in water sources is considered important, as they are exceptionally resistant to selected water treatment processes. Precise typing of HAdVs is, therefore, essential for epidemiological surveillance and the understanding of infection chains. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and genetic heterogeneity of HAdVs circulating in communities in selected regions of Africa compared to the rest of the world. It is also important to determine the genetic relationship between HAdVs strains occurring in water sources and those detected in human clinical specimens, as this may give some indication as to whether or not water sources are a potential source of infection. As part of ongoing surveillance in southern Africa of treated and untreated water sources for enteric viruses, 765 water samples were tested using a nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) for HAdVs. Of these samples, 65 (8.6%) water samples were positive for HAdVs, and selected samples were characterised. In the untreated water, HAdV-F was the dominant species (65.6%) and HAdV-D was second-most common (21.9%) species identified. Species HAdV–B, -A and –C were identified amongst the rest of the strains. From treated water, HAdV-D and –F were identified in one isolate each. Analysis of diarrhoeal stool specimens for HAdVs identified HAdV-F as the predominant species, comprising 77.8% of the identified strains, with species HAdV-C and –A less common, identified in 11.1% specimens. In the respiratory specimens from the same region, HAdV-C was identified in 28.6% of the specimens. Comparative genetic analysis of HAdVs from water sources and clinical specimens showed genetic relatedness between the strains. Water may therefore play an important role as source of infection in the surrounding communities. In developing countries, diarrhoea is a major cause of morbidity and mortality and after rotaviruses HAdVs are considered to be the second-most important cause of viral infantile diarrhoea. Samples also were available from Kenya, where there are very little data on the prevalence and distribution of HAdV serotypes associated with diarrhoea in paediatric patients. From Kenya, 278 stool specimens were analysed, of which 104 (43 diarrhoea; 61 non-diarrhoea) were from an urban hospice for human immunodefiency virus (HIV)-seropositive children, 94 from selected urban clinics and 80 from the rural setting. From these, the detection of HAdVs in diarrhoeal and non-diarrhoeal stool specimens was 43.3% and 16.4%, respectively. In the urban hospice setting, 43.3% of the stool specimens from HIV-seropositive children tested positive for HAdV. The overall detection of HAdVs species and genotypes in the stool specimens showed HAdV-D to predominate, being detected in 36.1% of specimens with HAdV-C (29.5%), HAdV-F (16.4%), HAdV-B (13.1%), and HAdV-A (6.5%) present in lower numbers. This study provided valuable new data on the prevalence and distribution of HAdV genotypes in diarrhoeal stool specimens in Africa. In this study where nucleotide sequence comparison was used to determine the genetic relatedness of African HAdVs to those from the rest of the world, it was noted that in most cases the African strains differed from those from the rest of the world. The use of molecular techniques for the detection and characterisation of HAdVs, especially in Kenyan cohorts, was of importance, as it provided new baseline data for further burden of disease studies which are necessary for future prevention and treatment programmes. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Medical Virology / unrestricted

The African Wild Silk moths (Gonometa spp., Lasiocampidae) are species that are presently of particular economic interest in southern Africa. Both Gonometa postica and G. rufobrunnea, two species of African Wild Silk moth native to southern Africa, have been shown to possess a silk fibre of exceptional quality. A small-scale cottage industry utilizing the silk of Gonometa species currently exists in southern Africa, yet a consistent complaint is the lack of supply of cocoons. The Gonometa species in southern Africa have been shown to exhibit large inter-annual population fluctuations. However, it is uncertain whether eruptions are only the result of local populations experiencing ideal conditions or whether current eruptions are initiated by dispersal of individuals from eruptive populations in previous generations. A second observation, regarding eruptions, is that they are patchily distributed at both the local (within outbreaks) and regional scale (across southern Africa). In this thesis I have studied population eruptions through distribution analysis of three years of presence/absence data, and through spatial and temporal population genetic analysis. The analysis of population genetic data allows the inference of population demographic parameters such as population size fluctuations and migrations. In particular, the use of microsatellite markers allows a high-resolution analysis of the connectivity of populations, and provides signal of population size fluctuations. I utilise both mitochondrial DNA control region sequences and polymorphic microsatellite loci to make inferences of population processes in G. postica, using a combination of both analytical and simulation model analysis approaches. The results, in general, indicate that dispersal of moths across South Africa is extensive. These results are further considered in light of the effects of population size fluctuations on spatial genetic pattern, where the potential exists for unstable population demography to influence the inference of dispersal from population genetic data. The population genetic analyses presented here allow the inference of the extent of a local population/outbreak, and the degree of movement between local populations. Given that a large-scale population dynamics project based on G. postica is currently under development, the results determine the geographical extent at which the population dynamics study should be conducted. Furthermore, the population genetics data generated will contribute to the construction of a population dynamics model, including abiotic and biotic variables, which will allow a better understanding of eruptions in this species. / Thesis (PhD (Genetics))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Genetics / unrestricted

ENGLISH: This thesis is a study of the microstructure of hair of southern African mammals, in particular of the Carnivora. It serves to fill a gap in knowledge of hair studies from this region, and points to the use of these studies in various fields. A major portion of the work is a hair atlas of southern African Carnivora, in which micrographs and coloured plates of hairs are presented with locality data and a descriptive text for each species. Although the findings of the atlas do not lend themselves to the formation of dichotomous key, it serves as a reference system and has proved useful in the identification of hairs from selected study areas where species distribution is defined. This is intended to form part of a comprehensive atlas which will include examples of all southern African mammal species. Techniques for studying hair structure are discussed and the micrographs of both thin and thick cross-sections are included to demonstrate the results of different methods used. The taxonomic importance of hair identification is well known and examples of this are discussed , mainly in regard to the smaller mammals, such as the Muridae. The extent to which hair morphology can be used as a taxonomic criterion varies with various groups however, but more often than not, by using a combination of parameters it is possible to differentiate many species. The identification of unknown hair samples has been discussed, with special reference to the highly practical field of epidemiology. Examples of both laboratory investigations, as well as field surveillance, in which hair identification is used have been cited as an important aspect of hair studies. The extent to which hair is related to ecology forms a broad field of study, and for this reason those situations where ecologically selective pressures are more clearly defined have been chosen for particular mention. Thus the aquatic habitat and the desert environment are discussed with reference to the hair types such as guard hairs, underfur, and the microstructure of hair as well as its mechanical and surface properties. Thermoregulation is referred to and arising out of this aspect a hypothesis is presented in which the part played by the medulla in the absorption of longwave infrared radiation is discussed.AFRIKAANS : Hierdie proefskrif handel oor 'n studie van die mikrostruktuur van die hare van soogdiere van suidelike Afrika en in besonder die van karnivore. Dit vul 'n leemte aan in ons kennis ocr haarstudies in hierdie gebied en dui op die gebruike van hierdie studies op verskillende terreine. 'n Groot deel van die werkstuk word beslaan deur 'n haaratlas van die karnivore van suidelike Afrika waarin mikrofotos en kleurplate van hare tesame met lokaliteitsdata en beskrywende teks vir elke spesie aangebied word. Alhoewel die bevindinge aangebied in die atlas hulle nie leen tot die opstelling van 'n tweedelige identifikasiesleutel nie, dien die atlas wel as 'n nuttige hulpmiddel vir die identifikasie van hare in sekere areas waar spesieverspreiding bekend is. Hierdie resultate sal uiteindelik deel uitmaak van 'n omvattende atlas oor die hare van soogdierspesies in suidelike Afrika . Tegnieke vir die studie van haarstruktuur word bespreek en mikrofotos van beide dun en dik dwarsnitte word ingesluit om die resultate wat met die verskillende metodes verkry is, te demonstreer. Die taksonomiese belang van haaridentifikasie is welbekend en voorbeelde hiervan word bespreek, veral wat die kleiner soogdier betref soos die Muridae. Die mate waartoe haarmorfologie as taksonomiese maatstaf gebruik kan word, varieer egter in die verskillende groepe maar gewoonlik, deur die gebruik van verskillende parameters, is dit moontlik om tussen baie spesies te onderskei. Identifikasie van haarmonsters van onbekende oorsprong word bespreek met spesiale verwysing na die hoogs praktiese veld van epidemiologie. Voorbeelde van laboratoriumondersoeke sowel as veldopnames waar haaridentifikasie gebruik is, word aangehaal as ‘n belangrike faset van haarstudies. Die verband tussen hare en ekologie behels ‘n breë studieveld en om die rede is toestande waar ekologiese selektiewe druk meer duidelik gedefineer is spesiaal vermeld. Die akwatiese habitat en woestynomgewing word dus bespreek met verwysing na haartipes soos beskermhare, onderpels en die mikrostruktuur van hare sowel as die meganiese en oppervlakte-eienskappe van hare. Daar word na termoregulering verwys en voortspruitend daaruit word 'n hipotese voorgestel waarin die bydrae van die medulla in die absorpsie van lang infra-rooi-radiasie bespreek word. Copyright / Thesis (DSc)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Zoology and Entomology / unrestricted

The Lake Kariba catchment area in southern Africa has one of the most variable climates of any major river basin, with an extreme range of conditions across the catchment and through time. The study characterized rainfall variability across the Lake Kariba catchment area, followed by describing prediction models for seasonal rainfall totals over the catchment and for inflows into Lake Kariba. The thesis therefore improved our understanding of rainfall variations over central southern Africa and provided evidence on how seasonal forecasts can be applied in order to potentially improve decision making in dam management. The prediction of the seasons in which floods or droughts are most likely to occur involves studying the characteristics of rainfall and inflows within these extreme seasons. The study started off by analyzing monthly rainfall data through statistical analysis. To determine the predictability of seasonal rainfall totals over the Lake Kariba catchment area, this study used low-level atmospheric circulation of a fully coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model over southern Africa, statistically downscaled to seasonal rainfall totals over the catchment. The verification of hindcasts showed that rainfall over the catchment is predictable at extended lead-times. Seasonal climate forecasts need to be integrated into application models in order to help with decision-making processes. The use of hydro-meteorological models may be proven effective for reservoir operations since accurate and reliable prediction of reservoir inflows can provide balanced solution to the problems faced by dam or reservoir managers. In order to reliably predict reservoir inflows for decision-making, the study investigated the use of a combination of physical and empirical models to predict seasonal inflows into the Lake. Two predictions systems were considered. First, antecedent seasonal rainfall totals over the upper Zambezi catchment were used as predictors in a statistical model for estimating seasonal inflows into Lake Kariba. The second and more sophisticated method used predicted low-level atmospheric circulation of a coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model downscaled to the inflows. Inflow hindcasts performed best during the austral mid-summer season of DJF (seasonal onset of inflows) and the autumn season of MAM (main inflow season). / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / gm2015 / Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology / PhD / Unrestricted

Magister Commercii - MCom / Regionalism has become a prominent feature of the current international landscape. During the last decade and a half there has been an increasing number of countries that opted to form regional blocs. 1 Developing countries fear of marginalisation and their need to be part of a larger economic entity has been an important motivation in signing regional trade agreements (RTA's).

Severe flooding events in subtropical southern Africa are not uncommon and can cause damage to infrastructure, lead to huge economic losses, and fatalities. Although extreme rainfall events can have far-reaching negative consequences, they can also provide large amounts of freshwater within a short time span, which supports the rain-fed farming upon which much of the population depends. However, the mechanisms through which extreme rainfall is produced in southern Africa are still not well understood. In particular, relatively little is known about where the moisture, a key ingredient in the rainfall, is sourced and how it is transported into the region. This thesis aims to address some of the gaps in this understanding by examining the moisture sources and subsequent moisture transport moisture into one of the key river basins in southern Africa, the Limpopo River Basin (LRB). The LRB, located in eastern southern Africa and spanning four countries, has experienced a number of extreme flooding events over the last three decades. Using CHIRPS satellite merged rainfall data for 1981-2016, the thesis identified the top 200 heavy extreme rainfall events in the LRB and the associated weather systems. It was found that tropicalextratropical cloud bands account for almost half of the events and tropical lows are responsible for just over a quarter. The remaining quarter of the events are associated with mesoscale convective systems and cut-off lows, the latter more important during transition seasons. Most of the events occur in the late summer when tropical lows and cloud bands are more common. Some relationships between the frequency of heavy rainfall events over the LRB and interannual climate modes of variability such as ENSO, SIOD, and SAM were found. Having examined the annual cycle of the top 200 heavy rainfall events, the analysis then applied the Lagrangian trajectory model HYSPLIT, with NCEP II reanalysis data as input, to backtrack air parcels from the LRB to their moisture source on seasonal scales and in terms of the types of weather systems involved. The resulting trajectories show that the seasonal transport of moisture over the LRB originates from seven moisture source regions; namely, local continental, tropical southeast Atlantic Ocean, midlatitude South Atlantic Ocean, tropical Northwest Indian Ocean, tropical southwest Indian Ocean, subtropical southwest Indian Ocean, and the Agulhas Current. Important differences in moisture source regions and pathways exist between early (OctoberDecember) and late (January-April) summers, with the tropical northwestern Indian Ocean and the northern Agulhas Current sources more prominent during JFMA than OND. Generally, moisture v source regions and transport pathways for LRB tend to be influenced by both the regional summer season circulation and the synoptic systems involved. Thus, it was found that cloud band and tropical low events within the top 200 tend to have the Congo Basin as an important moisture source whereas this source is less evident for cut-off low events. To help assess the robustness of the composite synoptic approach, the final part of the thesis applied the Lagrangian analysis to the most severe case in the top 200 events over the LRB (11- 21 January 2013). It was found that this case was largely linked to three main moisture sources: (1) tropical northwest Indian Ocean, (2) the Agulhas Current / Mozambique Channel, subtropical Southwest Indian Ocean, and (3) continental sources over the Congo Basin and northern Tanzania. Generally, the moisture source regions and pathways for the January 2013 event agreed with the climatological moisture source regions over the LRB, apart from the obvious absence of the tropical southeast Atlantic source in this case. In general, the thesis has provided a better understanding of the characteristics of heavy rainfall events over the LRB in terms of their associated weather systems, seasonality, interannual variability, and moisture source regions and trajectories.

Magister Economicae - MEcon / This study is an evaluation of development strategies that have been followed in South Africa. Lebowa is used as a case study for an assessment of the present strategy. The basic question is whether or not it is economically, politically and socially effective to follow the "homeland" development strategy. This approach places "homeland" states within confined political borders. Development policies are also confined to these borders. An alternative is to follow a broader regional development strategy, that spans across both political and economic borders. This may provide a more feasible approach to development. The present regional pattern of development, which focuses mainly on industrial decentralization, is discussed. The evaluation of the present strategy explores various other alternatives which may provide for a more effective regional development policy. In this context an assessment of 'backward regions/homelands' is provided. The central problem addressed is the country or 'homeland' versus regional orientation. To understand the problem, the core-periphery view on South Africa's regional growth pattern, is utilized. The PWV, Durban/ Pinetown and the Cape metropole areas may be taken as "core", where most of the economic activity takes place. One can also distinguish between the "inner-periphery", which is close to the core, and the "outer-periphery", further away from the core and which includes the Black Homelands. This core-periphery approach provides an understanding of the polarisation effect, which results in the "homelands" becoming poorer, whilst the urban areas grow richer. The main criticism of the of the modernisation or diffusionist approach is that the "trickle-down" or spread-effect from the core to the other regions does not really take place. Thus, regional aspirations are not satisfied. The South African Government's attempts to counter some of the forces of concentration have been questionable. Within the context of the diffusionist paradigm, trickle-down effects have not occurred because of the super-imposition of a political ideology onto this approach. Rather these areas are the result of polarization (re-inforced by political consideration) brought about by the concept of separate development. It is clear that South Africa's approach to regional development is in a process of change. This is mainly due to the failure of the "homelands" strategy. Since the mid 1970's it has become increasingly clear that the "homelands" could not really become economically independent (and internationally recognised), and development strategy concentrating on each that the uneconomic and inefficient."homeland" would be uneconomists critical of this unified economy. planners and politicians. approach have suggested that the whole South African economy should be planned as one economy, even if the homelands still maintain political independence. The nine development region mapping of South Africa, Regions A - J, came about as a result of attempting to address South Africa as a more unified economy. Up to now, the proposed role of the regions have not been clearly stated

Magister Artium - MA / The study of gender is crucial for the achievement and sustainability of the democratic ethos in Southern Africa. The substantial·literature in this field attests· to this notion1 '. It could help us understand why certain gender stereotypes are viewed by societies as given.rat could also help us explain such problems as the unequal representation in most political structures, and the gendered labour system!. In addition, as the quotation a~ove suggests, the way we talk has gender connotations of which most people are unaware. Many males however, distance themselves from public debates on gender issues on the grounds that gender is about women.

Investigates how the SADC achieves trade liberalisation and ensure human rights protection in SADC at the same time. Discusses how the right–based approach on trade can successfully be used as a tool for the advancement of human rights in the SADC context. / A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Law University of Pretoria, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Law (LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa). Prepared under the supervision of Prof Fredrick Jjuuko, Faculty of Law, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. / LLM Dissertation (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa -- University of Pretoria, 2009. / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/ / Centre for Human Rights / LLM