>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Wetlands are unique ecosystems that are acknowledged among the world’s most productive and valuable ecosystems. They are recognized as being essential to sustainable development and human welfare due to their unique environmental and socio-economic value. These highly productive ecosystems provide functions such as recycling of nutrients, watershed protection and flood control as well as grazing resources. Wetlands provide the basis for human livelihoods in Africa through ecosystem services. However, these ecosystems are affected by internal and external factors within and outside their catchments, hence the importance of monitoring those changes around these wetlands. The aim of this study was to identify the major land use and land cover changes (LULC) from two selected wetlands (i.e. Makuleke and Nyslvei) and their impacts on water quality within the Limpopo Transboundary River Basin, South Africa. To achieve this aim, firstly the study assessed the impacts of LULC changes on these two wetlands between 2014 and 2018. Multi-date Landsat series data were used to map and estimate the rate of LULC changes in Makuleke and Nylsvlei wetland ecosystems during the study period. The results obtained showed that the spatial extent of Makuleke declined by 2% between 2014 and 2018, whereas the Nylsvlei wetland decreased by 3%. Some of the noticeable changes were that the coverage of natural vegetation tends to increase during the wet seasons. Secondly, Chlorophyll-a was predicted and mapped for Makuleke and Nysvlei between September 2018 and June 2019. Moderate resolution Landsat 8 images and in-situ field measurements were used to estimate and map chlorophyll-a concentrations from these two wetlands. Landsat-derived chlorophyll-a concentrations were validated using field-derived chlorophyll-a measurements. The results showed a variation of chl-a concentration in these two wetlands, with Makuleke wetlands concentrations ranging from 0 to 1.15 μg/L whereas for Nylsvlei wetland the ranges varied between 0 and 1.42μg/L. The finding of this study can be used in enforcing of wetland legislation and LULC management practices and highlights the relevance of remotely sensed data in assessing and routine monitoring wetland water quality.

This dissertation presents research on the value of using different sources of data to explore the factors determining invasiveness of introduced species. The research draws upon the availability of data on the historical trial plantings of alien species and other sources. The focus of the study is on Australian Acacia species as a taxon introduced into southern Africa (Lesotho, South Africa and Swaziland). The first component of the study focused on understanding the factors determining introduction outcome of species in historical trial plantings and invasion success of Australian Acacia species using Species Distribution Models (SDMs) and classification tree techniques. SDMs were calibrated using the native range occurrence records (Australia) and were validated using results of 150 years of South African government forestry trial planting records and invaded range data from the Southern African Plant Invaders Atlas. To understand factors associated with survival (‘trial success’) or failure to survive (‘trial failure’) of species in historical trial plantings, classification and regression tree analysis was used. The results indicate climate as one of the factors that explains introduction and/or invasion success of Australian Acacia species in southern Africa. However, the results also indicate that for ‘trial failures’ there are factors other than climate that could have influenced the trial outcome. This study emphasizes the need to integrate data on whether the species has been recorded to be invasive elsewhere with climate matching for invasion risk assessment. The second component of the study focused on understanding the distribution patterns of Australian Acacia species that are not known as invasive in southern Africa. The specific aims were to determine which species still exist at previously recorded sites and determine the current invasion status. This was done by collating data from different sources that list species introduced into southern Africa and then conducting revisits. For the purpose of this study, revisits means conducting field surveys based on recorded occurrences of introduced species. The known occurrence data for species on the list were obtained from different data sources and various invasion biology experts. As it was not practical to do revisits for all species on the list, three ornamental species (Acacia floribunda, A. pendula and A. retinodes) were selected as part of the pilot study for the conducted revisits in this study. Acacia retinodes trees were not found during the revisits. The results provided data that could be used to characterize species based on the Blackburn et al., (2011) scheme. However, it is not clear whether observed Acacia pendula or A. floribunda trees will spread away from the sites hence the need to continuously monitor sites for spread. The methods used in this research establish a protocol for future work on conducting revisits at known localities of introduced species to determine their population dynamics and thereby characterize the species according to the scheme for management purposes. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / National Research Foundation (NRF) / Zoology and Entomology / MSc (Zoology) / Unrestricted

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (in the field of ICT Policy and Regulation), October 2017 / Spectrum management reforms involve a departure from state-commanded administrative methods to market-driven property rights and or technology-enabled spectrum commons. This study explores spectrum management reforms that have been undertaken in the last decade, between 2006 and 2016, in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, with specific focus on the mobile broadband (MBB) industry. As a result, only spectrum bands allocated to terrestrial mobile and identified for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in ITU Region 1 (Europe, Middle East and Africa) were considered. The purpose was to firstly analyse the progress thus far in reforming spectrum management practice in the region and secondly to critically analyse the effects of these reforms on the MBB industry in SADC within the framework of high demand for more spectrum as the cornerstone for rapid diffusion of MBB. Using a constructivist case study methodology, qualitative research was conducted in three SADC countries, namely, Botswana, Zambia and South Africa, representing small, medium and large markets respectively. The study draws on published documents such as policies, legislation, regulations and directly from individuals tasked with spectrum management in public and private sector organisations in these countries. The findings reveal that several market-driven reforms such as technology and service neutrality, spectrum re-farming and administrative incentive pricing (AIP), together with technology-enabled reforms such as commons or license-exempt spectrum for MBB technologies are all becoming widespread in the region. However, secondary trading and auctions have been stillborn concepts, partly due to market concentration concerns and appropriateness issues. The artificial scarcity of MBB spectrum supply in SADC is laid bare against a backdrop of general scarcity for demand and a discord over how this spectrum should be assigned and to whom. Vast amounts of allocated mobile spectrum in SADC lie fallow or are encumbered by other services such as broadcasting or at times are historically assigned to Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) applications. Analysis of the data from these three country case study provides insights that may be relevant to many other countries in the region. In conclusion, the study advances that the implementation of spectrum management reforms should be nuanced as these can impact, positively or negatively, on the distributive agenda of government. This research further advances knowledge by positing a novel conceptual framework for spectrum management reform based on the finding that the latter is not a binary exercise of a departure from administrative approach to either a market-driven or a technology-enabled one. However, spectrum management reform can be a continuum on which different elements of administrative, market-driven and technology-enabled approaches can be applied to varying degrees, depending on the respective country’s context. / XL2019

The main objective of this thesis is to investigate corporate governance practices in South Africa listed companies. Specifically, the thesis strives to achieve the following objectives. First, it investigates the extent of compliance with the best corporate governance practices as recommended by the King Committee on Corporate Governance prior to and post 2002 in order to understand whether there is improvement in corporate practices. Second the thesis investigates whether compliance with the best corporate governance practices are related to ethnicity of board structures (in particular Board Chairman, Board Dominance and Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director) and other factors such as company characteristics, market and performance related variables. Third it investigates the views/opinions of key stakeholders [e.g. regulators, King Code Commissioners, companies and institutional investors] regarding the state of corporate governance in SA and its influence in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The findings from regression results indicate that compliance with the King Code increased substantially between 2002 and 2008. The results also indicate that compliance is high for accounting and auditing and boards and directors issues and lowest for integrated sustainability reporting issues. The findings also indicate that ethnicity influences corporate compliance with best practice governance principles such as the King Code, as per prediction. Compliance was also found to be high for large firms, firms with multiple listings in other stock exchanges and firms audited by Big 4 audit firms. Finally, the findings from the views of key stakeholders indicate that the Code has indeed improved corporate governance standards in South Africa, is suitable for the country because of its consideration of local circumstances and influences corporate practice in the SADC region.

The impetus for regional integration draws its rationale from the standard international trade theory, which states that free trade is beneficial to all. Free trade among two or more countries or preferential trade will improve the welfare of the member countries as long as the arrangement leads to a net trade creation in the Vinerian sense. The history of regional economic integration in Southern Africa (SADC) reveals that it has not yet achieved the economic benefits that are attributable to developing regions, namely: higher levels of welfare exemplified by low poverty levels, economic development and industrialisation. Regional economic integration in Southern Africa is constrained by high tariff and non-tariff barriers, archaic infrastructures and multiple memberships among different regional economic communities. A SADC-wide customs union can be successful, provided that countries are allowed to join, when their economies have adjusted and the South African Customs Union (SACU) is used as a nucleus. / Economics / M. A. (Economics)

The impetus for regional integration draws its rationale from the standard international trade theory, which states that free trade is beneficial to all. Free trade among two or more countries or preferential trade will improve the welfare of the member countries as long as the arrangement leads to a net trade creation in the Vinerian sense. The history of regional economic integration in Southern Africa (SADC) reveals that it has not yet achieved the economic benefits that are attributable to developing regions, namely: higher levels of welfare exemplified by low poverty levels, economic development and industrialisation. Regional economic integration in Southern Africa is constrained by high tariff and non-tariff barriers, archaic infrastructures and multiple memberships among different regional economic communities. A SADC-wide customs union can be successful, provided that countries are allowed to join, when their economies have adjusted and the South African Customs Union (SACU) is used as a nucleus. / Economics / M. A. (Economics)

The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which existing law could provide a legal basis for the protection of cross-border, climate change displaced persons, with a particular focus on Southern Africa. Before such an analysis can be made, however, it is important first to determine what climate change displacement exactly implies. By means of integrating and refining existing legal terminology and ideas the study attempts to disentangle the international contention on the subject and proposes that individuals who are forced from their countries of habitual residence as a reaction primarily to climatic push factors which pose an existential threat to their right to life are most in need of protection and may be referred to as cross-border climate change displaced persons. As climate change displacement is expected to occur primarily on the sub-regional geopolitical level of governance, the inclusion of regional, AU, and sub-regional, SADC, elements is important for the practical feasibility of this study. Southern Africa's particular vulnerability to the effects of climate change, making the advent of large numbers of climate change displaced persons in the area a reasonable prediction for the future, further justifies this study's chosen scope. After analysing the different legal branches of refugee law, human rights law and environmental law for each geopolitical level of governance referred to, this study concludes that: While there are several potential provisions in law that could provide protection to persons displaced by climate change, a sufficient protection framework can be derived only from the composite characteristics of different branches of law. Therefore, it is recommended that a matrix approach is followed when providing legal protection to climate change displaced persons. Because different fields of law provide more prominent protection in different spheres of governance, it is also recommended that the configuration of a legal protection matrix be adjustable to particular circumstances. It is therefore suggested that a legal protection mechanism is developed for each geopolitical sphere, and that different mechanisms are coordinated internationally. / LLM (Environmental Law and Governance), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Politics in an organisation is an inevitable element in organisation management. The Southern African Development Community (SADC)’s national electricity providers have been subject to an increasingly intense organisational politics cancer for almost two decades, and it is commonly believed to be behind the current electricity generation crisis that has become synonymous within the SADC region. The electricity challenges have spread to most countries in Africa, making the challenge applicable to Africa as a continent. Even on a global scale, electricity crises are increasingly becoming a matter of concern. Economies the world over are known to be heavily reliant on electricity as an energy source. Most if not all economies would be dysfunctional and non-existent without adequate electricity. This study focuses on organisational politics and its impact on managerial practices at a national electricity provider in a SADC region, in particular, Zimbabwe’s national electricity provider and specifically aims to provide a conceptual framework for better cognition and minimisation of negative political behaviour, ultimately enhancing electricity generation capacity for the country. The study is presented in article format covering four areas of study as follows: * Article one identifies the main role-players and their functions in the generation of electrical power at the national electricity providers. The identification of the role-players is literature based and discusses the influences of the role-players in the equation of electricity generation for the economy. A biographical profile of the national electricity provider is compiled by means of an empirical study. * The second article explores and interrogates employees’ perceptions of organisational politics by employing both theoretical and empirical study focusing on the causes/sources of political behaviour at the national electricity provider. * The third article investigates the effects of organisational politics at the national electricity provider focusing on the positive and negative effects. The article also employs both a literature and an empirical study. * The final article provides solutions to the negative effects of organisational politics. It investigates the managerial practices for minimising negative political behaviour through a review of literature as well as undertaking an empirical study. A sample of 1400 participants was randomly selected from the population of 2210 employees, representing 63.35% of the population. A total of 358 completed questionnaires were returned by the cut-off date. Of the 358, 11 were discarded as they were incorrectly completed, giving an effective response rate of 24.78%. The study employed the statistical software programme SPSS 21.0 for Windows to analyse the data. Various quantitative statistical techniques that suit the doctoral level of research were used to analyse the data. The techniques include: * Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy; * Exploratory factor analysis * Bartlett’s test of sphericity; and * Cronbach Alpha’s reliability coefficient. The major findings of the study were: * The first article identified the main role-players within the national electricity provider’s political environment as: employees, managers; government; and board of directors. Central to the political environment, are diverse goals from each role-player which in most cases is incongruent, giving birth to the political tempo (organisational politics) within the organisation. * The second article identified four significant factors perceived as contributing to political behaviour at the national electricity provider. The factors are managerial behaviour, poor communication of objectives, unexpected employee behaviour and unhealthy managerial practices. These factors account for a favourable variance of 74.26. * The third article identified three factors of significance that explain the effects of political behaviour at the national electricity provider. These factors account for a favourable variance of 74.67%, and the factors include positive departmental actions, negative employee actions and personal consequences. * The final article sought to provide measures for minimising negative effects of political behaviour, thus the article identified two factors of importance in minimising negative political behaviour at the national electricity provider. These factors are managerial fairness and managerial participation accounting for 70.11% of the total variance. Organisational politics, by and large, impedes organisational performance and in the case of the national electricity provider, it retards the power utility’s capacity to generate the much needed electrical power. Thus an integrated organisational strategy is required to successfully harness negative political behaviour into some significant positive factors that can create a conducive work environment that enhances performance ultimately increasing productivity levels. While the findings of the study holds true of the fact that some political behaviour factors have a hand in the national electricity provider’s inability to generate adequate electrical power, further research is needed to substantiate these factors in other regions of the national electricity provider within Zimbabwe as well as in SADC countries. A SADC approach encompassing all the member countries can help reduce negative political behaviour in key organisations such as the national electricity providers and other parastatals. The study concludes by proposing a comprehensive conceptual organisational politics management model (OPMM) which can be used by managers at the national electricity providers to reduce negative political behaviour. / PhD (Business Administration), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which existing law could provide a legal basis for the protection of cross-border, climate change displaced persons, with a particular focus on Southern Africa. Before such an analysis can be made, however, it is important first to determine what climate change displacement exactly implies. By means of integrating and refining existing legal terminology and ideas the study attempts to disentangle the international contention on the subject and proposes that individuals who are forced from their countries of habitual residence as a reaction primarily to climatic push factors which pose an existential threat to their right to life are most in need of protection and may be referred to as cross-border climate change displaced persons. As climate change displacement is expected to occur primarily on the sub-regional geopolitical level of governance, the inclusion of regional, AU, and sub-regional, SADC, elements is important for the practical feasibility of this study. Southern Africa's particular vulnerability to the effects of climate change, making the advent of large numbers of climate change displaced persons in the area a reasonable prediction for the future, further justifies this study's chosen scope. After analysing the different legal branches of refugee law, human rights law and environmental law for each geopolitical level of governance referred to, this study concludes that: While there are several potential provisions in law that could provide protection to persons displaced by climate change, a sufficient protection framework can be derived only from the composite characteristics of different branches of law. Therefore, it is recommended that a matrix approach is followed when providing legal protection to climate change displaced persons. Because different fields of law provide more prominent protection in different spheres of governance, it is also recommended that the configuration of a legal protection matrix be adjustable to particular circumstances. It is therefore suggested that a legal protection mechanism is developed for each geopolitical sphere, and that different mechanisms are coordinated internationally. / LLM (Environmental Law and Governance), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Politics in an organisation is an inevitable element in organisation management. The Southern African Development Community (SADC)’s national electricity providers have been subject to an increasingly intense organisational politics cancer for almost two decades, and it is commonly believed to be behind the current electricity generation crisis that has become synonymous within the SADC region. The electricity challenges have spread to most countries in Africa, making the challenge applicable to Africa as a continent. Even on a global scale, electricity crises are increasingly becoming a matter of concern. Economies the world over are known to be heavily reliant on electricity as an energy source. Most if not all economies would be dysfunctional and non-existent without adequate electricity. This study focuses on organisational politics and its impact on managerial practices at a national electricity provider in a SADC region, in particular, Zimbabwe’s national electricity provider and specifically aims to provide a conceptual framework for better cognition and minimisation of negative political behaviour, ultimately enhancing electricity generation capacity for the country. The study is presented in article format covering four areas of study as follows: * Article one identifies the main role-players and their functions in the generation of electrical power at the national electricity providers. The identification of the role-players is literature based and discusses the influences of the role-players in the equation of electricity generation for the economy. A biographical profile of the national electricity provider is compiled by means of an empirical study. * The second article explores and interrogates employees’ perceptions of organisational politics by employing both theoretical and empirical study focusing on the causes/sources of political behaviour at the national electricity provider. * The third article investigates the effects of organisational politics at the national electricity provider focusing on the positive and negative effects. The article also employs both a literature and an empirical study. * The final article provides solutions to the negative effects of organisational politics. It investigates the managerial practices for minimising negative political behaviour through a review of literature as well as undertaking an empirical study. A sample of 1400 participants was randomly selected from the population of 2210 employees, representing 63.35% of the population. A total of 358 completed questionnaires were returned by the cut-off date. Of the 358, 11 were discarded as they were incorrectly completed, giving an effective response rate of 24.78%. The study employed the statistical software programme SPSS 21.0 for Windows to analyse the data. Various quantitative statistical techniques that suit the doctoral level of research were used to analyse the data. The techniques include: * Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy; * Exploratory factor analysis * Bartlett’s test of sphericity; and * Cronbach Alpha’s reliability coefficient. The major findings of the study were: * The first article identified the main role-players within the national electricity provider’s political environment as: employees, managers; government; and board of directors. Central to the political environment, are diverse goals from each role-player which in most cases is incongruent, giving birth to the political tempo (organisational politics) within the organisation. * The second article identified four significant factors perceived as contributing to political behaviour at the national electricity provider. The factors are managerial behaviour, poor communication of objectives, unexpected employee behaviour and unhealthy managerial practices. These factors account for a favourable variance of 74.26. * The third article identified three factors of significance that explain the effects of political behaviour at the national electricity provider. These factors account for a favourable variance of 74.67%, and the factors include positive departmental actions, negative employee actions and personal consequences. * The final article sought to provide measures for minimising negative effects of political behaviour, thus the article identified two factors of importance in minimising negative political behaviour at the national electricity provider. These factors are managerial fairness and managerial participation accounting for 70.11% of the total variance. Organisational politics, by and large, impedes organisational performance and in the case of the national electricity provider, it retards the power utility’s capacity to generate the much needed electrical power. Thus an integrated organisational strategy is required to successfully harness negative political behaviour into some significant positive factors that can create a conducive work environment that enhances performance ultimately increasing productivity levels. While the findings of the study holds true of the fact that some political behaviour factors have a hand in the national electricity provider’s inability to generate adequate electrical power, further research is needed to substantiate these factors in other regions of the national electricity provider within Zimbabwe as well as in SADC countries. A SADC approach encompassing all the member countries can help reduce negative political behaviour in key organisations such as the national electricity providers and other parastatals. The study concludes by proposing a comprehensive conceptual organisational politics management model (OPMM) which can be used by managers at the national electricity providers to reduce negative political behaviour. / PhD (Business Administration), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014