The rock engraving site of Driekopseiland, west of Kimberley in the Northern Cape is distinctively situated on glaciated basement rock in the bed of the Riet River, and has a wealth of over 3500 engravings, preponderantly geometric images. Most other sites in the region have greater proportions of, or are dominated by, animal imagery. In early interpretations, it was often considered that ethnicity was the principal factor in this variabilty. From the 1960s the focus shifted more to establishing a quantative definition of the site, and an emperical understanding of it within the emerging cultural and environmental history of the region.

The notion of what constitutes a nation has been a subject of many debates. The nation, like individual is the culmination of a long past of endeavours, sacrifice and devotion. The post aprtheid project of reconciliation in South Africa is part of this desire to live together as citizens of one country irrespective of past differences. This desire transforms itself to cultural institutions like museums or rather cultural institutions represents this desire in a more systematic way in the post apartheid South Africa as they seek to transform.

<p>The aim of this study was to determine the types of sport that are available for the learner with a physical disability in ordinary schools in the Western Cape and what prevents and facilitates participation in sport.</p>

A common feature of colleges of education in Transkei in the early nineties was the crisis during the admissions period. This study investigated the extent to which factors such as nepotism, political interference, ethnicity and others affected admissions to colleges of education in Transkei in 1995. Random samples of student-teachers, lecturers, rectors and community members of selected colleges of education were drawn from target populations of all Course I student-teachers, all lecturers of 14 colleges, all rectors of colleges of education, and communities of all 14 colleges of education in Transkei. Thus, samples of 313 student teachers, 100 lecturers, 35 members of community and all seven rectors of colleges were studied. Both quantitative and qualitative research techniques were used to collect data. In this study questionnaires were used to collect information from student teachers and lecturers, interviews were conducted with rectors and community members to obtain the necessary data. Data analysis, using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) computer package revealed the following: 1. It was found that contradictions and ambiguities existed in the admission guidelines and procedures. It was also discovered that there were discrepancies between guidelines and practices in admission to colleges of education. These could be avoided if all stakeholders were involved in policy formulation thereby ensuring that no one member could be accused for admission problems. 2. The applicants and communities perceived that the right to demand access to colleges of education also contributed to the problem of admissions. 3. It was found that the automatic bursary allocation to student teachers greatly contributed to the admission crisis. 4. Factors such as nepotism, ethnicity and bribery also contributed to the crisis. 5. Other findings related to the perception that teaching was an easier option than other careers, and this also contributed to the crisis. 6. A surprising finding was that respondents did not perceive political influence to have significantly affected the admission procedures in colleges of education in Transkei. From the findings, a conclusion was drawn that the problems of admissions and registration in colleges of education were aggravated by the contradictory policies of the Affiliated Colleges Board (ACB) and the Department malpractices by college authorities, and by community pressure. Thus, the major stakeholders in the colleges, namely, rectors, lecturers and prospective student-teachers were to blame for the crisis. Based on the above conclusion, recommendations were given as follows : 1. Community members, student-teachers, lecturers and rectors should be involved in policy formulation concerning admissions. 2. The autonomy for colleges of education can be the aim so as to avoid dual control on crucial matters of college governance, such as student admission and registration. 3. Admission requirements should be upgraded to ensure that only adequately qualified candidates apply for admission. 4. Central admission be utilised in order to minimize corruption in the students' admission and registration processes. 5. In view of the finding that availability of funding through the bursary scheme influenced potential trainees to seek admission to colleges of education, the bursary system, as was in force in 1995, be phased out in favour of a loan scheme. The rationale for this being that only candidates who have an interest in a teaching career would apply for admission. 6. A recommendation for further research is that a similar study should be conducted in other parts of South Africa in order to determine how other colleges conducted their admissions and avoided the problems identified in this study. / Thesis (M.Ed) - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1997.

Voices of Our Forefathers (2008) is a participatory video that was made with a group of Khwe Bushmen in Platfontein in the Northern Cape. It is unique not only for its inclusion of the Khwe subjects in the production process, but also for its unique representation of them. It portrays them from historical as well as modern perspectives. This research explores how a group of Khwe youth – the research participants – engaged and negotiated their encounter with the Voices of Our Forefathers (2008). It does this within the context of participatory communication for development and participatory video. It draws on theories of empowerment, reception and representation. A qualitative methodology was employed with in-depth interviews comprising the main data collection method, and thematic analysis and semiotics being the main data analysis methods. Thematic analysis was aided through the use of a software programme, Nvivo 8. The research explores research participants’ responses to Voices of Our Forefathers and critically examines articulations of empowerment. Most of the research participants felt empowered because VOOF (2008) incorporated the Khwe in the production process, particularly in terms of how they wanted to be represented. The Khwe Bushmen’s participation in their representation resulted in a range of nuanced interpretations and responses to VOOF (2008), which included discussions on rethinking their identities, learning new skills, fostering a sense of ownership of the film and the use of their language (Khwedam) in The Voices of Our Forefathers. It is argued, however, that although the research participants may have expressed that they are empowered, this needs to be understood and critically examined with respect to the larger contexts within which Bushmen, in general, live, which may or may not affect their senses of and the realities of their empowerment. Finally, it is argued that VOOF (2008) needs to be understood as a part of an on-going process in participatory communication for development. It might not have provided research participants with the necessary resources to completely transform their lives; it did, however, contribute to changing how they perceive themselves, which, according to Freirean theory, is a necessary step in empowering oneself. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

Together with the prospect of global environmental change, biodiversity loss is arguably the most pressing environmental issue of our time. Conserving biodiversity is a complex issue and effectively engaging people in conserving biodiversity, although challenging, is crucial. Various conservation initiatives exist that incentivise landowners to participate in restrictive conservation agreements such as the stewardship programme. From an environmental perspective, stewardship is simply people taking care of the earth and the stewardship programme is an innovative conservation initiative that aims to assist private or communal landowners by making biodiversity conservation more attractive through incentives and providing them with the necessary skills and know-how. In South Africa, landowners can enter into biodiversity stewardship agreements in the following options: A Biodiversity Management Agreement (under National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act No. 10 of 2004), a Protected Environment (under Protected Areas Act No. 57 of 2003) or a Nature Reserve or National Park (under PAA) with the latter two agreements requiring formal declaration and restrictions on the land. The time frames and management requirements are aligned with the degree of conservation protection. Understanding landowner perceptions and motivations is critical for the successful implementation of the Biodiversity Stewardship Programme. The aim of this study was to determine how new participatory conservation systems, such as the Biodiversity Stewardship Programme, can assist in biodiversity conservation on private land within the City of Cape Town. This research made use of a case study methodology with the main research tool being semi-structured face-to-face interviews conducted with landowners and managers. This was supplemented with documentation and participant and direct observations. It was evident that predicting pro-environmental behaviour based on characteristics and perceptions is complex and varies from individual to individual. It emerged that certain characteristics can possibly indicate pro-environmental behaviour however pro-environmental behaviour does not necessarily indicate a willingness to participate in restrictive conservation measures such as the Stewardship Programme. Despite a lack of resources and capacity amongst conservation institutions, the research discovered a well-coordinated well-structured conservation system built around constructive partnerships in particular amongst the official conservation organisations. Biodiversity stewardship forms a crucial component of a set of tools to consolidate the protected area network in the City of Cape Town and is playing an increasingly important role in conserving the unique biodiversity within the City. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

Water temperature is a critical factor affecting the abundance and richness of freshwater stream aquatic macroinvertebrate communities. Variable seasonal river temperature patterns are a critical factor in maintaining temporal segregation in aquatic invertebrate communities, allowing for resource partitioning and preventing competitive exclusions, while spatial differences in water temperatures permit zonation of species. This research investigated whether the degree of predictability in a stream’s water temperature profile may provide some indication of the degree of structure and functional predictability of macroinvertebrate communities. Quarterly aquatic macroinvertebrate sampling over a single year along the longitudinal axes of two river systems, Keurbooms River in the southern Cape, and the Kowie River in the Eastern Cape, were undertaken as the core component of this research. The two river systems shared similar ecoregions and profile zones, however were expected to differ in their thermal variability, based on the hydrological index and flow regimes for their respective quaternary catchments. Hourly water temperature data were collected at each sampling site from data loggers installed at five paired sites on each stream system. The aquatic biotopes sampled were in close proximity to the loggers. Multivariate analysis techniques were performed on the macroinvertebrate and water temperature data. Macroinvertebrate taxon richness was greater on the perennial Keurbooms than the non-perennial Kowie River where, on a seasonal basis, taxon richness increased from winter to autumn on both systems. Macroinvertebrate species turnover throughout the seasons was higher for sites having lower water temperature predictability values than sites with higher predictability values. This trend was more apparent on the Keurbooms with a less variable flow regime. Temporal species turnover differed between sites and streams, where reduced seasonal flows transformed the more dominant aquatic biotopes from stones-in-current into standing pools. Findings included aquatic macroinvertebrates responding typically in a predictable manner to changing conditions in their environment, where water temperature and flow varied. The findings of this research demonstrate that macroinvertebrate taxa do respond in a predictable manner to changes in their environment. This was particularly evident in relation to variability in water temperature and flow. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

Knowledge management is largely a social process. It is more about the community‘s understanding, skills and values in relation to their practices than technology. Knowledge is generated and shared through social interaction of people. Exploring the community‘s acts of communication and interaction can help to understand the knowledge they have as well as the knowledge gaps that are apparent. It can also aid in discovering ways in which their practices are shaped and constrained by the knowledge they have. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal means of knowledge sharing and knowledge distribution in an open system using the Eastern Cape Tyolomnqa Estuary as a case study. Different scholars stated in their different works that sharing knowledge is problematic in most organizations, whether they are formal or informal organizations. There are several reasons that have been identified as to why people do not want to share their knowledge. To achieve the objectives of this study, both secondary and primary sources of data were used. This included literature from various sources, such as books, journal articles and information from the Internet that has been reviewed and analyzed. Interviews and focus groups were used to collect data. Interviews were conducted with 16 people who were purposively selected from the Buffalo City Council, Tyolomnqa Conservancy, Tyolomnqa Estates, Tyolomnqa Forum, and Phozi, Ncera, Sandile and Xhama communities. The key informants were people with management positions, and community leaders. The interviews were unstructured. After collecting data by means of face-to-face interviews focus groups, workshops were convened with the Tyolomnqa Forum, and Phozi, Ncera, Sandile and Xhama communities. The self-administered questionnaire was additionally used as a data collection technique for researchers. Data were analyzed through content analysis and the use of SPSS, and presented in the form of tables and figures. It was identified that their knowledge sharing was fragmented and there was no formal organisational structure to bring communities along the Tyolomnqa Estuary to work together as one would do in bureaucratic organizations like companies. The Tyolomnqa Estuary Forum, which has vested interests in estuary management, could be used as model to provide the organisational infrastructure to facilitate the acquisition and sharing of knowledge on the management of estuaries. It is envisaged that such forums can be a viable mechanism of facilitating the harnessing and sharing of knowledge on the sustainable use of estuaries at the local level. / Thesis (M.I.S.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

After many years of being overlooked as a game ranching area and tourist destination in favour of more established areas, the Eastern Cape, in terms of game ranching and tourism has ‘come of age’. It has become a huge industry in the Eastern Cape. Income was initially generated from commercial hunting, followed by non-consumptive eco tourism. As the industry expanded, the true value of game was discovered coupled with games inherent ability to survive with limited human interference has made it an attractive business. These factors and others have encouraged more and more farmers to convert from other forms of farming to game ranching. With this came the desire to restore their properties back to or as close as possible to its original state. Resulting in ‘emergence’ in the form of ‘resistance to power lines’, because they were seen as hideous and an unnecessary visual intrusion which impacted negatively on tourism and property values etc. The purpose of this dissertation was to surface the underlying causes for the resistance to power lines. A systems thinking approach was used, which emphasised multiple causes, and by means of systems diagrams gained an understanding of the various issues and arguments that relate to the placing and managing of power lines in rural areas. Key focus areas were motivational theories, mental constructs and factors that contribute to people’s perspectives and worldviews that ultimately influence their behaviour. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

The study sought to examine the impact of infrastructure on agricultural economic development in Bizana (Mbizana), Eastern Cape. The Eastern Cape Province is one of the poorest provinces in the country. The province consists of predominantly rural areas and rural towns. One of the challenges facing the Eastern Cape Province is inadequate access to infrastructure such as roads. Poor road links keep rural communities “distant” from the mainstream economy. The province requires approximately 12 000km of access roads. Although government has programmes in place aimed at improving access to adequate infrastructure, South Africa has rapidly deteriorating infrastructure and this is due to under-investment. The infrastructure in rural communities is poor, as infrastructure development strategies historically favoured urban areas over rural areas. Although the province is faced by these infrastructure challenges the Eastern Cape Province has great potential agricultural land, and this is evident in the case of Bizana (Mbizana). The farmers are faced with a number of infrastructure challenges and these include access to water and roads. Quality roads enable easy transportation of the agricultural produce from the farms to local and international markets. Bizana (Mbizana) has a high unemployment rate, and the study aims to contribute towards the upliftment of the communities in Bizana (Mbizana) through agriculture. One-on-one interviews and site visits were conducted. The study unveiled some of the challenges that the farmers encounter and these included inadequate access to water, challenges with transportation system, market competition, fencing, drought, etc. Some farmers practise commercial farming individually. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.