M.Sc. (Geology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

In this research paper a database of accommodation establishments was compiled, and certain supply and demand aspects of the tourism industry in the George / Wilderness area were measured with a view to determine whether planning by the private sector and local authorities could benefit therefrom. Attention was given to the peculiar nature of tourism demand and tourism supply and how selected components thereof could be measured. The research methodology followed included: a literature survey to facilitate an understanding of the nature of tourism supply and tourism demand; the construction of a database of accommodation establishments in order to identify all participants in the George / Wilderness tourism industry; a telephone survey to determine the supply of bed nights in the area; and a questionnaire survey to determine the demand by tourists for bed nights in the area. The following recommendations and conclusions were made: The database compiled during this study should be kept up to date and be expanded to include visitor profiles such as country of origin, length of stay, and primary reason for travel in order that private and public sector concerns may draw statistics / data to be used in the planning and / or marketing of the tourism industry to tourists. Greater co-operation and co-ordination between private and public sectors of the tourism industry are needed to obtain data concerning the tourism market required for planning purposes as well as a concerted marketing effort. Failing this, legislation should be introduced, compelling accommodation establishments to make available supply and demand data to the regional services council for statistical purposes. The study should be extended to cover the entire Southern Cape region in order to obtain statistics applicable to the region as a whole. This will then facilitate both local and regional planning as well as a coordinated marketing effort.

The phenotypic plasticity of the cichlid Oreochromis mossambicus was examined in fresh and brackish water populations living in the eastern Cape near the southern extremity of the natural range. The primary goal of the study was to examine the wide variety of life-history styles which were expressed in relation to the varying environmental conditions. Four natural populations were studied during 1986 and 1987, and some experimental work under artificial conditions was carried out at the Rhodes University fishfarm during 1988. This comparative approach gave insights into the complex interactions between biotic and abiotic factors which are exploited by this hardy species. O. mossambicus displayed a wide variety of life-history tactics under harsh environmental conditions. The growth of juvenile fish was rapid and mortality of the young-of-the-year was high. Age at first onset of sexual maturity ranged from one to three years. Under harsh conditions growth rate was markedly reduced after maturity, which occurred during the second or third summer and growth disparity between the sexes was more pronounced. Longevity was found to vary from five to ten years for different populations. Under more favourable conditions (resembling the typical "floodplain" habitats of this species at lower latitudes) very rapid juvenile growth, and a high maximum mass of over 2300 g for both sexes was iii achieved. Sexual maturity under these conditions could be delayed until the third or fourth summer of life. O. mossambicus demonstrated an ability to withstand and even benefit from fluctuating water levels, and adjusted its life style according to the prevailing conditions: at times of high water level recruitment was low and sexual maturity delayed. During low water periods reproductive rates increased. Q. mossambicus showed a distinct preference for gentle gradients and well-vegetated habitats for feeding, nesting and refuge. During the study winter temperatures were near and at some times below the generally accepted lower limits for this species. This implies that these indigenous populations have a degree of cold tolerance. A further implication is that Q. mossambicus has the ability to thrive under adverse conditions which may partially explain its wide and successful colonisation of water bodies far from its natural range, and its obvious fisheries potential.

Magister Educationis (Adult Learning and Global Change) - MEd(AL) / This study analyses the challenges faced by adult educators in reducing illiteracy among adult above twenty years of age in the Eastern Cape. The focal point is on ascertaining why there is an increase in the percentage of illiteracy in the province despite a slight decrease in other provinces. Most importantly is the determination of the significant role played by adult educators. A qualitative approach is employed to pursue the aims of the study. Data is collected using semi-structured interviews. The study has shown that lack of monitoring and supervision by ABET administrators, lack of resources for skills development and language of instruction, all contribute to the increase in illiteracy rate in the Province. For administrators of adult learning programmes it is suggested that they become more familiar with operations at Adult Learning Centres and provide training including technical where appropriate. Designers of curriculum should select curriculum resources appropriate to adult learners. Providers of direct support to adult learners should ensure that training is provided on an ongoing basis. This training should focus on teaching methods and learning approaches (pedagogy) as well as the effective use of ABET learning and teaching guides. / South Africa

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This thesis follows and builds upon a previous study at the rock engraving site of Driekopseiland (Morris 2002). The earlier findings are here contrasted with another site in the area, namely Wildebeest Kuil, as a means to highlight the variability which is a feature of the rock art of the Northern Cape as a whole. The main thrust of the thesis, which refers to a number of other rock art sites in the region, is to model the implications of this variability relative to social context and history in the precolonial past. Significant empirical obstacles, particularly the difficulties associated with dating rock art, render some aspects of the enterprise intractable for the time being. But opportunities are pursued to advance and evaluate ideas as to the social mechanisms and processes which might be implicated in the making and re-making of images on rock and in the generation of the diversity that is manifest in the rock art as it is found today. Whereas other approaches have tended to explain difference relative to social entities such as ‘cultures’ or ‘ethnic groups’, this thesis offers, as a point of departure, a critique of received concepts, reconsidering some of the fundamental metaphors and assessing the elaboration of analogies that have been used in the past. It proposes that better theoretical footholds might be those that explain variability relative to process and movement. It invokes Tim Ingold’s concept of a meshwork of dynamic relationships of people immersed in the world, of ‘entanglements’ that refer to multiple mechanisms that might explain how rock art has changed in place and time. The pertinence of these ideas is shown with reference to specific instances in the Northern Cape.As a parallel weave in this study, there is a concern over the social role of archaeology, with discussion on the burgeoning salience of rock art beyond the academy, in the heritage and tourism sectors and amongst descendants of the Khoean. The thesis gives consideration to the role of museums and research in terms of “heritage in practice,” and seeks to develop a discourse in which, following Alexander, “everything can be perceived as changing and changeable” – an underlying theme throughout the study. The thesis does not bring empirical closure to the topic but suggests a programme for future engagement, having opened up and shown the relevance of wider theoretical insights for addressing the variability in the rock art of the Northern Cape

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / This aim of this study was to investigate the life experiences of substance abusing women participating in a substance abuse treatment programme in the Cape Town area. Much of the research that has been conducted on this topic has been quantitative and therefore removed from the context of lived experience. The current study thus aimed to fill this gap in the literature by using a qualitative methodology to explore women’s own accounts of substance use and how they make sense of these experiences, their trajectory towards substance abuse as well as their motivation for treatment. A qualitative research design was employed, drawing on the interpretive framework which seeks to understand how people make sense of their experiences. Six participants were recruited from a substance abuse treatment centre in Cape Town and data was collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Guba and Lincoln’s guidelines for ensuring rigor in qualitative studies were followed and the ethical principles of informed consent, non-maleficence, authenticity of data and anonymity were maintained throughout the study. The study found that partner substance use and psychological pain experienced by the women played a motivating role in their substance use. In addition, the reconstruction of one’s own identity, perceptions of motherhood and mending relationships were found to be key elements in women’s motivation for recovery.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / South Africa continues to experience unprecedented levels of violence against foreign African nationals, to be more specific, black African foreign nationals in poor communities but also in cities. Local Government has become a major role-player in the functioning of South Africa’s democracy and in managing local conflicts. In light of this, this research-based mini-thesis explores the policies and programmes used in the City of Cape Town Municipality to reduce xenophobic violence against black African foreign nationals in the city. I acknowledge the importance of understanding the historical background of racial conflict in South Africa, and briefly look at whether this attributes to current conflict against black foreign nationals by evaluating competing theories of xenophobic violence. Whilst South Africans found refuge in neighbouring countries during the apartheid era, recent migration patterns reveals a reverse of this trend as the upper regions of the continent suffer war and famine and nationals of those countries seek refuge in South Africa. The Alien Control Act of 1991 strengthened South Africa’s national borders and made it difficult for foreigners to enter the country without the needed ocumentation. However, South Africa’s transition from an apartheid state to a democracy brought with it a number of changes, including an increase in the number of migrants who was previously not allowed to enter the country. One of the major concerns for government has been the issue of distinguishing between those who are in the country legally and those who are in the country illegally. In this mini-thesis, I draw a clear distinction between the different categories of foreigners in South Africa. Xenophobia broke into public view in May 2008 when black South Africans living in townships that suffer poor living conditions and high levels of crime, violently attacked black African foreign nationals working and living among them. The scale of the attacks led to the mass displacement of black African foreigners as they sought protection in refugee camps set up by the state as well as other organizations. Black African foreigners were severely assaulted in the violence. Some were burned while others suffered the looting of their belongings. Local government has an important role to play in the functioning of democracy in South Africa. I am of the view that the policies and programmes employed at local government level would significantly reduce the incidences of xenophobic violence experienced in South African communities, since local government has easier access to communities and people at grassroots level. Xenophobia is not a peculiarly South African problem, and many local governments around the world have used various methods of addressing this. While insights into their methods would be helpful; the focus of this thesis is on South Africa and more specifically the City of Cape Town. In this mini-thesis, I thus investigate the policies and programmes employed by the City of Cape Town municipality in reducing xenophobic violence against black foreign nationals.

Several strategies used by the gobiid fish Caffrogobius caffer enabling it to colonise the harsh intertidal environment in the eastern Cape were studied. Q. caffer is opportunistic in its use of available food resources and feeds throughout the day with a slight tendency towards crepuscular peaks of feeding activity. The system of space utilisation used by C. caffer is so organised that all individuals of the population have access to patchily distributed food resources. Current velocities occurring over high tide limit the movements of Qo caffer and interpool movements occur only during the initial stages of a rising tide and in the final stages of an ebbing tide when the current velocities are below the tolerance limit of Q. caffer. The epifauna associated with the alga Ulva rigida, which forms an important constituent of the diet of the intermediate size classes of Q. caffer, was examined and it appears that this epifauna is an important source of food to Q. caffer. This report presents the results of the first detailed study of the biology of an intertidal fish in southern Africa.

[From Introduction]. It is the purpose of this thesis to examine some of the broad relationships which exist between different land use types and farming practises on the one hand and the geographical environment on the other. The enquiry is confined to the study of a number of farm units which have been selected within the area enclosed by the District of Albany and Bathurst situated in the south-East coastal belt of the Cape Province. The procedure adapted conforms broadly to that of a project carried out in South America by R.S. Platt of the University of Chicago and embodied in hls book "Latin America, Countryside and United Regions." Platt's project, he notes, consists of a collection of "small field studies in a frame of complex generalisations." It does not aim to give a complete geographical account of the regions he selected for investigation, but is an attempt to enlarge geograpical understanding of the respective areas.

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Thesis (PhD (Agricultural Economics))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted