3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item The capacity of municipalities to deliver on housing.(2003) Maluleke, Delca Petunia.This study was undertaken to determine whether Gauteng municipalities, constitutionally obliged to provide low-cost housing to those who qualify for it, possessed the capacity to do so. The only Gauteng municipality not included in this research were Metsweding District Municipality. Pertinent literature was consulted and reviewed. In this qualitative research, the data were obtained from interviews and answers to questionnaires. Analysis showed that all the municipalities studied lacked the capacity to deliver on their mandate. Necessary capacity was found to be lacking in several areas. The report concludes with suggestions for rectifying this problem and thus, enabling municipalities to meet their housing delivery obligations.Item Technology management, transaction processes and governance structures(2003) Siriram, RajenallThis thesis focuses on technology management within and between firms. The effects of technology management on transaction processes, and the mechanisms for effective governance of technology is studied. A model incorporating different schools of thought including technology management, strategic management, organizational and TCE (transactional cost economics) and operations management is built. The model has subsets of technology management, transaction processes, and governance structures. The model is then tested within an investigative framework, which includes organizational determinants, competitors, and external factors. The testing is on firms that adopt or implement technologies. Technological firms are categorized into user firms and system integrator firms. User firms are firms that adopt technologies; system integrator firms are firms that are involved in the implementation of technologies and help user firms. Statistical analysis is used to test correlations between these two types of technological firms. An expert panel is used to understand the differences and similarities between the two types of technological firms. Different links are significant in this model and the following conclusions may be drawn: firstly that technology management, transaction processes and governance structures are linked; secondly that the transaction cost economic view and the resource-based view are both important for competitive advantage and neither is superior to the other; and thirdly that the effects of technological change on the organizational and environmental evolution is significant. This thesis lays the foundation for further work toward integrating technology management, transaction processes, and governance structures. In addition lessons for managers involved in technological decisions are also provided.Item End-user satisfaction with an information system implementation in Natalspruit hospital, Gauteng province(2005) Vomacka, JaromirThe aim of this study was to evaluate user satisfaction with a new hospital information system, Medicom, implemented in Natalspruit hospital. A sample consisted of 380 full-time employees representing all groups of hospital staff who utilised the software. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The mean total score for the survey was 40.7 out of possible 60. This was above the middle score of 36 meaning that the users were satisfied with the system. Administrative personnel were most satisfied (mean 43.9). Medicom scored highest for the dimension of Ease of Use. Six variables that were presumed to influence users' satisfaction were analysed; only Availability of the Technical Support was significantly associated with satisfaction in multivariate analysis. Medical doctors were found to be not utilizing the system. Staff complained about training, technical problems and time constraints to exploit the Medicom prospects to its optimum. Implications for improving the hospital information system are discussed.Item An assessment of the impact of injuries due to assaults, gunshots and motor vehicle accidents on the admissions and costs of the Orthopaedic department at Addington hospital in Durban(2004) Lutge, Elizabeth EleanorThis research report examined the epidemiology of trauma in the orthopaedic ward at Addington hospital, Durban, over the year 2000. It also quantified the financial cost of trauma to this ward over the same period of time, using the “bottom up” costing method. The cost of trauma was also calculated using the “top down” method, as well as using tariff charges (used to bill patients with medical aid attending public hospitals). The overall cost of trauma to this ward for 2000 was found to be R5 440 964.20. A constant relationship was found between the costs as calculated using the three methods above.Item Molecular Genetic Variation in Mozambican and Zimbabwean populations(2001) Eddy, Carey-AnneGenetic data, used in conjunction with linguistic, archaeological and anthropological data, is extremely valuable in understanding the evolutionary and demographic history of subSaharan African populations. Present-day southern African populations are represented by Khoisan and Bantu-speaking groups. The Bantu languages have their origins in the Benue- Niger area between present-day Nigeria and Cameroon, and has spread to central and southern Africa over the past 2-3000 years. The spread of Bantu-speaking peoples, referred to as the “Bantu expansion”, ought to have contributed to the spectrum of genetic variation found in sub-Saharan African populations. In this study we propose to examine the genetic structure of two southeastern Bantu-speaking population groups: the Remba (a Lemba group) from Zimbabwe and a Mozambican group sampled near Inhambane. Although the Lemba from South Africa live among the Venda and the Remba among the Shona, their intriguing oral history and unique Semitic-like cultural practices have set them apart from their Bantu-speaking neighbours. They claim descent from Jews who came to Africa from “Sena”. A previous study using Y chromosome markers suggested both a Bantu and Semitic contribution to the Lemba gene pool. More recently, the presence of a particular Y chromosome type termed the “Cohen Modal Haplotype” (CMH) in the Lemba from South Africa, led others to conclude that the Lemba have a specifically Jewish ancestry. These studies, however, have not resolved conclusively the origins of the Lemba. The Mozambican gene pool might reflect contributions from other populations particularly. The Mozambican gene pool might reflect contributions from other populations particularly due to the crucial geographic position it occupied, linking landlocked countries to coastal IV ports, during the days of slavery and trade with the East. There have only been limited genetic studies in populations from Mozambique and even the archaeological record from present-day Mozambique is especially sparse. We used the non-recombining portion of the Y chromosome and mtDNA data to examine the contribution of males and females, respectively, to the gene pools of the Remba and the Mozambicans and to investigate the prehistory of these two population groups. The Remba from Zimbabwe and the Lemba from South Africa shared common Y chromosome haplotypes that were connected via single mutational steps, suggesting that they have a common recent ancestry. The CMH was found in only one Lemba individual from South Africa and was absent in the Remba. Furthermore, there were no one-step derivatives of the CMH in the Lemba or the Remba. It is possible that the CMH was introduced into the Lemba fairly recently due to gene flow from South African Jews. Although the Remba and Lemba do have a common Semitic contribution to their Y chromosme gene pool, it is premature to use the CMH as evidence of Jewish ancestry in the Lemba. There was no evidence from the mtDNA data to suggest any non-African contribution to the mtDNA gene pool of the Remba and Lemba or the Mozambicans. There is, however strong evidence suggesting that the Remba, Lemba, Mozambicans, Venda, southeastern Bantu speaking population groups from South Africa and several other sub-Saharan African populations share a recent common maternal ancestry that most likely has its roots in the Benue-Niger region prior to the Bantu expansion. Despite the role the Mozambicans may have played during the days of slavery and trading, their Y chromosome profile shows no reflection of any contribution from non-African populations.Item A fight for the soul of local government in rural areas: a case study of the Dalindyebo area in the Eastern Cape, 1995-2001(2004) Ndletyana, McebisiThis study documents and analyses the process of rural democratization. Specifically, it offers an insight into the experience and attitude of rural people towards democratization; the response of chiefs towards the process: and into why the government initiated the process and the strategies it employed to elicit popular consent and compliance from the rural folk and traditional leaders. The study primarily covered the period from 1995 to 2001 using the village of Xhwili, near Umtata in the Eastern Cape Province, as a case study. The study itself was a response to the polarized public debate that erupted at the onset of the democratic process. One view opposed rural democratization reasoning that rural communities were traditional therefore unsuitable for modern institutions of governance and practices. Another view contended that, on the contrary, traditional people regarded chieftaincy as illegitimate and would welcome their replacement by elected councilors and municipalities. Straddling between the opposing viewpoints was· another contention that urged for a combination of both traditional and modern institutions in local government as each had a crucial role to fulfill. Alienating either institution, it was reasoned, would either be unconstitutional or incite political instability in rural communities. Presented in this study, therefore, is an insight into how rural democratization has unfolded and addressed the concerns and anxieties that greeted its introduction in 199Item The roles and the future of community radio stations in meeting developmental needs(2002) Matsila, Ndanduleni AubreyThis research report examines the roles and the future of community radio in meeting developmental needs. Community radio is a new sector of broadcasting in South Africa. No prior research has been conducted in this area. The nature of the research was exploratory as the opinions and views of stakeholders in the broadcasting industry were obtained by means of in-depth interviews. The roles and involvement of different stakeholders including the government, Non the governmental organization in the sustenance of community radio were discussed which may impede the development of this sector.Item An action research study of the REFLECT approach in rural Lesotho(2007) Attwood, GillianDevelopment, literacy, empowerment and participation are timeworn words that have been woven together in varying constellations over the last few decades. A recent approach to adult education and social change, REFLECT1, has brought these concepts together in a new manner. This study, conducted over a five and a half year period, (June 2000 to December 2005), set out to investigate whether REFLECT was responsive to the needs of adults in two rural Lesotho contexts: an income generating co-operative, and a village context. I enquired into participants’ experiences of REFLECT, asking whether it could strengthen participants’ practices and livelihoods. What benefits were gained? Did literacy practices change? Were participants empowered? What were the challenges experienced? The theoretical framework of this study has been informed by critical and postmodern theory. These theoretical lenses have shaped my investigation and critique of concepts relevant to the study, namely development, power, participation, and literacy. Using an Action Research design, data was collected and analysed using participatory and collaborative methods, including focus groups, interviews, document and photograph analysis, observations, as well as journal and field notes. Results are reported as case studies providing a rich description of the project within the two contexts of the study. Results show that communities which used REFLECT benefited on personal and communal levels. Participants implemented their own learning and development agendas and took action to improve their livelihoods. Human and social capital were fortified; people increased their participation in meaningful decision making; and engaged more extensively in development initiatives. Participants became more selfconfident, strengthened their capabilities and took action to access resources and 1 Regenerated Freirean Literacy through Empowering Community Techniques make substantial changes in their lives. In sum, REFLECT stimulated a positive change process. However, it was noted that implementing REFLECT is a demanding process. Ongoing support is required to sustain effective learning and change, particularly where facilitators are not highly literate and operate in resource poor contexts where development related needs are perceived as more critical than the need to improve literacy skills. The challenge is to create a context where literacy and development are integrally related in practice, with new norms developed to foster sustained learning around development related action.Item Genetic knowledge, opinions and practices amongst general practitioners(2003) Trenton, Kelly L. MargaretABSTRACT Medical Genetics is playing a greater role in healthcare than ever before. The question arises though, as to whether these scientific advances are moving swiftly enough from the field of science to the practices of general practitioners (GPs) of medicine. In general, since the introduction of genetic services in South Africa (SA) in 1971 (Jenkins, 1990), knowledge and attitudes regarding the utilization of these services have often been confused. Medical institutions and practicing doctors are sometimes unaware of the important intricacies of genetics that may impact on their patients. Genetic counselling is underutilized and many genetic conditions are neither recognised nor diagnosed. Medical Genetics is an important part of complete patient care, but in SA it has lagged far behind in areas such as health service and education. The aims of this study were to assess and analyze the current genetic knowledge and attitudes that are in place amongst GPs in the Gauteng province of SA, and to obtain a clearer understanding of their opinions towards genetic counselling. A researcher-designed questionnaire was posted to 1091 GPs in the Gauteng area. Approximately 6.7% of this target group replied. Fifty-one face-to-face interviews using the same questionnaire were also conducted by the researcher so that first hand responses could be recorded. The findings from all data collected show that there are many areas where knowledge could be improved. Whilst genetics and genetic counselling is held in high regard, and deemed important in the primary care context by GPs, it is generally viewed to be out of their area of expertise. Genetic education programs aimed at improving GP awareness and knowledge are thus recommended to enhance the quality of patient care.Item Molecular Genetic Variation in the Malagasy(2001) Dorf, CindyABSTRACT The island of Madagascar has been separated from Africa for almost 70 million years and was the last of the major land masses to be colonised by humans. Several theories concerning Malagasy origins have been proposed, but the prehistory of the Malagasy is still unresolved. Historical, archaeological, linguistic and genetic data suggest two major contributors to the Malagasy, namely African and Indonesian populations, with additional contributions from Arab, Indian, Chinese and various other Asian sources. All the islanders speak a common language called Malagasy, and although there are dialectical differences, these are not sufficient to elucidate the geographic origins of the proto- Malagasy. Some studies have reported that differences in physical appearance and culture between populations occupying different regions of the island may suggest different ancestral histories. In this study, we made use of information from three different genetic systems, namely mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), the Y chromosome and several autosomal DNA markers to trace the origins of the males and females who contributed to the gene pool of the present-day Malagasy. We found that the mtDNA 9-bp deletion was present, throughout the island, at a total frequency of 22.5%. The 1.1 kb mtDNA control region was sequenced from 228 Malagasy individuals from which one hundred and twenty four unique mtDNA types, defined by 151 nucleotide changes were derived. Studies have shown that when the 9-bp deletion is used in conjunction with mtDNA control region sequence variation, the 9-bp deletion is a useful marker to trace population affinities. We were able to demonstrate that an overall Asian to African contribution of approximately 2:1 is indicated in present-day Malagasy populations. We used the Y Ala polymorphism (YAP) in conjunction with M9 to distinguish between African and non-African Y chromosomes. Overall, an African contribution of 78.2% and a non-African contribution of 21.85% was calculated. To gain insight into the autosomal DNA found in the Malagasy, we made use of three loci with population specific alleles (Sbl9.3, AT3id and APO-4) and the human mannose binding protein. Again, we observed both African and Asian affinities in the various Malagasy ethnic groups. By jointly analysing all the marker systems that were used, we were able to demonstrate a close relationship between ethnic groups from the different geographic regions on the island, and found the Malagasy to be a relatively homogeneous population. To test the ethnic and geographical structure present on the island, we conducted an analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). These tests showed little biological support in favour of such hierarchies. A correlation analysis showed that very weak correlations exist between the data generated by the different genetic systems. Furthermore, by vividly demonstrating the differential input from males and females to the present-day Malagasy, this study also illustrates the advantages of combining mtDNA data with Y chromosomal results from the same individuals.