Marques, Isabel Maria2017-03-142017-03-141992http://hdl.handle.net/10539/22190A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of PhilosophyTwo classes of hypervariable loci, VNTRs and (CA)n repeats, represent a rich source of highly polymorphic markers in the human genome. The main objective of this study was to assess their usefulness in elucidating the relationships between 17 southern African populations and to assess the feasibility of paternity testing using these hypervariable markers in the local context.enPolymorphism, GeneticAfrica, SouthernGenetics, MedicalThesis