Reducing gender-based violence at the great Zimbabwe University

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Masters in Public Administration - Peace Studies, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2024.Globally, institutions of higher learning are exposed to gender-based violence (GBV) and are feeling the impacts of its consequences, even though they are less willing to acknowledge its existence. Gender forms a fundamental component of both personal and collective distinctiveness, and disturbingly, GBV maintains a relentless presence in education. GBV is a global scourge, more specifically for educational institutions, habitually assumed to be peaceful ‘ivory towers’ and invulnerable to actions of violence. Across the globe, GBV cases continue to turn up at startling rates, and Zimbabwe is not exempted. The study sought to examine the nature, causes, extent and effects of GBV and devise, and implement an intervention plan (an action research component) at an institution of higher learning. This was achieved through focus group discussions with 10 male and 10 female undergraduate students and interviews with 5 male and 5 female undergraduate students. GBV was found to be prevalent and mainly existing as sexual harassment (transactional relationship between lecturers and female students, student to student intimate partner violence), cases of physical, emotional and spiritual abuse were also indicated to exist at the institution. Though GBV is prevalent, few cases are reported, which may be the reason for failure by authorities to acknowledge its existence. The study adopted the Participatory Action research method in trying to reduce GBV. After exploring and expounding the GBV phenomenon, an action team with five male students was formed to answer the second part of the study. The team agreed it was best to conduct an educational training workshop with first year male students to impart positive attitudes and constructive masculinities that encourage gender equality and discourage violence perpetration. A one-day gender transformative workshop was, therefore, conducted with 15 first year male students. This helped them unlearn toxic attitudes and some myths associated with GBV. There is need for HTEIs to put in place efficient, accessible and trusted 24 hr crisis response system to encourage reporting of cases and prompt case solving. Universities should also develop GBV sensitive budgeting and advisory boards with the aid of government to secure sufficient and adequate information and funding for preventative programmes

Stability and metastability of trapless Bose-Einstein condensates and quantum liquids

Based on the talk given at the International Workshop "Symmetry and Integrability of Equations of Mathematical Physics" (17-20 December 2016, NASU Institute of Mathematics, Kyiv)Various kinds of Bose-Einstein condensates are considered, which evolve without any geometric constraints or external trap potentials including gravitational. For studies of their collective oscillations and stability, including the metastability and macroscopic tunneling phenomena, both the variational approach and the Vakhitov-Kolokolov (VK) criterion are employed; calculations are done for condensates of an arbitrary spatial dimension. It is determined that that the trapless condensate described by the logarithmic wave equation is essentially stable, regardless of its dimensionality, while the trapless condensates described by wave equations of a polynomial type with respect to the wavefunction, such as the Gross-Pitaevskii (cubic), cubic-quintic, and so on, are at best metastable. This means that trapless “polynomial” condensates are unstable against spontaneous delocalization caused by fluctuations of their width, density and energy, leading to a finite lifetime

Multicultural education as a strategy for peace in schools

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master in Public Administration: Peace Studies, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2024.This study addresses the urgent need for multicultural education in South African schools, considering the challenges posed by a diverse demographic landscape and the prevalence of violence, xenophobia, and tribalism. The study is prompted by the limited focus on issues beyond race, particularly concerning the experiences of migrant learners facing difficulties related to language, cultural differences, and social integration. The absence of explicit multicultural education in the school curriculum exacerbates these challenges, contributing to violence and exclusion. This study was aimed at exploring the potential of multicultural education in fostering a worldview that promotes peace, cultural competency, and positive socialisation within South African schools. By employing the integrative theory of peace as a theoretical framework, the research aimed to conceptualise how multicultural education can be strategically integrated into the education curriculum to address violence, promote tolerance, and empower learners and teachers. The research methodology involved a qualitative approach, utilising interviews, focus groups, and direct observation in an action research setting. The study was conducted in an independent school in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal, with a diverse population of learners and educators. Triangulation was employed to ensure the validity, reliability and trustworthiness of the findings, and ethical considerations prioritised participant well-being and informed consent. The research objectives included exploring the overall role of multicultural education, investigating perceptions of different cultures, forming an action research team to suggest multicultural education components, and testing the outcomes of the intervention strategy. The central research question examined whether multicultural education could contribute to developing and maintaining peace while fostering a worldview that embraces diversity in schools. The findings reveal the potential of multicultural education to bring about a paradigm shift, empower learners, and contribute to positive social dynamics, contribute to teaching respect and regard for other culture and thus lead to peaceful existence in different cultural groups. The study concludes by emphasizing the importance of integrating multicultural education into the South African school curriculum as a crucial strategy for promoting peace, understanding, and embracing the nation's cultural diversity.

The influence of COVID-19 on the productivity of small and medium enterprises : a case study of Mtubatuba Local Municipality

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Masters in Business Administration, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2025.Despite multiple calls for interventions in rural businesses, the productivity shocks experienced by rural SMEs from the COVID-19 pandemic remain inconclusive, thus spurring attention from researchers. Although many studies were carried out on the COVID-19 pandemic and SMEs in South Africa, a large portion concentrated on urban areas, but overlooking rural areas. The dire need for empirical studies, particularly in the confines of South African rural SMEs, cannot be overemphasised. Hence, the current study sought to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on SMEs’ productivity in Mtubatuba Local Municipality. The study employed a descriptive research design and a quantitative research approach, in which a closed-ended structured questionnaire was utilised to solicit data from a sample of 187 respondents from Mtubatuba Local Municipality. The collected data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 29.0 and Microsoft Excel. The findings revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic had a multifaceted impact on SMEs in Mtubatuba Local Municipality, measured using the Relative Importance Index and Relative Severity Index, which categorised the various factors into financial impact, operational disruptions, inventory and supply chain challenges, and workforce issues. In addition, the findings indicated that SMEs in Mtubatuba Local Municipality seized the opportunities presented by the pandemic and adjusted their businesses through selling ondemand products such as airtime, traditional medicines and herbs, headache pills, and adapting to internet and social media marketing. Using the Relative Importance Index and Relative Severity Index, the study demonstrated that high absenteeism rates and financial strains severely affected SMEs. The study recommended that SMEs should formalise their businesses; have insurance; invest in alternative means of productivity such as internet use; adopt remote and hybrid working; set aside emergency funds; and adhere to health and safety guidelines.

The African youth and communicative behaviours in digital spaces

As digital media platforms have become ubiquitous in all aspects of media consumption (Kaempf, 2018; Ren et al., 2024), there is abundant evidence that media consumers, particularly young people, are moving away from media to digital media (Kemp, 2021). This is demonstrated by the over 40% of Africans who use the internet regularly (Kamer, 2022) and the significant portion of news, advertising, and entertainment consumed on digital platforms (Rao & Nagaraj, 2022). Digital platforms also serve educational purposes (Adjin-Tettey et al., 2022), as many educational institutions have deployed digital technologies to complement other modes of educational instruction (Anderson & Rivera Vargas, 2020). Additionally, digital platforms serve as an important and foremost opportunity for networking among young people (Koch, & Miles, 2021; Sinanan & Gomes, 2020), self-expression and self-presentation (Guo, 2015), the pursuit of entrepreneurial opportunities (Pano & Gjika, 2020), and political engagement and civic action (Hao et al., 2014), particularly for young people

Superfluid stars and Q-balls in curved spacetime

Within the framework of the theory of strongly-interacting quantum Bose liquids, we consider a general relativistic model of self-interacting complex scalar fields with logarithmic nonlinearity taken from dense superfluid models. We demonstrate the existence of gravitational equilibria in this model, described by spherically symmeric nonsingular finite-mass asymptotically-flat solutions. These equilibrium configurations can describe both massive astronomical objects, such as bosonized superfluid stars or cores of neutron stars, and finite-size particles and non-topological solitons, such as Q-balls. We give an estimate for masses and sizes of such objects

Potentials for adopting sustainable mixed-income housing in African cities : a bibliometric and systematic review

This paper offers an overview of mixed-income housing in African cities, emphasising its importance, challenges, and potential solutions. As urbanisation increases, mixed-income housing becomes crucial for addressing housing inequality, fostering social inclusion, and promoting sustainable urban development. However, its application in African contexts is under-researched. Through bibliometric analysis and systematic review, the study utilised VOSviewer to examine existing research, identifying publication trends, dominant themes, emerging trends, and mapping out research gaps of mixed-income housing in the African context. The study highlights geographical biases and calls for diverse research settings to understand mixed-income housing complexities across different African cities. The emerging trends further underscore the need for tailored policies, community integration, sustainable financing, and long-term impact assessments. However, gaps remain in understanding environmental sustainability, economic impacts, and community dynamics in mixed-income housing. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research, advocating interdisciplinary collaboration and mixed-method approaches to formulate a comprehensive strategic framework. Addressing these gaps can guide evidence-based policies to promote inclusive, sustainable mixed-income housing in African cities, aligning with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and fostering resilient urban futures

Closures of theological institutions in Zimbabwe and what Organisational Memory (OM) could contribute to promote institutional sustainability

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2020.The closures of many theological institutions is of growing concern among theological educators and the Church at large, in Zimbabwe. Despite government efforts, such as establishing the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZimCHE) to regulate higher education providers by registering and accrediting them, closures of theological institutions continue to be on the increase. This study focuses on the closures of many theological institutions in Zimbabwe, in order to recommend interventions so as to promote sustainability of the remaining institutions. The dissertation achieved its aim by conducting an extensive study of relevant literature. A case-study was carried out at two theological institutions in Zimbabwe, with a sample size of six respondents. In addition, a focus group discussion was held with six members at the third site and investigated the participants’ views in relation to the research focus. Participants consisted of core employees at various managerial levels and some students, at three theological institutions in Zimbabwe. As a result, 12 respondents represented both the semi-structured interviews and the focus group discussion. The study produced the following four key findings: non-compliance with regulatory requirements was the main cause of the closures of theological institutions in Zimbabwe; closures of theological institutions in were not only a national (Zimbabwean) problem but also an International problem, as the closures were spread throughout the globe; closures of theological institutions had both positive and negative impacts; organisational memory (OM) had the potential to contribute to the achievement of institutional sustainability, by influencing institutional decision-making processes, as well as by helping organisations to avoid repeating past mistakes. The main conclusions drawn from this study were that: current approaches to curb the problem of the closures of theological institutions will be deficient as long as theological institutions fail to take into account the significance of OM in their decision-making processes. The recurring closures of theological institutions in Zimbabwe was partly due to the fact that, institutions were not learning from their past, or the past of their sister institutions, hence continually repeating past mistakes. Therefore, this study recommends that: theological institutions need to comply with policy guidelines; policy enforcers should intensify their efforts and raise public awareness about the need for institutions to comply with national policy guidelines as well as the consequences of non-compliance. Based on the usefulness of OM in supporting institutional decision-making processes as well as in helping organisations to avoid repeating past mistakes; the final recommendation of the study pointed towards the need for theological institutions to consider OM as an important knowledge-based strategy, for their continuity

Exploring the suitability of Bambusa Vulgaris Leaf Ash as a biomass filler in asphalt mixtures

Utilizing waste as alternative materials in asphalt production preserves natural resources and reduces environmental impacts. This study investigates the potential of Bambusa Vulgaris Leaf Ash (BVLA) as a potential biomass filler in place of conventional mineral filler, Powdered Quarry Dust (PQD), in producing asphalt mixtures. Dried Bambusa Vulgaris leaves were obtained locally and calcined at 600 °C for 2 h, generating BVLA. PQD was replaced with BVLA at 0–100 wt. %. The effects of BVLA filler on the mechanical properties of asphalt mixtures were evaluated using Marshall Quotient (MQ) and indirect tensile strengths. Similarly, the durability of asphalt mixtures was assessed through moisture susceptibility (tensile strength ratio). The environmental impacts (embodied energy and global warming potential), sustainability score, and eco-strength efficiency of incorporating BVLA as a PQD alternative were evaluated using the cradle-to-gate boundary. The results revealed improved mechanical and durability properties with increased BVLA dosage in the asphalt mixtures. However, the optimum replacement level was found at 30 wt. % BVLA, resulting in 37.43, 22.22 and 22.39, and 4% higher MQ, wet and dry indirect tensile strengths, and tensile strength ratio compared to the control mixture (PQD-based asphalt mixture). With a 30 wt. % optimum BLVA dosage in the asphalt mixtures, the embodied energy and global warming potential decreased by 5 and 50%, while the sustainability score and eco-strength efficiency increased by 50 and 34%. These findings underscore the potential of BVLA to enhance pavement construction properties and promote sustainability

Policing system and electoral violence : a case of Nigeria’s fourth republic

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Management Sciences Public Administration, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2025.Electoral violence is a persistent challenge to Nigeria's democratic consolidation, threatening the integrity of the electoral process and national stability. The study investigated the relationship between law enforcement and electoral violence in Nigeria's Fourth Republic. It examined the current policing system, identified deficiencies, and proposed measures to mitigate electoral violence. Key objectives include analysing the policing structure, its link to electoral violence, challenges to reform, and recommending effective measures. The study used face-to-face interviews with stakeholders, transcribed and analysed using NVivo 12 software. Thematic analysis revealed significant deficiencies in Nigeria's policing system in managing electoral violence. Recommended reforms include structural changes, capacity building, and enhancing police independence and accountability. Minimising political interference and restoring public trust in law enforcement are crucial for safeguarding democratic processes. The study highlighted the impact of socio-economic grievances on electoral violence and the interplay of weak legal frameworks, inadequate law enforcement, corruption, and impunity. Technological innovations, such as electronic voting systems and digital whistleblowing platforms, are essential for enhancing electoral efficiency and transparency. The study concluded that addressing electoral violence in Nigeria requires a multifaceted approach, including structural police reforms, socio-economic development, technological innovations, stringent rules for defaulters, and international cooperation. Comprehensive reforms are necessary to enhance legal and institutional frameworks, ensuring the integrity and stability of Nigeria's electoral processes.