Chronic and structural poverty in South Africa: Challenges for action and research

Ten years after liberation, the persistence of poverty is one of the most important and urgent problems facing South Africa. This paper reflects on some of the findings based on research undertaken as part of the participation of the Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) at the University of the Western Cape in the work of the Chronic Poverty Research Centre (CPRC), situates it within the broader literature on poverty in South Africa, and considers some emergent challenges. Although PLAAS’s survey, being only the first wave of a panel study, does not yet cast light on short term poverty dynamics, it illuminates key aspects of the structural conditions that underpin long-term poverty: the close interactions between asset poverty, employment-vulnerability and subjection to unequal social power relations. Coming to grips with these dynamics requires going beyond the limitations of conventional ‘sustainable livelihoods’ analyses; and functionalist analyses of South African labour markets. The paper argues for a re-engagement with the traditions of critical sociology, anthropology and the theoretical conventions that allow a closer exploration of the political economy of chronic poverty at micro and macro level

Performance in fire of fibre reinforced polymer strengthened concrete beams including embedded fibre optic sensors

Fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) materials are increasingly being applied in many areas of construction, particularly for strengthening of concrete beams. However, concerns associated with fire remain an obstacle to applications of FRP materials in buildings and parking garages due to their susceptibility to degradation at elevated temperatures. For FRP strengthened concrete beams, the bond properties of FRP materials at high temperature are critical. Additionally, in both industrial applications and fire scenarios, sensing may be required at very high temperatures. Such sensing could be used to monitor and control equipment in industrial situations or to provide an emergency management system in a structural fire. Conventional fibre optic sensors (FOS), however, are limited to relatively low temperatures. Thus, this paper also discusses the development of technology for fibre optic sensing at high temperatures. To illustrate the potential application in a structure, two full-scale T-beams (4 m span) are constructed with FOS attached to the internal longitudinal reinforcement. These T-beams are strengthened with external FRP, and fire protection for the FRP is provided by sprayed insulation. These beams will then be exposed to a standard ASTM fire while under sustained loading. This paper also presents an experimental investigation to characterize the bond properties of some currently available FRPs under various loading and thermal regimes ranging from ambient temperature to 200\ubaC. Lap splice tests are conducted under both steady-state and transient temperature conditions, and the results of the two types of testing are compared.On utilise de plus en plus les mat\ue9riaux \ue0 base de polym\ue8res renforc\ue9s de fibres (PRF) dans de nombreux domaines de la construction, plus particuli\ue8rement pour am\ue9liorer la r\ue9sistance des poutres de b\ue9ton. Toutefois, les pr\ue9occupations li\ue9es au feu font obstacle aux applications des mat\ue9riaux \ue0 base de PRF dans les b\ue2timents et les garages de stationnement en raison de la susceptibilit\ue9 de ces ouvrages \ue0 la d\ue9gradation aux temp\ue9ratures \ue9lev\ue9es. Dans le cas des poutres de b\ue9ton arm\ue9es de PRF, les propri\ue9t\ue9s d?adh\ue9rence \ue0 haute temp\ue9rature des mat\ue9riaux du type PRF demeurent critiques. En outre, dans les applications industrielles comme dans les sc\ue9narios d?incendie, la d\ue9tection \ue0 temp\ue9ratures tr\ue8s \ue9lev\ue9es pourrait \ueatre requise et utilis\ue9e aux fins de la surveillance et du contr\uf4le des \ue9quipements dans les applications industrielles, ou pour procurer un syst\ue8me de gestion d?urgence dans les incendies d?immeuble. Les d\ue9tecteurs \ue0 fibres optiques (DFO) traditionnels sont cependant limit\ue9s \ue0 des temp\ue9ratures relativement basses. C?est pourquoi nous traitons \ue9galement dans ce document du d\ue9veloppement d?une nouvelle technologie pour la d\ue9tection \ue0 fibres optiques aux temp\ue9ratures \ue9lev\ue9es. Afin d?illustrer l?application potentielle de cette technologie dans une structure donn\ue9e, on construit deux (2) poutres en T en vraie grandeur (port\ue9e de 4 m) avec des DFO fix\ue9s \ue0 l?int\ue9rieur de l?armature longitudinale. Ces poutres en T sont arm\ue9es de PRF sur l?ext\ue9rieur, ceux-ci \ue9tant prot\ue9g\ue9s contre le feu par un isolant pulv\ue9ris\ue9. Ces poutres seront ensuite expos\ue9es \ue0 un essai de r\ue9sistance au feu selon la norme ASTM en chargement soutenu. Ce document pr\ue9sente \ue9galement une investigation exp\ue9rimentale aux fins de la caract\ue9risation des propri\ue9t\ue9s d?adh\ue9rence de certains PRF actuellement disponibles, en divers r\ue9gimes de chargement et r\ue9gimes thermiques allant de la temp\ue9rature ambiante \ue0 200 \ubaC. Des essais de joints \ue0 recouvrement sont r\ue9alis\ue9s en conditions d?\ue9tat stationnaire et de temp\ue9rature transitoire, et les r\ue9sultats des deux types d?essais font l?objet d?une comparaison.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

The contradictions of broadcasting reform in post-apartheid South Africa

This paper examines the process of mass media reform in South Africa during the 1990s, with particular reference to broadcasting. It identifies tensions between the attempt to restructure broadcasting as a public sphere capable of supporting national unification and democratization and i). the existence of socio-economic differentiation and cultural diversity at sub-national scales; and ii). the pressures which impinge upon the broadcasting sector as a result of policies aimed at internationalizing the South African economy. The formulation of broadcasting policy between 1990 and 1995 is reviewed, and the changes that have taken place during the implementation of restructuring and re-regulation from 1996 to 1998 are critically assessed. The paper concludes that the intensified commercialization of broadcasting is at odds with political objectives of transforming the mass media into a public sphere supportive of a diverse and independent civil society

The limits of media democratization in South Africa: politics, privatization, and regulation

This paper critically examines the processes that have limited the development of a democratic media system in post-apartheid South Africa. After a brief overview of the formation of the Independent Broadcasting Authority, the evolution of the ANC’s economic policies and approach to privatization is discussed. This provides the context in which the transformation of the broadcasting system since 1994 Africa can be understood. The privatization of radio stations in 1996 indicates the political tensions that shape media reform. It is argued that the progress of democratic broadcasting reform is increasingly being dictated by the state’s programme for restructuring the telecommunications sector. In conclusion, it is suggested that the post-1994 period has witnessed a diminution in the influence of independent civil society organizations over media policies, consequent upon an increasingly centralized and bureaucratic emphasis in policy formulation and implementation