South African education and the ideology of patriarchy

Despite current legislation prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of inter alia gender, it appears that little has been achieved to facilitate equality of the sexes in the South African society (and education in particular). It seems that this can be attributed to a deep-rooted patriarchal society. This article consequently investigates the ideological nature of patriarchy and illustrates strategies that are applied to perpetuate relations of domination that serve this ideology. (South African Journal of Education: 2001 21(4): 300-304

Fungal phoenix rising from the ashes?

During May 2010, sporocarps of what appeared to be an Armillaria sp. were found in large clumps in historic Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens on the foot of Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa. These sporocarps could be physically linked to the roots of unidentified dead trees and Protea spp. The aim of this study was to identify the Armillaria sp. found fruiting in Kirstenbosch. To achieve this goal isolates were made from the mycelium under the bark of dead roots linked to sporocarps. The ITS and IGS-1 regions were sequenced and compared to sequences of Armillaria spp. available on GenBank. Cladograms were generated using ITS sequences to determine the phylogenetic relationship of the isolates with other Armillaria spp. Sequence comparisons and phylogenetic analyses showed that the isolates represented A. mellea. They were also identical to isolates of this species previously discovered in the Company Gardens in South Africa and introduced from Europe apparently by the early Dutch Settlers. Armillaria mellea is alien and apparently invasive in Cape Town, fruits profusely and has the potential to spread to sensitive native forests on the foothills of the City

FINANCING LOCAL DEVELOPMENT

Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Application of the Land Administration Domain Model to the City of Johannesburg Land Information System

The paper explores the adoption of ISO 19152, Geographic information -- Land Administration Domain Model (LADM), in the enhancement of the current City of Johannesburg Land Information System (CoJLIS) data model. The CoJLIS was established to support integration of property data within various departments of the city. The current CoJLIS is designed for core land information only. There is a need for a comprehensive data model for all property information to support data management. The current CoJLIS upgrade coincides with the development of the LADM by ISO/TC 211, Geographic information/Geomatics. The LADM was published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) late in 2012 as an International Standard for modelling basic land administration (LA) information. The LADM aims to provide a common vocabulary within the LA domain. This research examined the core data model of CoJLIS against the corresponding LADM basic classes. The LADM presents an opportunity to adopt an ISO conformant model in the CoJLIS, thus leveraging the benefits associated with the LADM. We show that the LADM can be used to describe land administration information at a municipality in South Africa, but that there are semantic differences, similarities and mismatches of classes and attributes between the LADM and the CoJLIS. The current disconnect between different systems, each managing a different part of the land administration information at the CoJ, is a cause for concern. The research was restricted to the City of Johannesburg. The results improve the understanding of land administration at municipal level in South Africa, but more empirical explorations are necessary to examine the applicability of the LADM within different contexts, more especially in cadastre-less areas (e.g. informal settlements and rural areas)

Missed opportunities for immunisation in health facilities in Cape Town, South Africa

Background. Childhood immunisations are a cost-effective public health intervention for prevention of infectious diseases. Immunisation coverage is still suboptimal, however, which may result in disease outbreaks. Immunisation at every contact with a health facility is a strategy developed by the World Health Organization in order to improve immunisation coverage.Objectives. To estimate the prevalence of missed opportunities for immunisation at different levels of healthcare in the Western Cape Province, South Africa, and assess factors associated with missed opportunities.Methods. The study included a health facility-based cross-sectional exit survey of caregivers with children up to 5 years of age, followed by a qualitative exploration of staff attitudes towards immunisation.Results. The overall prevalence of missed opportunities for immunisation was 4.6%; 81.3% of caregivers brought Road-to- Health booklets (RTHBs) to consultations; and 56.0% of health workers asked to see the RTHBs during consultations. Children attending primary level facilities were significantly more likely to have their RTHBs requested than children attending a tertiary level facility. Lack of training and resources and heavy workloads were the main challenges reported at secondary/tertiary level facilities.Conclusion. Missed opportunities for immunisation at health facilities in Cape Town were low, probably reflecting good immunisation coverage among children accessing health facilities. Increased health worker support, particularly at secondary/tertiary levels of care, is needed to improve the use of RTHBs to provide immunisation

The relation between career anchors, emotional intelligence and employability satisfaction among workers in the service industry

The objective of this study was to determine the relationship betweenthe career anchors (measured by the Career Orientations Inventory),emotional intelligence (measured by the Assessing Emotions Scale)and employability satisfaction (measured by a one-item scale) of arandom sample of 270 adults employed in the service industry. Aquantitative survey design was used. Multiple regression analysesrevealed significant relationships between the participants’ careeranchors, emotional intelligence and employability satisfaction.The results further showed the entrepreneurial creativity, service/dedication to a cause and autonomy career anchors to be significantpredictors of emotional intelligence. Employability satisfactionsignificantly predicted the pure challenge and service/dedicationto a cause career anchors. Managing others’ emotions significantlypredicted employability satisfaction. The findings contribute newknowledge to the field of career psychology and may be used toinform human resource practices concerned with optimising person–job fit and the job and career satisfaction of employees. In the lightof the turbulent world of work context, career counsellors may alsofind the results useful in facilitating proactive career behaviouramong employees

Promoting adherence to antiretroviral therapy: the experience from a primary care setting in Khayelitsha, South Africa.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the approach used to promote adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and to present the outcomes in the first primary care public sector ART project in South Africa. DESIGN: The study is a prospective open cohort, including all adult patients naive to previous ART who received antiretroviral treatment in Khayelitsha, from May 2001 to the end of 2002. Patients were followed until their most recent visit before 31 July 2003. METHODS: Plasma viral load was determined at 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after ART was initiated, and CD4 cell counts 6-monthly. Kaplan-Meier estimates were determined for the cumulative proportions of patients surviving, and patients with viral load suppression and viral rebound. RESULTS: A total of 287 patients were initiated on triple therapy. The probability of survival was 86.3% at 24 months. The median CD4 cell count gain was 288 cells/microliters at 24 months. Viral load was less than 400 copies/ml in 89.2, 84.2 and 69.7% of patients at 6, 12 and 24 months, respectively. The cumulative probability of viral rebound (two consecutive HIV-RNA measurements above 400 copies/ml) after achieving an HIV-RNA measurement below 400 copies/ml was 13.2% at 18 months. CONCLUSION: The study shows that, with a standard approach to patient preparation and strategies to enhance adherence, a cohort of patients on ART can be retained in a resource-limited setting in a developing country. A high proportion of patients achieved suppression of viral replication. The subsequent probability of viral rebound was low

Pet stores, aquarists and the internet trade as modes of introduction and spread of invasive macrophytes in South Africa

Submerged aquatic invasive plant species are increasingly being recognised as a major threat to South African water ways. Pet stores, aquarists and the internet-mediated trade were investigated as pathways for submerged invasive macrophyte introductions into South Africa. Online and manually distributed surveys were used to determine the extent of movement of invasive as well as indigenous submerged plant species in South Africa. Sixty-four stores and twenty-three aquarists were surveyed. Four areas of risk were identified in this study. Firstly, and most importantly, a variety of invasive and/or prohibited plants are sold by pet stores. Secondly, there is a lack of knowledge regarding identification as well as regulation of submerged species, which may then result in the unintentional trade of potentially invasive species. It seems that, in many cases, the pet stores are ignorant or misinformed of the potential dangers, rather than intentionally attempting to breach the legislation. Thirdly, aquarists own, trade and move plants in and around the country, which makes it very difficult to monitor which species are being moved around South Africa and to what extent. Finally, the internet is a pathway of potential concern, but it is difficult to quantify its contribution to the trade of invasive species in South Africa

The challenge of quality and relevance in South African education: a philosophical perspective

Within a changing South African socio-political context, quality education and schooling mean radically different things to different people. The call for contextualising education within an African life-world, and the fear of declining quality and standards in education, necessitate a closer look at the role and meaning of quality and relevance in education. This article consequently attempts a philosophical perspective on quality education and the role of educational standards and relevance. (South African Journal of Education: 2001 21(4): 208-212