Restructuring of the South African electricity distribution industry (EDI)

Abstract The electricity distribution industry (EDI) restructuring in South Africa remains a long and tedious process. The neo-liberal ideology based on the neo-classical theory which is characterized by concepts such as buying, selling and owing are widely used in both developed and developing countries since the 1980s. The study argued the influence of the neo-liberal framework by way of exploring the concerns of organized labour with the restructuring of the EDI. The study was conducted in the Western Cape where the first Regional Electricity Distributor (RED) was launched as a possible forerunner for the rest of the country. The respondents composed of eleven representatives from key stakeholders as part of the restructuring negotiations. The findings showed that the neo-classical framework indicated its own limitations in that it only caters for broad macro-economic performance at the exclusion of social programs especially in developing countries. Based on the findings of the study and the limitations of the austere neo-liberal economic requirements, a number of recommendations which would reinforce and revise the current and out-dated EDI restructuring blueprint had been presented by stakeholders such as organized labour at the EDI restructuring negotiations. The study revealed that the new proposed blueprint recommendations as identified by organized labour and other role players recognized the current macro-economic challenges and as such should be engaged within a more refined corporatist institutional environment. Such an environment should recognize the role of a broader social constituency to be included. The concerns identified by organized labour should not be read in isolation of the broader macro context but as part of the solutions for a better restructured EDI

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

House-dust mite species in Bloemfontein, South Africa

House-dust mites (HDMs) are an important source of allergens that are reputed to act as a trigger for atopic disease. Climatic conditions in parts of South Africa are not suitable for their proliferation, and there is doubt whether they occur on the Highveld. We studied whether HDMs occur in homes in Bloemfontein, Free State.Methods. Ten houses were sampled over a 1-year period. Dust was collected monthly or quarterly from a mattress, a bedroom floor and the living room floor of each house and examined for the presence of HDMs. Climate data were collected during the same period and a questionnaire was completed by home-owners to gather data on indoor factorsthat could influence mite proliferation.Results. HDMs were regularly found in 3 houses (30%). Dermatophagoides farinae was the dominant species (97.5%).The highest numbers were found in winter, when climatic conditions were the least favourable. Climatic conditions never met the requirements for active proliferation of the mites. Indoor factors that may have promoted mite proliferation in some houses were artificial heating (especially under-floor heating), en-suite bathrooms and lack of adequate ventilation during the winter months.Conclusion. HDMs do occur in central South Africa, owing to amicroclimate created indoors. Adequate ventilation, to reduceindoor humidity, should suffice to reduce mite numbers andprevent atopic symptoms induced by them

DOES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PAY - THE CASE FOR PROTEACEAE

This paper reports on the socio-economic impact of the Proteaceae technology development and transfer programme. Farm level data were collected from the major role players in the industry, including cultivators, harvesters, agents and nurseries. The five major production regions were the Western Cape, South Western Cape, Southern Cape, Cape Peninsula and Eastern Cape, but other small regions in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) were also included in the study. Standard pretested mail questionnaires, supplemented with personal interviews, were used. This paper reports the socio-economic impacts over the period 1974- 2005. Results show that the rate of return for the financial and economic analyses ranged between seven and twelve percent, showing that the research programme is a profitable investment to society. The Proteaceae programme contributed to the conservation of biodiversity, had institutional impact in terms of training and technology transfer, while the social impact was indicated by employment generation through R&D activities.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Variable spatial structure of schooling pelagic fish off Namibia: implications for acoustic surveys

Schools of horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus capensis, sardine Sardinops sagax and round herring Etrumeus whiteheadi were surveyed by conventional echo-integration along systematic transects. The transects were surveyed twice, in opposite directions. Clupeoid biomass was concentrated in a few dense aggregations, whereas horse mackerel were less dense and distributed over larger areas. The influence of aggregation patterns of the different species on the precision of the acoustic estimates was analysed with respect to spatial variability and diurnal effects. Isotropic variograms computed from values of acoustic back-scattering strength showed little or no structure for all three species. Indicator variograms showed relatively large structures (>15 miles) for all three species at the lowest cut-off level, confirming the influence of high values on the variograms. The autocorrelation range decreased with an increase in cut-off value for horse mackerel, whereas variograms of sardine and round herring showed no structure at larger cut-off values. There were large variances in estimated biomass for sardine (77%) and round herring (90%) between surveys, whereas biomass estimates of horse mackerel were relatively similar between surveys.Keywords: abundance estimates, acoustics, geostatistics, spatial distributionAfrican Journal of Marine Science 2001, 23: 99–10

Organisational culture and financial performance in a South African investment bank.

The relationship between the organisational culture and financial performance of a South African investment bank was explored in this study. The Denison Organizational Culture Survey was used to measure the organizational culture and was administered to a sample of 327 employees. Income statement ratio analyses were used to assess the financial performance. The validity and reliability of the Denison Organizational Culture Survey was examined in a South African context for the first time. High correlations between the cultural traits suggested that the items were measuring a single trait rather than four distinguishable traits. Correlations above the 0.50 level between some subscales (team orientation, agreement, customer focus, core values and vision) and certain financial ratios were obtained. However, the results were regarded as tentative, because statistical significance was not reached for most of the correlations. The cultural trait consistency was significantly correlated with two of the four profitability ratios

Foreword: South African Journal of Geomatics special edition

No Abstract

Spinal cord stimulation for the management of pain: Recommendations for best clinical practice

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an accepted method of pain control. SCS has been used for many years and is supported by a substantial evidence base. A multidisciplinary consensus group has been convened to create a guideline for the implementation and execution of an SCS programme for South Africa (SA). This article discusses the evidence and appropriate context of SCS delivery, and makes recommendations for patient selection and appropriate use. The consensus group has also described the possible complications following SCS. This guideline includes a literature review and a summary of controlled clinical trials of SCS. The group notes that, in SA, SCS is performed mainly for painful neuropathies, failed back surgery, and chronic regional pain syndrome. It was noted that SCS is used to treat other conditions such as angina pectoris and ischaemic conditions, which have therefore been included in this guideline. These recommendations give guidance to practitioners delivering this treatment, to those who may wish to refer patients for SCS, and to those who care for patients with stimulators in situ. The recommendations also provide a resource for organisations that fund SCS. This guideline has drawn on the guidelines recently published by the British Pain Society, and parts of which have beenreproduced with the society’s permission. These recommendations have been produced by a consensus group of relevant healthcare professionals. Opinion from outside the consensus group has been incorporated through consultation with representatives of all groups for whom these  recommendations have relevance. The recommendations refer to the current body of evidence relating to SCS. The consensus group wishes to acknowledge and thank the task team of the British Pain Society for their help and input into this document

Harmonizing Software Standards with a Semantic Model

The application of standards in the software development process supports interoperability between systems. Maintenance of standards must be guaranteed on the organisational and technical level. The use of semantic technologies can contribute to the standard maintenance process by providing a harmonizing bridge between standards of different knowledge domains and languages and by providing a single point of administration for standard domain concepts. This paper describes a case study of the creation of a semantic layer between software standards for water management systems in The Netherland