Facts Matter: A Study into the Casuistry of Substantive International Criminal Law

Sliedregt, E. van [Promotor]Rozemond, N. [Copromotor]Stevens, L. [Copromotor

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A DIVERSION PROGRAMME FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERS : PROBLEM AREAS AND 'PITFALLS'

According to the 2001 South African census, about 35% fo the South African population can be classified as youths, that is, below the age of 35 years, while 22% is below 20 years of age (Statistics South Africa, 2003).  Schönteich (1999:22) emphasises that South Africa faces some serious challenges because of the high proportion of young people in the population.  Reffering to criminal behaviour in particular, he suggests that juveniles and young adults commit crimes "...far in excess of their proportion of the general population", and that these rates seem to be similar all over the world.  He also points to conviction rates that show that young males in South Africa are at greater risk of being convicted for a wide range of crimes that older males or females of any age group

The Policy underlying Crimes against Humanity: Practical Reflections on a Theoretical Debate

This article argues that the debate concerning the theoretical char- acterization of the policy requirement as either an element of crime or an evidentiary relevant circumstance for crimes against humanity is deficient. Comparative case law analysis illustrates that this characterization does not fundamentally affect the po- sition, meaning and scope of the policy underlying crimes against humanity in judicial practice. This can be explained by the ‘‘open texture’’ of legal rules and the factor-based character of judicial decision-making. This article aims to initiate a practical debate that evaluates the added value of a policy element on the basis of its application in individual cases

Phylogeny of Southern African and Australasian Wahlenbergioids (Campanulaceae) based on ITS and trnL-F sequence data: implications for a reclassification

The Campanulaceae: Wahlenbergioideae currently comprises 15 genera, one of which, Wahlenbergia, is widespread over the southern continents. Southern Africa is the region with maximum wahlenbergioid diversity with 12 genera and approximately 252 species. A second center is Australasia with 38 Wahlenbergia species. This study used a broad sample of wahlenbergioid diversity from South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand to reconstruct a phylogeny based on chloroplast trnL-F and nuclear ITS sequences. Data were analyzed separately and in combination using parsimony and Bayesian methods. The results suggest that for the wahlenbergioids to be monophyletic Wahlenbergia hederacea has to be excluded and that none of the South African, Australian or New Zealand lineages are strictly monophyletic. There are five species assemblages that are in some disagreement with current classification in the family. Wahlenbergia, Prismatocarpus and Roella are shown to be non-monophyletic and implications for a reclassification are presented. Careful consideration of morphological characters is suggested before the adjustment of generic circumscriptions can be accomplished.Web of Scienc

Valuing the Expertise of Mobile Herders in Arid South Africa--A Photographic Essay

Pastoralism has been practiced for millennia in numerous ecosystems across the world. Throughout history, pastoral systems and in particular herding have been replaced by the commercialization of livestock production, which essentially made herders redundant in many sub-Sahara countries resulting in job losses. Herding is however still practiced in many countries, but the essential role of the herder is in many instances snubbed upon and disregarded as trivial work, hence their low social standing within the community. Literature however indicates that herding does offer many benefits over commercial paddock systems e.g. improving rural livelihoods, reviving customary practice, reducing stock theft, reducing predation and improving biodiversity management. The contribution of herders is often underestimated, even within livestock-keeping communities, but is in fact much more complicated and they do far more than meets the eye. This paper (in the form of a photo essay) is an attempt not only to give a human face to herders through a series of photographic images, but to highlight particular activities of herders in the semi-arid Namaqualand region of South Africa. The images show the complexity of herding, which is in fact an artisanal task. It depicts herders in their daily activities as botanists with an in depth botanical knowledge including, taxonomy, phytochemistry, nutritional value, toxicity, cultural, and ritual value. It also depicts herders as midwives during lambing season, practicing nursing, and shows the interaction with their guarding dogs. Furthermore, the images illustrate the gender identity with shepherdesses functioning in an extremely harsh semi-arid landscape. It also shows the interaction between herders at the water point which acts as the gathering point for the exchange of knowledge between these artisans. These results show that the value of herders in dryland farming systems deserve more recognition and they should be key players in policy development

Impact of transthoracic echocardiography at district hospital level

Background. The use of and demand for echocardiography (ECHO) has increased worldwide. In developed countries, this has nottranslated into improved access outside tertiary centres. Previous studies have favoured the appropriate use of ECHO over its clinicalimpact, limiting generalisability to resource-constrained settings.Objectives. To assess the impact of an ECHO service at district hospital level in Cape Town, South Africa.Methods. A prospective, cross-sectional study was performed. A total of 210 consecutive patients, referred to the ECHO clinic over a5-month period, were recruited. Transthoracic ECHO was evaluated in terms of its indication, new information provided, correlation withthe referring doctor’s diagnosis and subsequent management plan. Impact included the escalation and de-escalation of treatment, as wellas usefulness without a change in management.Results. The results show that 83.8% of the patients’ management was impacted on by echocardiography. Valvular lesions were themain indication. The most frequent contribution was information provided towards the diagnosis of heart failure and assessment aftermyocardial infarction. Of the echocardiograms, 56.2% confirmed the referring doctor’s diagnosis, yet were still associated with a significantimpact. The rational prescription of medication had the major impetus, followed by de-escalation of therapy and screening patients todetermine referral to a tertiary facility.Conclusion. ECHO has a positive impact on patient management outside tertiary settings, where the definition of impact appears to bedifferent. The value of a normal study, screening prior to upstream referral and usefulness irrespective of change have been established. Thisshould alert policy makers against restriction of access to ECHO and promote training of personnel in its use

Inhibition of bacteria associated with wound infection by biocompatible green synthesized gold nanoparticles from South African plant extracts

Unlike conventional physical and chemical methods, the biogenic synthesis of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) is considered a green and non-toxic approach to produce biocompatible GNPs that can be utilized in various biomedical applications. This can be achieved by using plant-derived phytochemicals to reduce gold salt into GNPs. Several green synthesized GNPs have been shown to have antibacterial effects, which can be applied in wound dressings to prevent wound infections. Therefore, the aim of this study is to synthesize biogenic GNPs from the South African Galenia africana and Hypoxis hemerocallidea plants extracts and evaluate their antibacterial activity, using the Alamar blue assay, against bacterial strains that are known to cause wound infections. Additionally, we investigated the toxicity of the biogenic GNPs to non-cancerous human fibroblast cells (KMST-6) using 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. In this paper, spherical GNPs, with particle sizes ranging from 9 to 27 nm, were synthesized and fully characterized. The GNPs from H. hemerocallidea exhibited antibacterial activity against all the tested bacterial strains, whereas GNPs produced from G. africana only exhibited antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The GNPs did not show any significant toxicity towards KMST-6 cells, which may suggest that these nanoparticles can be safely applied in wound dressings