Populism as an active and effective form of contemporary South African politics

Research Report Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Political Studies University of the Witwatersrand March 2015Recent 21st century political developments in South Africa have given rise to debate surrounding a threat to a functioning democracy. New radical political parties, turmoil in the labour sectors, and dysfunctional government policies and activities have made populist tendencies a central aspect of this debate. Populism is an entity oft evoked in a negative light and rhetoric in this debate. It is associated with demagogues and the ‘uncontrollable’ urges of the masses that would be let loose upon society given the chance, destroying democracy in the process. It is the aim of this paper to argue the opposite. By expanding and contributing to the theoretical literature on populism, and through the analysis of empirical evidence – the Western Cape farm worker’s strikes and the Marikana strikes and subsequent massacre of 2012 –in South Africa this research report seeks to fill a gap in the conceptualisation and practical characterisation of populism in our political setting. Can populism be conceptually, theoretically, and empirically utilised to characterise and explain trends in contemporary South African politics and can it be utilised in providing a contextual underpinning for explaining recent events in South African society as a whole? Through the reliance on the theories of Ernesto Laclau and Slavoj Zizek the aim will be to identify the underlying gaps in democratic politics that gives rise to populist movements and through this argument to build and utilise this conception of populism as a positive and effective analytical tool of contemporary South African politics

South-South cooperation in health professional education : a literature review

In the literature on the evolution of funding approaches there is criticism of traditional funding strategies and the promotion of inclusive models, such as South-South Cooperation (SSC) and triangular models. The latter are felt to have a number of advantages. This article has four broad objectives: (i) to present a literature review on the evolution of Southern approaches to development co-operation; (ii) to indicate examples of current co-operative programmes in health and health professional education in Africa; (iii) to assess the advantages and disadvantages of these models; and (iv) to mention some emerging issues in monitoring and evaluation. The Boolean logic approach was used to search for applicable literature within three topic layers. Searches were conducted using PubMed, PLoS and other accessible databases. An initial draft of the article was presented to a group of academics and researchers at the Flemish Inter-University Council (VLIR-UOS) Primafamed annual workshop held in August 2010 in Swaziland. Comments and suggestions from the group were included in later versions of the article. It is important to note that the existence of various funding models implemented by a variety of actors makes it difficult to measure their effects. In health and health professional education, however, SSC and triangular models of aid provide conditions for more effective programming through their focus on participation and long-term involvement. With an eye towards evaluating programmes, a number of salient issues are emerging. The importance of context is highlighted

Die profilaktiese toediening van ergometrien met hialase an die einde van die tweede stadium van kraam

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Voltydse ekstra-uterine swagerskap

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The structural validity of Holland's R-I-A-S-E-C model of vocational personality types for young black South African men and women.

This study examined the validity of Holland’s circular order model of vocational personality types for young black South African men and women. The validity of the model was investigated for four groups, namely men and women from the Eastern Cape Province, and men and women from the North West Province. The randomization test of hypothesized order relations and the accompanying correspondence index suggested that the data of all four groups fit the circular order model poorly. The results of multidimensional scaling analyses also suggested poor fit. These results indicate that the circular order model may not be valid for black South African youths. Reasons for the unsatisfactory fit between the model and the observed data are discussed

Do Differences in the Colour and Phenolic Composition of Young Shiraz Wines Reflect During Ageing?

This study investigated the evolution of colour and phenolic compounds of Shiraz wines during wine ageing. Wines made from the same vineyard, but with a different phenolic composition, were used in this study. Analyses included colour density, anthocyanins, tannin, hydroyxycinnamic acids, flavan-3-ols, polymeric pigments and polymeric phenols. Differences in phenolic compositions observed in the young wines were generally still observed after 6 and 12 months of ageing. These results indicate that significant differences in terms of phenolics and colour in young Shiraz red wines might thus be expected to be reflected in the wines after ageing as well

A comparison of soil moisture relations between standing and clearfelled plots with burnt and unburnt harvest residue treatments of a clonal eucalypt plantation on the Zululand Coastal Plain, South Africa

The effects of clearfelling and subsequent residue retention or burning on water and nutrient balances needs to be understood and quantified on forest sites that are sensitive to loss, so that the long-term sustainable productivity of such sites can be maintained and promoted. An  experimental site was established in a clonal eucalypt compartment on the Zululand Coastal Plain, to compare changes in water fluxes through the mature undisturbed eucalypt stand with those after felling and re-planting, under 2 conditions: burning, and retention of the harvesting residues. The study was located in an area of high rainfall and high stand productivity, with sandy soils and low soil carbon and nutrient status; chosen so that the effects of intensive demands on water and nutrient fluxes on a potentially sensitive site could be investigated. This paper presents only the hydrological component of the study. Data collection included weekly determination of rainfall, throughfall, stemflow and soil moisture fluxes from the surface to a depth of 1 m. Drainage rates through the profile were established using time domain reflectometry probes while water drainage volumes were assessed using shallow plate lysimeters. Despite slow growth in the unfelled crop during the monitoring period (attributed to a pest infestation), soil moisture depletion remained rapid and drainage below 1 m remained low. Soil moisture was recharged within a few months after clearfelling, but became rapidly depleted as the canopy of new crop developed and approached canopy closure. A decreased wetting-front velocity and a marginally higher field capacity were proposed as evidence of pore clogging that appeared to occur during the inter-rotation period. The soil profile under the unburnt residue maintained a marginally higher soil moisture status and lower drainage than the soil profile under the burnt residue. Although soil moisture and drainage in the burnt and unburnt residue treatments became similar to the unfelled crop from canopy closure onwards, rainfall additions to soil moisture were depleted faster under the new crop during the first few months after canopy closure. Small differences in soil moisture status between the burnt and unburnt residue treatments presented here may not be sufficient to influence residue management decisions. The length of the inter-rotation period and practice of residue burning may, however, need consideration where soil carbon and nutrient loss or displacement may negatively affect the sustainability of the site.Keywords: Soil moisture drainage, residue burning, post felling, inter-rotatio

DYNAMIC ELUTRIATION MEASUREMENT IN A CONTINUOUSLY OPERATED BUBBLING FLUIDIZED BED

Measurements were performed using a novel thermal mass flow meter. The dynamic behaviour of the total elutriation rate was monitored from start-up until a steady rate was achieved. It was found that the elutriation rate at unsteady conditions can be as much as 5 times that of the steady value and that it can take more than an hour to reach steady state. This is attributed to the dynamic changes of the fines distribution between the fluidized bed and dipleg. It was further shown that a steady dipleg height does not indicate steady elutriation rates. Using the flow meter to confirm steady state measurements, elutriation constants were determined for the glass bead - air system at different superficial velocities