No. 17: Writing Xenophobia: Immigration and the Press in Post-Apartheid South Africa

The mass media have become one of the most important institutions in modern society, playing a role not only in our learning and education, but also in how we see opportunities for change and improvements in our lives. For these reasons, the media are seen as a powerful vehicle for social transformation and development, and have drawn increasing attention towards themselves in contemporary society. The print media (ie newspapers) are particularly important in this respect, given that the press has traditionally been a provider of information on daily events and, for many people, are the only source of information about events that are not experienced directly. This report discusses the South African print media’s coverage of cross-border migration in the post-apartheid period and how it may affect public opinion on the topic as well as immigration legislation. It is based on a survey that was the first, and most comprehensive, of its kind ever undertaken in the country, drawing on more than 1 200 newspaper clippings about migration from all English-language newspapers between 1994 and 1998. The report presents both a quantitative and qualitative analysis of this media coverage and offers a set of recommendations on how the press could improve its reportage in the future. In sum, the report argues that coverage of international migration by the South African press has been largely anti-immigrant and unanalytical. Not all reportage is negative, and newspaper coverage would appear to be improving over time, but the overwhelming majority of the newspaper articles, editorials and letters to the editor surveyed for this research are negative about immigrants and immigration. They are extremely unanalytical, uncritically reproducing problematic statistics and assumptions about cross-border migration. A large proportion of the articles also reproduce racial and national stereotypes about migrants from other African countries, depicting — for example — Mozambicans as car thieves and Nigerians as drug smugglers. This “criminalisation” of migrants from other parts of Africa is made worse by the more subtle use of terms like “illegal” and “alien”, despite their being roundly criticised by institutions like the United Nations for contributing to misconceptions of an otherwise law-abiding group of people. The aim of this report is not to convince the reader one way or the other about the merits or demerits of migration into South Africa. There is a vast and rapidly growing literature on the subject and the Southern African Migration Project (SAMP) continues to make contributions to this debate. Rather, our intention here is to remind the reader just how complex the migration debate is and how poor a job, in light of this complexity, the media have been doing in providing a more balanced, critical and reflective coverage of the issues. At best, the press have been presenting a very limited perspective on cross-border migration dynamics and, in the process, are leaving the South African public in the dark about the real complexities at play. At worst, the press has been contributing to public xenophobia generally through weaving myths and fabrications around foreigners and immigration. In terms of recommendations, the report makes four general points: Newspapers and wire services should assign one or two journalists to cover migration issues on a regular basis, with the time and resources necessary for covering the issues in an in-depth and critical manner. But resource constraints affecting newspapers militate against this idea; not every newspaper has the luxury of assigning a single person to a particular “beat”. However, given the importance of the migration issue at national and regional level (a point borne out by the sensational coverage already given it by the press), and the fact that it is destined to grow in importance over the coming years, there is justification in giving it the resources required for meaningful coverage. The fact that most of the daily newspapers are owned by only a handful of syndicates makes the resource issue less of a constraint if some of the research and writing were done in a more centralised manner. Journalists and editors should pay particular attention to how they report the immigration statistics they receive from “official sources”. An almost universal acceptance by the press of the misleading “fact” that there are somewhere between 2.5 to 4.1 million undocumented migrants in South Africa is a good example of the need for a more critical assessment of where these numbers come from, how they are obtained, how realistic they are, and what their implications are for thinking around cross-border migration. There is a growing body of literature on both the quantitative and qualitative impacts of migration in Southern Africa and journalists/editors should know what the debates are and who their sources are. Editors should attempt to strike a better balance in the coverage of migration issues. We recognise the need for free expression of ideas and it would be a serious mistake to ignore, or to try and cover-up, the widespread opposition to migrants and immigration that exists in South Africa. But newspapers also have a responsibility to recognise the need for more balanced coverage and should be willing to address the racist and nationalist immigration biases of the past actively. Journalists and editors should address the sensational and “criminalising” language used in articles on migration. The terms “illegal” and “alien” should either be dropped completely and replaced with more neutral terms like “undocumented” or “irregular” migrants and a clear distinction made between the different types of non-citizens in the country. Permanent residents, contract miners, tourists, refugees and undocumented migrants are very different categories of migrants and should be recognised as such

Assessment of nutrients status of areas supporting optimum oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq. L) cultivation in Ghana

In Ghana, information on the fertility status to support oil palm growth and productivity and possible fertilizer recommendation is not common. The objective of this study was to assess the nutrition-related limitations to production of oil palm across areas climatically delineated as optimum for sustainable oil palm production. Based on Ghana Interim Soil Classification System, benchmark soils identified in these areas were: Temang (Lixisols), Akroso (Acrisol), Kokofu (Alisols), Basitia (Acrislos), Firam (Acrisols) and Nkwanta (Acrisols). Results indicated generally strongly acidic soil and exchangeable acidity values obtained were high and consistent with very acidic soil conditions. There were generally- high C: N ratios (>20) except some few sites, thus supplementary nitrogen is required to reduce C: N ratio and improve N availability. The Total Exchangeable Bases (TEB), Effective Cation Exchange Capacity (ECEC) and available P values were less than the optimum values for sustainable oil palm production. Both soil and foliar analysis indicated that soils in areas assessed have low soil fertility with relatively good soil physical conditions. It is recommended that instead of superphosphate fertilizer application, rock phosphate should be administered due to high acidity. Raising the low ECEC levels of the soil calls for composted empty fruit bunches incorporation

The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Organisational Performance: A Case Study of Vodafone Ghana Limited

Corporate Social Responsibility has greatly contributed to the success of various corporate institutions in the western world. While the concept is widely recognized as being of significant strategic value to organizations, that seems not to be the case in Ghana, where the focus of most firms is on achieving profit without taking into consideration the needs of stakeholders. This study therefore seeks to address the issue by assessing the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on organizational performance. The research was descriptive. Primary data were captured through the use of questionnaires administered to management and staff of Vodafone Ghana ltd. Target population of the study was made up of management and staff of Vodafone Ghana ltd. (20) respondents was randomly selected among management and staff through simple random sampling technique. The study revealed that the company engages in CSR programmes because it wants to create an image of a good corporate citizen. It was concluded that CSR has a substantial and positive impact on all performance indicators used in the literature review which are: finance, organizational performance overtime, reputation, employee commitment and brand differentiation. It was therefore recommended that companies should identify their stakeholders’ needs before taking CSR initiatives; also top management must understand the strategic financial benefits of CSR activities and include CSR initiates in their strategic plans. Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Organizational Performance, Good Corporate Citizen, Brand Differentiation.

Assessing the Nature of Competition in the Telecommunication Industry: A Case Study of Airtel Ghana Limited, Kumasi

Due to the huge potential in Ghana’s mobile phone sector, the industry is experiencing an intense competition, a battle for supremacy in the mobile phone industry.  The telecommunication sector is securing extraordinary growth in Ghana with increasing levels of mobile penetration. The study seeks to assess the nature of competition and its impact on the telecommunication industry using Airtel Ghana Limited as the case study. Both primary and secondary sources of data were used. Target population included all top officials and management staff of Airtel Ghana.  Random sampling was used to select fifteen (15) members of management and marketing staff as the sample size for the study, this constituted 83.3% of the total population. Analysis of data collected was done using SPSS. Findings revealed that the industry structure is concentrated; the competitive strategy adopted was cost leadership, differentiation and focus, driving forces of competition in the industry were rivalry among current competitors and bargaining power of customers and the basses of competition were price, new product development, and promotions. It is therefore recommended that companies adopt one competitive strategy, embark on customer loyalty programmes, invest in research on new product development, and be skill at internal marketing. KEYWORDS: Industry, competition, driving forces, concentrated, new product development, strategy

Impact of Mobile Number Portability on Service Delivery in the Mobile Telecommunication Industry in Ghana; Case Study of Bharti Airtel Ghana Limited, Kumasi

The mobile telecommunication industry has seen a major increase in competition in recent years. This as a result of similarity of service provided.  In giving consumers more bargaining power the, National Communication Authority (NCA) has introduce Mobile Number Portability (MNP) which enables subscribers the opportunity to switch or change providers. The study intents to investigates the impact of MNP on service delivery, and go further to ascertain  the factors that influence customer porting decisions, benefit of porting to the company and customers, the nature of service quality before and after the introduction of MNP. The research design was descriptive, both primary and secondary sources of data collection method were used to answer the research questions. Primary data was gathered from the one hundred and sixty four (164) respondents through a structured questionnaire. The target population for the study was therefore all the customers who have ported to Airtel in Kumasi. Combinations of purposive and accidental sampling techniques were used to select the one hundred and sixty four (164) respondents. The study revealed that price, service quality and company reputation influence customers porting behavior. It was recommended that the companies should adopt a cost leadership competitive strategy, continues corporate social responsibility programmes, and continues improvement of service quality delivery. Keywords: Mobile number portability, Service Quality, Competition, Price, Company reputatio

Deterrent libraries: Denying persons with disability

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which aims at the eradication of poverty by 2030 has as its fourth goal the need to ensure inclusive and equitable education for all. Nonetheless, less than two per cent of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Ghana are able to attain higher education. The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether libraries, which are major components of Higher Education Institutions, are physically accessible to even the limited number of PWDs in such Institutions. This study was undertaken in 2015 using the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (KNUST) in Ghana as a case study. A mixed method approach was used that involved a desk study, interviews and a physical audit of the KNUST Library System using a checklist developed from international  accessibility standards. In all, 16 libraries were assessed. The study concluded that the libraries at KNUST were generally not physically accessible and this served as a deterrent to PWDs in their academic pursuits. Recommendations which include the need for retrofitting the libraries were made to help make the libraries accessible and in consequence help toward the attainment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with respect to Ghana.Keywords: Accessibility; Higher Education Institutions; Libraries; Persons with disabilities (PWDs); Universal design principle

Antibiotic Resistance Profile of Non-Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in Accra, Ghana

One of the major challenges facing health professionals is the prevalence of antibiotic resistance. Most Gram-negative bacteria produce beta-lactamases which are enzymes that in-activate ?-lactams. Recent publications suggested that extended spectrum beta-lactamase production in E. coli and K. pneumoniae is one of the main causes of antimicrobial resistance in penicillins, cephalosporins and some non-beta-lactam antibiotics in Accra. This present work sought to determine the resistance profile of antimicrobials to non-ESBL-producing isolates in Accra. The 400 K. pneumoniae and E. coli isolates were screened for non-ESBL-producing strains using the combined disk method. The minimum inhibition concentration for 17 antibiotics was determined using Vitek 2 Compact System (bioMérieux, Marcy I’Etoile, France).  Among the 400 total bacterial isolates, 198 (49.5%) were non-ESBL producers. Co-resistances to ampicillin (66.7%), piperacillin (59.1%), tetracycline (77.8%) and trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole (68.2%) have been collaborated in this work. The increasing rise in resistance to the beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combination antibiotics such as amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (13.6%) and piperacillin/tazobactam (18.7%) is problematic since they have become the empirical drug of choice for treating most infections. The steady increase in resistance to gentamicin (17.2%) as well as the floroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin (39.4%) and norfloxacin (34.9%) is alarming. In the absence of ESBLs, cephalosporins generally have been effective in treating infections caused by enterobacteria. Nitrofurantoin remains reliable for managing non-life threatening urinary tract infections. Amikacin and imipenem continue to be effective third-line treatment options for Gram-negative bacteria infections.  As antibiotic resistance increases and the development of new antimicrobials declines, it is imperative that we use antimicrobials that are still effective rationally. Evidence based antibiotic prescriptions and usage as well as regular evaluation of antibiotic resistance will help to control the spread of antibiotic resistance in Accra, Ghana. Keywords: Extended spectrum beta-lactamase, Resistance, Antibioti

Antibiotic Resistance Profile of CTX-M-type Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamases in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in Accra, Ghana

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) are plasmid-mediated beta lactamases that are capable of hydrolysing beta-lactams except carbapenems and cephamycins. The most common ESBL types include CTX-M, TEM and SHV. This genetic diversity in the various ESBL-producing organisms may reflect characteristic differences in relation to pathogenesis, antibiotic resistance expression, response to therapy, transmission and infection control. This work sought to determine the characteristic antibiotic minimum inhibition concentrations (MICs) and antimicrobial sensitivity profile of CTX-M-type ESBLs in Accra. Hundred (100) DNA templates were extracted from ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae and E. coli isolates. The specific ESBL types were determined by polymerase chain reaction with specific primers and reaction conditions. The MICs of the antibiotics were determined using Vitek 2 Compact System (bioMérieux, Marcy I’Etoile, France). The results showed that CTX-M-type ESBL have cefotaxime MIC in the resistant range of >64 µg/ml. The CTX-M-type ß-lactamases showed co-resistances to gentamicin (88.6%), tetracycline (71.4%), trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole (98.6%).The resistance of CTX-M-type ESBL producing organisms to fluoroquinolones have been well established in this work with resistances in ciprofloxacin (71.4%) and norfloxacin (71.4%) with MIC90 being >4 µg/ml and >16 µg/ml respectively. The beta-lactam-beta-lactamase inhibitor combination of piperacillin-tazobactam was more susceptible to CTX-M-type ESBL than amoxicillin-clavulanate. Imipenem and amikacin has been established as the in vitro drug of choice for the management of organisms producing CTX-M-type ESBL in this present work. Efforts should be made to control the increasing prevalence of CTX-M-type producing organisms in the communities and hospital settings in Accra with their adverse multiple-drug resistance. Keywords: Extended spectrum beta-lactamase, CTX-M-type ESBL, Resistance, Antibiotics

Treatment of urinary schistosomiasis: methodological issues and research needs identified through a Cochrane systematic review

Guidelines recommend praziquantel (PZQ) for the treatment and control of schistosomiasis, with no real alternative. Metrifonate was still widely used against Schistosoma haematobium in the 1990s, and then withdrawn. Experimental studies and clinical trials suggest that artemisinin compounds are active against S. haematobium. In a Cochrane systematic review assessing the efficacy and safety of drugs for treating urinary schistosomiasis, 24 randomized controlled trials (n=6315 individuals) met our inclusion criteria. These trials compared a variety of single agent and combination regimens with PZQ, metrifonate or artemisinin derivatives. The review confirmed that both the standard recommended doses of PZQ (single 40 mg/kg oral dose) and metrifonate (3×7·5-10 mg/kg oral doses administered fortnightly) are efficacious and safe in treating urinary schistosomiasis, but there is no study comparing these two regimens head-to-head. There is currently not enough evidence to evaluate artemisinin compounds. Most of the studies included in the Cochrane systematic review were insufficiently powered, lacked standardization in assessing and reporting outcomes, and had a number of methodological limitations. In this paper we discuss the implications of these findings with respect to public health and research methodology and propose priority research need