2018, Still struggling with a pair of shoes bought in 1996

For so long, We have been suffering, violated and victimised, For things, we cannot give name to, All we knew was, It’s against our tradition. Tradition and culture hold South African queers captive. South Africa, with perhaps one of the most progressive constitutions in the world is, in Gastrow’s (1992) view, acknowledged for fostering ideas of democracy and equality across the continent. However, perhaps South Africa is not as free as it seems; perhaps, it is arguably only free because there is no alternative way to conceptualise the phase we are in as a country. It is questionable that marginal identities within the South African context are constantly subjected to violence and victimisation aggravated by how queerness is framed culturally and traditionally as taboo. Such stigmatisation of queer subjects is informed by hegemonic masculinity. Furthermore, queer visibility in the traditional landscape becomes a trap, as it is held as offensive to normative, traditional ways of being

Explaining returns in property markets using Taylor rule fundamentals: Evidence from emerging markets

This study set out to investigate the relationship between returns in the residential property markets and two key economic variables of output and interest rates. The main focus was on the short-term rates path and how it is influenced by the Taylor rule fundamentals and in turn, its effect on the returns in the property markets within the developing countries of South Africa, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Czech Republic. A secondary focus was on building a model that can be further developed into a full forecasting model of returns in the residential property markets. Output was found to be a strong driver of returns in the residential property markets across all four countries. Real changes in the economic activity feed into the residential property markets and drives returns. Output can be incorporated into a forecasting framework for returns in the residential property markets within these countries The short-term rate paths within the countries studied were found to be consistent with the Taylor rule but with heavy short run deviations from the rule. Short-term rates deviated from the rule in the short run, but showed a tendency to revert to the rule in subsequent periods. Returns and prices in the property markets were driven by the short-term rates only in two of the emerging markets. For these countries, this link between rate and returns mean there was also a link between monetary policy and returns in the property sector. Similar to the Taylor rule process, property returns in the two emerging markets were found to have short run deviations which could not be explained by interest rates and output. For the purposes of building a fully fledged forecasting model, this model must be expanded to include other explanatory factors. Adding the risk premium as an explanatory variable could be the starting point

Developing rural tourism in South Africa: a case of women and technology in Kwazulu – natal

This paper contributes to a greater understanding of the linkages between women’s roles, responsibilities and the use of and access to technologies in marginalised rural communities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The ways in which poor rural women conceptualise technologies and the ways in which they use their knowledge and skills to develop, modify and adapt the techniques and technical processes are examined in relation to developing rural tourism in the areas. Research was undertaken in four marginalised communities in KwaZulu-Natal: Adams Mission, Platt Estate, KwaXimba and Makomoreng. The study examined the relationships between rural women, and their technological knowledge with a view to developing rural tourism. Emphasis on the data collection was on gender sensitivity and the ability to capture the complexities of the rural women’s real life activities. The aim of this contribution is to contribute to a greater understanding in terms of the recognition of the linkages between women’s roles, responsibilities, knowledge and their participation in rural economic and tourism development with more emphasis and focus on their use of modern technologies and indigenous knowledge.rural tourism in South Africa, women’s roles, marginalised rural communities in KwaZulu

Lecturers' perspectives of pedagogical training initiates at a University of Technology in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Professional development of academics in higher education in South Africa has been offered in an uncoordinated and unsustainable manner. Ever since the new dispensation, concerted efforts have been implemented to address this problem. As part of the solution, universities through their academic development units, have introduced various pedagogical training workshops to equip academics with teaching skills. This study investigates perceptions of academics pertaining to this training. A multi-method cross-sectional research design was adopted to understand lecturers’ perspectives regarding professional development. A total of 45 participants were purposefully selected to participate in the study from the academics who attended the pedagogical training. A questionnaire (closed and open-ended) was used to collect data. Quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), while thematic analysis was applied to analyse qualitative data. Results of the study revealed that the training was well-received and academic staff members felt motivated and confident to implement various instructional strategies acquired from the training. Participants expressed a need and willingness to learn and develop new instructional techniques and acquired a positive outlook on teaching and learning following the professional development training. The study recommends redesigning the pedagogical training to include ongoing support activities and customisation in addition to the generic version

Over-expression of NRF-1 in C2C12 myotubes increases GLUT4 content via a transcriptional cascade involving MEF2A

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references.Previous studies have shown that over-expression of nuclear respiratory factor (NRF)-1 in mice increases glucose transporter (GLUT)-4 and myocyte enhancer factor (MEF-) 2A content, but the mechanisms have not been elucidated. Because NRF-1 has a binding site on the mef2a gene, and MEF2A binds the glut4 gene as a MEF2A-MEF2D heterodimer, the aims of this study were to determine whether NRF-1 over-expression a) enhanced GLUT4 expression indirectly via MEF2A and b) alters MEF2A-MEF2D dimer formation in C2C12 myotubes

The International Criminal Court and accountability in Africa

Recently, there have been calls from several African leaders to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), but such actions will only result in fewer options for ordinary citizens to hold their leaders and governments accountable, writes GLOBUS researcher William Gumede

Poverty and the 'Second Economy' in South Africa: An Attempt to Clarify Applicable Concepts and Quantify the Extent of Relevant Challenges

This policy document was compiled based on the DPRU Working Paper 08/133, Poverty and the ‘Second Economy’ in South Africa: An Attempt to Clarify Applicable Concepts and Quantify the Extent of Relevant Challenges by Dr Vusi Gumede (Chief Policy Analyst in the Presidency’s Policy Co-ordination and Advisory Services in South Africa). This report was made possible by the National Research Foundation for the author’s post-doctoral grant

The bank lending and balance sheet channels of monetary policy: a theoretical analysis

The credit channel and its significance in the monetary policy transmission mechanism has been a point of contention among policy makers and economists for many years. In the early stages of this debate the monetarist view shaped thinking on the topic and cultivated the belief that the money supply is exogenously determined and that commercial banks playa minor role in the monetary transmission process. However, over the years, the credit view presented by Bernanke and Blinder (1988) has gained momentum. In contrast to the monetarist view, the credit view abandons the assumption of perfect substitutability and argues that due to their credit provision activities, financial institutions playa significant role in the transmission of monetary policy. The credit channel consists of two sub channels, the bank lending and balance sheet channels. In both, deposits drive loans and changes in monetary policy are effected through interest rates and their impact on borrowers' balance sheets, bank reserves, bank deposits and ultimately the quantity of bank loans supplied. Disyatat (2010) re-examines the conventional view and presents an argument against the foundation upon which the theories are based. Using this as a basis, and motivated by the vast amount of empirical literature that already exists on this topic, both in South Africa and abroad, this research provides a theoretical analysis of the credit channel and its relative importance in the monetary policy transmission mechanism. The exogenous/endogenous nature of money supply is considered and its implications for the existence and operation of the credit channel set out. It is found that, in order for a credit channel to operate efficiently in an economy, money supply should be endogenously determined. Moreover, a theoretical argument supporting Disyatat's (2010) revised credit channel is presented; it is concluded that, with a slight variation to Disyatat's proposed model, a single, unified channel exists

Estimating the Role of Government in Socio-Economic Development in South Africa

The paper examines the relationship between government and socio-economic development in South Africa. The analysis focuses on 1996-2020. Various estimations were undertaken, through the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model, to empirically examine the role of government in socio-economic development in South Africa. Because of the unit root that typically characterizes macroeconomic series, the unit root test using the Augmented Dick Fuller (ADF) test with constant, and trend was done. In addition, the ARDL bound tests were undertaken. The results confirm that government has an important role to play in the economy. However, results show that economic growth does not necessarily translate to socio-economic development although government spending does. In addition, results also confirm that institutions and educational spending are important for social and economic development. For instance, improvements in the quality of institutions increases the human development index. In the same vein, there is a strong positive correlation between increased socio-economic development and spending on education. Results show that the quality of institutions is important for both economic growth and socio-economic development. Overall, the findings support the view that governments should be active in facilitating social and economic development. This is more so in instances where economic performance weakens due to exogenous factors such as the coronavirus pandemic. It is worth highlighting that the baseline ARDL results show that the correlation between gross domestic product (GDP) and its prior values is statistically significant, indicating a meaningful relationship between GDP and socio-economic development

A comparative analysis of mergers and acquisitions in South Africa, Botswana and Kenya : how can we achieve successful integration in Africa?

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.No abstract available