Barriers to implementation of the (SA) National Cybersecurity Policy Framework

Thesis (M.M. (Security))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Graduate School of Public and Development Management, 2016Technological advancement have seen South African government departments, state owned entities and private companies using cyberspace as a platform of interaction and the storage of information. Technological advancements have a positive impact due to the compression of space, time and thereby ensuring fastpaced interaction across borders. These technological advancements have, however resulted in most organisations, both private and public, becoming prone to cybercrimes and related incidents. In an initiative aimed at countering these threats, the South African government has passed various laws. The National Cybersecurity Policy Framework (NCPF) is a South African Policy framework aimed at countering an increase in the occurrence of cybercrimes and related incidents. This research analyses the status in the implementation of the NCPF objectives allocated to the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS). Then the barriers in the Implementation are unpacked guided by the literature reviewed and finally recommendations on how to counter the identified barriers are provided post the data collection. The report firstly provides an outline of the global perspectives on cybersecurity which is followed by the regional cybersecurity measures, and then the national cybersecurity measures proposed by the South African Government department are outlined. The latter parts of the report focuses on the NCPF in terms of its scope, goals, objectives and stakeholders. Finally, focus is shifted to the DTPS as a chosen area of research wherein data was collected in a form of one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with relevant parties. The results of this research are presented as a narrative description that is synthesised to develop the theoretical conjecture and empirical generalisation of the entire research. This research uncovered that there are numerous barriers in the implementation of the NCPF both within the DTPS as well as between the DTPS and various stakeholders entrusted with the implementation responsibility. The last chapter consists of general conclusions made by the researcher based on the research conducted which is then followed by recommended countermeasures which will be communicated to the DTPS as well as all stakeholders who will be affected by the proposed recommendations.GR201

A Journey through trauma: a memoir about grief, healing, memory, trauma, spiritual quest and social justice

I am finally getting used to being home. Two weeks into 2013, I have the kind of routine reserved for unemployed recent graduates. I wake up and try to convince myself to run. On the days where the tedium of being in Centurion wins out, I lace up, push the gate open and put my earphones in. I take a breath whilst Florence Welch's vibrato nudges me to get going. My feet slowly shuffle up the cul-de sac that winds around the corner and ends at the security gate. The best time to jog midweek in the suburbs is after the school run

Factors influencing student attrition at Umgungundlovu technical and vocational education and training college.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2017.College qualification and post-secondary education provides individuals with the necessary skills to actively participate in the labour force. Without technical and labour skills individuals often find it difficult to obtain employment. Institutions of higher education such as Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges and Universities offer such skills. TVET Colleges and universities often fail to ensure that all persons enrolled for different instructional programmes and qualifications end up obtaining the appropriate qualification. This study serves to describe factors influencing student attrition and the extent of influence at Umgungundlovu TVET College. In order to study student attrition at Umgungundlovu TVET College four objectives were set and this study incorporated a descriptive quantitative study which sought to describe and understand factors influencing student attrition at Umgungundlovu TVET College. A sample of 370 students was taken at the Msunduzi and Midlands campuses of Umgungundlovu TVET College. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The results revealed that academic integration, social integration and organisational influences were most reliable in measuring students‟ attrition at Umgungundlovu TVET College. Environmental pull factors were not very reliable in measuring the students‟ attrition rate. Influences such as lack of study skills, limited practical work and theoretical approach to vocational education are cited as some of the factors that influence student attrition. Recommendations include that all TVET Colleges should have an enrolment management plan, which should involve all the stakeholders in the institution

Mapping and monitoring of agricultural drought across different land uses and land cover in the North-Eastern KwaZulu Natal

A dissertation submitted to the School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, University of Witwatersrand in fulfilment of the academic requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Environmental Sciences June 2018. Johannesburg, South Africa.Drought is complex and one of the least understood natural hazards in Southern Africa. Timely information about the extent, the intensity, duration and impacts of the agricultural drought is essential for adaptation and management. In this study, the research aims, are made to monitor and map agricultural drought across different land uses and land cover in north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal as it was declared a disaster area in 2016 (AgriSA, 2016). Droughts occurred throughout South Africa during the summer season of 2014 to 2015 and 2015 to 2016. In this study the adopted methodology was through the use of remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. Remote sensing and GIS was used to map and monitor the agricultural drought in the study area. To understand the impacts of the drought across different agricultural land use and other land cover types, the land uses and land cover was classified using Landsat earth observation data and maximum likelihood algorithm in the study area, and multi-temporal Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) (1997-2017) with a twenty year interval used to map and monitor the agricultural drought and the meteorological (rainfall) in order to validate the NDVIs. Agricultural drought was then determined from investigating changes between 2015 and 2017 which were years that experienced severe conditions. The rainfall data was interpolated using Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation to understand the mean rainfall from the weather stations services. Thereafter, Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) values were determined from the rainfall data in order to understand the severity of the droughts in certain parts of the study area from the weather station data. The meteorological analysis was cross compared with agricultural drought. The mean NDVI and mean rainfall interpolated shows that their relationship is inversely proportional, because where rainfall is low; NDVI is high for the years 2015 to 2017. The land use and land cover in the study is largely dominated by bush, cultivated cane crop, grassland and plantations. Looking at the overall classification in the year 2015, it is clear that bush land use and land cover was largely dominated in the study area, with other land use and land cover classes which were also part of the year 2015. During the year 2016 the other classes of land use and land cover where also dominating the study area for example grasslands and plantations. In the year 2017 we see cultivated cane crop start to emerge in the study area but land use and land cover is largely dominated by bush land use and land cover. The overall accuracy of the study was 74.2%. Keywords: Agricultural drought, Land use/land cover, Remote sensing, Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Standardized Precipitation Index, Accuracy Assessment.LG201

Factors influencing consistency of condom use among college students in Durban, South Africa.

Masters Degree, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Condoms remain the only method that provides dual protection against sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV/AIDS) and unplanned pregnancy. For a long time, condoms have been regarded as one of the most effective and practical methods of dual protection. In a country like South Africa with a high HIV prevalence, condoms have an important role to play in curbing the further spread of AIDS. Recent estimates suggest that approximately 7.5 million South Africa are living with HIV/AIDS. The aim of this study is to shed more light on consistency condom use among young students drawing on quantitative data from a selfadministered survey consisting of close-ended questions. This study contributes to existing knowledge by investigating consistent condom use among a young segment of the population. The survey consisted of a sample of 230 students, with 57.4% of the sample being females and males being 42.6%. This study draws on the health belief model (BHM) to better understand condom use consistency. This model was selected because it uses behavioural components to explain low levels of consistent condom use. The findings of the study show that almost half of sample have ever had sexual intercourse. Men were more likely than women to report having sexual intercourse. The majority of the participants were Africans. The study found that 49.44% students under 20 years and 56% students aged 20 years and above used a condom at their first sexual encounter. Furthermore, almost half of the sexually active men and women used a condom the first time they had sexual intercourse. Condom use at last sexual encounter was much higher. In general, attitudes to condom is relatively positive but there are some barriers to consistent condom use. The study confirmed that the rates of condom use are low on the first sexual intercourse because young people are usually unprepared for the event and in most cases, it is unplanned. Consistent condom use remains a challenge among young men and women and more effort is needed to address some of the negative attitudes about condoms.Only available in English

Real time digital simulation and testing of generator protection elements.

Masters Degree, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Power system protection is designed to identify and isolate the system from any type of fault or abnormal condition which may endanger the equipment and operation of the system as a whole. Ground faults are the most common types of faults in generators and can damage the stator winding severely. Stator winding protection therefore becomes one of the crucial protection functions in generator protection. The grounding method used plays an imperative role in determining which protection functions are to be employed on the generator. This thesis reviews different types of stator winding faults that occur for a generator and how the generator is protected against these faults using different types of protection system. It also presents how the different types of generator grounding affect generator protection schemes, focusing on high and low impedance grounding. The development of real time digital simulators has greatly improved the simulation and testing of protection studies. In the past, mathematical models were not fully compatible for the representation of the complete synchronous generator stator. The Real Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) has developed a synchronous generator phase domain model which allows for simulation of generator stator internal faults. This thesis illustrates the suitability of the third harmonic voltage protection scheme against stator internal faults. An overview of abnormal conditions that occur on a generator was also reviewed, how they affect the generator and their protection systems. The thesis focused on reverse power, over-excitation, and differential and current unbalance protection. The loss of field excitation in synchronous generators also largely contributes to voltage instability. The large consumption of reactive power and rapid changes in the system components leads to severe damage of the generator and jeopardizes system stability. This thesis looks into loss of field excitation events and how their impacts can be reduced by using the R-X protection scheme. It also illustrates results based on closed loop testing conducted using hardware generator protection relay and the models developed on the RTDS. The simulation and testing of generator protection functions were proved to be theoretically and practically correct which could be used as a guideline for improvements in protection studies

Evaluating risks to supply chain sustainability in a KwaZulu-Natal hospital.

Masters Degree, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.This study reports on an exploration of risks experienced in the field of supply chain management within the Republic of South African public sector with specific attention to the KwaZulu-Natal hospital. It has been noted with concerned that Supply Chain Management section is experiencing inability to maintain sustainability through the affection of risks that are created within the operation of an organization. The study tends to conduct a scrutinization and evaluation of the procurement process at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital with an intension to evaluate the risk to supply chain sustainability. The target population for the study are the officials that work in supply chain management and finance section. The nature of the methodology that was used to conduct the study is qualitative and data was collected through the interviews and observations. To gain more understanding on the study a literature review based on supply chain management practices was conducted through theoretical and integrated literature. Furthermore South African Hospital have the stipulated rules, regulations, policies and guidelines that govern the procurement process and that need to be followed in order to maintain compliance. These are highlighted in the study. The interviews were conducted at the hospital (Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital) and the observation was also done at the hospital. The report of finding from the respondent and the observation was displayed in order to accurately analyze the result. Data analysis was conducted through content analysis where the researcher scrutinize the finding and find out the common key response obtained from the participants. Among other things the result presentation led the researcher to be able to analyse primary data obtained from the literature review, this include what the theory is saying and secondary data which include what the officials are practically doing. After the analysis have been conducted the researcher was able to answer the research questions and fulfil the research objective even though this is an exploratory the problem statement cannot be total resolved but an awareness can be made available to SCM and Finance officials in order to mitigate risks. After the study analysis it has been recommended that monitoring and evaluation in supply chain management be taken into consideration in order to increase compliant and mitigate risks. The areas that can be considered for future research and investigation could be the impact of supply chain management to the community, looking at the service delivery perspective where an investigation can be based on the necessities required by the community

Investigating the Internet Skills of Older Adults in South Africa

The older adult population is growing in South Africa. However, it is reported that approximately only 3.6% of older adults use the Internet. Using information technology resources and the internet can enable older adults to be independent for longer, and the internet may improve older adults’ quality of life. Additionally, access to technology and the internet supports access to information and digital inclusion. This study investigated older adults’ level of internet skills in South Africa and their experiences regarding internet use. The research followed a positivist, quantitative approach and used online questionnaires for data collection. The results showed that older adults appear to be lacking in internet skills in South Africa. The overall mean scores were low, where mobile skills seemed to be the lowest-rated skill for the respondents. The evaluation also showed that online operational and creativity skills appeared low for older adults

Insights into the drivers and impact of climate change and climate change adaptation in the Eastern Cape, South Africa: the case of Amathole District Municipality

Climate change is a threat to communal livestock production, causing increases in the rate and intensity of droughts, floods, pests and diseases, and thus subjecting communal livestock production to vulnerability. Communal farmers rely on rain-fed agriculture and are usually too poorly resourced to cope with the frequency of climate-related events that may be expected in the future. Response and adaptation is vital to ensure the sustainability of livestock production, particularly since it is the main source of survival in communal areas. The Eastern Cape Provincial Policy on Climate Change was introduced in 2010 to facilitate a coordinated approach that assists farmers to respond, adapt and mitigate climate change. The study examines the implementation of the policy to identify farmers’ perceptions of the response rate prior to, during and after climate change disasters. In addition, the study establishes the characteristics of livestock production in the study area, seeking to ascertain how communal livestock farmers CLFs are adapting their practices to ensure sustainable livestock production in the face of climate change. In order to make informed decisions on coping strategies, farmers require access to information on climate change. The study therefore examines the communication channels used by farmers to access such information. Since food security is under threat, the study also assesses the effects of climate change on food security among the CLFs. Multi stage sampling was used to select 388 communal livestock farmers in three local municipalities in Amathole District Municipality. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in five communities randomly selected in the three local municipalities, with data collected by means of a semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, principal component analysis and regression methods were used to analyse the data. The study reveals that communal livestock farmers perceive a poor response rate from extension services before, during and after disasters, and that they have poor access to support materials. All of the respondents practised uncontrolled breeding, attributed to a lack of infrastructure such as fencing. Most farmers kept cattle for income generation. The major constraints of cattle production were diseases and pests. CLFs employed dipping, rotational grazing, water tanks, veld burning and the sale of animals as the main strategies to cope with climate change. CLFs access climate change information through multiple channels. The main sources were other farmers and media such as radio and television, although language barriers hampered full understanding of information conveyed about climate chnage. Farmer-to-farmer contact was a central aspect of the CLFs’ lives that could be better employed in the dissemination of climate change information. The results suggest a positive relationship between diversity of species kept and food security. Assets, the social safety net (mainly grants) and adaptive capacity indicators positively and significantly impacted households’ resilience to food insecurity. The study recommends that the capacity of communal livestock farmers on effective mitigating strategies be improved, making use of mass media; that more work be done by extension services to prepare farmers for adverse events and that relief materials disseminated during periods of disaster be tagged “national emergency” to speed up distribution and use. There is an urgent need for adequate and timely provision of climate change information that will help CLFs to make more effective use of their resources in the face of climate change. Agricultural extension services should address challenges associated with breeding practices, disaster response and adult illiteracy to promote better adaptive capacity and ensure food security among this vulnerable cohort.Thesis (MSci) -- Faculty of Science and Agriculture, 202

Effect of agricultural extension services on beneficiaries of the Nguni cattle project: the case of Ncera and Kwezana villages, Eastern Cape Province

The study was conducted to determine the effect of agricultural extension services on beneficiaries of the Nguni Cattle project in Ncera and Kwezana villages, both in Nkonkobe local Municipality of the Eastern Cape Province. The objectives of this study were to determine the quality of extension services offered to the beneficiaries of the Nguni cattle project, relationship between extension officers and beneficiaries of the project, lastly was to determine communication strategies used by extension officers to communicate with the project beneficiaries. A total of 73 Nguni cattle project beneficiaries were interviewed. Semi- structured questionnaires were administered to the beneficiaries of the project who were willing to participate in the study. Xhosa speaking enumerators assisted in data collection. Focus group discussions were later carried out in both villages to determine effect of agricultural extension services on socio-economic status of the beneficiaries. The focus groups were divided into three groups of different ages and gender. The majority of the beneficiaries in the project were males (62.2 % Ncera and 75% Kwezana). There was an association between gender and extension services. Farmers depended on different sources of income. Old age pension and animal sales being the main contributing sources and also having a significant difference. The results of the study further revealed that the beneficiaries were faced with cattle production challenges, lack of extension support services being the main challenge. The results of the study indicated that the majority of beneficiaries had no access to extension services. Only 37.8% and 32.1 % at Ncera and Kwezana respectively reported that they had access to extension services. Although the latter is the case it was further explained by the beneficiaries that extension services offered to them were of poor quality due to poor communication strategies used to provide these services. Beneficiaries also reported the relationship between them and extension officers’ as poor. It was concluded that extension services had an effect on beneficiaries of the Nguni cattle project, largely based on the constraints they face on the project and limited access to extension services