Competition Policy and Practice in South Africa: Promoting Competition for Development Symposium on Competition Law and Policy in Developing Countries

South Africa\u27s new competition policy and law were drafted during the early years of South Africa\u27s new democracy, a period characterized by important domestic policy and regulatory reform. These reforms were not only part of the comprehensive program for the country\u27s economic, social, and political transformation, but also its integration into the global economy after decades of isolation under the apartheid regime. In the case of competition policy, however, concerns about specific development challenges entrenched by the previous era of political and economic control, had to be explicitly reflected in the new South Africa\u27s law and policy. It was clear that a robust competition law would only be politically possible if the law specifically addressed public interest concerns. The core focus of economic efficiency had to be tempered by a strong emphasis on development. In the end, the new competition law, even with the broad sweep of its objectives, puts economic efficiency center-stage. Public interest objectives are articulated alongside the goal of economic efficiency. Only as the jurisprudence develops will the nature of the trade-offs within this nexus of objectives become clear. This paper reviews briefly the new 1998 Competition Act ( Competition Act or Act ) and the institutions established to enforce the new law. The new Act marks a significant step in the development of effective market governance in South Africa. However, much remains to be done to develop capacity, in particular the institutional capacity for effectively enforcing competition law, and complementary regulatory frameworks that will support the broad competition policy objectives that reach beyond efficiency to encompass public interest objectives. And perhaps even more important, especially in light of recent investigations into alleged restrictive practices and cases that have been heard, there remains much to be done to change firm behaviour from mere maneuvering around competition law to effective compliance

Painting as a response to a sense of dislocation in the South African social fabric

My proposal was to produce a series of paintings as a response to a sense of dislocation in the South African social fabric. The body of paintings is entitled Domestic Baggage and consists collectively of paintings on canvas and preliminary works entitled The Grids. Thematically consistent, the works and the accompanying research document emphasize the disturbed and marginalized dimensions of fragmented society. A significant frame of reference is the claustrophobic, persistent presence of increasing violence and loss of life arising from the dislocation ethos. lconographically, a strategy of allusion has been adopted, allowing for the interaction of figurative, gestural and material referents. Dependence on overtly illustrative or purely narrative modes of representation has been deferred. An extensive background essay highlights the appropriately identified specifics of the backdrop against which the series of paintings has been developed. A detailed art historical contextualization foregrounds those precedents most pertinent to the formal and conceptual processes informing the Domestic Baggage series

Structural mechanisms contributing to large-scale hangingwall instabilities on the UG2 reef horizon

Structural complexities, including regional geologic structures, low-angle structures, ramp structures and alteration zones contribute towards large-scale hangingwall or structural (pillar) instabilities experienced in many UG2 chromitite mines. The associated anomalous behaviour of the rock mass caused by these structures may result in significant ore reserve write-offs. The inability of technical and underground mining personnel to pro-actively identify and treat these geologic structures and associated failure mechanisms has resulted in ongoing instabilities experienced in many mines. Anomalous behaviour is mostly as a result of the exposure of numerous low-angle structures on various scales, commonly known as ‘doming’. These low-angle structures are treated simplistically or go unnoticed. Also, the presence of pegmatite veins, which is a common joint characteristic, causes problems and is generally ignored as the potential for instability. Furthermore, the presence of alteration zones is typically unnoticed as it is not common. The exposure of these prominent structures or a combination of these structures can impact on the exposed hangingwall conditions, panel span, support- and pillar behaviour. In some instances the impact have resulted in multiple fatalities and total mine closure. Case studies were conducted by the author at the Lonmin Marikana Operations where large-scale instabilities have been experienced. These findings were related to other similar study sites in the Bushveld Complex and the Great Dyke in Zimbabwe. The investigations confirmed some of the findings made by previous studies. However, new information gained from this study provided an improved understanding of the formation, interaction and potential instabilities if these structures are exposed by mining. The formation of the Bushveld Complex and geologic structures contributed to the anomalous conditions experienced in some underground mine workings. With the application of a new technology by the author (a sub-surface profiler), for the first time, the presence and location of these anomalous structures could be verified in the hangingwall. This contributes to an improvement in the spatial interpretation of these structures and confirmed that it should be considered in the mining strategy and support design processes. The learnings from the study will assist with the early detection of specific structural conditions which may contribute to the mitigation of potentially unstable conditions. Suitable remedial strategies were developed by the author from the site investigations and are discussed in detail. This includes the application of preferred mining layouts, mining direction, spans and support strategies where these structures are present. This work may significantly reduce the risk of large-scale instabilities and is therefore considered a significant contribution towards improving safety and the understanding of these anomalous structures at the mines in the Bushveld Complex.Dissertation (Msc)--University of Pretoria, 2019.Mining EngineeringMScUnrestricte

A Phoenix Rising out of the Ashes: Using Expressive Arts in Counseling Supervision

Utilizing expressive arts in counseling supervision can be a transformative experience. Participants will benefit from this presentation as they learn effective strategies that build the supervisory relationship, increase their knowledge on the effectiveness of expressive arts in supervision, and gain understanding on how to implement an expressive art technique

Clothing, textile and leather value chain in Africa

The presentation provides information on the clothing, textile, and leather value chains in Africa

A cross-cultural counselling programme for adolescents traumatised by family violence

The study was undertaken to address the problem of effective counselling of adolescents exposed to family violence in a multicultural society. There is a growing body of research with regard to family violence, which has intensified since the end of 1998 with the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act no. 116. An additional complication to the phenomenon of family violence as a traumatic experience is the influence of culture. The characteristics of a multicultural society are explored, in order to determine the needs of the traumatised adolescent within the cross-cultural counselling context. During the literature study the researcher became sensitised to the fact that currently established cross-cultural counselling models do not meet the challenges of a multicultural society like South Africa. Intervention in a cross-cultural setting is highly complicated and this demands that an alternative counselling model be designed prior to the development of an effective cross-cultural counselling programme. Intervention Research design, as suggested by Rothman and Thomas (1994), is implemented by means of the qualitative case study method, and led to the development of the C 4 model and C 4 programme. The C 4 programme employs a therapeutic facilitation process that is based on a unique self-developed model of counselling, which rests on the principles of awareness, acceptance, availability and accommodating. The model and programme is context-centred, as opposed to person-centred, in order to distinguish the model from the school of person-centred counselling, as developed by Carl Rogers. The term context-centred implies that the individual is the only authority of his trauma experience. Therefore, it can be assumed that he is the one who can fit his trauma experience into the context of his own life and how it translates into his relationships with others. The intervention is deemed to have had effective results in terms of the adolescents' progress, and the accomplishment of the stated overall and specific aims of the programme. Adjustments were made to process, content and implementation procedures, thereby achieving the desired and intended outcomes.Thesis (PhD (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2005.Educational Psychologyunrestricte

Ventriculoperitoneal shunt infections in children A 6-year study

In a study of ventriculoperitoneal shunt infections conducted retrospectively between 1983 and 1987 and prospectively in 1988 39 infections from 372 shunt procedures (incidence 10,5%) were identified. The most common organism isolated was Staphylococcus aureus (18; 47%) followed by S. epidermidis (10; 26%). Forty-two per cent of staphylococci were methicillin-resistant. Gram-negative infections were associated with myelomeningoceles and Gram-positive infections with other forms of hydrocephalus (P = 0,048). Lymphocyte predominance was found more frequently than polymorphonuclear predominance in cerebrospinal fluid

Evolved galaxies in high-density environments across 2.0≤z<4.22.0\leq z<4.2 using the ZFOURGE survey

To explore the role environment plays in influencing galaxy evolution at high redshifts, we study $2.0\leq z<4.2$ environments using the FourStar Galaxy Evolution (ZFOURGE) survey. Using galaxies from the COSMOS legacy field with ${\rm log(M_{*}/M_{\odot})}\geq9.5$, we use a seventh nearest neighbour density estimator to quantify galaxy environment, dividing this into bins of low, intermediate and high density. We discover new high density environment candidates across $2.0\leq z<2.4$ and $3.1\leq z<4.2$. We analyse the quiescent fraction, stellar mass and specific star formation rate (sSFR) of our galaxies to understand how these vary with redshift and environment. Our results reveal that, across $2.0\leq z<2.4$, the high density environments are the most significant regions, which consist of elevated quiescent fractions, ${\rm log(M_{*}/M_{\odot})}\geq10.2$ massive galaxies and suppressed star formation activity. At $3.1\leq z<4.2$, we find that high density regions consist of elevated stellar masses but require more complete samples of quiescent and sSFR data to study the effects of environment in more detail at these higher redshifts. Overall, our results suggest that well-evolved, passive galaxies are already in place in high density environments at $z\sim2.4$, and that the Butcher-Oemler effect and SFR-density relation may not reverse towards higher redshifts as previously thought.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, final version published in PAS

Predicting outcome in severe traumatic brain injury using a simple prognostic model

Background. Several studies have made it possible to predict outcome in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) making it beneficial as an aid for clinical decision-making in the emergency setting. However, reliable predictive models are lacking for resource-limited prehospital settings such as those in developing countries like South Africa.Objective. To develop a simple predictive model for severe TBI using clinical variables in a South African prehospital setting. Methods. All consecutive patients admitted at two level-one centres in Cape Town, South Africa, for severe TBI were included. A binary logistic regression model was used, which included three predictor variables: oxygen saturation (SpO2), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and pupil reactivity. The Glasgow Outcome Scale was used to assess outcome on hospital discharge.Results. A total of 74.4% of the outcomes were correctly predicted by the logistic regression model. The model demonstrated SpO2 (p=0.019), GCS (p=0.001) and pupil reactivity (p=0.002) as independently significant predictors of outcome in severe TBI. Odds ratios of a good outcome were 3.148 (SpO2 ≥90%), 5.108 (GCS 6 - 8) and 4.405 (pupils bilaterally reactive). Conclusion. This model is potentially useful for effective predictions of outcome in severe TBI.

The BRAIN TRIAL: a randomised, placebo controlled trial of a Bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist (Anatibant) in patients with traumatic brain injury

BACKGROUND: Cerebral oedema is associated with significant neurological damage in patients with traumatic brain injury. Bradykinin is an inflammatory mediator that may contribute to cerebral oedema by increasing the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. We evaluated the safety and effectiveness of the non-peptide bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist Anatibant in the treatment of patients with traumatic brain injury. During the course of the trial, funding was withdrawn by the sponsor. METHODS: Adults with traumatic brain injury and a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 12 or less, who had a CT scan showing an intracranial abnormality consistent with trauma, and were within eight hours of their injury were randomly allocated to low, medium or high dose Anatibant or to placebo. Outcomes were Serious Adverse Events (SAE), mortality 15 days following injury and in-hospital morbidity assessed by the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), the Disability Rating Scale (DRS) and a modified version of the Oxford Handicap Scale (HIREOS). RESULTS: 228 patients out of a planned sample size of 400 patients were randomised. The risk of experiencing one or more SAEs was 26.4% (43/163) in the combined Anatibant treated group, compared to 19.3% (11/57) in the placebo group (relative risk = 1.37; 95% CI 0.76 to 2.46). All cause mortality in the Anatibant treated group was 19% and in the placebo group 15.8% (relative risk 1.20, 95% CI 0.61 to 2.36). The mean GCS at discharge was 12.48 in the Anatibant treated group and 13.0 in the placebo group. Mean DRS was 11.18 Anatibant versus 9.73 placebo, and mean HIREOS was 3.94 Anatibant versus 3.54 placebo. The differences between the mean levels for GCS, DRS and HIREOS in the Anatibant and placebo groups, when adjusted for baseline GCS, showed a non-significant trend for worse outcomes in all three measures. CONCLUSION: This trial did not reach the planned sample size of 400 patients and consequently, the study power to detect an increase in the risk of serious adverse events was reduced. This trial provides no reliable evidence of benefit or harm and a larger trial would be needed to establish safety and effectiveness. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study is registered as an International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial, number ISRCTN23625128