The Effect of Mathematics and Physical Science on Matriculants’ Overall Performances: Analysis Using Multilevel Model

 This comparative, cross-sectional, quantitative and ex-post-facto designed study used secondary and correlated data to compare the likelihood of passing matric between learners from Gauteng and Western Cape provinces, even after adjusting for subject-type. This study attempted to assess the relation between school resources input, subject offered, learner’s gender and learners’ academic achievements. The data used in this study were supplied by the Umalusi Council. The dataset contained 145783 matric learners (65245 [44.75%] males and 80538 [55.25%] females) who wrote the matric examinations in Gauteng and Western Cape provinces in November 2009. The unadjusted model indicated that learners in Western Cape were significantly 1.193 more likely to pass matric than learners in Gauteng province (p < 0.001, OR = 1.193, 95%CI: 1.164 - 1.223). The adjusted model results indicated that learners in the Western Cape province were 1.5122 more likely to pass matric when compared to learners in Gauteng province (p < 0.001, OR = 1.512, 95%CI: 1.471 - 1.555). These results indicate that the odds of passing matric, after adjusting for science subjects, increased in favour of learners in the Western Cape Province. It can be concluded that the Western Cape Province provides more enabling conditions to ensure matriculants’ superior performance. It is suggested the strategies to improve the quality of mathematics and science educators need to be implemented, especially in Gauteng province. Also, the policy that advocates for the differentiation approach should be adopted, as opposed to the current policy that advocates for a more general, rigid approach that does not recognise the inherent differences in the provinces.&nbsp

Drug-susceptibility Patterns of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa: Possible Guiding Design of Retreatment Regimen

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has been a cause of concern in both developed and developing countries. The prevalence of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) isolates (n=692) from Mpumalanga province was assessed. In total, 692 (64%) MTB strains from cases with pulmonary TB were tested for susceptibility against rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol, and streptomycin using the MGIT 960 instrument. Two hundred and nine (30.2%) strains were resistant to one or more drugs. Resistance to one drug ranged from 1.4% for ethambutol to 17.7% for rifampicin. The prevalence of MDR-TB ranged from 6.7% for three drugs to 34% for four drugs, with significant predictors being patients’ age-groups of 25–54 years (p=0.0012) and >55 years (p=0.007). The result showed a high level (58.4%) of MDR-TB from cases in Mpumalanga province. To achieve a higher cure rate in this province, drug-susceptibility tests must be done for every case

Molecular epidemiological investigation of a typhoid fever outbreak in South Africa, 2005: the relationship to a previous epidemic in 1993

In 2005, over 600 clinically diagnosed typhoid fever cases occurred in South Africa, where an outbreak had been previously described in 1993. Case-control and molecular investigations, including Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) isolates from that area from 1993, 2005 and later, were undertaken. Controls were significantly older than cases (P=0.003), possibly due to immunity from previous infection, and a significantly larger proportion had attended a gathering (P=0.035). Exposure to commercial food outlets and person-to-person transmission was not significant. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multi-locus tandem repeat analysis revealed common clusters of S. Typhi strains identified in 1993 and 2005 as well as in 2007 and 2009. This outbreak probably occurred in a non-immune population due to faecally contaminated water. S. Typhi strains appeared to be related to strains from 1993; failure to address unsafe water may lead to further outbreaks in the area if the current population immunity wanes or is lost.This work was supported by a grant by the K. H. Keddy and others NHLS Research Trust

Double dividends of additional water charges in South Africa

The purpose of this chapter is to show how double dividends could be obtained from using market instruments to tax water use in a developing country. The double dividends are namely environmental (water conservation) on the one hand, and poverty reduction dividends on the other. We apply a water tax on selected industries in South Africa to reduce demand for water, and then transfer the revenue from this tax to the poor to achieve reduction in absolute levels of poverty. South Africa is classified as a semi-arid country. Precipitation has been fluctuating over the years with an average of 500 mm per annum, well below the world average of about 860 mm (DWAF 2002). The total flow of all the rivers in the country combined amounts to approximately 49 200 million m³ per year, while the National Water Resource Strategy estimated the total water requirement for the year 2000 at 13 280 million m3 per year, excluding environmental requirements. In addition, South Africa is poorly endowed in groundwater as most of the country is underlain by hard rock formations that do not contain any major groundwater aquifers (DWAF 2002). While currently only about 24% of rural people have access to water on site, additional sources of water supply are environmentally, financially and politically hard to develop. At the same time, unemployment in rural areas of South Africa is extremely high, which results in severe poverty conditions in these areas