Disability management in the public service : the case of the Gauteng Provincial Administration

Thesis (M. Development and Management)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.Cabinet has on two instances set specific transformation targets to be achieved by Public Service departments as part of its transformation agenda. A 2% target was set for the employment of people with disabilities in the Public Service by March 2010. In order to assist the process, various legislations, regulations, framework documents and other relevant resources were put in place. Structures such as the Department of Public Service and Administration, Department of Labour, the Public Service Commission and the recently established Ministry of Women, Children, Youth and people with Disabilities, have all been tasked with a responsibility of ensuring that departments achieve these targets. It is however not clear what informed the 2% versus the overall population statistics of people with disabilities in South Africa. This would be imperative as it would possibly further explain the inability of Public Service departments to achieve this target. Public Service departments are, by virtue of legislation, required to develop employment equity plans that will specify disability targets within a specific time-frame. The key objective of this study was to determine the extent to which departments in the Gauteng Provincial Administration have failed or succeeded in employing, retaining and reasonably accommodating people with disabilities in line with the 2% target. The assessment focuses on the disability management processes that are employed and their efficiency and effectiveness. For purposes of the study, the hypotheses was formulated that the inability of the Gauteng Provincial Administration to employ, retain and reasonably accommodate people with disabilities and thus reach the disability equity targets set by Cabinet, is due to poor and ineffective disability management. To test the validity or otherwise of the hypothesis, use was made of theoretical review of literature in promoting effective disability management in the Gauteng Provincial Administration. Empirical research was also conducted to test the attitude and perceptions of the Gauteng Provincial Administration officials who have disabilities as well as those who do have disabilities on the existence and effectiveness of disability management practices in their departments. The views of representatives from the Department of Public Service and Administration, Administration, the Public Service Commission as well as the organizations of people with disabilities were also solicited, specifically in terms of their roles as key stakeholders in promoting and sustaining effective disability management. The study found, amongst others that: • Policies on disability management do exist in departments but mainly as part of compliance. • Senior management commitment to disability management is not so visible. • There is insufficient disability awareness taking place in departments. • Labour unions are silent and invisibly in promoting the rights and interests of people with disabilities. • Other stakeholders could add value to the promotion of effective disability management in the Gauteng Provincial Administration. The study concludes with practical recommendations which departments can adopt as strategies for effective disability management. Specific areas of further research are also highlighted.Master

Lower limb injuries in teenage girls playing soccer

Introduction: The number of girls and women participating in all levels of soccer has risen greatly in recent years. Rationale for the study: The injury risk is high in soccer, but little is known about the mechanisms by which these injuries occur. Objective: To describe the types of injuries and the mechanisms sustained by teenage girls playing soccer. Design: A descriptive study was done. Method: An injury observation sheet was used to collect data over one week of interregional schools tournament that took place in August 2003, Rustenburg, North West province. For all injuries the following information was documented: type of injury, site of injury, mechanism of injury, cause of injury, part of field, time of ball in play and player position. The teenage girls playing soccer who participated in the USSASSA summer ball games tournament were used. The verbal player informed consent form which provided information on the rights of participants was also drawn and handed to all participants to familiarize themselves with contents prior to a game. Results: Main findings in this study were that the ligament sprains accounted for the highest number (57%) of total injuries sustained by the teenage girls playing soccer. Contusions were the less common type of injury that affected teenage girls. Tackling was the mechanism responsible for most injuries (49%). Strikers were the players’ positions associated with all types of injuries sustained in this study, 72% of strains, 56 %of strains and 45% of total contusions. Goal keepers were not affected by any of the lower limb injuries in this study. Conclusion: Injuries sustained by teenage girls are minor in nature. Sprains and strains are the most common injuries affecting ankles and knees. Injury prevention program can have beneficial results if implemented at developmental stage of their carriers.Dissertation (MPhyst (Sports Medicine))--University of Pretoria, 2007.PhysiotherapyMPhystunrestricte

The Differential Effects of Tuta absoluta Infestations on the Physiological Processes and Growth of Tomato, Potato, and Eggplant

Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, 1917) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is a destructive insect pest toward crops and belongs to the Solanaceae family. Since it was first recorded in South Africa in 2016, the pest has spread extensively and caused tremendous damage to field and tunnel-grown tomato crops. This study aimed to investigate how T. absoluta affects the growth and physiology of three Solanaceae plant species: tomato, potato, and eggplant. These three crops were infested with L1 instar larvae, and their growth and physiology were assessed during insect feeding. The damage to the infested tomato host plant was severe, with T. absoluta destroying 100% of the plants. The tomato plants were distorted 15 days after infestation, that is, before the fruit set. For potato, the defoliation was moderate, but the infested plants produced fewer tubers compared to the uninfested host plants. Eggplant had fewer visible signs of feeding, resulting in no significant difference between the infested and uninfested host plants in terms of growth and physiological functions. Infested tomato and potato plants had stagnant growth, fewer and damaged leaves, a reduced chlorophyll content, a reduced photosynthesis rate, a poor transpiration rate, poor water conductance, and poor intercellular carbon dioxide concentrations. This study closes the knowledge gap on the morphological (growth) and physiological responses of different Solanaceae species to T. absoluta infestation, and it also demonstrates the differential risk of T. absoluta infestations in the production of tomato, potato, and eggplant