The media image of China in Africa: a frame analysis of Kenyan, Nigerian, and Zimbabwean newspapers

While China-Africa relations date back to the 15th century, China’s interest and involvement in the continent increased in the last two centuries leading to the formation of the Forum on Africa-China Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2000. Mainly, the relationship is characterised by huge Chinese migration, business investments and loans across the whole of Africa as well as cultural exchange programs. As a result, there has arisen a concept which researchers commonly refer to as China in Africa. However, parallel to the growing academic interest in China’s presence in Africa, has been accusations that China is plundering Africa’s natural resources and exploiting the local workforce leading to Beijing making strenuous efforts to shape its image by framing its relationship with Africa as a mutually beneficial partnership. Nevertheless, despite growing academic interest, the phenomenon of China in Africa is still under researched with need for more studies including on how China is represented in the media. This study, therefore, accesses a cross national media image of China over its involvement in Africa from three Anglophone countries namely Kenya, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe through frame analysis and over a five-year period (2014-18). Totally, 1 384 news stories from six newspapers (Two from each country) were analysed. As opposed to a straightforwardly positive or negative media image, this study found a balanced African media image of China in the form of a contest of pessimistic and optimistic frames. Although this finding resonates with the hypothesis of a balanced image, the thesis, mainly, establishes the image’s stability over years. The thesis found that although gravitating towards some degree of complexity this image has remained stable for many years. Because this image is accessed from three distinct African regions (East, Southern and West Africa), the thesis argues that this is enough for it to be said to represent an Africa wide situation and to propose the testing of the ubiquity of the image in the broader Global South. The thesis also argues that while China’s soft power and economic statecraft are evident in Africa, their effect on its [China] image have been slow so far hence the stability of the image

Data for: Determination of Trace elements and Lanthanide (REE) signatures in uranium mine products in South Africa by means of Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

Raw data for the REE Pattern

Data for: Determination of Trace elements and Lanthanide (REE) signatures in uranium mine products in South Africa by means of Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

Raw data for the REE Pattern

A comparative study of the performance of the Chitungwiza Marondera and Crowborough sewage treatment plants in Zimbabwe

The performance of the Chitungwiza, Marondera and Crowborough Sewage treatment plants in Zimbabwe were evaluated by monitoring the levels of suspended solids (SS), dissolved solids (DS), dissolved oxygen (DO), biological oxygen demand (BOD), K+, Na+, CA2+, Mg2+. Cl-, SO 42-,NO3- No1-, and PO 43- Ions in the period May 1994 to September 1995. The performance of the three plants were assessed by comparison to the UK conventional effluent 30:20 standard for SS, BOD, cl-, NO3- and PO 43- irons. All three plants conformed to this standard for nitrate ion, while for Chitungwiza and Marondera plants the levels of BOD, SS, chloride and phosphate ions were in excess of the Standard. In addition the Chitungwiza sewage plant effluent contained very high levels of nitrite ion. Journal of Applied Science in Southern Africa Vol.5, No.1 pp. 1-

Transfer Rates of 238U and 232Th for E. globulus, A. mearnsii, H. filipendula and Hazardous Effects of the Usage of Medicinal Plants From Around Gold Mine Dump Environs

Medicinal plant consumption can be a source of human exposure to radioactive elements such as 238U and 232Th, which can lead to internal radiation doses. The uptake of 238U and 232Th from soils to the leaf samples of three different medicinal plant species (Eucalyptus globulus, Acacia mearnsii and Hyparrhenia filipendula) from the purlieu of the Princess gold mine dump, an abandoned contaminated tailings storage site (TSS), located at longitude 27°55′00″E and latitude 26°09′30″S in Davidsonville (Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg, South Africa) was measured. This was done using ICP-MS spectrometry and substantial differences were observed in the soil-plant transfer factor (TF) values between these radionuclides. The plant species E. globulus exhibited the highest uptake of 238U, with an average TF of 3.97, while that of H. filipendula was 0.01 and the lowest TF of 0.15 × 10−2 was measured for A. mearnsii. However, in the case of 232Th, the highest average TF was observed for A. mearnsii (0.29), followed by E. globulus (0.10) and lowest was measured for H. filipendula (0.27 × 10−2). The ratio of TF average value i.e., 238U to 232Th in the soil-plant leaves was 38.05 for E. globulus, 0.01 for A. mearnsii and 4.38 for H. filipendula

Isotopic composition and elemental concentrations in groundwater in the Kuiseb Basin and the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin, Namibia

We assessed environmental tracers in groundwater in two contrasting basins in Namibia; the Kuiseb Basin, which is a predominantly dry area and the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin, which is prone to alternating floods and droughts. We aimed to determine why the quality of groundwater was different in these two basins which occur in an arid environment. We analysed groundwater and surface water for the stable isotope ratios of hydrogen (δ2H) and oxygen (δ18O) by cavity ring-down spectroscopy and metals by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The δ2H and δ18O of surface water in the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin plot on an evaporation trend below the global meteoric water line (GMWL) and the local meteoric water line (LMWL). The δ2H and δ18O of some groundwater samples in the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin also plot on the evaporation trend, indicating recharge by evaporated rain or evaporated surface water. In contrast, the δ2H and δ18O of groundwater samples in the Kuiseb Basin plot mostly along the GMWL and the LMWL, indicating direct recharge from unevaporated rain or unevaporated surface water. Fifty percent of groundwater samples in the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin was potable (salinity < 1 ppt) compared to 79 % in the Kuiseb Basin. The high salinity in the groundwater of the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin does not appear to be caused by evaporation of water (evapo-concentration) on surface prior to groundwater recharge, but rather by the weathering of the Kalahari sediments. The low salinity in the Kuiseb Basin derives from rapid recharge of groundwater by unevaporated rain and limited weathering of the crystalline rocks. The order of abundance of cations in the Kuiseb Basin is Na > K > Ca > Mg vs. Na > Mg > Ca > K for the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin. For metals in the Kuiseb Basin the order of abundance is Fe > Al > V > As > Zn vs. Al > Fe > V> As > Zn for the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin. The relative abundance of cations and metals are attributed to the differences in geology of the basins and the extent of water-rock interaction. Our results show that the quality of groundwater in Cuvelai-Etosha Basin and Kuiseb Basin which vary in the extent of aridity, is controlled by the extent of water-rock interaction at the surface and in the groundwater aquifer