Three Black mother’s experiences of postnatal depression.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of postnatal depression from the perspective of three Black African women living in South Africa. A large body of the present literature is from the Western perspective based on White middle-class women. Qualitative research on Black African women’s experiences of postnatal depression in South Africa is underrepresented. Quantitative literature currently available in South Africa focuses on identification and treatment of postnatal depression or on the relationship between postnatal depression and child development. While this quantitative body of research is important and highlights the context of motherhood it does not open the lived experience of postnatal depression up for exploration (Mauthner, 1998). The present research study aimed to open up the experience of postnatal depression for qualitative exploration from the position of Black South African women. Given the study’s exploratory position, the study explored how mothers experience motherhood and the factors that these mothers felt contributed to their postnatal depression. Three Black African mothers’ who were diagnosed with postnatal depression were purposively selected to share their experiences. Data was collected through the use of semi-structured interviews and analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. Analysis of the data illustrates that, from the perspective of the participating mothers, wider social expectations of motherhood, adjustment to motherhood, social pressure and perceived fear of judgement contributed to women developing postnatal depression. It is recommended that mental health and public health professionals should consistently provide all mothers regardless of their circumstances and demographics with information on motherhood including childbirth and labor

Digital control of light.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.The objective of this research was to describe innovative ways in which digital holography can be applied in controlling laser light. The ability to control and manipulate a laser beam has become an extremely desirable feature since it enables improvement in the efficiency and quality of a number of applications. Methods of controlling light make use of optical components to change the properties of a light beam according to the function of that optical element; therefore, a particular arrange- ment of optical elements in a system controls light in a certain way. Technological advancements in the field of optics have developed a versatile device called a spatial light modulator (SLM), which is a novel instrument that employs computer gener- ated holographic patterns (or phase masks) to modulate the amplitude and /or phase of a laser beam and it can therefore perform the function of a number of optical elements. This research presents novel optical set-ups based on the phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM) for generating, controlling and exploring different laser beam pat- terns. The thesis has three main sections, the first one is Holographic beam shaping, where a Gaussian beam was reshaped using an SLM to produce Vortex, Bessel or Laguerre-Gaussian beams. These beams were found to agree with theoretically generated beams. Secondly, we produce o -axis laser beams by constructing coherent superpositions of Gaussian and vortex modes and then use two measurement techniques, peak intensity ratio and modal decomposition technique, to obtain the constituent components of these fields. Finally, we investigate the propagation dynamics of Vortex and Laguerre-Gaussian beams by using a SLM to digitally propagate these beams in free space, and then perform mea- surements on the far field intensity pattern. The results show that the Laguerre-Gaussian beam suffers less spreading and beam distortion compared to the vortex beam in free space propagation

Factors Affecting Number of Women Ward Councillors in South Africa

The number of women elected into political positions has been a challenge for both developed and developing states. Countries that have introduced national prescripts and ratified the United Nations conventions continue to struggle with women's representation and participation in politics, especially at the local government level. South Africa is not an exception to this. Despite legislation that appears to enable gender equality in local structures, the number of women ward councillors has been fluctuating since the reformation of local government after 1994. The objective of this paper is to investigate factors affecting the number of women elected as ward councillors in South Africa. The paper adopts an exploratory research design and is qualitative in nature. It focuses on six local municipalities of the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape Provinces. Males and female ward and proportional representative councillors were interviewed using face-to-face and telephone techniques. The findings of the study were analysed using content analysis and themes were generated from the interview data. The study revealed that there are more women proportional representative councillors than ward councillors, which confirms the challenge with regard to women’s representation in local politics. The number of women councillors is low and some major factors identified in the study were lack of confidence, education and community involvement; cultural influence; and competitiveness amongst women

Use of indigenous methods to control gastro-intestinal nematodes in chickens.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.Millions of resource-limited farmers depend on indigenous knowledge (IK) to sustain chicken health. The level of understanding on these IK systems is low. The objectives of the study were to: (1) explore IK used to control gastro-intestinal nematodes in chickens; (2) assess the extent of use of IK to control gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) in chicken and to (3) evaluate the efficacy of selected medicinal plants used by farmers to control GIN in chickens. The study was conducted in the Jozini local community. Indigenous knowledge is sourced from parents, forefathers, knowledgeable community members through oral communication. Medicinal plants are prepared using different methods such as boiling and soaking in water. Chickens are dewormed after displaying clinical symptoms of GIN infestation. Birds take a maximum of three days to recover after treatment. Male farmers were 3.968 times likely to be using IK than females. Male farmers were more cultural and depended on IK more than females. Farmers owning larger flock sizes were 8.196 times more likely to use IK than farmers with small flock sizes. Resource-limited farmers were 1.701 times likely to use IK than less-poor farmers. Famers owning cattle were 1.998 times likely to use IK than farmers not owning cattle. The extent of use of IK was influenced by demographics and the availability of medicinal plants. The medicinal plants tested in Trial 3 were Gomphocarpus physocarpus, Cissus quadrangularis and Aloe maculata. These were the popular plants used in Jozini. Birds on the control had higher mean faecal egg count (FEC) (321.3) of than Gomphocarpus physocarpus (270), Cissus quadrangularis (185) and Aloe maculata (155). These results showed that the selected medicinal plants have anthelmintic potential and needs to be promoted. Keywords: medicinal plants, gastro-intestinal nematodes, anthelmintics, faecal egg counts

Childcare arrangements of migrants: a case study of mothers in Imbali, Pietermaritzburg.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Studies on migration focus on the various patterns of movements for individuals. These patterns were shaped by the colonial and apartheid-era policies, which channeled black male labour migration while women and children remained in rural areas. In recent years, more and more women have been entering the labour market. This has increased migration rates for women and as a result, permanent urban migration has been growing. This shift had implications for children who may migrate with their parents or may be left behind in rural areas. There is a great deal of literature on adult migration and temporary labour patterns in South Africa, but very little on how this has affected children. The aim of this study was to shed insight on the childcare arrangements made by women who internally migrate with their children to urban areas in search of economic opportunities. For this study, data was obtained from face to face in-depth interviews that were held with twenty migrant mothers from Imbali, Unit 13 in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. The findings of this study have indicated that migrant mothers had limited awareness of childcare facilities when they first migrated to Imbali. The majority of migrant mothers have highlighted that they have placed their children in formal facilities within the community and some of these facilities where not conducive for children as they believed it was not in their best interest due to a number of factors. Finances and distance were the main factors influencing selection of childcare arrangements. The study recommends that all stakeholders invest in facilities within the community as most parents suggested that facilities were not affordable. The involvement of both private and public stakeholders can assist in ensuring that when parents migrate, they properly make care plans for their children

Perceptions of UKZN Howard College students regarding the 2015 xenophobic attack in Durban, South Africa.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Durban KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) was stricken by relentless xenophobic attacks in April 2015 that were mainly directed to foreign African nationals that resides in Durban Metropolitan. However, these attacks did not focus in one geographic area because they were across metropolitan of Durban. The violent attacks firstly broke out in Durban Central Business District (CBD) in KwaZulu-Natal province, and then suddenly spread over many townships including KwaMashu, UMlazi, and Verulam outside of Durban city in KwaZulu-Natal province. When the provincial government realizes the damage caused by xenophobic attacks intervened by increasing the number of police officers as a response to deal with issues such as crime caused by xenophobic attacks. While numerous studies have been conducted across the world about the issue of xenophobic attacks, however, the majority of those studies have little discussions about the opinions of tertiary students regarding the issue of xenophobic attacks affecting the society. As a response to such little discussions, this study was based at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Howard college campus to understand the views of students from tertiary education level regarding the issue of xenophobic attacks. This university is situated in Durban in the province of KwaZulu-Natal with most Zulu speaking students coming from the surrounding areas. This study draws on qualitative data. The sample consisted of twenty participants studying at this university. The twenty participants included ten postgraduate South African students and ten foreign African postgraduate students. The participants were interviewed on campus to obtain their perspectives on this matter. The study findings noted that some people lack the knowledge of African history. Then it recommended an effective education to all members of the community regarding the African history because it has been recognized that, the lack of knowledge about African history has contributed to the eruption of xenophobic attacks in the society. The study suggested this because it is anticipated that, the xenophobic attacks would be prevented if the South African people would understand their history. Keywords: Migration, Migrant, Xenophobia, Refugees

The impact of entrepreneurial capital on the performance of youth-owned enterprises in South Africa

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management specialising in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation. Johannesburg, 2017South Africa has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, with youth unemployment sitting at 37.5 percent in 2016. In an attempt to remedy South Africa’s unemployment, the government sought entrepreneurship as a solution. The South African government has implemented various policies and established numerous institutional bodies to accelerate entrepreneurship. Some of these policies and bodies are aimed specifically at enhancing entrepreneurship among the youth. In order to understand the best approach to assist these young entrepreneurs, it is important to understand what drives performance in current young entrepreneurs’ enterprises. This paper evaluated the impact that entrepreneurial capital (human, social, and financial capital) had on the performance of youth-owned enterprises. It surveyed 199 young entrepreneurs (between 18 and 35 years old) to understand what drives performance within their enterprises. The research found that there were high levels of performance within youth-owned enterprises, when there were high levels of human capital and social capital. However, there was a negative relationship between financial capital and the performance of youth-owned enterprises. Overall, the research concluded that high levels of entrepreneurial capital had a positive relationship with the performance of youth-owned enterprises. The objective of this study was to understand what drives the performance of youth-owned enterprises, in order to best facilitate government assistance and support for young entrepreneurs. The outcome suggests that human capital and social capital drive performance of youth-owned enterprises, it would thus be advisable for the South African government to focus on those two variables when drafting policies and forming institutional bodies to enhance youth entrepreneurship.MT201

Groundwater Vulnerability Map for South Africa

Vulnerability of groundwater is a relative, non-measurable and dimensionless property which is based on the concept that some land areas are more vulnerable to groundwater contamination than others. Maps showing groundwater vulnerability assist with the identification of areas more susceptible to contamination than others. They are useful in planning, policy formulation and decision-making for groundwater management and protection. Overlaying these maps with maps showing the location of contamination sources and land use enables the creation of risk maps.There are various methods for assessing groundwater vulnerability and from these the DRASTIC approach has been highlight in various studies as the most appropriate. This is mainly due to the fact that it is suitable for regional applications and the required input data are readily available. The DRASTIC index can be modified to incorporate anthropogenic influences on groundwater contamination and the modified form is called the DRASTIC Specific Vulnerability Index (DSVI). This paper discusses the creation of a groundwater vulnerability map for South Africa using the DSVI approach. The data used include the depth to groundwater, recharge, aquifer types, soil types, topography, the vadose zone, hydraulic conductivity and land use. These parameters were rated, weighted and combined to create the final map. The result was compared to groundwater quality data and similarities were found between the maps

Water deficit-induced changes in phenolic acid content in maize leaves is associated with altered expression of cinnamate 4-hydroxylase and p-coumaric acid 3-hydroxylase

The amino acid phenylalanine is a precursor to phenolic acids that constitute the lignin biosynthetic pathway. Although there is evidence of a role of some phenolic acids in plant responses to pathogens and salinity, characterization of the involvement of phenolic acids in plant responses to drought is limited. Drought reduces water content in plant tissue and can lead to decreased cell viability and increased cell death. We thus subjected maize seedlings to water deficit and evaluated relative water content and cell viability together with p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid and ferulic acid contents in the leaves. Furthermore, we measured the enzymatic activity of cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (EC 1.14.13.11) and p-coumarate 3-hydroxylase (EC 1.14.17.2) and associated these with the expression of genes encoding cinnamate 4-hydroxylase and p-coumarate-3 hydroxylase in response to water deficit. Water deficit reduced relative water content and cell viability in maize leaves. This corresponded with decreased p-coumaric acid but increased caffeic and ferulic acid content in the leaves. Changes in the phenolic acid content of the maize leaves were associated with increased enzymatic activities of cinnamate 4-hydroxylase and p-coumarate hydroxylase. The increased enzymatic activity of p-coumarate 3-hydroxylase was associated with increased expression of a gene encoding p-coumarate 3-hydroxylase. We thus conclude that metabolic pathways involving phenolic acids may contribute to the regulation of drought responses in maize, and we propose that further work to elucidate this regulation may contribute to the development of new maize varieties with improved drought tolerance. This can be achieved by marker-assisted selection to select maize lines with high levels of expression of genes encoding cinnamate 4-hydroxylase and/or p-coumarate 3-hydroxylase for use in breeding programs aimed and improving drought tolerance, or by overexpression of these genes via genetic engineering to confer drought tolerance

A consideration of the guidelines for competition in the South African automotive aftermarket: how do they impact supply chain liability?

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The South African automotive aftermarket consists of various role players: Original Equipment Manufacturers, original equipment suppliers, approved dealers, Original Equipment Manufacturer approved motor-body repairers, insurers, insurer approved motor-body repairers and Independent Service Providers. Due to the use of franchise agreements and exclusive arrangements between Original Equipment Manufacturers and approved motor-body repairers, participation in the automotive aftermarket has generally excluded Independent Service Providers. This has led to Independent Service Providers, particularly those who are Historically Disadvantaged Persons, and consumers to make complaints to the Competition Commission over the last ten years. These complaints have centred on the exclusion of Independent Service Providers from participation in the automotive aftermarket and their lack of access to original spare parts. The effect of these restrictive practices has been to limit consumer choice and expose them to the high prices of original spare parts in the automotive aftermarket, in breach of the provisions of the Competition Act 89 of 1998. This Act regulates competition in South Africa and aims, amongst other goals, to provide consumers with choice as to service provider, ensure competitive pricing, and expand the spread of ownership in markets. The Competition Commission, as an administrative body created to ensure compliance with the Act, is empowered by s 79(1) thereof to indicate its policy stance on any matter falling within the ambit of the Act. In line with s 79(1), the Competition Commission has published the Guidelines for Competition in the South African Automotive Aftermarket. The publication of the guidelines led to two questions which are the focus of this study: firstly, what impact will these guidelines have on supply chain liability in the automotive aftermarket during the in-warranty period and secondly, whether this impact will be to the benefit of consumers. In order to answer these questions, this study considers automotive supply chain liability before the publication of the Guidelines for Competition in the South African Automotive Aftermarket, the role of the Competition Commission and its authority to publish these guidelines, the provisions of these guidelines and their impact on supply chain liability during the in-warranty period