Inner-City Housing: An Exploration of Alternative Approaches for City Regeneration through the 'Housing Inclusivity Lens'

Housing unaffordability has become a common phenomenon around the globe. The rate of demand for affordable housing around inner cities has seen a rise over the past couple of decades, yet the supply has not been able to keep up and has fallen far behind. In South Africa, historically, the apartheid regulations and practices forcefully removed families of colour from inner-city areas. The current state-led housing programmes in South Africa have continued to perpetuate these apartheid policies through continuing to provide housing on the periphery of the towns and cities. The private sector, incentivised by the State's inner-city urban regeneration programmes, has inevitably accelerated spatial segregation through systematic gentrification. As a result, inner cities have become unaffordable, further distancing the previously disadvantaged from economic and social opportunities and financial participation that are concentrated within inner-city areas. There is therefore a need to consider housing inclusivity in development processes and policies and more so, practical approaches and mechanisms on how it can be implemented with inner-city developments. Concurrently, the concept of affordability needs to be explored to understand what makes inner-city housing unaffordable. This research aimed to understand the underlying causes of unaffordability in the inner cities of South Africa, particularly in Cape Town, and the roles of the public and private sectors regarding the problems and solutions. The research intended to find appropriate responses and solutions to affordable inner-city housing provision, by examination of the policies and cost drivers that affect the development process and how their negative impact can be mitigated. This study purported to aid in finding a resolve for apartheid spatial planning, whilst building a broad understanding to the key issues around gentrification, inclusivity, and the ‘right to the city' in the South African context. To identify alternative development approaches for more inclusive cities, the study made use of in-depth literature analysis and case study research which includes qualitative knowledge gained from interviews with the various role players in the housing development process. The study employed a purposive and snowball sampling method to acquire eleven participants that were interviewed. The research ascertained that the lack of policy alignment between the national government and the City of Cape Town and unrefined approval processes are aiding in increasing development costs, which are then transferred to the end-user. The research further determined that the lack of well-located affordable land possess a great challenge, yet there are large tracts of state-owned land in well located areas affordable housing development could occupy. Whilst the rest of the world moves forward in adopting alternative building technology that has advanced the industry, South Africa remains on the backfoot, though reluctancy to integrate these new methods into the traditional brick and mortar way of developments. A key recommendation is for the public sector to timeously release public-owned inner-city land that is well-located for affordable housing purposes, whilst also enabling a quicker development approval process for affordable housing projects. This amongst other interventions will serve as incentive to developers in the era of implementing the inclusionary housing policy which has stirred much controversy in its wake

Lupus nephritis is associated with poor pregnancy outcomes in pregnant SLE patients in Cape Town: a retrospective analysis

Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multi-system auto-immune disease common in females of child-bearing age. The effect of pregnancy on SLE and vice versa have not been well characterised in Africans. The aim of this study is to describe the pregnancy outcomes of patients with SLE presenting to the maternity department of Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town.Methods: This study was designed as a retrospective review of records of pregnant women known with SLE and followed-up at the maternity section of Groote Schuur Hospital. The duration of survey was from the 1st January 2003 to 31st December 2013. Results: There were 61 pregnancies reviewed in 49 patients; 80.3% of the pregnancies were in patients of mixed ancestry and the rest (19.7%) in black African patients. The mean age at presentation of the current pregnancy was 27.2±5.0 years. Mean gestational age at presentation and delivery was 13.0 ± 6.0 weeks and 28.9 ± 9.8 weeks respectively and 47.5% of the pregnancies were in patients with lupus nephritis (LN). Thirty nine (63.9%) pregnancies reached the third trimester and 11.5% of all pregnancies ended in the first trimester. There was a lower number of live births to mothers of African ancestry than to those of mixed ancestry (p=0.001). In 55.7% of the pregnancies, no flare was reported while a renal flare was reported in 23%. Pregnancies in patients with LN had higher frequencies of flares (58.6% vs 31.3%; p=0.032), pre-eclampsia (34.5% vs 12.5%; p=0.041), longer stay in hospital (12.0 ± 9.1 days vs 6.1 ± 5.1 days; p=0.004) and low birth weight babies (1.94 ± 1.02 kg vs 2.55±0.95 kg; p=0.046) than in patients without LN. Only 36 (59%) of the neonates were discharged home alive and of these 2 (5.6%) were to mothers of black African ancestry (p=0.001).Conclusion: Increased lupus activity in pregnant SLE patients may account for the increased deaths of neonates born to SLE mothers. Patients of black African descent and those with LN tend to have a poorer outcome. A multi-disciplinary approach to the management of SLE patients (of child-bearing age or pregnant) needs to be further assessed for better outcomes

Livelihoods after land reform resettlement programme : a critical appraisal of the Nyahukwe resettled farmers, Rusape, Zimbabwe

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS)Across the globe, land reform has become a key strategy for improving people’s livelihoods aimed at reducing poverty and increasing food security for resilient livelihoods. In sub-Saharan Africa, redistributive land reform has been implemented since the post-colonial period as a developmental approach. Since independence, Zimbabwe implemented two forms of land reform programmes which are the Land Reform and Resettlement Programme (LRRP) (1980-1997) and the Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP) (2000). The LRRP was based on the willing buyer willing seller approach with the state buying land for redistribution, while the FTLRP emerged from the chaotic and sporadic invasion of white owned commercial farms led by liberation war veterans and other politically affiliated people. In this thesis, I will focus on the LRRP which provided small farming land to many beneficiaries to ensure sustainable livelihoods. Land is an important livelihood source for the people of Zimbabwe, but on its own it cannot sustain the living standards of resettled farmers. Contemporary literature shows the catastrophic failure of land reform in Zimbabwe. Despite all the problems, land still remains the spring board of livelihoods in Zimbabwe. There is, however, less empirical research undertaken to assess how the LRRP has benefited and enhanced livelihoods of resettled farmers. This research will assess how the LRRP improved the livelihoods of Nyahukwe resettled farmers in Rusape, Zimbabwe. The study’s investigation will focus and add literature on how LRRP has been successful in empowering resettled farmers to enhance their livelihoods, to be more food secure as well as to improve their well-being. Using qualitative research methods, the research aimed to assess the livelihoods of farmers since they resettled. In particular, assessing the assets and capital available and how the farmers have been able to cope, strategies implemented to diversify their livelihoods and the outcomes achieved. The Sustainable livelihoods approach (SLA) was used as a theoretical framework to assess the new livelihoods patterns established after resettlement. Purposive non-random sampling was employed to interview 3 Nyahukwe government officials such as the extension managers, Environmental health officer and Veterinary officer. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 30 participants from Village F. A focus group 10 - 15 purposefully selected farmers was conducted. Data analysis was performed on the narrative and information from interviews, focus groups and questionnaires conducted during data collection. The findings show that land reform has enhanced the livelihoods of farmers since they were resettled as they reckon food selfsufficiency and better well-being. The research findings also illustrate that land remain the livelihood base of Nyahukwe farmers although they have adopted coping strategies to expand income generation. Coping strategies are farm and off farm activities that have diversified the farmers’ livelihoods through the interaction of assets. Land as a natural asset has been used with human, physical, financial and social capital to sustain the farmers. The findings revealed positive livelihood outcomes by assessing the assets before and after resettlement and outcomes achieved after adopting strategies as all farmers have increased income, self-sufficiency and improved well-being

Development of a livestock management database system towards sustainable smallholder farming systems in South Africa

Thesis (PhDAgric)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The commercialisation of smallholder farmers has taken the lead on the development agenda of many developing countries. Invariably, the majority of smallholder livestock producers are less productive than commercial producers and lag in commercialisation. Apart from the multifaceted challenges that smallholder farmers face, limited access to appropriate information and extension services constrains their sustainability. Therefore, the aim of this study was to design and develop a Livestock Management Database System (LMDS) for improving the sustainability of commercially oriented smallholder cattle producers in the North West Province of South Africa. The system promotes the efficiency of delivering agricultural extension services and the upscaling of smallholder livestock production through improved access to tailored information and services. The study was guided by the pragmatic paradigm, which accommodates positivism (quantitative) and normative (qualitative) perspectives. A partially mixed sequential explanatory design with a dominant quantitative method was adopted. A structured questionnaire was administered to 101 commercially oriented beneficiaries of the Nguni cattle project in North West Province, South Africa, to collect quantitative data. Qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs) with farmers and extension officers, respectively. A double-bounded contingent evaluation method was used to estimate the farmers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for rangeland conservation and regeneration. A binary logistic regression model was used to evaluate the determinants of farmers’ WTP. The results show that most farmers (>80%) were willing to pay the initial bid price of ZAR165.00, with the estimated mean WTP being ZAR244.00 ha -1 year -1 for improving rangelands. The logistic regression findings show that the farmers' WTP responses were influenced by education (p = 0.012), most important breed (p = 0.039), farming experience (p = 0.026), goat ownership (p = 0.022), ecoregion (p = 0.079), and income from cattle sales (p = 0.048). The high WTP results highlight the potential of involving the smallholder cattle farmers in implementing payment-based programs designed to improve the ecological sustainability of rangeland ecosystems and even introduce new interventions such as the LMDS. However, one of the complex challenges of driving the growth of commercially oriented smallholder farmers is ensuring that farmers understand and use new technologies. Thus, explaining their behavioural intentions before technology development is one of the most effective ways to increase adoption and identify potential design issues. Therefore, the study investigated the farmers’ experiences of using ICTs and their perceptions of the usefulness of the LMDS in livestock production. Results revealed that over 75% of the farmers had smartphones and smartphone operating skills, and nearly two-thirds were using the internet to search for agricultural information. About 80% had a strong positive perception of the usefulness of the proposed LMDS towards their livestock production. FGDS and KII results also observed higher positive perceptions towards the innovation. The Chi-square statistic was used to test the association between farmers' socioeconomic characteristics and perceptions of the usefulness of the LMDS. The results show that education level, smartphone ownership, farming experience, cattle herd size and gender influenced farmers’ perceptions of the LMDS. Poor mobile network connectivity (44%) and lack of digital skills (20%) were the limitations perceived to hamper the adoption of the innovation. The deeper insights from study findings on the perceived usefulness of mobile technology can be beneficial to policymakers, researchers, and development agents and institutions when developing interventions for adoption by farmers. The LMDS development process involved a human-centred design thinking process in which development activities were based on the farmers and extension officers’ needs and expectations. Development of the LMDS has reached the prototyping phase, which involves software development and validation in the actual operational environment.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die kommersialisering van kleinboere het die voortou geneem op die ontwikkelingsagenda van baie ontwikkelende lande. Die meerderheid kleinveeprodusente is sonder uitsondering minder produktief as kommersiële produsente en is agter in kommersialisering. Afgesien van die veelsydige uitdagings waarmee kleinboere te doen het, beperk toegang tot toepaslike inligting en voorligtingsdienste hul volhoubaarheid. Daarom was die doel van hierdie studie om 'n Lewendehawebestuurdatabasisstelsel (LMDS) te ontwerp en te ontwikkel vir die verbetering van die volhoubaarheid van kommersieel georiënteerde kleinboerbeesprodusente in die Noordwes Provinsie van Suid-Afrika. Die stelsel bevorder die doeltreffendheid van die lewering van landbouvoorligtingsdienste en die uitbreiding van veeproduksie deur verbeterde toegang tot pasgemaakte inligting en dienste. Die studie is gelei deur die pragmatiese paradigma, wat positivisme (kwantitatiewe) en normatiewe (kwalitatiewe) perspektiewe akkommodeer. 'n Gedeeltelik gemengde opeenvolgende verklarende ontwerp met 'n dominante kwantitatiewe metode is aangeneem. ’n Gestruktureerde vraelys is aan 101 kommersieel georiënteerde begunstigdes van die Nguni-beesprojek in Noordwes Provinsie, Suid-Afrika, geadministreer om kwantitatiewe data in te samel. Kwalitatiewe data is ingesamel deur middel van fokusgroepbesprekings (FGD'e) en sleutelinformant-onderhoude (KII's) met onderskeidelik boere en voorligtingsbeamptes. ’n Dubbelbegrensde voorwaardelike evalueringsmetode is gebruik om die boere se bereidwilligheid om te betaal (WTP) vir weiveldbewaring en -herlewing te skat. ’n Binêre logistiese regressiemodel is gebruik om die determinante van boere se WTP te evalueer. Die resultate toon dat die meeste boere (>80%) bereid was om die aanvanklike bodprys van ZAR165.00 te betaal, met die geskatte gemiddelde WTP wat ZAR244.00 ha-1 jaar-1 was vir die verbetering van weiveld. Die logistiese regressiebevindinge toon dat die boere se WTP-reaksies beïnvloed is deur opvoeding (p = 0,012), belangrikste ras (p = 0,039), boerdery-ervaring (p = 0,026), bokeienaarskap (p = 0,022), ekostreek (p = 0,079), en inkomste uit beesverkope (p = 0,048). Die hoë WTP-resultate beklemtoon die potensiaal om die kleinboerbeesboere te betrek by die implementering van betalingsgebaseerde programme wat ontwerp is om die ekologiese volhoubaarheid van weiveld-ekosisteme te verbeter en selfs nuwe intervensies soos die LMDS in te stel. Een van die komplekse uitdagings om die groei van kommersieel georiënteerde kleinboere aan te dryf, is egter om te verseker dat boere nuwe tegnologieë verstaan en gebruik. Die verduideliking van hul gedragsvoornemens voor tegnologie-ontwikkeling is dus een van die doeltreffendste maniere om aanvaarding te verhoog en potensiële ontwerpkwessies te identifiseer. Daarom het die studie die boere se ervarings van die gebruik van IKT en hul persepsies van die bruikbaarheid van die LMDS in veeproduksie ondersoek. Resultate het aan die lig gebring dat meer as 75% van die boere slimfone en slimfoonbedryfsvaardighede gehad het, en byna twee derdes het die internet gebruik om na landbou- inligting te soek. Ongeveer 80% het 'n sterk positiewe persepsie gehad van die bruikbaarheid van die voorgestelde LMDS vir hul veeproduksie. FGDS- en KII-resultate het ook hoër positiewe persepsies teenoor die innovasie waargeneem. Die Chi-kwadraat-statistiek is gebruik om die verband tussen boere se sosio-ekonomiese eienskappe en persepsies van die bruikbaarheid van die LMDS te toets. Die resultate toon dat onderwysvlak, slimfooneienaarskap, boerdery-ervaring, beeskuddegrootte en geslag boere se persepsies van die LMDS beïnvloed het. Swak mobiele netwerkkonnektiwiteit (44%) en gebrek aan digitale vaardighede (20%) was die beperkinge wat beskou word om die aanvaarding van die innovasie te belemmer. Die dieper insigte uit studiebevindinge oor die waargenome bruikbaarheid van mobiele tegnologie kan voordelig wees vir beleidmakers, navorsers en ontwikkelingsagente en -instellings wanneer intervensies vir aanvaarding deur boere ontwikkel word. Die LMDS-ontwikkelingsproses het 'n mensgesentreerde ontwerpdenkproses behels waarin ontwikkelingsaktiwiteite gebaseer is op die boere en voorligtingsbeamptes se behoeftes en verwagtinge. Ontwikkeling van die LMDS het die prototiperingsfase bereik, wat sagteware-ontwikkeling en validering in die werklike bedryfsomgewing getoets moet word.Doctora

Computational genomics approaches for kidney diseases in Africa

Philosophiae Doctor - PhDEnd stage renal disease (ESRD), a more severe form of kidney disease, is considered to be a complex trait that may involve multiple processes which work together on a background of a significant genetic susceptibility. Black Africans have been shown to bear an unequal burden of this disease compared to white Europeans, Americans and Caucasians. Despite this, most of the genetic and epidemiological advances made in understanding the aetiology of kidney diseases have been done in other populations outside of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Very little research has been undertaken to investigate key genetic factors that drive ESRD in Africans compared to patients from rest of world populations. Therefore, the primary aim of this Bioinformatics thesis was twofold: firstly, to develop and apply a whole exome sequencing (WES) analysis pipeline and use it to understand a genetic mechanism underlying ESRD in a South African population of mixed ancestry. As I hypothesized that the pipeline would enable the discovery of highly penetrate rare variants with large effect size, which are expected to explain an important fraction of the genetic aetiology and pathogenesis of ESRD in these African patients. Secondly, the aim was to develop and set up a multicenter clinical database that would capture a plethora of clinical data for patients with Lupus, one of the risk factors of ESRD. From WES of six family members (five cases and one control); a total of 23 196 SNVs, 1445 insertions and 1340 deletions, overlapped amongst all affected family members. The variants were consistent with an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern inferred in this family. Of these, only 1550 SNVs, 67 insertions and 112 deletions were present in all affected family members but absent in the unaffected family member. Following detailed evaluation of evidence for variant implication and pathogenicity, only 3 very rare heterozygous missense variants in 3 genes COL4A1 [p.R476W], ICAM1 [p.P352L], COL16A1 [p.T116M] were considered potentially disease causing. Computational relatedness analysis revealed approximate amount of DNA shared by family members and confirmed reported relatedness. Genotyping for the Y chromosome was additionally performed to assist in sample identity. The clinical database has been designed and is being piloted at Groote Schuur medical Hospital at the University of Cape Town. Currently, about 290 patients have already been entered in the registry. The resources and methodologies developed in this thesis have the potential to contribute not only to the understanding of ESRD and its risk factors, but to the successful application of WES in clinical practice. Importantly, it contributes significant information on the genetics of ESRD based on an African family and will also improve scientific infrastructure on the African continent. Clinical databasing will go a long way to enable clinicians to collect and store standardised clinical data for their patients

Towards a revolutionized agricultural extension system for the sustainability of smallholder livestock production in developing countries : the potential role of ICTs

The creation of commercialization opportunities for smallholder farmers has taken primacy on the development agenda of many developing countries. Invariably, most of the smallholders are less productive than commercial farmers and continue to lag in commercialization. Apart from the various multifaceted challenges which smallholder farmers face, limited access to extension services stands as the underlying constraint to their sustainability. Across Africa and Asia, public extension is envisioned as a fundamental part of the process of transforming smallholder farmers because it is their major source of agricultural information. Extension continues to be deployed using different approaches which are evolving. For many decades, various authors have reported the importance of the approaches that effectively revitalize extension systems and have attempted to fit them into various typologies. However, there is a widespread concern over the inefficiency of these extension approaches in driving the sustainability of smallholder farming agenda. Further, most of the approaches that attempted to revolutionize extension have been developed and brought into the field in rapid succession, but with little or no impact at the farmer level. This paper explores the theory and application of agricultural extension approaches and argues the potential of transforming them using digital technologies. The adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as mobile phones and the internet which are envisaged to revolutionize existing extension systems and contribute towards the sustainability of smallholder farming systems is recommended.Data Availability Statement: The data used to develop Figure 2 in this article are openly available in [World Bank Open Data] at [https//data.worldbank.org], reference number [API_IT.CEL.SETS_DS2_en_excel_v2_2256600].The Seed Initiatives Funding from the Division of Social Impact and the Animal Sciences Departmental Bursary both from Stellenbosch University.http://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainabilityGordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) : the potential for enhancing the dissemination of agricultural information and services to smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa

The transformation of smallholder farming is poised to be one of the key drivers of achieving the dual objectives of food security and poverty reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Smallholder farmers account for between 60–80% of the food produced in the region but face many challenges that impede their productivity. Such challenges include a lack of timely access to appropriate agricultural information and services, which results in poor decision-making, particularly in addressing challenges and responding effectively to opportunities. In that context, the effective use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in improving accessibility to appropriate agricultural information and services presents substantial prospects for transforming the productivity and livelihoods of the farmers. Currently, the region experiences massive penetration and propagation of mobile and web-based applications. However, there is a dearth of compelling, comprehensive reviews evaluating their importance in enhancing agricultural information and services dissemination to smallholder farmers. Therefore, the current review explores the potential of enhancing agricultural information and services dissemination to smallholder farmers through ICTs and highlights gaps in their development and deployment in SSA. Five existing mobile applications used to disseminate agricultural information and services to smallholder farmers were identified, and their advantages, limitations, and opportunities were discussed. These were Esoko, iCow, Community Knowledge Workers, WeFarm and DigiFarm. The development and deployment of user-driven mobile applications that provide curated skill-sharing platforms, encourage farmers to give feedback to extension systems in real-time and promote the participation of women and youth in agriculture are recommended.The Ph.D. study funding financed through the "Seed initiatives fund from the Division of Social Impact at Stellenbosch University and the National Research Fund-Thuthuka of South Africa.http://idv.sagepub.comhj2023Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS

A meta-analysis of public microarray data identifies gene regulatory pathways deregulated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from individuals with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus compared to those without

BACKGROUND: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a complex, multi-systemic, autoimmune disease for which the underlying aetiological mechanisms are poorly understood. The genetic and molecular processes underlying lupus have been extensively investigated using a variety of -omics approaches, including genome-wide association studies, candidate gene studies and microarray experiments of differential gene expression in lupus samples compared to controls. METHODS: This study analyses a combination of existing microarray data sets to identify differentially regulated genetic pathways that are dysregulated in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells from SLE patients compared to unaffected controls. Two statistical approaches, quantile discretisation and scaling, are used to combine publicly available expression microarray datasets and perform a meta-analysis of differentially expressed genes. RESULTS: Differentially expressed genes implicated in interferon signaling were identified by the meta-analysis, in agreement with the findings of the individual studies that generated the datasets used. In contrast to the individual studies, however, the meta-analysis and subsequent pathway analysis additionally highlighted TLR signaling, oxidative phosphorylation and diapedesis and adhesion regulatory networks as being differentially regulated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from SLE patients compared to controls. CONCLUSION: Our analysis demonstrates that it is possible to derive additional information from publicly available expression data using meta-analysis techniques, which is particularly relevant to research into rare diseases where sample numbers can be limiting.Scopus & IS