Effects of Proximity to Roads on Tissue Surface PH, Conductivity and Heavy Metal Contents of a Grazing Grass Species

Globally, road networks are expanding in the countryside. Though beneficial to society, the roads potentially have detrimental effects on grazing quality. The effects are seldom quantified. In this study Eragrostis lehmanniana, a common native grazing grass in parts of the world, was examined for indicative data on the impacts of roads on grasses. Aboveground tissue samples were collected monthly on three occasions during the growing season, at the same respective locations near three high traffic highways. Non-senescent specimens were sampled along transects of up to 400 m perpendicular to the highways, starting from the road edge and then at intervals of at least 10 m. Concurrent control samples were collected at a site more than 3 km from a road. In the laboratory, a whole stem of each specimen was washed in 40 ml of distilled water, whose pH and electrical conductivity were then measured. Heavy metal concentrations (HMC) in dry grass tissue were determined using ICP-MS analysis. Consistently, tissue surface pH was lower, and electrical conductivity higher, close to the road edge than farther away. Heavy metal concentrations were high close to the road edge, some (Fe, Ni) beyond the tolerable limits of cattle and gazelle-like grazers. Using the respective control site means as thresholds, linear regression of pH and conductivity against distance showed that the effects were pronounced for 70 m – 600 m from the road edge. The low pH was due to acidity caused by motor vehicle- emmited nitrogen and sulpher oxides (NOx, SOx) reacting with atmospheric water vapour. High conductivity and HMC were judged to be due to motor vehicle-sourced metal elements and particulate matter. Spacing roads at least 1.2 km apart in grazing areas is recommended to reduce the detrimental effects

Concepts of law and justice and the rule of law in the African context

The study makes a descriptive and analytical study of the development of the dynamic concept of the rule of law with special reference to the African contribution. First, the study shows that the Diceyan concept of the rule of law was narrow and peculiar to the Western liberal legal culture, and that more specifically, the substantive content of the concept of the rule of law was limited to the first generation of human rights. In its international and African context the concept was expanded to include all three generations of human rights and also identified with the concepts of democracy and the right of peoples and nations to self-determination. The expanded concept came to be known as the Dynamic Concept of the rule of law. Secondly, the study traces the origins and development of the principle of equal rights and self-determination and their extension to all peoples and nations and shows that these rights are universal, not relative, as they derive from the inherent worth and dignity of the individual. Also, the study shows that in the African context the three generations of human rights have been interlinked, made inter-dependent, and then identified with the rule of law, human rights and the right of self-determination (perceived as a right to democratic self-governance). Hence, the worth and dignity of the human personality has been made the fountainhead of human rights and have been elevated to the substantive elements of the Dynamic Concept of the rule of law and the basis of the modern African Constitutional State. Under the Colonial Rule both the Diceyan and the dynamic concept of the rule of law were not recognised. Instead, Colonial and racist regimes tried to create alternative institutions of government which denied the oppressed peoples the right to democratic self-governance and independence. However, Colonial and oppressed peoples relied on the dynamic concept of the rule of law in their freedom struggles and in the elaboration of their policies. Hence, the constitutions of all the former colonies in southern Africa under discussion were to different degrees informed by the Dynamic Concept of the rule of law.Constitutional, International and Indigenous LawLL.

The Christian witness in the context of poverty with special reference to the South African Charismatic Evangelicals

The topic of my study is: The Christian witness in the context of poverty, with special reference to South African Charismatic Evangelicals. The big challenge that I am addressing is the endemic poverty that is facing our entire nation. The issue of the Christian’s response to poverty needs to be addressed adequately. In this case, particularly, the focus is on the response of the Charismatic Evangelical Church to the plight of the poor. Poverty is more than just a theoretical theological question. Poverty is about existential problems faced by real people in their struggle for freedom from powerlessness and marginalization. Therefore, I seek to reflect on the many human faces of poverty in South Africa, highlighting the causes of poverty and the unique experiences of the poor. I am also exploring the theological foundations of the Church and its witness amongst the poor. Reading through the Scriptures one discovers the foundational principles that are imperative in defining the Church’s mission, ministry and message. This is followed by a theological reflection on key aspects of poverty eradication in the 20th Century. This includes a reflection on relief, development, transformation and sustainability. These concepts have all influenced various responses of Christians in dealing with the issue of poverty in their witness. Poverty should not continue unabated in the Christian community, the very people who received the commission to minister to the poor in their suffering from the Lord Jesus Himself. Throughout the centuries, the Church was challenged to minister to the poor in distress. The challenge has not disappeared. In our time, in our country, also in the circles of Charismatic Evangelical Christians, we are called to respond to the cry of the poor. Thus, in this study I present a brief background to the Charismatic Evangelicals in South Africa, looking at their fundamental teachings and theology, and the development of their missiological thinking when facing the realities of poverty. This is followed by their practical responses to poverty, based on a report on interviews that have been conducted with various leaders within the Charismatic Evangelical Church, which often has been accused of being apolitical and socially irrelevant. Finally, I reflect on the conclusions that I have drawn on how the Charismatic Evangelical Churches have reconceptualized their Christian Witness amongst the poor. I examine the manner in which they have pursued an empowering ministry in poor communities, and how they have consolidated their theological and practical positions in their ministry to eradicate poverty.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2006.Science of Religion and Missiologyunrestricte

Assessing the impact of integrated service delivery on poverty and employment creation: a case study of Operation Sukuma Sakhe in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality.

M.A. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2014.Following the declaration of War on Poverty campaign by former president Thabo Mbeki in 2008, a number of provinces engaged in a process of aligning their long and short-term service delivery objectives with those of the campaign. In KwaZulu-Natal this engagement produced what is today known as Operation Sukuma Sakhe (OSS). OSS came into existence in 2009 and it aims to fast tract services delivery by promoting participatory democracy where the gap between government (service providers) and KwaZulu-Natal citizens (end-users of services) is significantly reduced. OSS, inter alia, promotes integrated services delivery, integrated planning and participation of end-users of government services in decision-making. The provincial government, district municipalities, local municipalities and wards each form the structure of overall arrangement of OSS. The Youth Ambassadors and Community Care Givers are the foot soldiers in OSS and their role is mainly to profile households in order to identify community needs. The study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of OSS as a mechanism used to address poverty and unemployment in KwaZulu-Natal. The findings of this study suggest that all the OSS structures have already been set-up in the EThekwini Municipality but are marred with operational challenges such as absenteeism of key stakeholders, lack of necessary resources and other deficiencies and challenges. Indeed OSS has contributed meaningfully to job creation as there are Youth Ambassadors who are employed and given about R 1500 monthly stipend. OSS can also be commended for reducing the severity of poverty in the Municipality where poverty alleviation projects are afoot such as the One Home One garden campaign and communal gardens just to name a few. What transpired from the focus group discussions with different focus groups that form part of the study sample is that OSS is a viable model but it still needs to be reform especially in terms of creating a monitoring and evaluation unit and a system of accountability to ensure that members behave in acceptable standards

PMTCT data management and reporting during the transition phase of implementing the rationalised Registers in Amathole District, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Background: The National Department of Health, in March 2015, launched the implementation of Rationalisation of Register, aimed at reducing the amount of time invested in completing the registers and collecting data. Therefore, the number of registers used in the South African healthcare facilities was reduced from 56 to 6. Objectives: This study explored the effect of the rollout of Rationalisation of Register on the documentation and reporting of Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme data with the existing source documents during the transitional period, especially with routine data collected and reported at various health care system levels

Monitoring healthcare improvement for mothers and newborns: A quantitative review of WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA standards using Every Mother Every Newborn assessment tools.

Background: Assessment tools with the ability to capture WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA standard quality-of-care measures are needed. This study aimed to assess the ability of Every Mother Every Newborn (EMEN) tools to capture WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA maternal and newborn quality improvement standard indicators. Methods: A quantitative study using the EMEN quality assessment framework was applied. The six EMEN tools were compared with the WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA maternal and newborn quality improvement standards. Descriptive statistics analysis was carried out with summaries using tables and figures. Results: Overall, across all EMEN tools, 100% (164 of 164) input, 94% (103 of 110) output, and 97% (76 of 78) outcome measures were assessed. Standard 2 measures, i.e., actionable information systems, were 100% (17 of 17) completely assessed by the management interview, with 72% to 96% of standard 4-6 measures, i.e., client experiences of care, fulfilled by an exit interview tool. Conclusion: The EMEN tools can reasonably measure WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA quality standards. There was a high capacity of the tools to capture enabling policy environment and experiences of care measures not covered in other available tools which are used to measure the quality of care

Promoting Awareness of the Role of the District Clinical Specialist Team in the Amathole District, South Africa: A Valuable Specialty in Improving Healthcare Access and Quality

INTRODUCTION: This study explored the understanding of healthcare professionals on the role of the District Clinical Specialist Team (DCST) and how the team works together with the district personnel at different management levels to improve and strengthen the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programme performance across four sub-districts in the Amathole district of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. METHODS: An interpretive qualitative case study was used to understand the role played by the DCST in improving PMTCT programme performance in the district. We used a purposive sampling method to select eight participants involved in providing technical assistance to support the implementation of the quality improvement programme. We conducted in-depth interviews with all the participants; all were females in their mid-forties. Data were analysed thematically by identifying themes and reporting patterns within the data. FINDINGS: Most interviewees were females in their mid-forties and had been at their respective facilities for at least five years. The findings were discussed based on three themes: capacity building, programme performance oversight and monitoring, and technical support. The DCST significantly enhances the staff's clinical skills, knowledge, and work performance to care for and manage the mother and baby pair. In addition, the DCST plays a vital role in providing programme oversight and complements the technical support provided by the Department of Health (DoH) managers and the quality improvement programme support by the South to South (S2S) team aimed at improving and achieving the PMTCT programme's desired outcomes. The DCST also provided additional support for data verification to identify gaps in the PMTCT programme. CONCLUSION: The role of DCST is essential in improving the quality and service provision of the PMTCT programme and is critical to assist the team at different levels in addressing challenges encountered and training and mentoring the needs of the staff. In addition, DCST's responsibilities cannot be fully achieved without a good working relationship with the quality improvement and district health teams because they work better together to ensure that the programme is performing optimally. TAKE-HOME MESSAGE: This study showed that the District Clinical Specialist Team is vital for improving the quality and service provision of the PMTCT programme and it is essential for addressing challenges encountered by healthcare facilities and the staff providing PMTCT services

EFFECTS OF ORGANIC FERTILISERS ON GROWTH, YIELD AND NUTRITIONAL CONTENT OF SNOW PEAS (Pisum sativum var. saccharatum)

Snow peas (Pisum sativum var. saccharatum) are one of the widely used baby vegetable in Swaziland; however, there is a dearth of information pertaining to its organic production. A field study laid out in Factorial Randomised Complete Block Design was conducted at the Horticulture Farm, Luyengo Campus, of the University of Swaziland. Organic fertilisers used were kraal manure, broiler manure, and Igrow, applied at 20, 40, and 60 (t/ha). Inorganic fertilisers 2:3:2 (22) + 0.5% zinc and limestone ammonium nitrate (28%) were applied at 100 kg/ha and 80 kg/ha respectively. A trend of superiority of the different levels of organic manure application was observed as snow peas provided with 40 t/ha and 60 t/ha exhibited higher values in vegetative and reproductive growth, marketable yield and protein content especially on broiler and kraal manure application. The use of broiler manure at 40 t/ha and 60 t/ha in the production of vegetables like snow peas should be encouraged, because their application resulted in increased growth and yield compared to synthetic fertilisers

Dilemmas and paradoxes in providing and changing antenatal care: A study of nurses and midwives in rural Zimbabwe

This paper describes the experiences of caregivers in a rural district in Zimbabwe, in caring for pregnant women within a context of changing antenatal care routines. Data were generated using individual interviews with 18 nurses and midwives. The caregivers experienced their working situation as stressful and frustrating due to high staff turnover, inconsistent policies, parallel programmes and limited resources, including time. They also faced difficulties when implementing some of the proposed changes. Furthermore, the caregivers had to deal with the pressure and resistance from the pregnant women, whose reasoning and rationale for using care appeared different from those of the health professionals. In light of the above, we stress the necessity for reflecting on and including the experiences and perspectives of caregivers and the users of care, as well as their contexts and realities, when implementing change

Baseline assessment of the WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA maternal and newborn quality-of-care standards around childbirth: Results from an intermediate hospital, northeast Namibia.

BACKGROUND: Quality of care around childbirth can reduce above half of the stillbirths and newborn deaths. Northeast Namibia's neonatal mortality is higher than the national level. Yet, no review exists on the quality of care provided around childbirth. This paper reports on baseline assessment for implementing WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA quality measures around childbirth. METHODS: A mixed-methods research design was used to assess quality of care around childbirth. To obtain good saturation and adequate women opinions, we purposively sampled the only high-volume hospital in northeast Namibia; observed 53 women at admission, of which 19 progressed to deliver on the same day/hours of data collection; and interviewed 20 staff and 100 women who were discharged after delivery. The sampled hospital accounted for half of all deliveries in that region and had a high (27/1,000) neonatal mortality rate above the national (20/1,000) level. We systematically sampled every 22nd delivery until the 259 mother-baby pair was reached. Data were collected using the Every Mother Every Newborn assessment tool, entered, and analyzed using SPSS V.27. Descriptive statistics was used, and results were summarized into tables and graphs. RESULTS: We reviewed 259 mother-baby pair records. Blood pressure, pulse, and temperature measurements were done in 98% of observed women and 90% of interviewed women at discharge. Above 80% of human and essential physical resources were adequately available. Gaps were identified within the WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA quality standard 1, a quality statement on routine postpartum and postnatal newborn care (1.1c), and also within standards 4, 5, and 6 on provider-client interactions (4.1), information sharing (5.3), and companionship (6.1). Only 45% of staff received in-service training/refresher on postnatal care and breastfeeding. Most mothers were not informed about breastfeeding (52%), postpartum care and hygiene (59%), and family planning (72%). On average, 49% of newborn postnatal care interventions (1.1c) were practiced. Few mothers (0-12%) could mention any newborn danger signs. CONCLUSION: This is the first study in Namibia to assess WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA quality-of-care measures around childbirth. Measurement of provider-client interactions and information sharing revealed significant deficiencies in this aspect of care that negatively affected the client's experience of care. To achieve reductions in neonatal death, improved training in communication skills to educate clients is likely to have a major positive and relatively low-cost impact