RETHINKING AND REPOSITIONING THE UNIVERSITY AS CADRE AND ACTIVIST FOR THE POST-APARTHEID STATE: EVIDENCE FROM RURAL SOUTH AFRICA

This paper investigated the role of the post-colonial-apartheid university in (South) Africa using a case study sourced from Vhembe District, Limpopo Province to back its argument. A mixed method approach blending secondary data obtained from reviewed sources, and participant interviews was used to collect data. Three (n=3) doctoral studies conducted in the area were found and reviewed accordingly. Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were held with various participant stakeholders. Collected data were recorded as field notes for analysis, and analysed using the thematic analysis method. This paper was guided by the theories of decolonization and Africanisation of post-colonial-apartheid (South) African universities.  The results revealed that the post-colonial-apartheid university undermined and sidelined African indigenous knowledge. African indigenous communities were also impeding knowledge development because of their refusal to divulge information. Furthermore, universities had difficulty conducting ethical and usable research. The paper concludes that the university has a role to play in the post-colonial-apartheid era provided it transforms to become relevant for the course.&nbsp

Promoting public benefit energy-efficiency investment in new power contexts in South Africa (Final Draft)

This research project has comprised various different outputs and activities. Firstly. we undertook a review and analysis of the impact that power sector restructuring has had on investments in DSM in selected countries around the world (namely, United States, New Zealand, England and Wales. Norway, Chile and Argentina, Brazil, Thailand, and Ghana). This review also investigated how these different countries have (or have not) supported investment in public benefit energy efficiency as more competition has been introduced into power industries. Secondly, we investigated barriers inhibiting investment in DSM in South Africa. We undertook this analysis from the perspectives of utilities' residential, commercial and industrial customers, Eskom, municipal distributors, and government. Thereafter, we undertook a scenario analysis to get a sense of what might happen to DSM investment as the power industry in South Africa was reformed. We looked at DSM investment in the context of the structure and ownership patterns of (i) the current structure of the power industry; (ii) when the electricity distribution industry (ED!) has been rationalised into a small number of regional electricity distributors (REDs), (iii) when competition has been introduced into the wholesale electricity market; and (iv) when retail competition is in effect. This report comprises the fourth, and last, research output for this project. It makes recommendations to the government, the National Electricity Regulator (NER), Eskom, and municipal distributors on how to ensure that public benefit energy-efficiency investment is well placed in new power sector contexts in South Africa

The Influence of Intrinsic Factors on Personal Attitude to Start a Farming Business: The Moderating Role of Gender

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the influence of intrinsic factors (proactiveness, motivation, creativity) on the personal attitude of agricultural students to start a farming business in South Africa. This relationship was looked at from gender perspective. Research Design & Methods: An estimated 3,486 students were enrolled for various agriculture-related qualifications in various 27 institutions of higher learning in South Africa when this cross-sectional, quantitative study was carried out. Data from 421 agricultural students were collected through a Prospective Farmers Profile Questionnaire at six institutions of higher learning in South Africa. Findings: The study finds no significant gender influence on all intrinsic factors and also on the personal attitude of agricultural students to start a farming business. The results further revealed that personal attitude to start a business is predicted by intrinsic factors, motivation, and creativity, but not proactiveness. Implications and Recommendations: Entrepreneurial syllabi should aim to equip students with intrinsic factors as these shape the personal attitude to start a business. It is a positive personal attitude that will likely result in a start-up. Farming entrepreneurship, especially among the youth will assist in employment creation as well as food security, two problems that many countries are currently facing. Contribution & Value Added: Proactiveness is one of the most important dimensions of entrepreneurship but agricultural students do not consider it significant in their personal attitude to start a business. Proactiveness should be built into the syllabi for students to be better acquainted with this critical business start-up element

The mediation role of motivation between leadership and public sector performance

Abstract: Orientation: As a result of poor performance in 2013, five departments in the Limpopo province were placed under administration in terms of Section 100 (1) (b) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Research purpose: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the importance of the individual level of performance when diagnosing performance issues in the public sector by focusing on the mediatory role of motivation in the relationship between leadership and public sector performance. Motivation for the study: The diagnosis conducted focused more on the analysis of administrative and operational systems. The solutions were based on normalising financial statements and systems to improve performance. Research design, approach and method: The study took a positivist approach as the philosophy of the study. Using quantitative methods, a cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from 65 employees working in one of the departments that were affected by the intervention. Main findings: The study confirmed the existence of a relationship between leadership and performance in the public sector. It was also found that Public Sector Motivation plays a mediatory role between Perceived Leadership Styles and Individual Job Performance. Practical/managerial implications: The findings imply that it is important that the Limpopo Provincial Government makes an effort to employ and retain employees who are readily showing high levels of Public Sector Motivation. Contribution or value additions: The study focused on an overlooked area in the study of performance in the public sector. The study was able to produce a tool that should be able to provide information to assist managers to make better performance improvement strategy decisions

Cultural policy and cultural industries discourse and the framing of film industry policies and strategies

Masters of Arts Research Report submitted for the fulfilment of a Masters of Arts degree by courseworkCultural policy in South Africa is critical in shaping government priorities for supporting the cultural industries. Since 1994 cultural policy has been informed by democratic principles of redress, accountability, freedom of expression, access and inclusiveness – diversity and multiplicity as well as economic development articulated in the cultural industries strategy. The research examines the discourse of cultural industries and the framing of the film industry by reviewing both cultural industries and film industry strategies and policy. The research applies Throsby’s (2010) concept of balancing between cultural and economic value in the cultural industries. The value of the film industry in South Africa is measured using indicators that mainly assess economic growth within the value chain. The important value measured emphasises the number of films produced and box office returns versus the attainment of the principles of the White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage (1996) as mentioned, therefore, what is neglected when we don’t measure the cultural value

The non-payment for municipal services in the Vhembe District Municipality

The aim of this study was to investigate reasons for non–payment by residents for services rendered by the Vhembe District Municipality. The municipalities are responsible for delivering such services as water supply, electricity, road maintenance, refuse collection and sanitation. Multistage sampling techniques were employed. The subjects in the study were grouped into clusters and a sample was taken from each cluster. In this case the municipalities that took part in the study were selected first, followed by wards, villages and households. Households in the selected villages were selected randomly to participate in the study. The results showed that although the municipalities were making an effort to raise and send bills to the residents, the residents were not forthcoming with payments. The reasons advanced for the unwillingness to pay services by residents include ignorance, poverty and simple unwillingness to pay.Public Administration and ManagementM.P.A. (Master of Public Administration and Management

Optimizing herbicide-use for the killing of eucalypt stumps

The South Africa (SA) forest industry relies on plantations of exotic forestry trees (Pinus, Acacia and Eucalyptus) to fulfil its timber requirements. With 52.0% of the afforested land in South Africa planted to various eucalypts and their hybrid combinations. Of the total area planted to eucalypts in SA, 75 000 ha is re-established annually by means of silvicultural regimes and operations matched to site productivity, desired end-product and method of regeneration. Unlike other commercially grown tree species, eucalypt species have the ability to coppice after felling. Coppicing is a common form of regeneration in South African forestry as it allows the plantation owner the option of a second timber rotation without replanting. However, if any factors affecting coppicing are compromised, and the site is to be replanted, then it is important to kill the stumps before replanting as rapid initial growth of the coppice shoots will require earlier control than that associated with normal weeding operations. Over time, various methods of woody plant control have been proposed and tested, with most of these making use of herbicides as opposed to the repeated manual removal of coppice regrowth. Globally, most industries subscribe to standards associated with sustainable production (economic, environmental and social) against which they are measured. Within SA, 80% of the forests are certified though either the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or International Standards Organisation (ISO) which recommend the identification and avoidance of ‘highly hazardous’ chemicals; the promotion of ‘non-chemical’ methods for pest management as an element of an integrated pest and vegetation management strategy; and the appropriate use of chemicals that are used. To test the current recommendations for killing eucalypt stumps to include other species, the potential of reducing herbicides used, and the influence of time after application on the survival of eucalypt stumps, two trials were initiated at Entabeni plantation (Venda, Limpopo) and one at Wilgeboom plantation (Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga) between 2018 and 2020. Extending eucalypt cut-stump control practices: Most of the trial work on killing of eucalypts in SA has been conducted on Eucalyptus grandis, Eucalyptus camaldulensis or Eucalyptus macarthurii, with all grown on shorter pulpwood rotations. To extend current recommendation to include Eucalyptus cloeziana (grown on a longer rotation for poles), a trial was established in 2018 at Entabeni plantation (Limpopo Province) to quantify the interaction between Application method (basal-frill; cut-surface; foliar) and Herbicide (no herbicide applied; Roundup; Garlon; Roundup + Garlon) for the killing of 12 year-old stumps following harvesting. Assessments were carried out at 1, 3 and 6 months following application and included Stump survival, Stump quarter with coppice and Coppice heath. Relative to the control plots (100% survival), all herbicides tested were equally effective, 70–90% of the stumps killed. This study confirms previous research regarding the killing of eucalypt stumps. Roundup, Garlon or a combination of two, when applied according to label recommendations to a stump as a basal-frill or cut-surface application (within 30 minutes of felling) resulted in 70-90% of the stumps killed.Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, School of Natural Resource Management, 202

Provision of an emergency theatre in tertiary hospitals is cost-effective: Audit and cost of cancelled planned elective general surgical operations at Pietersburg Hospital, Limpopo Province, South Africa

Background. Cancellations of planned elective surgical operations increase financial cost to the patient and the hospital.Objectives. To determine the rate and reasons for cancellations, estimate the cost incurred by such cancellations and recommend possible solutions.Methods. We did a prospective descriptive study of cancellations of elective general surgical operations over the 1-year period January -December 2014 in the main theatre at Pietersburg (PTB) Hospital, Limpopo Province, South Africa. All patients listed on the theatrebooking slate for elective general surgical operations before the cut-off time of 13h00 on the day before the anticipated operation were included. Epi Info version 7 was used to analyse the data and derive the descriptive statistics.Results. There were 537 booked patients (median age 47 years, range 1 - 94); a total of 298 operations were performed, and 239 were cancelled (cancellation rate 44.5%). Reasons for cancellation were as follows: theatre needed for an emergency n=154 (64.4%), theatre equipment failure and lack of consumables n=17 (7.1%), non-theatre equipment failure n=10 (4.2%), prolonged time of operations n=13 (5.4%), abnormal blood results n=8 (3.3%), patient comorbidity and poor general condition n=9 (3.8%), patients absent from the ward n=8 (3.3%), patients not starved n=2 (0.8%), patients’ condition improved significantly n=3 (1.3%), nurses’ strike n=5 (2.1%), rebooking of cases for senior surgeons or other specialty n=2 (0.8%), and other reasons n=8 (3.3%). The cost per inpatient per day was estimated at ZAR4 890 at PTB Hospital and ZAR2 100 at district hospitals, and the total cost per cancelled operation was ZAR25 860.Conclusions. Over the 1-year period 44.5% of elective operations at PTB Hospital were cancelled, 64.4% because the theatre was needed for an emergency operation. We recommend that a theatre dedicated to emergencies be opened at PTB Hospital. The cost incurred due to cancellations was about ZAR6 million for the hospital, with additional cost and emotional trauma for the patients

Perceived gender-based barriers to business start-up amongst prospective farmers in South Africa

Few female farmers are participating in the sector due to various gender-based challenges that they face. The purpose of this study was to investigate prospective farmers’ motivation and their personal attitude to starting their own businesses, as well as their perceptions of barriers to successful business start-ups in the sector. The Prospective Farmers Profile Questionnaire was distributed to 421 prospective farmers (agricultural students at six institutions of higher learning in South Africa). There was an estimated 3,486 students enrolled for various agriculture-related qualifications in the country when this cross-sectional, quantitative study was carried out. The aim of the study was to investigate perceived gender-based barriers to business start-up amongst prospective farmers in SA. The study found perceived barriers to be either intrinsic, (such as, risk aversion, innovation and self efficacy) and extrinsic, examples being, social cultural, political skills and access to land among others factors. The study also intended to find out if (1) motivation to start a business (2) taking responsibility (entrepreneurial orientation) and (3) entrepreneurial intention, were predicted by a number of select business start up factors. The findings were that motivation was predicted by only one business start up factor, socio-cultural forces; while four key factors; motivation, proactiveness, creativity and socio-cultural forces did predict taking responsibility (EO). Entrepreneurial intention (EI) is predicted by three key factors, namely socio-cultural forces, motivation and creativity. It is recommended that prospective farmers be introduced to the importance of social networking and socio-cultural forces in entrepreneurship. Furthermore, entrepreneurial education is required from government, institutions of higher learning and other organisations to educate prospective farmers on the influence of barriers to business start-up.The study was conducted on undergraduate agricultural students and should be extended to post-graduate farmers in South Africa, that is practising farming. A comparison between prospective farmers and prospective entrepreneurs from other disciplines should also be undertaken.This is a South African study and the results cannot be generalised. Therefore, the study could be expanded to other regions and future comparative studies could be done.Applied ManagementD. Phil. (Entrepreneurship in the Faculty of Management Sciences