African customary law : a constitutional challenge for gender equality.

Thesis (LL.M)-University of Natal, Durban, 1999.No abstract available

Employment based health financing does not support gender equity in universal health coverage

Sophie Witter - ORCID: 0000-0002-7656-6188 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7656-6188Health financing and entitlement systems linked to employment can disadvantage women, argue Lavanya Vijayasingham and colleaguesOpen access fees were paid by the UN University-International Institute for Global Healthhttps://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m3384371pubpu

Performance management and employee engagement : a South African perspective

ORIENTATION : To remain competitive South African organisations must improve their operational efficiency by lowering manufacturing and service costs, and the key is the performance of its employees. RESEARCH PURPOSE : The purpose of the study was twofold: firstly, to establish if there is a relationship between performance management and employee engagement; and secondly to ascertain if performance management can be rebooted through increased employee engagement. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY : Organisations that measure and manage performance generally outperform those that do not. Organisations need to understand what drives employee engagement and performance to outperform their competitors. RESEARCH APPROACH, DESIGN AND METHOD : A qualitative approach was employed that included a review of research articles and interviews with employees from various functions across all levels within operations of a fast-moving consumer goods organisation based in Gauteng. A sample size of 20 employees was used. MAIN FINDINGS : The results suggest that a relationship exists between performance management and employee engagement and that an increase in employee engagement would result in improved performance of employees and subsequently the organisation. The study revealed that whilst engagement and communication occur across all levels within the organisation, there is still a significant gap. The messages and expectations are not simple enough to be understood. Employees are not empowered to have a voice which causes them to be demotivated. Supportive management, which is fundamental to the success of performance management, is lacking. PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS : The insight from this study may be used to change the way organisations engage with employees and manage performance to ensure it is a beneficial exercise that adds value to all stakeholders. CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD : This study will contribute towards organisations understanding the relationship between performance management and employee engagement and how to leverage this towards improving operational efficiency and organisational effectiveness.http://www.sajhrm.co.zaam2021Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS

Delivery of the Compulsory Section 129(1) Notice as required by the National Credit Act of 2005

In terms of section 129(1) of the National Credit Act 34 of 2005 (NCA), a credit provider first needs to provide a consumer with notice of his default and a list of possible remedies to overcome the default, before enforcing the agreement in a court of law. This ensures that the consumer is given the opportunity to remedy his default by, for example, undergoing debt counselling instead of having to incur legal costs when defending legal action brought against him by the credit provider. Before the National Credit Amendment Act 19 of 2014 came into operation, the NCA neglected to specify how this notice should be delivered to consumers, and this has led to various conflicting decisions. The matter was eventually settled by the Constitutional Court in two separate cases. After the Constitutional Court pronounced on the matter, the National Credit Amendment Act came into operation prescribing the manner in which the notice must be delivered. Consumer-credit legislation that existed prior to the NCA coming into operation generally also made provision for similar notices to be delivered to consumers. In this article we briefly look at how the previous consumer-credit legislation dealt with the delivery of similar notices and also consider how the delivery of notices is currently governed by the NCA. Most of the problematic issues surrounding the delivery of the section 129(1) notice have been resolved, but some still remain. One such example is found in a recent Supreme Court of Appeal case, where despite the correct delivery of the notice to the consumer, the notice caused unintended jurisdictional problems for a credit provider trying to enforce the credit agreement   &nbsp

Targeting the oncogenic TBX3:nucleolin complex to treat multiple sarcoma subtypes

Sarcomas are diverse cancers of mesenchymal origin, with compromised clinical management caused by insufficient diagnostic biomarkers and limited treatment options. The transcription factor TBX3 is upregulated in a diverse range of sarcoma subtypes, where it plays a direct oncogenic role, and it may thus represent a novel therapeutic target. To identify versatile ways to target TBX3, we performed affinity purification coupled by mass spectrometry to identify putative TBX3 protein cofactors that regulate its oncogenic activity in sarcomas. Here we identify and validate the multifunctional phosphoprotein nucleolin as a TBX3 cofactor. We show that nucleolin is co-expressed with TBX3 in several sarcoma subtypes and their expression levels positively correlate in sarcoma patients which are associated with poor prognosis. Furthermore, we demonstrate that nucleolin and TBX3 interact in chondrosarcoma, liposarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma cells where they act together to enhance proliferation and migration and regulate a common set of tumor suppressor genes. Importantly, the nucleolin targeting aptamer, AS1411, exhibits selective anti-cancer activity in these cells and mislocalizes TBX3 and nucleolin to the cytoplasm which correlates with the re-expression of the TBX3/nucleolin target tumor suppressors CDKN1A (p21CIP1) and CDKN2A (p14ARF). Our findings provide the first evidence that TBX3 requires nucleolin to promote features of sarcomagenesis and that disruption of the oncogenic TBX3-nucleolin interaction by AS1411 may be a novel approach for treating sarcomas

Bacterial diversity in the waterholes of the Kruger National Park : an eDNA metabarcoding approach

Bacteria are essential components of natural environments. They contribute to ecosystem functioning through roles as mutualists and pathogens for larger species, and as key components of food webs and nutrient cycles. Bacterial communities respond to environmental disturbances, and the tracking of these communities across space and time may serve as indicators of ecosystem health in areas of conservation concern. Recent advances in DNA sequencing of environmental samples allow for rapid and culture-free characterization of bacterial communities. Here we conduct the first metabarcoding survey of bacterial diversity in the waterholes of the Kruger National Park, South Africa. We show that eDNA can be amplified from waterholes and find strongly structured microbial communities, likely reflecting local abiotic conditions, animal ecology, and anthropogenic disturbance. Over timescales from days to weeks we find increased turnover in community composition, indicating bacteria may represent host-associated taxa of large vertebrates visiting the waterholes. Through taxonomic annotation we also identify pathogenic taxa, demonstrating the utility of eDNA metabarcoding for surveillance of infectious diseases. These samples serve as a baseline survey of bacterial diversity in the Kruger National Park, and in the future, spatially distinct microbial communities may be used as markers of ecosystem disturbance, or biotic homogenization across the park.This paper is part of a special issue entitled “Trends in DNA Barcoding and Metabarcoding”.M.J.F. was supported by a Vanier NSERC CGS and the CIHR Systems Biology Training Program, with project funding supported by the Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science, the McGill Biology Department, and an NSERC Discovery Grant awarded to T.J.D.http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/journal/genhj2019Paraclinical Science

Biodiversity baselines : tracking insects in Kruger National Park with DNA barcodes

Reflecting their species richness and ecological diversification, insects play a central role in terrestrial ecosystems but difficulties in species-level assignments have restricted large-scale analysis of their community structure. Employing South Africa’s largest national park as a model system, we demonstrate that DNA barcoding can break this barrier. A year-long deployment of Malaise traps at 25 sites in Kruger National Park (KNP) generated 1000+ weekly collections containing about 800,000 specimens. Insect biomass averaged 1.05 g per trap-day but varied by up to 2-fold between months, being lower in the dry than wet season. Nearly 370,000 specimens were individually analyzed to reveal 19,730 Barcode Index Numbers (BINs; species proxy), a count equal to 43% of the known insect fauna of southern Africa. There was clear differentiation in insect richness and composition between KNP’s two ecoregions, but little among the vegetation types comprising them. The spatial gradient in annual rainfall explained more than half of the variation in compositional similarity among sites with less similarity among samples in the wet season, particularly among those in high rainfall areas. These results suggest that the factors organising insect communities in KNP are not fine-scale vegetation differences, but larger-scale processes associated with ecoregions and rainfall. Estimates of sample coverage indicate that the species not collected are rare, comprising only 4% of the individuals in the community. With a well-parameterized DNA barcode reference library in place, metabarcoding can be used to assess future shifts in the insect fauna of KNP rapidly and inexpensively.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/bioconpm2021Paraclinical Science

Corrigendum: The intersection of age, sex, race and socio-economic status in COVID-19 hospital admissions and deaths in South Africa

The following terminology was erroneously reported: “non-white race” should be “people of colour”, or “black African, coloured and people of Indian descent”

The intersection of age, sex, race and socio-economic status in COVID-19 hospital admissions and deaths in South Africa.

Older age, male sex, and non-white race have been reported to be risk factors for COVID-19 mortality. Few studies have explored how these intersecting factors contribute to COVID-19 outcomes. This study aimed to compare demographic characteristics and trends in SARS-CoV-2 admissions and the health care they received. Hospital admission data were collected through DATCOV, an active national COVID-19 surveillance programme. Descriptive analysis was used to compare admissions and deaths by age, sex, race, and health sector as a proxy for socio-economic status. COVID-19 mortality and healthcare utilisation were compared by race using random effect multivariable logistic regression models. On multivariable analysis, black African patients (adjusted OR [aOR] 1.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2, 1.3), coloured patients (aOR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1, 1.3), and patients of Indian descent (aOR 1.2, 95% CI 1.2, 1.3) had increased risk of in-hospital COVID-19 mortality compared to white patients; and admission in the public health sector (aOR 1.5, 95% CI 1.5, 1.6) was associated with increased risk of mortality compared to those in the private sector. There were higher percentages of COVID-19 hospitalised individuals treated in ICU, ventilated, and treated with supplemental oxygen in the private compared to the public sector. There were increased odds of non-white patients being treated in ICU or ventilated in the private sector, but decreased odds of black African patients being treated in ICU (aOR 0.5; 95% CI 0.4, 0.5) or ventilated (aOR 0.5; 95% CI 0.4, 0.6) compared to white patients in the public sector. These findings demonstrate the importance of collecting and analysing data on race and socio-economic status to ensure that disease control measures address the most vulnerable populations affected by COVID-19.Significance:• These findings demonstrate the importance of collecting data on socio-economic status and race alongside age and sex, to identify the populations most vulnerable to COVID-19.• This study allows a better understanding of the pre-existing inequalities that predispose some groups to poor disease outcomes and yet more limited access to health interventions.• Interventions adapted for the most vulnerable populations are likely to be more effective.• The national government must provide efficient and inclusive non-discriminatory health services, and urgently improve access to ICU, ventilation and oxygen in the public sector.• Transformation of the healthcare system is long overdue, including narrowing the gap in resources between the private and public sectors