Traditional authority, institutional multiplicity and political transition in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Adherents of tradition argue that customary institutions in Africa and the traditional leaders that uphold them have a stabilizing influence, particularly given the inadequacies of many post-colonial African states. It is suggested that this remains the case for South Africa as well and that chieftaincy, though tainted by its association with segregation and apartheid, has nevertheless provided continuity of governance, particularly in rural areas where there were scant alternative structures. Opponents see the return to tradition as a regressive step that undermines progress towards democratic consolidation in Africa generally and in South Africa more particularly. In many respects these concerns are not new and reflect careful historical debate in South Africa that remains relevant in informing and understanding the contemporary period. With this in mind this paper explores the institution of ubukhosi, or chieftainship, in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), where resurgent tradition is particularly vociferous, but also part of a longer history exhibiting both continuities and discontinuities. Against this background it considers whether the recognition of traditional authorities and the powers and functions accorded to them in South Africa, and more particularly KZN, constitutes a potential faultline of crisis in South Africa's fragile emergent democracy or a site of stability in a politically volatile province. The question is framed by recourse to institutional theory and is answered by setting the contemporary experience of 'negotiating tradition' in KwaZulu-Natal against a background of apartheid government, resistance and political violence in the province

Carrying the Cross: Isaac William(s) Wauchope's Ingcamango Ebunzimeni

Abstract This study was conceived and developed with the intention of initiating a discussion around the prison poems of Isaac William(s) Wauchope, Ingcamango Ebunzimeni. That an African minister had published poems that were initially composed in prison seemed to suggest to me that a complex matrix of events might have informed the writing of Ingcamango Ebunzimeni. Thus this study has sought to read the poems closely against the historical context that spawned them into being. The imprisonment of an African minister for fraud seemed to present, on its own, a curious development which needed to be pursued for Ingcamango Ebunzimeni to be read closely. My concern with Ingcamango Ebunzimeni is buttressed by another purpose. As a writer, Wauchope has received attention for largely one poem that he wrote. It therefore seemed germane to bring to the fore for further analysis a wider range of his writings in order to understand the uses which writing, as a social and political practice was put under by Wauchope. The colonial setting under which Wauchope lived out his life informed these writings and Ingcamango Ebunzimeni in profound ways. At the heart of this study and the subject that it explores there is, then, a certain kind of awareness of the contradictory nature of colonial modernity and how, in turn, this forced Christian Africans such as Wauchope to adopt stances that questioned the benevolence of such a social formation to Africans even where he and his contemporaries represented an emergent class of Africans that had assimilated into a largely westernised way of life

Empire Unbound - Imperial Citizenship, Race and Diaspora in the Making of South Africa

Empire Unbound is an exploration of the history and politics of empire and imperial citizenship that went into the making of South Africa before the Second World War. The making of racial difference in South Africa is often located in the temporal and political terrain that is Apartheid (1948-1994). In this dissertation I look to the history of South Africa in the long nineteenth century and recuperate the frameworks of empire and imperial citizenship in making sense of struggles for belonging. Empire, both as a form of government and imaginary, invokes a degree of scale that exceeds the nation-state. It also historically precedes the nation-state, which has come to exemplify the model form for organizing sovereign polities. In Empire Unbound I argue that as South Africa became a self governing territory in the early twentieth century it folded the remnants of empire into its instrumentalities of racial governance. I therefore explore South Africa\u27s imperial politics and imaginary as it extends to other parts of Southern Africa such as Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana. Empires also have histories that date back to maritime commerce and the making of the modern world. In in this dissertation I turn to Cape Town to examine the ways in which this long history of empire gradually formed the grammars of belonging in South Africa and the Atlantic world. Black intellectuals in South Africa during the early twentieth century had their investments in empire but theirs was a struggle to wrestle its grammars into a form that included blackness in its regime of belonging. It was especially after the First World War that these intellectuals sought to write themselves and the colonized masses of the world into an alternative grammar of sovereignty. I demonstrate in this dissertation that these intellectuals were far from mimic men and women; they were involved in a dialogue of reshaping what it meant to belong in the world after empire

Determination of Rifapentine and 25-O-desacetyl Rifapentine from 100 µl human breastmilk by LC-MS/MS using protein precipitation and solid phase extraction

There is currently no information available on the transfer of the second-line anti-TB drug, rifapentine and its metabolite, into breastmilk. The subsequent implications to the breastfed infant, as well as consequences of long-term exposure to potentially sub-therapeutic drug levels with regards to the development of drug resistant bacteria is therefore not known. A liquid chromatography method with detection by mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is described for the quantification of rifapentine and its metabolite, 25-O-desacetyl rifapentine in human breastmilk, using rifampicin-d3 as an internal standard. An AB Sciex 4000 mass spectrometer at unit resolution in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode was used to monitor the transition of the protonated precursor ions m/z 877.5, m/z 835.4 and m/z 827.4 to the product ions m/z 151.1, m/z 453.2 and m/z 151.200 for rifapentine, 25-Odesacetyl rifapentine and rifampicin-d3, respectively. Ions were produced using Electro spray ionisation (ESI) in the positive ionisation mode. An Agilent Poroshell 120 EC-C18 (4.6 x 50 mm, 2.7 μm) column was used for chromatographic separation using an isocratic method of acetonitrile containing 0.1% formic acid and water containing 10% methanol and 0.1% formic acid (55:45, v/v), at a flow rate of 450 µl per minute. The retention times for rifapentine, 25- O-desacetyl rifapentine and rifampicin-d3 were ≈2.67, ≈1.88 and ≈1.96 minutes, respectively. The method was developed and validated according to FDA guidelines. The extraction method consisted of a combination of protein precipitation and C18 solid phase extraction. Rifapentine and 25-O-desacetyl rifapentine showed no significant carry over on the Agilent autosampler. The method was reproducible when analysed with human breastmilk from six different sources from Western Cape Maternity Breastmilk Bank. Rifapentine mean extraction yield was 84.2% (%CV = 1.7) and that of 25-O-desacetyl rifapentine was 71.1% (%CV = 10.8). Rifapentine had a mean process efficiency of 80.4% (%CV = 4.7) and that of 25-O-desacetyl rifapentine was 95.7% (%CV = 5.7). Intra- and inter day validations over 3 days were performed. The calibration curves fit a quadratic regression with 1/x weighting over a concentration range of 2 - 2000 ng/ml for both rifapentine and 25-Odesacetyl rifapentine based on the analyte/internal standard peak area ratios, the accuracy ranged from 92.9% to 105.5% for both rifapentine and 25-O-desacetyl rifapentine standards. The Quality Controls accuracy ranged from 97.4% to 106.0% for both rifapentine and 25-Odesacetyl rifapentine. Stock solutions were shown to be stable for 69 days at -80°C. v Rifapentine and 25-O-desacetyl rifapentine were stable in human breastmilk for up to 72 hours at approximately -80°C and -20°C, on benchtop for ≈4.5 hours on ice and after three freeze-thaw cycles. Rifapentine and 25-O-desacetyl rifapentine were shown to be stable on the autosampler over a period of approximately 48 hours after which the entire batch could be reinjected. Autosampler stability revealed a decrease in peak area ratios, indicating that a partial batch cannot be reinjected after 48 hours in case of instrument failure. This method will be utilized in the analysis of patient samples from a clinical study in South Africa in breastfeeding women with tuberculosis

Exploring the perceptions of homosexuals on the role played by the South African Police Service on crimes experienced by gays and lesbians in Durban.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2018.This study focused on the perceptions of homosexuals and lesbians regarding the role of the police in investigating crimes that were committed against them in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. In particular, the study explored the experiences of gays and lesbians who had been victims of various type of crime due to their sexuality or sexual orientation. The objectives were, to explore which types of crimes were committed against gays and lesbians, to determine the reasons why homosexuals tend not to report crimes committed against them to the South African Police Service (SAPS), and to explore the perceptions of homosexuals on the efforts of the SAPS in dealing with crimes reported by gays and lesbians. To elicit data the study used a qualitative research method. A sample of 15 participants (7 gay men and 8 lesbian women) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban was purposively selected. The researcher employed in-depth interviews as the primary data collection method and the data were analysed by means of a thematic analysis process. This involved the identification of themes as they emerged from participants’ responses. The findings revealed strong tendencies among communities to victimise gays and lesbians due to their sexuality. Most respondents admitted that they chose not to report such crimes to the police due to reasons such as lack of trust in the police, the fear that the police would not take their cases seriously, shame, blaming themselves for the crimes, and the fear that their families would find out that they were homosexual. The findings also showed that gay and lesbian victims who reported crimes to the police felt that the police did not take their cases seriously, as they would be asked questions that were not helpful but showed a homophobic attitude on the side of the police. The study thus recommends that the police should obtain training in order to be able to understand and deal fairly and more professionally when crime is reported by gay and lesbian victims even if they are personally, culturally or religiously against homosexuality. Laws should be establish that deal specifically with crimes that are motivated by hate or dislike of a person based on their sexuality or sexual orientation in order to address these crimes in a humane and thorough manner and within legal parameters. Furthermore, communities should be educated about homosexuality in order for them to not see it as abnormal but as a manifestation of people’s right to diversity

The adoption of interorganisational information systems by South African firms: a technological, organisational and environmental perspective

Thesis (M.Com. (Information Systems))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, School of Economic and Business Sciences, 2017Interorganisational information systems (IOIS) are automated systems which allow one or more firms to connect to their suppliers or customers in order to exchange data and information. Previous literature has suggested that the adoption of interorganisational information systems presents several benefits and challenges. IOIS is assumed to offer organisations the capability to improve business processes and provide better working relations with business partners. Despite this advantage that IOIS offers, adoption of IOIS presents complexities such as those associated with compatibility with a firm's IT infrastructure, lack of available skills, and concerns over data security and system failures. Through a review of existing IOIS literature, this study identified that four types of IOISs are available in South African, namely dyadic, multilateral, community, and hub and spoke. In addition, the technological, organisational and environmental (TOE) factors influencing the adoption IOIS were identified. A model exploring the effects of the pre-determined TOE factors on the adoption of IOIS was developed and tested. The TOE framework provided a theoretical contribution and addressed a gap in the literature into the barriers and determinants of the adoption of interorganisational information system (IOIS) across various organisations. A quantitative study was carried out and survey data was collected from a sample of 119 organisations across different sectors in South Africa. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire instrument administered online to a single key informant from each sampled organisation. The results revealed that multilateral IOIS are the most adopted systems while Hub and spoke IOIS are the least used. Furthermore, from the elven technologies which were identified in the literature review, the study revealed that groupware technologies, electronic payment system/online banking, video conferencing and electronic data interchange were the most adopted IOIS technologies within the sampled organisations. Adoption of IOIS was defined in two ways. First, IOIS adoption was measured as the number of implemented IOIS technologies. Second, as the extent which IOIS is used as communication medium with business partners and supports an organisation in decision making, business operation and replaces legacy technologies. Correlation analysis was used to test the model’s hypotheses and multiple regression was used to test the overall TOE model. The results showed that perceived compatibility, competition, and IS technical skill and education and training are most correlated with the adoption of IOIS, where adoption is measured as the extent of IOIS used as communication medium with business partners and used as support within an organisation. Top management support, trading partner pressure and perceived relative advantage of IOIS were also positively correlated with adoption, where adoption is measured as implemented IOIS technologies. Perceived complexity was found to be a barrier to IOIS adoption. This study serves as a guide for assessing factors contributing to interorganisational information system adoption and provides organisations with greater insight into the factors likely to enable and inhibit IOIS adoption. Keywords: IOS, IOIS, Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) Framework, information technology, IS department.GR201

A critical analysis of the tax implications for small and micro businesses

The South African economy has seen an increase in small businesses since 1994. This increase has been caused by an increase in unemployment rate and government interventions to promote small businesses. The government has through the National Treasury introduced various tax legislations to simplify and facilitate the tax processes that small businesses have to comply with. The discussion contained in this treatise seeks to critically analyse the tax implications for small and micro businesses. One of the small business tax legislations, Small Business Corporations, is discussed in chapter 2. The Small Business Corporation legislation provides for two key concessions to qualifying small businesses. The first concession is the progressive tax rates that are lower than normal tax rates at taxable income level below R300 000. The second concession is the special capital allowances that the qualifying small business is entitled to. The tax amnesty for small businesses was introduced in July 2006 to provide an opportunity to small businesses which were not up to date with their tax affairs, to regularise their tax affairs. Small businesses had to meet certain requirements and pay an amnesty levy ranging from 2 to 5 percent of their taxable income. The tax amnesty on small businesses was not as effective as intended, however a slight increase in the South African taxpayer base was achieved. The voluntary disclosure programme has recently been introduced in November 2010, to provide an opportunity for all businesses to voluntarily disclose their previous defaults without being subjected to criminal prosecution and penalties. The government further attempted to simplify the tax compliance process by introducing turnover tax legislation. The turnover tax provides for a single tax system that does away with the need to account for normal tax, capital gains tax, secondary tax on companies and value added tax. The turnover tax system is optional to qualifying small businesses. The turnover tax is calculated by simply applying a tax rate to taxable turnover. Small businesses need carefully consider whether turnover tax will be beneficial to them. It is not advisable for small businesses that are making losses to adopt turnover tax. Another small business tax legislation that promises to be effective is the venture capital incentive. This legislation provides for deduction of expenditure actually incurred in the acquisition of shares by qualifying businesses. It appears that, given the challenges that small businesses still face, the government still has a lot more to do to simplify the tax process for small businesses

The relationships between bone marrow trephine biopsy findings and Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (F-18 FDG PET-CT) scan bone marrow uptake in Hodgkin’s lymphoma at initial staging.

Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (F-18 FDG PET-CT) is now established in the staging, restaging and therapy response monitoring of Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) and high grade Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HG NHL), specifically for nodal disease and extra-nodal disease excluding the bone marrow. The role of FDG PET-CT for evaluating bone marrow involvement in HL and HG NHL has not been established yet. There are however several publications on this subject but no consensus has been reached. Bone marrow trephine biopsy (BMB) is the gold standard for bone marrow assessment in lymphoma. Although the occurrence of adverse effects is uncommon, BMB is an invasive procedure that may induce anxiety in patients. A retrospective review of FDG PET-CT bone marrow findings of HL patients referred for a staging scan from June 2008 to January 2014 was done, these findings were compared to the BMB findings also done as part of initial staging. The findings of 55 patients were reviewed analysed