Social protection for refugees and asylum seekers in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)

This report provides an overview of the provision of social protection to refugees and asylum seekers from Sub-Saharan Africa in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). This includes analyzing the legal framework and levels of implementation, as well as proposing policy directions on the national and regional levels. After giving an overview of the region's historical and legal context, the report focuses on the case studies of Botswana and South Africa to illustrate the wide variation of social protection framework and practices in the region.Population Policies,Social Cohesion,Education For All,Access to Finance,Gender and Law

The adjustment of first year female engineering students into university: an evaluation

Abstract This study focused on the relationship between spatial ability and the academic performance of first year female engineering students. The study was multimethod, involving psychometric testing of all first year engineering students to compare the two and three dimensional spatial perceptual scores of male and female students and their relationship to academic performance in the first year Engineering Graphics course, and interviews conducted with a matched sample of 18 male and 18 female students taking the course. The quantitative analyses indicated that male first year engineering students outperformed female engineering students academically for the reason that they had better developed three dimensional spatial perception than female students. In addition, students in the mainstream engineering graphics course outperformed students having special tuition in the subject, also for the reason that they had better developed three dimensional spatial perception. This study thus confirmed the results of previous studies which had reported that three dimensional spatial perception is a consistent influence on the academic performance of all first year engineering students. The qualitative analyses of the interview data indicated that the majority of first year female students were underprepared relative to the tasks they encountered in the first year Engineering Graphics course. Many of the female engineering students experienced difficulties with the first year course content, and used a variety of strategies to get over their problems. Those female students who had not taken technical drawing at school level and female students who did not network with other engineering students were those likely to be those at a disadvantage. Personal factors such as low self-efficacy of female students relative to the tasks they were required to do in their engineering courses also militated against their successful adaptation to university life. The qualitative analyses also indicated that social factors such as stereotype threat and low career self-efficacy decrease the likelihood that female students will attempt to enter engineering as a field of study. This acts as an additional barrier to female students choosing engineering as a career. Overall, the evidence from this study would thus suggest that cognitive, personal and social factors negatively influence the academic performance of many female engineering students at time of intake to the university, indicating the need for additional tutorials and academic support directed at enabling their successful transition from school to university

Tone labelling algorithm for Sesotho

M.Sc., Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, 2011Studies have shown that text-to-speech systems need detailed prosodic models of a language in order to ideally sound natural to native speakers of the language. A text-to-speech system developed for Sesotho needs to have tone implemented in it since Sesotho is a tonal language which uses pitch variations to distinguish lexical and/or grammatical meaning. In order to implement tone for a language such as Sesotho, it is necessary for a tone modeling algorithm to receive as input the tone labels of the syllables of a word. This allows the algorithm to predict the appropriate intonation of the word. The aim of our study is to improve a basic tone labeling algorithm that predicts tone labels using three Sesotho tonal rules. The application of this algorithm is restricted to polysyllabic verb stems. The research study involves implementing an extended tone labeling algorithm that implements four additional Sesotho tonal rules and extends its application to all the other parts of speech. The results of our study show that the extended tone labeling algorithm significantly improves the basic algorithm by increasing the number of matched tone labels. Furthermore, our study provides the basic step to tone modeling for languages such as Sesotho which do not mark tone labels in orthography

Driving cross selling in South African business to business firms

Thesis (M.M. (Strategic Marketing))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Graduate School of Business Administration, 2015.Cross-selling remains the easier and most cost effective option for companies to grow revenues and achieve profitability as compared to growing revenue by acquisition of new customers. Many firms are seeking to grow their revenue and achieve high levels of customer loyalty. These firms and industries across the world are turning to cross selling as the solution. Many factors, such as merger and takeovers, result in firms having multiple product lines and silos with sales people focused according to these product divisions. What becomes more difficult is identifying which factors will lead to more integrated teams that are motivated to engage in cross selling. This study seeks to address some of the challenges that result in lower motivations levels of sales people to engage in cross selling. Financial incentives, product knowledge and recognition are studies to determine their influence on motivation to cross sell products from other divisions in a firm. A review of literature was conducted to study the influence of financial incentive, product knowledge and personal recognition on work motivation. These three constructs were then extended into a quantitative study of how they influence sales people’s motivation to engage in cross selling. The findings uncovered that salespeople consider product knowledge as a key inhibitor for them to engage in cross selling. The results also revealed a close contest with financial incentives and personal recognition also having positive influence on their motivation to engage in cross selling. Consistent with existing literature from social studies, it cannot be overemphasised that product knowledge empowers sales people and gives them the confidence to cross sell in an industrial sales environment

Strategies for maintenance management of railway track assets

M.Ing. (Engineering Management)Abstract: Population growth and environmental issues are revitalizing the railway sector in a tremendous way. An increase in frequency of passenger traffic and rising loads of freight trains has an impact on dynamic railway track properties and components thereof. The challenge from the railway fraternity is to rise to the challenge by ensuring a safe, reliable and affordable mode of transport. The purpose of this research is to investigate the capacity needed to meet demand by maintaining the track components of the railway infrastructure cost effectively. The railway track is the most critical in terms of safety, influence on maintenance costs, availability and reliability of the train service. Profillidis (2012) highlights the fact that track maintenance expenses represent a significant percentage of total railway infrastructure expenses. In literature, different maintenance strategies, approaches and concepts are discussed in light with arguments raised by different scholars and researchers. The main research methodology utilised was the case study on maintenance strategies from different countries where data was mostly available. The reason for the chosen method was to standardise the research method across different countries as this made it easy to obtain the findings and arrive at recommendations of the research. The broader findings from different maintenance strategies were that the track maintenance approach still has to evolve from working in silos to working in a system that acknowledges that decisions taken from other departments can affect the quality of maintenance in future. The deterioration of the track system is mostly affected by the initial quality of the railway track after commissioning due to workmanship and track design, maintenance approach, type of rolling stock tonnages, speed of rolling stock, and environmental related issues. Design phase of the track acknowledges the systems thinking approach for quality and structural integrity. However, more can still be done to adopt approaches that foster inter-departmental coordination in the maintenance phase of the railway track asset lifecycle. Transnet faces a challenge of fulfilling its obligation by providing quality and cost effective maintenance to increase the reliability, affordability, availability and safety of its infrastructure with the ever-increasing freight volumes. The traditional approach of maintaining railway track assets does not bring in required outcomes that ensure high quality and cost effective maintenance as required by high intensity asset utilisation. Data collected from the..

Investigating perceptions of reliability, efficiency and feasibility of data storage technology: A case study of cloud storage adoption at UCT Faculty of Science

Within an increasing number of organisations cloud storage is becoming more common as large amounts of data from people and projects are being produced, exchanged and stored (Chang & Wills, 2016: 56). In fact, “technology has evolved and has allowed increasingly large and efficient data storage, which in turn has allowed increasingly sophisticated ways to use it (Staff, 2016: n.p.). Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the perceptions of reliability, efficiency and feasibility of data storage technology. The investigation is done by addressing claims and perceptions of data storage technology within the Faculty of Science at UCT. This study intends to determine if cloud storage is the future of storing, managing and preservation of digital data. The study used a qualitative research method grounded by Management Fashion Theory. Data was collected from three case studies from the Faculty of Science, and also from a desktop internet search on the marketing of cloud storage. Data collection from the case studies was facilitated through semi-structured interviews and from three researchers and academics who are working on cloud storage projects. Main themes that guided the dialogue during data collection originated from reviewed literature. The study concludes that cloud storage is the way forward for storing, sharing and managing research data. Academic researchers find storing data on cloud beneficial; however, it comes with challenges such as costs, security, access, privacy, control and ethics

Genetic diversity, evolutionary relationships and conservation of southern African Labeo fishes in relation to water management

Labeo spp. are large, herbivorous fishes that are important components of aquatic ecosystems and are a high conservation priority in South Africa. This thesis contributes to determination of conservation priorities for Labeo umbratus (Smith 1841) by resolving the taxonomic status of this species in the evolutionary context of southern African Labeo spp., assessing the presence of unique lineages in historically isolated river basins, and assessing the threat of intra- and interspecific hybridisation associated with introductions. Phylogenetic analyses of five DNA sequence data sets (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene [COI], cytochrome b gene [Cyt b], Recombination activating gene 1 [Rag1], COI+Rag1 and COI+Cyt b+Rag1) showed that the Labeo umbratus group (sensu Reid, 1985), which comprises the species Labeo umbratus, Labeo capensis (Smith 1841), Labeo seeberi Gilchrist and Thompson 1911 and Labeo rubromaculatus Gilchrist and Thompson 1913, is monophyletic, morphologically distinct and geographically disjunct from other African Labeo spp. groups except in the Tugela River system were L. rubromaculatus co-occurs with Labeo molybdinus Du Plessis 1963. Phylogeographic analysis of mitochondrial DNA (Cyt b) sequence data demonstrated that the populations of the L. umbratus from the Orange and the southward-flowing river systems are reciprocally monophyletic and were identified as evolutionary significant units. The populations in the southward-flowing river systems were further divided into southwestern (Gourits and Gamtoos) and southeastern (Sundays, Bushmans, Great Fish, Keiskamma, Buffalo and Nahoon) polyp hyletic sublineages. Four management units (Gourits Basin; Gamtoos Basin; Sundays+Bushmans+Great Fish River Basins; and Keiskamma+Buffalo+Nahoon River Basin) were not reciprocally monophyletic but were proposed on the basis of containing unique haplotype frequencies for conservation purposes. To evaluate the threat of hybridisation to the genetic integrity of L. umbratus, the occurrence of Labeo umbratus x L. capensis hybrids was investigated using mtDNA Cyt b and nDNA S7 intron sequence data and morphological data. Genetic evidence for interspecific hybridisation was detected for populations in two impoundments, Hardap Dam (Orange River Basin) and Darlington Dam (Sundays River Basin, Eastern Cape, South Africa). Some putative hybrids were identifiable morphologically on account of intermediacy between the parental species in meristic and morphometric characters. Translocation via direct stocking (Hardap Dam) or via an inter-basin water transfer scheme (Darlington Dam) was identified as a driver for hybridisation. Introductions associated with an inter-basin water transfer scheme has resulted in introgression between the previously isolated Orange River and southern lineages of L. umbratus. Further translocation of fish from these affected areas to non-contaminated river systems and impoundments such as Kat River (Great Fish River) and Slagboom (Sundays River) should be avoided

An initial electrochemical study into the (Bio)Leaching of chalcopyrite

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references.Hydrometallurgical methods are increasingly considered as alternatives to conventional pyrometallurgical techniques for extraction of metals from mineral ores. Chalcopyrite is a key copper mineral due to its abundance on earth. However, due to its refractory nature in sulfate leaching systems, a viable hydrometallurgical route for its extraction remains elusive...The work in this present thesis is presented as an initial study to commission the potentiostat instrument, investigate the common trends that are observed in running potential controlled (voltammetric) studies of chalcopyrite and compare them to those reported in literature, and investigate the electrochemical behaviour under different reaction conditions

Comparison of object and pixel-based classifications for land-use and land cover mapping in the mountainous Mokhotlong District of Lesotho using high spatial resolution imagery

Research Report submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Science (Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing) School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. August 2016.The thematic classification of land use and land cover (LULC) from remotely sensed imagery data is one of the most common research branches of applied remote sensing sciences. The performances of the pixel-based image analysis (PBIA) and object-based image analysis (OBIA) Support Vector Machine (SVM) learning algorithms were subjected to comparative assessment using WorldView-2 and SPOT-6 multispectral images of the Mokhotlong District in Lesotho covering approximately an area of 100 km2. For this purpose, four LULC classification models were developed using the combination of SVM –based image analysis approach (i.e. OBIA and/or PBIA) on high resolution images (WorldView-2 and/or SPOT-6) and the results were subjected to comparisons with one another. Of the four LULC models, the OBIA and WorldView-2 model (overall accuracy 93.2%) was found to be more appropriate and reliable for remote sensing application purposes in this environment. The OBIA-WorldView-2 LULC model was subjected to spatial overlay analysis with DEM derived topographic variables in order to evaluate the relationship between the spatial distribution of LULC types and topography, particularly for topographically-controlled patterns. It was discovered that although that there are traces of the relationship between the LULC types distributions and topography, it was significantly convoluted due to both natural and anthropogenic forces such that the topographic-induced patterns for most of the LULC types had been substantial disrupted.LG201