The Voice of the Traditional Authorities in the Management of Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Park, South Africa.

The study focuses on the community-conservation partnership between the conservation agency, Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife (EKZNW) and the surrounding tribal communities. The community conservation partnership approach can be attained through economical involvement of rural people in promoting the survival of species within protected areas. This approach suggests that greater involvement of neighbouring communities in the management of the Park should target the interest of the communities in promoting community-conservation partnerships. Community-conservation partnerships are a means of addressing the challenges that resulted from the western colonial system which led to the removal of the local communities when their land was wrenched from them to form Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Park. The tribal authorities were less recognised as most of the traditional functions were passed to the magistrates. The purpose of this research paper is to establish the extent to which local communities participate in decision-making regarding the management of nature conservation resources, whether Park officials are supportive of a participatory community-conservation approach and to evaluate the extent to which tribal authorities participate in tourism development within the study area. With the changes in the political landscape, the portion of the park was subjected to land claims by communities that were historically dispossessed of their land and rights. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data from the respondents, who consisted of local communities, residing adjacent to the park and officials of EKZNW. The findings indicate that, although opportunities are created for local communities to be involved in the management and tourism development within the Park, the concept of a participatory community-conservation approach seems not to have been fully pursued in the context of Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Park. Co-existence of the communities and park authorities is still unattainable at the participatory level, in spite of both parties showing willingness for it

Problematising Local Indigenous Community Research

This book deliberates on developments related to Knowledge Pathing: Multi-, Inter- and Trans-Disciplining in Social Sciences. The book explores the value of this vexed concept in advancing the course for multi-, inter- and trans-disciplinary perspectives, methodologies, theories and epistemologies of knowledge pathing. The discourse on knowledge pathing remains critical in advancing debates and dialogues in the humanities and social sciences spaces of research and studies. This book makes a significant contribution to the scholarly understanding of indigenous knowledge research by focusing on problematising local indigenous community research from Afro-sensed perspectives. The field of indigenous knowledge research and higher education in Africa is complex. Yet, across the continent, higher education has been the sector to least embrace Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) or regard indigenous science as a legitimate source of inspiration for the development of youth and local communities. Higher education institutions and local indigenous communities should thus generate knowledge and power through research. On the other hand, higher education researchers should use their research processes and skills for cross-beneficiation when engaging local indigenous communities. This book embodies the current discourse on decolonisation and the use of indigenous knowledge in research and is intended for research specialists in the field of indigenous knowledge systems

Problematising Local Indigenous Community Research

This book deliberates on developments related to Knowledge Pathing: Multi-, Inter- and Trans-Disciplining in Social Sciences. The book explores the value of this vexed concept in advancing the course for multi-, inter- and trans-disciplinary perspectives, methodologies, theories and epistemologies of knowledge pathing. The discourse on knowledge pathing remains critical in advancing debates and dialogues in the humanities and social sciences spaces of research and studies. This book makes a significant contribution to the scholarly understanding of indigenous knowledge research by focusing on problematising local indigenous community research from Afro-sensed perspectives. The field of indigenous knowledge research and higher education in Africa is complex. Yet, across the continent, higher education has been the sector to least embrace Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) or regard indigenous science as a legitimate source of inspiration for the development of youth and local communities. Higher education institutions and local indigenous communities should thus generate knowledge and power through research. On the other hand, higher education researchers should use their research processes and skills for cross-beneficiation when engaging local indigenous communities. This book embodies the current discourse on decolonisation and the use of indigenous knowledge in research and is intended for research specialists in the field of indigenous knowledge systems

Revival of the magnetar PSR J1622-4950: observations with MeerKAT, Parkes, XMM-Newton, Swift, Chandra, and NuSTAR

New radio (MeerKAT and Parkes) and X-ray (XMM-Newton, Swift, Chandra, and NuSTAR) observations of PSR J1622-4950 indicate that the magnetar, in a quiescent state since at least early 2015, reactivated between 2017 March 19 and April 5. The radio flux density, while variable, is approximately 100x larger than during its dormant state. The X-ray flux one month after reactivation was at least 800x larger than during quiescence, and has been decaying exponentially on a 111+/-19 day timescale. This high-flux state, together with a radio-derived rotational ephemeris, enabled for the first time the detection of X-ray pulsations for this magnetar. At 5%, the 0.3-6 keV pulsed fraction is comparable to the smallest observed for magnetars. The overall pulsar geometry inferred from polarized radio emission appears to be broadly consistent with that determined 6-8 years earlier. However, rotating vector model fits suggest that we are now seeing radio emission from a different location in the magnetosphere than previously. This indicates a novel way in which radio emission from magnetars can differ from that of ordinary pulsars. The torque on the neutron star is varying rapidly and unsteadily, as is common for magnetars following outburst, having changed by a factor of 7 within six months of reactivation.Comment: Published in ApJ (2018 April 5); 13 pages, 4 figure

Influence of Barriers to Environmental Sustainability on Environmental Management Accounting in the Food and Beverage Manufacturing Firms

Most companies make extensive use of environmental sustainability as they receive pressure to operate in an environmentally sustainable manner. Companies are struggling to implement environmental management accounting practices in their operations. Accordingly, research on environmental sustainability difficulties in the context of environmental management accounting in food and beverage manufacturing enterprises is limited. The paper investigates how the barriers to environmental sustainability influence the implementation of environmental management accounting (EMA) in the food and beverage manufacturing firms in Durban, South Africa. A quantitative research approach was applied, using convenience sampling because the data was collected during the strict regulations of the Covid-19 period. The Likert questionnaire (five-point scale) collected quantitative data and it was analyzed using SPSS, performing Pearson's correlation research and regression analysis. The Pearson's correlation coefficient findings show a statistically significant association between environmental sustainability bottlenecks and environmental management accounting in food and beverage manufacturing enterprises at (r = .250, p < 0.0005). As barriers to sustainability decrease, the implementation of environmental management accounting practices will be easier for these firms.  The results of regression analysis, show the independent variable, barriers to sustainability, as a major predictor of environmental management accounting, B= 0.442, p< 0.05. It can be suggested that the SA government make the use of EMA practices mandatory for companies that have a negative impact on the environment

Determinants of women's satisfaction with maternal health care: a review of literature from developing countries.

BACKGROUND: Developing countries account for 99 percent of maternal deaths annually. While increasing service availability and maintaining acceptable quality standards, it is important to assess maternal satisfaction with care in order to make it more responsive and culturally acceptable, ultimately leading to enhanced utilization and improved outcomes. At a time when global efforts to reduce maternal mortality have been stepped up, maternal satisfaction and its determinants also need to be addressed by developing country governments. This review seeks to identify determinants of women's satisfaction with maternity care in developing countries. METHODS: The review followed the methodology of systematic reviews. Public health and social science databases were searched. English articles covering antenatal, intrapartum or postpartum care, for either home or institutional deliveries, reporting maternal satisfaction from developing countries (World Bank list) were included, with no year limit. Out of 154 shortlisted abstracts, 54 were included and 100 excluded. Studies were extracted onto structured formats and analyzed using the narrative synthesis approach. RESULTS: Determinants of maternal satisfaction covered all dimensions of care across structure, process and outcome. Structural elements included good physical environment, cleanliness, and availability of adequate human resources, medicines and supplies. Process determinants included interpersonal behavior, privacy, promptness, cognitive care, perceived provider competency and emotional support. Outcome related determinants were health status of the mother and newborn. Access, cost, socio-economic status and reproductive history also influenced perceived maternal satisfaction. Process of care dominated the determinants of maternal satisfaction in developing countries. Interpersonal behavior was the most widely reported determinant, with the largest body of evidence generated around provider behavior in terms of courtesy and non-abuse. Other aspects of interpersonal behavior included therapeutic communication, staff confidence and competence and encouragement to laboring women. CONCLUSIONS: Quality improvement efforts in developing countries could focus on strengthening the process of care. Special attention is needed to improve interpersonal behavior, as evidence from the review points to the importance women attach to being treated respectfully, irrespective of socio-cultural or economic context. Further research on maternal satisfaction is required on home deliveries and relative strength of various determinants in influencing maternal satisfaction

The infant incubator in the neonatal intensive care unit: unresolved issues and future developments

Since the 19(th) century, devices termed incubators were developed to maintain thermal stability in low birth weight (LBW) and sick newborns, thus improving their chances of survival. Remarkable progress has been made in the production of infant incubators, which are currently highly technological devices. However, they still need to be improved in many aspects. Regarding the temperature and humidity control, future incubators should minimize heat loss from the neonate and eddies around him/her. An unresolved issue is exposure to high noise levels in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Strategies aimed at modifying the behavior of NICU personnel, along with structural improvements in incubator design, are required to reduce noise exposure. Light environment should be taken into consideration in designing new models of incubators. In fact, ambient NICU illumination may cause visual pathway sequelae or possibly retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), while premature exposure to continuous lighting may adversely affect the rest-activity patterns of the newborn. Accordingly, both the use of incubator covers and circadian lighting in the NICU might attenuate these effects. The impact of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on infant health is still unclear. However, future incubators should be designed to minimize the EMF exposure of the newborn