The political economy of decarbonisation: exploring the dynamics of South Africa’s electricity sector

South Africa’s coal-dominated electricity sector, a key feature of the country’s minerals-energy complex, is in crisis and subject to change. This offers potential opportunities for decarbonisation. Despite positive examples of decarbonisation in South Africa’s electricity sector, such as a procurement programme for renewable energy, there are structural path dependencies linked to coal-fired generation and security of supply. Decarbonisation goes far beyond what is technologically or even economically feasible, to encompass a complexity of political, social and economic factors. Meanwhile, decision-making in electricity is highly politicised and lack of transparency and power struggles in the policy sphere pose key challenges. Such power struggles are reflected in national debates over which technologies should be prioritised and the institutional arrangements that should facilitate them

Resource Repositories and linking resources: An exploratory study

  In this article the existence, use and importance of repositories are explored. An introduction into language resources (LRs) is given as well as a discussion of two platforms for the distribution of language resources, namely, the repository of the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR) and Lanfrica, a site that links resources. In this article, types of repositories, such as institutional and language resource repositories, will be distinguished and compared. Language preservation is proposed as an important aspect which can be strengthened by the presence and use of repositories. The view expressed in this article is that the availability of language resources and repositories are pivotal for the development, preservation and advancement of languages. Having a host site that links available resources and a repository where resources could be uploaded is a positive attribute of the mentioned online platforms, however as it will be discussed, the fact that information is available online is not a guarantee that the resources are or will be used by researchers or other interested persons, especially if they are not aware of their existence. The article is concluded with suggestions for future work, for example measuring the influence of inaccurate metadata of language resources on linguistic research

Sources of manganese in the residue from a water treatment plant

Disposal of water treatment residue (WTR), the by-product from the production of potable water, has traditionally been to landfill. The shortage of suitable landfill sites has led to the proposal that WTR be applied to land. Such disposal is only possible if the WTR contains no toxic elements that may contaminate soil, water or vegetation. Previous studies have shown that most WTRs in South Africa contain a high concentration of Mn, which was assumed to be from the drinking water treatment chemicals. This study investigated this assumption at one water treatment plant (WTP) in KwaZulu-Natal. Chemical analysis of drinking water treatment chemicals and a mass balance for Mn at the WTP showed that the main source of Mn was brown lime (added during the treatment process), although the raw water also added appreciable amounts of Mn to the WTR due to the volume of water treated. The concentration of Mn in the organic polymers, bentonite, ferric chloride, ferric sulphate and alum was negligible or very low. It is unlikely that the cost increase associated with changing from brown lime to white lime could be justified, given that the environmental impact of Mn is unclear and is generally not considered to be a problem internationally. Different ecosystems will respond differently to Mn loading and deriving a single, national, maximum permissible level for Mn within a WTR to permit land application is thus difficult and inappropriate.Keywords: drinking water treatment chemicals, land application, manganese, water treatment residu

Loop die waarheid soms net vir kwaadgeld rond?

No abstract available

Health status of hostel dwellers: Part IV. Immunisation of children

The immunisation status of children (0 - 5 years) living in the Zones, an urban migrant council-built hostel in Langa, was investigated to examine the effect of migrant labour and related to this, the effect of circular or oscillating migration between Cape Town and the eastern Cape (Transkei/Ciskei) on access to this preventive health care measure. 'Road-toHealth' cards were available for 69,4% of subjects - 78,8% for those born in Cape Town and 50,8% for those born in Transkei. Immunisation Of 'Road-to-Health' card holders ranged from 71,8% to 95%. The range dropped to 41 - 79,1% if it was assumed that children without 'Road-to-Health' cards (i.e. without positive proof of immunisation) had not been immunised. Children born in Cape Town have a significantly higher immunisation coverage than children born elsewhere (Transkei accounted for 82,7% of these children). Immunisations administered in Cape Town numbered 80,6%, while 62,6% of subjects were born in Cape Town. In Transkei, payment is required for immunisation, in Cape Town it is free. By implication, cost appeared to be an important reason for low coverage in Transkei. The findings of this study suggested that hostel migrant children who had access to the Cape Town health services through working parents had better immunisation coverage than children at the home-base who seldom or never reached the city

Narrowband Signal Detection in OFDM Systems Using Spectral Shaping Techniques

Abstract: Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) allow data to be transmitted efficiently and reliably by using multiple orthogonal subcarriers. It provides robustness against noise and corruption in the channel. The channel can be either wired or wireless depending on the particular application. Due to the close spacing of subcarriers, OFDM is susceptible to corruption caused by various narrowband signals such as Narrowband Interference (NBI). Spectral shaping shapes the Power Spectral Density (PSD) in order to have certain properties. Spectral shaping might improve the effectiveness of OFDM and make it sustainable in the long run for applications beyond the 4th generation of mobile communications (4G) and Long Term Evolution (LTE). We make use of spectral null codes and load them onto OFDM subcarriers. Introducing narrowband signals in the channel degrades the system’s performance and also eliminates the designed spectral properties. From this observation we infer that some narrowband noise is present in the channel. Previously, carriers hit by NBI or other narrowband noise had to be switched off manually. We found that combining OFDM with spectral shaping allows the presence of Narrowband signals in the channel to be detected and conclusions can be drawn over the channel quality. This did not improve the system in terms of bit error rate performance

Wine and Food Pairings: Investigating Consumer Preferences

Thesis (MScAgric)--Stellenbosch University, 2025.Trollip, Z. 2025. Wine and Food Pairings: Investigating Consumer Preferences. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/5be68430-87b7-457c-85e5-a08d35d307dcThis study investigates consumer behaviour, preferences, and adherence to wine and food pairing principles, focusing on the interplay between theoretical guidelines and real-world application in different dining contexts. A multi-phased research approach which relies on primary data collection through an experimental approach, consisting of a sensory test and a questionnaire, was employed. The purpose was to explore whether general wine consumer preferences align with established wine and food pairing principles, particularly the traditional association of red wine with red meat and white wine with white meat. Conducted in Stellenbosch, South Africa, the experiment involved 60 participants who evaluated four wines (Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinotage, and a Red Blend) paired with two traditional South African dishes (Chicken Pie and Bobotie). Participants rated their preferences using a 7-point hedonic scale, while a post-experiment questionnaire assessed their awareness and adherence to pairing principles in home and restaurant settings. Data analysis integrates descriptive and inferential statistical methods to assess consumer preferences for, awareness of and adherence to the pairing principles. Descriptive statistics provide baseline insights into participants' demographics, wine consumption habits, and levels of wine involvement. Inferential analyses, including one-way and two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), evaluate the sensory data and examine interactions between wine, food, and participant preferences. The findings reveal significant insights into consumer behaviour, highlighting both adherence to and deviations from the traditional principles. While some preferences align with established principles, others demonstrate consumer preferences that diverge from theoretical expectations, emphasising the subjective nature of sensory experiences. Variations in awareness and adherence to these principles between home and restaurant contexts highlight the influence of dining settings on consumer behaviour. Additionally, demographic factors such as age, gender, and wine involvement levels shape preferences and adherence, with the social context of consumption emerging as the most significant factor affecting consumer preferences. This study bridges the gap between theoretical wine and food pairing principles and practical consumer behaviour, offering meaningful implications for the wine and hospitality industries. The findings emphasise that understanding consumer preferences and dining contexts enhances the effectiveness of strategies to create memorable and engaging experiences for consumers. By aligning theoretical principles with real-world behaviour, the study underscores the importance of personalised experiences and consumer satisfaction in the wine and wine tourism industries. These insights contribute to the existing literature and provide practical recommendations for stakeholders aiming to refine pairing strategies and deepen consumer engagement.Master

CSIR The motivational role of interactive control in the research sector: a case study

The motivation of professional personnel within the confines of formal management control systems is often problematic. The paper investigates how interactive management controls can augment a performance measurement framework (PMF) in order to motivate personnel in a state-controlled research organisation. A case study method, combined with a survey, was used to test the research questions. The results indicate that the PMF motivated its researchers, as well as facilitated the achievement of organisational objectives. The results also indicated the presence of a wide range of interactive management controls that were employed to design and implement the PMF. These interactive controls included leadership enthusiasm, ownership, open communication and other informal activities that acted as a lubricant to reduce the friction of the formal PMF. In effect, these informal controls motivated researchers because they provided a series of rewards, they improved the perception of formal controls and they increased the efficiency of the organisation structure

The use of a novel phage-based technology as a practical tool for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa has experienced a significant increase in tuberculosis cases in recent years, fuelled by high rates of TB-HIV co-infection in the region. The diagnosis of tuberculosis is based largely on clinical assessment, sputum smear microscopy and chest radiography. Although smear microscopy is useful for detecting the most infectious cases, a significant portion of cases are negative on sputum smears, making diagnosis more difficult. New tests are urgently needed. The FASTPlaqueTB test, a bacteriophage-based method, has been evaluated in several studies in Africa and elsewhere. Studies in South Africa and Pakistan reported that between half and two-thirds of smear-negative culture-positive TB cases were detected by the FASTPlaqueTB test within 2 days. This suggests a beneficial role for this test in the early diagnosis of clinically suspected smear-negative cases. The same technology has been applied to develop a rapid test to indicate multi-drug resistant TB, FASTPlaqueTB-MDRi. This test gave equivalent results to conventional drug susceptibility methods, but with more rapid results. The tests are simple to perform and require no specialised equipment, making the technology suitable for widespread implementation. (African Journal of Biotechnology: 2003 2(2): 40-46

Investigating environmental management practices within the Northern Cape wine supply chain

Background: Environmental management systems and practices have become a necessity in wine supply chains, given their vulnerability to climate change. Climate change could lead to a 55% loss of wine-cultivating land in South Africa by 2050, which would harm the first two tiers of the wine supply chain. Objectives: The objective was to investigate the current environmental systems and practices applied in the first two tiers of the Northern Cape wine supply chain. Method: This qualitative exploratory study was conducted by semi-structured interviews to determine the various environmental management systems and practices adopted by role players. The data collected were analysed by thematic analysis. Results: The results indicated the implementation of an environmental management tool, namely the Integrated Production of Wine scheme. Supportive practices such as water- and energy-wise approaches, soil management and waste management were also identified. Furthermore, a sincere relationship between farmers, cellars and viticulturists results in collaboration based on mutual information sharing and cooperation between role players to reduce their environmental impact. Conclusion: The various environmental management practices and the collaborative approach between role players can serve as an example to other agricultural supply chains