How the print media globalises South Africa from outside and within: a neo-Gramscian perspective

This thesis is presented in the partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts [International Relations] 02-06-2015Due to the need to gain global political legitimacy after the 1994 democratic dispensation, the South African government embarked on a neoliberal political trajectory. This became evident because of the ways in which the South African state was integrated back into the international economy through adopting neoliberal economic policies. This included a free-market economy with no state intervention, trade liberalisation through the lowering of barriers for foreign investment, and liberalisation of the media complex which was tightly controlled by the state. These were prescribed as an effective way of consolidating the new fragile democratic South Africa thereby seeing the new government accepting a neoliberal policy path. This was part of the embrace of the new won democracy and relationship with the international community after many years of economic sanctioning, political isolation and pariah status. The aim of this study is to examine the ways in which South African print media reproduce the dominance of neo-liberal discourses by globalising South Africa from outside and within. In addition, this study specifically seeks to look at how South Africa’s print media legitimises and authorises macro-economic policy. Thus, entrenching the ideas of a neo-liberal stance as well as analysing the perceptions of the print media’s class orientation in relation to the ruling historic bloc. The historic bloc is all levels of society [political, social, civil] coming together to form a dominant social class. This study will make use of interviews transcripts from 7 audio recorded and one email interview as well as the Business Day and Mail & Guardian’s reports on the Budget Speech from 2011-2014. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Country Reports on South Africa were also used as data, and also analysed during the same period. These will be used to analyse how these newspapers report on macro-economic issues through the abovementioned case studies. This study employed the mixed research method which uses quantitative and qualitative tools to analyse the data which is a convergent design also known as triangulation. The quantitative tool used was content analysis for its numerical value and the qualitative tool used was the thematic analysis which is an inductive reading of the reports and transcripts. These tools exposed interesting results which echoed historical trends of ownership, values and norms illustrating an important but narrow function of the selected newspapers

The Urban Poor, Civic Governmentality and the Problem of Participation

This thesis examines practices of the Informal Settlements Network (ISN), part of the South African Slum Dwellers International (SA SDI) Alliance, as initiators of civic participation in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. The SA SDI Alliance is made up of four organisations namely the Community Organization Resource Centre (CORC), Utshani Fund, the Informal Settlement Network (ISN) and the Federation of the Urban Poor (FEDUP). Through the thesis, I aim to provide an understanding of the nature of civic participation and the formation of "responsible" citizens amongst the urban poor in Khayelitsha, South Africa (Brown, 2015, p. 133). Critical in developing this understanding are the tools of the SA SDI Alliance through which the urban poor of Khayelitsha, Cape Town are allowed to participate in civic affairs. Drawing on theories of neoliberal governmentality the study traces how civic participation facilitated by the SA SDI Alliance manifests nationally through policy and at the provincial and local government level. The ultimate objective of the thesis centres on how participation under neoliberalism affects the lives of people in urban settlements through the activities of self-help organisations such as ISN. Using semi-structured interviews and shadowing three community mediators, the study unpacks the life trajectories and lived experiences of community mediators who are members of ISN. Whilst, describing these community mediators' lived experiences, the thesis examines the tension points relating to how ISN members navigate personal, community and institutions of participations that we do not see in the public discourse. The closer examination of these tension points enhances our understanding of the theoretical discourse surrounding the challenges and contradictions that participants face under neoliberalism. These challenges include the interface with fluid community dynamics. Furthermore, the thesis provides insights into the mutability of roles assumed by the community mediators and how it practically manifests on the ground

Understanding school-based support processes for learners experiencing ADHD as a barrier to learning

Abstract: Managing the challenging behaviour that is reflective of ADHD symptoms is a problem faced by teachers all over the world. This study intends to explore and describe the school-based support team's ability to identify and support challenging behaviour that is reflective of the symptoms of ADHD at schools in under-resourced communities. The display of challenging which behaviour serves as a barrier to effective teaching and learning, is often as a result of undiagnosed and unsupported neurodevelopmental disorders. Unfortunately, not many educators and School Based Support Team (SBST) members have an awareness of challenging behaviour as a barrier to learning. They therefore may not know how to effectively respond to it, resulting in the implementation of harsh, punitive and oftentimes ineffective methods in response to the behaviour Since the introduction of Education White Paper 6 in South Africa, it is a strongly debated issue whether learners with challenging behaviours could be supported in a mainstream school or if placement into specialised schools should be prioritised. Against this background, the SBST members at a full-service school were interviewed to determine their understanding of ADHD in relation to learner behaviour that they found to be challenging and the processes that they implemented to support learners whose display of challenging behaviour served as a barrier to their learning. The qualitative research design of the study is located in an interpretive paradigm. Data was collected by conducting interviews, observations and analysing inclusive education policy documents. Data was analysed through open coding and three themes emerged. These themes demonstrated the SBST’s ability to identify learning barriers and behaviours that are reflective of ADHD symptoms, highlighted the multifaceted conditions that influenced the SBST’s ability to provide effective support to learners whose challenging behaviour serves as a barrier to their learning as well as identifying the support processes currently implemented for learners exhibiting challenging behaviour that is reflective of ADHD symptoms. The results indicated that the SBST fulfils a pivotal role in the alleviation of learning barriers reflecting ADHD symptoms, by applying the mandated principles of inclusive education within the school. However, the findings of the study also indicate that the teacher participants feel inadequate, inexperienced and under-resourced to support learners’ diverse needs. This perception of their abilities is a contributing factor to what they understand as acceptable procedures when supporting learners – highlighting the interrelated nature of teacher competencies and the procedures and processes implemented by the SBST to support learners’ needs. The urgent need for comprehensive in-service training and resource allocation is highlighted by the findings of this study, which informs the important recommendations for the v developmental needs of the SBST to enable them to support learners in fulfilling their potential in accordance with principles of the Inclusive Education policy and thereby uphold the constitutional human rights of all learners to quality education.M.Ed. (Educational Psychology

Retrospective analysis of patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML) at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) Medical Oncology Unit (2002-2015)

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand in fulfillment of the part requirements of the Degree of Master of Medicine in Internal Medicine Johannesburg 2017.Background: The objective of this study is to explore the use of bcr-abl Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients at the CMJAH Medical Oncology Unit in Johannesburg, South Africa, and to confirm the evidence from bodies such as the European LeukaemiaNet (ELN) that the era of bcrabl TKIs has significantly advanced the treatment of CML, with affected patients living normal lives in their chronic phase, therefore making allogeneic stem cell transplantation no longer an essential part of therapy. Method: A cohort of 101 adult patients diagnosed with CML, 48% males and 52% females, with a median age of 40 years, were retrospectively analysed using data from their clinic files. The Sokal score could be evaluated as a pretreatment prognostic tool in 55% of the patients. Molecular responses to three sequential TKIs ie. Imatinib followed by dasatinib and nilotinib, were sought by the monitoring of serial RQ-PCRs. Adverse effects and mutational analyses were also analysed. Results: Once patients were started on bcr-abl TKI therapy (post the interferon-α era), better treatment responses were seen and better overall survival achieved without progression to advanced stages of CML. In addition, second line TKI therapy showed a benefit following the first line TKI imatinib. TKIs were generally well tolerated with 63 of the 101 patients experiencing grade 3/ 4 AEs mainly due to haematological toxicity. A low number of documented mutations (3 out of 101) also suggest that TKI therapy is very effective in treating CML. Conclusion: There seems to be an improved outcome with TKI therapy compared to the older interferon alpha based therapy; as well as a treatment response with second generation TKI therapy in patients at the CMJAH Medical Oncology unit treated for CML. Patients on TKI therapy remained in CP-1 of CML for longer periods without transformation to advanced stages of CML, with improved PFS and 5 year OS, as long as they were compliant on treatment. Hematological adverse effects were observed due to both dasatinib and imatinib therapy. Key words: Chronic myeloid leukaemia; Tyrosine kinase inhibitor; Molecular response; Overall survival; Progression free survival.LG201

An exploration of the parents' experiences of the inclusion and retention of their disabled children in public schools in the Eastern Cape Province

Includes bibliographical references.South African national policy on Inclusive Education, as expressed in White Paper 6 of 2001, regards the role of parents as key to making schools inclusive sites for learning. For parents who have been historically discouraged from participating in the education of their children, this is a challenging role. The aim of this study was to assemble data which would shed light on what parents of disabled children in public schools view as relevant support for them to actively participate in the process that ensures inclusion and retention of disabled children in schools. In line with the social model of disability, this qualitative study follows a participatory action research design using critical theory as the lens through which the world of parents with disabled children was examined. Purposive sampling was used to select five parent participants in the study within a District Municipality (South Africa). They were all members of a support group of parents with disabled children. Parents were given a detailed outline of the study aims which were explained to them by the researcher at the outset and were informed that they could resign at any time without any implications thereof to their children and themselves. Individual interviews with parents, school meetings involving parents, children and teachers, researcher personal journal, narrative and focus group sessions were used for data collection. A transformative paradigm informed the data collection procedures and interactions with parents. Data was analysed through content analysis of the full data set, including the researcher’s reflective journal. Recurring patterns were identified, coded and then categorised according to similarities and meanings. Data management and analysis took place through an iterative process of selecting, simplifying and transforming raw data during and after meetings held with the assistant researcher after each meeting with the parents and in discussion with a research mentor

PREVALENCE OF CASES OF CHILD ABUSE AND THEIR IMPACT ON PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PUPILS IN ZIMBABWE: A CASE STUDY OF NKAYI DISTRICT

Cases of child abuse are reported year in and year out in Zimbabwe with little signs of thephenomenon abating. Child abuse is when a parent, caregiver, adult, sibling, classmate or anyother person more powerful than the victim, whether through action or failing to act, causesinjury, death, emotional harm or risk of serious harm to a child. Child abuse usually refers tounfair, cruel or violent treatment of a child in a physical, sexual and emotional way, includingchild labour such that the victim’s rights are threatened and for school children, it significantlyaffects their learning. The study employed the quantitative methodology using a sample of 400form three and form four pupils randomly selected from the thirty secondary schools in NkayiDistrict of Zimbabwe’s Matabeleland North Education Province. The study utilised thequestionnaire to collect data from the respondents. The study revealed that child abuse wasprevalent in Nkayi District and yet most school authorities were not doing enough to eradicate it.Most of the students in the sample had themselves been victims of one form of abuse or the other.The researcher recommends that school heads, teachers, pupils and parents should worktogether to expose, prevent and report all cases of abuse of children to avoid emotional andphysical damage to the children.Key terms , ,, , ,

An audit of syringe labelling practices of anaesthetists at four academic hospitals

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Medicine in the branch of Anaesthesiology Johannesburg, 2016Background Drug administration errors have seen a marked rise in the medical fraternity. In anaesthesia these are expected to be higher as for any anaesthetic given, multiple drugs are administered. Although many risk factors have been identified as causes of medication errors, in anaesthesia in particular, syringe labelling has been identified as an easily preventable source of medication error. Methodology The aim of this study was to audit the syringe labelling practices of anaesthetists in four academic hospitals affiliated to the University of the Witwatersrand. The research design used to conduct the study was a prospective, contextual and descriptive one. The study population was all syringes prepared for anaesthesia during the course of the data collection days at the four academic hospitals. A consecutive convenience sampling method was used to collect the data Results A total of 279 syringes were included in the study. Of the 279 syringes, 242 (87%) were labelled. Six (2%) of the 242 labels were colour coded. A total of 37 (13%) syringes had no labelling at all. All labelled syringes had the name of the medication present, either in full or abbreviated. Two hundred and nine (86%) of the labelled syringes had the dose and/or concentration of the medication. Fifteen (6%) of syringes had date, 6(2%) had time. A total of six (2%) syringes had a signature of the person who prepared the drug and one (0.4%) had a signature of the person that checked the drug. The majority 193 (69%) of syringes had only two out of the six required labelling items. Conclusion This study revealed that syringe labelling practices of anaesthetists in the four academic hospitals associated with Wits did not meet the recommended standards. It is recommended that a standard operating procedure for syringe labelling be introduced as studies have shown that syringe labelling is an easy way of preventing and/or reducing medication error.MT201

The decline of piston manufacturers in the Southern African Customs Union

During the period of the years 1952 to 2009, there have been only two automotive piston manufacturers in the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). SACU is comprised of the following five member states; South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland. Owing to the SACU agreement, these countries have enjoyed fairly good trade flows in goods and services amongst each other. The role of the abovementioned piston manufacturers was the provision of piston components to engine assembling companies in the SACU region as well as for sale to the aftermarket

A critical analysis on simulated transactions.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.No abstract provided

Impact of internal finance on firm growth: a case sudy on South African SMEs

Masters of Management in Finance and Investment Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, 2016It is known that entrepreneurship has great advantages on the economy as a whole. In South Africa, SMEs constitute majority of business in the formal sector. Yet, many firms struggle and some diminish because of finance. Many do not have access to external finance as such this study proposed internal finance to be an avenue that can be explored. This paper argues that access to internal finance leads to firm growth. Thus the following research question is proposed: To what extent does internal finance impact the growth of SME in South Africa and how? A second question is proposed as there are different types of internal finance: What component of internal finance is available for South African SMEs and to what extent does it affect their growth? Moreover, the other factors of firm growth and, further, their impact on internal finance were focused in order to fully understand the relationship between internal finance and firm growth. The study employed a sample of SMEs registered on the AltX section of the JSE. A panel data set was used in combination with Fixed Effects Method and Random Effects Model to run simple and multiple linear regression analysis to obtain results. A significant but ambiguous relationship between internal finance and firm growth was found. The study further recognized a negative relationship between internal finance and the two types of internal finance: retained earnings and fixed assets. In addition, the study established equity, debt, and taxes to have a significant impact on firm growth and internal finance. These three factors are proposed to be the underlying factors of both firm growth and internal finance. Though performed on listed SMEs; these findings would allow policy makers to design policies that truly promote SME growth.XL201