1,670 research outputs found

    The Legal and Regulatory Framework of Mobile Banking and Mobile Payments in South Africa

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    South Africa is a developing economy and has both a first and second economy. One of the problems that it faces is that of the “unbankedâ€, that is, a large segment of the population does not have bank accounts and “banking†happens through informal means. It also appears from latest figures that more people in South Africa have mobile phones than bank accounts. The USAge of mobile banking and in particular, payments by means of mobile phones, has increased in recent years, with consequent impacts viewed from a legal and regulatory point of view. This paper seeks to examine the legal and regulatory framework pertaining to mobile banking, and in particular, mobile payments in South Africa. Regulatory gaps and areas for improvement are highlighted. The author argues for a more flexible approach to regulation in South Africa

    Does family structure matter? comparing the life goals and aspirations of learners in secondary schools

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    The aim of this study was to compare the goals and aspirations of learners from single- and two-parent families. The study used a quantitative methodology with a cross-sectional comparative group design. The sample consisted of 853 Grade 11 learners from secondary schools in the Northern, Southern and Metro Central education districts in the Western Cape. The data were collected using the Aspirations Index and a short biographical questionnaire. The results suggest that there was a significant main effect of family structure on certain goals and aspirations of learners in secondary schools. These goals and aspirations included wealth, image, personal growth, relationships, and health. Furthermore, learners in single-parent families placed more emphasis on intrinsic goals.Department of HE and Training approved lis

    Decay Rate of Triaxially-Deformed Proton Emitters

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    The decay rate of a triaxially-deformed proton emitter is calculated in a particle-rotor model, which is based on a deformed Woods-Saxon potential and includes a deformed spin-orbit interaction. The wave function of the I=7/2−I=7/2^{-} ground state of the deformed proton emitter 141^{141}Ho is obtained in the adiabatic limit, and a Green's function technique is used to calculate the decay rate and branching ratio to the first excited 2+^{+} state of the daughter nucleus. Only for values of the triaxial angle γ\gamma <5∘<5^{\circ} is good agreement obtained for both the total decay rate and the 2+^{+} branching ratio.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figure

    Sport as a Catalyst for Social Cohesion in Fragmented Communities. A View from Post-Apartheid South Africa

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    Sport is historically viewed as bringing people together. Accordingly, sport has different effects on the participants. There are feelings of joy when your team wins and feelings of despair when the team is losing.  The aim of the article was to determine if sport could be an enabling factor for social cohesion in fragmented communities. A qualitative methodology was deemed appropriate for this study. A total of 100 participants were interviewed, comprising of community leaders, team members and parents. Semi-structured interview schedule was used to collect data. The contribution of sport to social cohesion and nation-building is mostly studied from a formal organized perspective. This article’s focus is not on organized sport but on sport that is organized and driven by communities.  In particular, if these events are able to contribute to social cohesion and building fragmented societies. The findings suggest that community sport events have the potential to contribute and promote social cohesion. Keywords:social cohesion, trust, sense of belonging, crime, local government, sport festival, poverty, fragmented societies, community sport DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/11-8-03 Publication date: April 30th 2021

    How well are families doing? A description of family well-being in South Africa

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    BACKGROUND: As a result of South Africa's unique socio-political history and diverse cultures, the South African family is neither simple to describe nor easy to understand. The new family policy strives to strengthen South African families but the research on family well-being is very limited. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the wellbeing of a sample of families from low socioeconomic communities in the Western Cape South Africa in terms of family resilience, family satisfaction, parenting styles, family structure and family functioning. METHODS: The study utilised a descriptive survey design and sampled 358 adult family members. RESULTS: The results indicate that although family functioning is challenged, parents are perceived to be utilising an authoritative parenting style and having a father present enhances family satisfaction. The results also describe families as displaying low to average levels of family resilience. CONCLUSION: This study provides a descriptive study of a sample of families in the Western Cape, South Africa. Overall the families in this study are not doing very well. The implications and significance of these findings are further explained

    Nuclear structure beyond the neutron drip line: the lowest energy states in 9^9He via their T=5/2 isobaric analogs in 9^9Li

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    The level structure of the very neutron rich and unbound 9^9He nucleus has been the subject of significant experimental and theoretical study. Many recent works have claimed that the two lowest energy 9^9He states exist with spins Jπ=1/2+J^\pi=1/2^+ and Jπ=1/2−J^\pi=1/2^- and widths on the order of hundreds of keV. These findings cannot be reconciled with our contemporary understanding of nuclear structure. The present work is the first high-resolution study with low statistical uncertainty of the relevant excitation energy range in the 8^8He+n+n system, performed via a search for the T=5/2 isobaric analog states in 9^9Li populated through 8^8He+p elastic scattering. The present data show no indication of any narrow structures. Instead, we find evidence for a broad Jπ=1/2+J^{\pi}=1/2^+ state in 9^9He located approximately 3 MeV above the neutron decay threshold

    Hindrance of Heavy-ion Fusion at Extreme Sub-Barrier Energies in Open-shell Colliding Systems

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    The excitation function for the fusion-evaporation reaction 64Ni+100Mo has been measured down to a cross-section of ~5 nb. Extensive coupled-channels calculations have been performed, which cannot reproduce the steep fall-off of the excitation function at extreme sub-barrier energies. Thus, this system exhibits a hindrance for fusion, a phenomenon that has been discovered only recently. In the S-factor representation introduced to quantify the hindrance, a maximum is observed at E_s=120.6 MeV, which corresponds to 90% of the reference energy E_s^ref, a value expected from systematics of closed-shell systems. A systematic analysis of Ni-induced fusion reactions leading to compound nuclei with mass A=100-200 is presented in order to explore a possible dependence of the fusion hindrance on nuclear structure.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, Submitted to Phys. Rev.

    Effects of manipulations of player numbers vs. field dimensions on inter-individual coordination during small-sided games in youth football

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    The relative space per player formulated in small-sided and conditioned games can be manipulated either by promoting variations in player numbers or by modifying field dimensions. In this study we analysed how the same relative spaces per player, obtained through manipulations of player numbers and field dimensions, influenced inter-individual coordination. The positional data (GPS, 10 Hz) of 24 U-15 yrs performing in three different relative spaces per player (118, 133 and 152m2) was used. Inter-individual behavioural measures included: (i) effective relative space per player, (ii) radius of free movement; (iii) numerical relations inside each player’s relative space per player; and (iv) players’ spatial distribution variability. Magnitude-based inferences were used to analyse the practical significance of the selected variables. Results showed that manipulations of player numbers elicited more free space in the vicinity of each player. However, more advantageous numerical relations adjacent to each individual player and broader individual spatial distributions on field were observed during manipulations of field dimensions. These findings highlight the complex nature of performance behaviours captured by the co-adaptation of players to surrounding spatial constraints. Sport pedagogists should carefully evaluate the use of player numbers and field dimensions as strategies to simulate constraints of specific game contexts
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