Land reform and rural livelihoods of evicted farm workers: a case study of Radway Green Farm Project

The land issue has remained a contentious one more than two decades into a democratic South Africa. With the dispossession of the indigenous people from their land stretching back as far as 1913, eviction of farm workers and farm dwellers has increased tremendously even in the post-Apartheid era. Thus, the main goal of this study is to analyse the impact of the eviction on the Radway Green farm workers’ community and to examine the factors affecting the generation of livelihood activities in their new settlement. In doing so, I used the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods Approach (SRLA) as my theoretical framework as it conceptually grounds my area of study. It was employed to analyse data gathered from the field through in-depth interviews, focus groups, key informant interviews and descriptive observation of the case study. The centrality of the SRLA concept is on rural development, poverty eradication and the ability or sustainability of the vulnerable and poor to cope with stresses and shocks as they make a living (Scoones, 1998: 5). In that regard, the theoretical framework became an important cornerstone in analysing the impact of eviction of the Radway Green farm workers’ community and examining the factors affecting the generation of livelihoods activities in their new settlement. To analyse the research findings, various themes were utilised Forced Evictions and Resettlement; Eviction or Displacement; The Struggles of Recreating Livelihoods; The Need for Security of Land Tenure and Access to Infrastructure. Under these themes, the study revealed how the eviction was detrimental to the livelihoods of the farm workers and farm dwellers as they lost the land that was a primary source for the construction of their livelihoods. They lost employment, homes, agricultural land for food security and natural resources, social and family structures and most importantly cultural disruption. It is well documented that the rural poor who constitute the farm workers and the farm dwellers are some of the vulnerable people who need constant governmental support through the promulgation of laws that protect them and assist in livelihood construction. Thus, this study also served to examine how the evicted workers and their families have settled into their new homes and how they, in conjunction with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform and any other government agencies are faring in terms of the establishment of income generating projects for their livelihoods at the new settlement

Synthesis, antimalarial evaluation and structure-activity relationship in a series of dibenzlmethylamine (Dibemethin) derivatives of 4-amino-7-chloroquinoline

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 138-154).A series of twelve 4-amino-7-chloroquinolines containing (N, N-dibenzylmethylamine) dibemethin side chains attached to the amino group of the quinoline were synthesized by reaction of aminomethyl dibemethins with 4,7-dichloroquinoline to give “dibemethinoquines”. The attachment between the quinoline ring and the side chain was varied from ortho, to meta to para. The aminomethyl dibemethin side chains were synthesized using the Staudinger reduction of azides or the reductive amination via oxime of an aldehyde. Derivatives in which the para substituent on the terminal phenyl ring were altered from the parent compound (X = H) by replacement with Cl, OCH₃ orNMe₂ group were also synthesized. The choice of substituents was based on the Topliss scheme

Stab wounds in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe: a four year audit

A CAJM journal article.Outside South Africa the problem of stab wounds has not received much attention in the African medical literature. This problem has not been studied before in Zimbabwe. From a review of the literature, supported by the material in this paper, it is clear, that most stab wounds affect the chest and abdomen. Clinicians should therefore be aware of the various management options of such injuries. This study was carried out to determine the pattern of stab wounds in our practice and to analyze the results of our management of patients with such injuries. The relevant literature is reviewed and suggestions are made to bring our management of stab wounds in line with current management trends

Potentising and application of a Combretum woodii leaf extract with high antibacterial and antioxidant activity

Given the drawbacks associated with the use of antibiotics as feed additives and the imminent banning of its use in the European Union, the aim of this project was to develop an extract that could be used as an alternative feed additive in poultry production. The desired extract preferably had to be rich in antibacterial activity to control proliferation of undesired microorganisms, and antioxidant activity to boost the immune system of the poultry. A number of trial extraction procedures were employed on dried leaf material samples to identify the best extraction method. In preliminary extraction studies, direct extraction was performed on leaf samples from the Lowveld National Botanical Gardens (LNBG) and from University of Pretoria Botanical Garden (UP). The principle aim of preliminary studies was to identify the solvents that extracted high antibacterial and antioxidant activity while also extracting large quantities of material. The secondary objective was to test for differences in activities between samples collected from LNBG and UP. Five extractants of varying polarities; acetone, ethanol, ethylacetate, dichloromethane and hexane were used. Antibacterial activity of all extracts was quantified by a serial dilution microplate technique while bioautography was used in qualitative analysis of the antibacterial active compounds. ATCC strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis were used as test organisms. Qualitative antioxidant activity was determined by using a DPPH assay on TLC plates. Results from preliminary extraction studies showed larger quantities of material were present in extracts from the LNBG sample than in the UP sample. Two major antioxidant compounds (Rf values of 0.85 and 0.35 in EMW solvent system) were seen on DPPH sprayed TLC plates, while bioautography showed the presence of a number antibacterial active compounds in the acetone, ethanol and ethylacetate extracts with Rr values ranging between 0.85 and 0.56 on TLC plates developed in the EMW solvent system. MIC values of the extracts tallied with the results from bioautography. The acetone, ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts had the highest antibacterial activity while the hexane extracts had the lowest activity with average MIC value of 0.55 mg/ml for both the LNBG and UP samples. MIC values as low as 0.04 mg/ml were measured in the acetone and ethylacetate extracts of the LNBG sample against S. aureus and E. faecalis. Based on results from preliminary extraction studies, hexane was identified as a possible pretreatment solvent for application in enrichment procedures, acetone and ethanol were chosen as the main extractants and only the LNBG sample was used for future work. Enrichment procedures were employed along two pathways; the first pathway involved the use of hexane "wash" as a pretreatment procedure prior to extraction with acetone or ethanol. The second pathway involved the use of various mixtures of acetone in water and ethanol in water as extractants. The rationale of using these various ratios was an attempt to identify solvent mixtures that would selectively extract the bioactive components or otherwise selectively remove inactive material. A serial dilution microplate method was used to determine Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) and the Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) assay was used to quantify antioxidant activity of all extracts. The optimal extract was the one developed by pretreatment with a single direct extraction with hexane prior to extraction with acetone. It had a TEAC value of 2.3, an increase in TEAC value of 283% compared to that of the crude acetone extract. The average MIC of the crude acetone extract against ATCC stains of S. aureus, Ps. aeruginosa, E. coli and E. faecalis had dropped from 0.15 mg/ml to 0.08 mg/ml in the optimal extract (an improvement in antibacterial activity of 87.5%). Since the optimal extract is intended for commercial application in poultry production, its antibacterial activity was tested against Campylobacter jejuni, Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella enteritidis, E. coli and multi drug resistant E. coli isolated from chickens. Its in vitro toxicity was ascertained using the brine shrimp assay and the MTT cytotoxicity assay on monkey kidney cells. The optimal extract was effective against Campylobacter jejuni and Clostridium perfringens with MIC values ranging from 40 µ/ml to 80 µ/ml. It was also active against multi-resistant strains of E. coli and Salmonella enteritidis (MIC values of 125 µ/ml for both strains). LC50 results from the brine shrimp assay and the MTT cytotoxicity assay on monkey kidney cells gave values of 863 µ/ml and 226 µ/ml respectively indicating low toxicity. These results meant that though in some cases the MICs of the optimal extract were higher than befitting of typical antibiotics, due to its relatively low toxicity, large quantities of the extract may possibly be feed to achieve the desired activity without causing any toxicity in the poultry. The major antioxidant compound was isolated by silica gel column chromatography. The isolated compound was identified by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy as combretastatin BS (2', 3', 4-trihydroxyl, 3, S, 4'-trimethoxybibenzyl), previously isolated from the seeds of C. kraussii and also from C. woodii leaves. Famakin (2002) showed this compound to be the major antibacterial compound in C. woodii leaves. Combretastatin BS (CBS) demonstrated in vitro cytotoxicity in the MTT assay on monkey kidney cells with an LC50 value of 1 0 µ/ml. In vitro cytotoxicity of CBS could be due to its antimitotic activity. The TEAC value of 7.9 found in this study means that combretastatin BS has about 8 times the antioxidant capacity of vitamin E. This is the first report of the antioxidant activity of any of the combretastatins. Tolerance of broiler chickens to the optimal extract was assessed at clinically inferred doses of 2 mg/kg, Smg/kg and 10 mg/kg . After 21 days of infeed-dosing with the optimal extract, none of the chickens died or showed any behavioral signs of toxicity. There were no statistically significant differences in weight gain between broilers fed the optimal extract and the positive and negative control. There was also no positive correlation between weight gain and amount of the optimal extract incorporated in feed. Although the optimal extract did not result in significant growth promotion relative to the positive and negative control, 2 mg/kg dose regimens showed the best Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), with a 6.2% improvement compared to the negative control. The positive control was the only other feed regimen to provide a positive FCR with an improvement of 1.73% compared to the negative control. Because purchase of feed could represent up to 80% of costs of broiler production, this is an important finding. If these results can be confirmed, the product may therefore have commercial value. Repetition of the experiment with lower doses of the optimal extract on poultry challenged with bacterial infections is required to confirm the commercial applicability of this product. CopyrightDissertation (MSc (Paraclinical Science))--University of Pretoria, 2004.Paraclinical Sciencesunrestricte

Prevalence of virulence genes in Enterococcus species isolated from companion animals and livestock

Enterococcus species have developed from being commensal bacteria to leading pathogens that cause infections in humans and animals. The gastrointestinal tract of mammals is the normal habitat of these species. Virulence factors are proteins that are produced by the bacterium which are used to enhance their pathogenicity. The objectives of this study were to isolate Enterococcus spp. from livestock and companion animals, differentiate between the different sub-species and detect the presence of important virulence genes. Rectal and saliva swabs were collected from dogs and cats, whereas only rectal swabs were collected from cattle and cloacal swabs from chickens. Presumptive Enterococcus was selected using Bile Esculin Azide (BEA) agar, and Enterococcus species were confirmed using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) by amplifying the tuf gene. In order to differentiate between E. faecalis and E. faecium, a multiplex PCR was used to detect the SodA gene. The genes responsible for gelatinase production (gelE) and for conjugation (ccf) were also detected using PCR. Out of 211 animal swabs, 182 (86%) were positive for the tuf gene. Overall, there were 55 isolates of E. faecalis (30%) compared to 22 isolates of E. faecium (12%). The virulence genes had a prevalence of 52% and 36% for gelE and ccf, respectively, in all animal hosts. The results demonstrated that chicken cloacal samples had the highest prevalence for E. faecalis, gelE and ccf genes compared to all the other isolates detected from other animal hosts. The results also demonstrated a statistically significant (p < 0.05) association between the prevalence of virulence genes (gelE and ccf) and animal species from which Enterococcus spp. was isolated. We provided evidence that healthy livestock and companion animals can harbour pathogenic Enterococcus that can be transferred via the food chain as well as through close association such as petting and licking of humans. This study partially demonstrated that Enterococci spp. are capable of evolving from being simple commensal bacteria to becoming pathogens that cause infection in humans and animals through the acquisition of virulence factors through mobile genetic elements

Diagnosis and treatment of TB patients with rifampicin resistance detected using Xpert(®) MTB/RIF in Zimbabwe.

SETTING: In Zimbabwe, there are concerns about the management of tuberculosis (TB) patients with rifampicin (RMP) resistance diagnosed using Xpert(®) MTB/RIF. OBJECTIVE: To assess linkages between diagnosis and treatment for these patients in Harare and Manicaland provinces in 2014. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study. RESULTS: Of 20 329 Xpert assays conducted, 90% were successful, 11% detected Mycobacterium tuberculosis and 4.5% showed RMP resistance. Of 77 patients with RMP-resistant TB diagnosed by Xpert, 70% had samples sent to the reference laboratory for culture and drug susceptibility testing (CDST); 53% of the samples arrived. In 21% the samples showed M. tuberculosis growth, and in 17% the DST results were recorded, all of which confirmed RMP resistance. Of the 77 patients, 34 (44%) never started treatment for multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB, with documented reasons being death, loss to follow-up and incorrect treatment. Of the 43 patients who started MDR-TB treatment, 12 (71%) in Harare and 17 (65%) in Manicaland started within 2 weeks of diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Xpert has been rolled out successfully in two Zimbabwe provinces. However, the process of confirming CDST for Xpert-diagnosed RMP-resistant TB works poorly, and many patients are either delayed or never initiate MDR-TB treatment. These shortfalls must be addressed at the programmatic level

Southern African HIV Clinicians Society guidelines for harm reduction

We support public-health-focused interventions, as opposed to recovery-focused interventions. We support the decriminalisation of drug use as much as we oppose the criminalisation of sex work, mandatory HIV disclosure and policing of sexual preferences.Additional inputs received from Lize Weich, Tanya Venter, Johannes Hugo, Urvisha Bhoora, Magriet Spies, Rafaela Rigoni, Cara O’Conner, Julia Samuelson, Viriginia Macdonald, Michelle Rodolph, Shona Dalal, Nurain Tisaker and Shaheema Allie. Regional harm reduction case studies developed by Kunal Naik (PILS, Mauritius) and Bernice Apondi (VOCAL, Kenya). Inputs from the guideline development workshop held in August 2019 are also included. Participants of the workshop included: Leora Casey, Andrew Gray, Harry Hausler, Signe Rotberga, Muhangwi Mulaudzi, Lauren Jankelowitz, Annette Verster, Busisiwe Msimanga-Radebe, Nontsikelelo Mpulo, Zukiswa Ngobo, Mpho Maraisane, Rogerio Phili, Kgalabi Ngako, Maria Sibanyoni, Yolanda Ndimande, Valencia Malaza, Johannes Hugo, Urvisha Bhoora and Cara O’Conner. We extend our thanks to the external reviewers, including Julie Bruneau, Annette Verster, Kunal Naik, Nkereuwem William Ebiti and Ali Feizzadeh.http://www.sajhivmed.org.za/am2021Family MedicineImmunolog