THE NATURE OF FAMILY REUNIFICATION SERVICES IN THE GAUTENG PROVINCE

Placement of children in alternative care is supposed to be a temporary and not a permanent arrangement. In the absence of a family reunification model in South Africa, most children stay for longer periods in alternative care than necessary. This article concludes that family reunification services should be holistic in order to be effective, which is possible in the framework of a developmental approach

TOURISM’S CONTRIBUTION TO POVERTY ALLEVIATION: A COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE FROM ZIMBABWE

Taking a micro-level approach, this study questions whether the positive impacts of tourism often claimed at the macro level do indeed trickle down to the grassroots level to  lift local people out of poverty. A case study of the local community in Victoria Falls urban area compares the perspectives of local residents and key decision-makers in the community. The extent to which tourism development has affected seven signifiers of poverty alleviation are examined: accessibility improvement (transport and communication), prices of goods and services, entrepreneurial training, income-generating projects, employment opportunities, general quality of life and household income. Most of the local community felt tourism development is having a positive impact and contributing to poverty alleviation, especially in terms of improving local facilities. However, there are variations, with entrepreneurial training and the prices of goods and services.  Article visualizations

NOW THE SOLUTION IS HERE – SOCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR ORPHANED CHILDREN: THE EXTENDED CHILD SUPPORT GRANT

The current crisis in foster care was precipitated by using the child protection system to meet the social assistance needs of orphaned children. The new parallel system in the form of an extended child support grant system would enable children in the care of relatives to access an appropriate grant without having to go through a time-consuming and resource-intensive statutory process. This article outlines the challenges in the South African foster care system, discusses the reasons for introducing the extended child support grant system and explains how it will be implemented. The paper seeks to contribute to the knowledge base on social work policy changes. The policy shift towards an extended child support grant could ensure that the majority of orphans have access to adequate social protection and free up the formal child protection system, enabling a quicker social work response to cases of child abuse, maltreatment and neglect

CHALLENGES FACED BY SOCIAL WORKERS WORKING IN CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES IN IMPLEMENTING THE CHILDREN’S ACT 38 OF 2005

The transition from the Child Care Act 74 of 1983 to the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 has been chaotic. This has been caused by shortcomings in the new legislation; challenges faced by social workers in adapting to it; lack of capacity of the stakeholders in the field; and the shortage of resources to implement it. The Children’s Act 38 of 2005 needs to be amended to address its pre-statutory, statutory and post-statutory shortcomings. Recommendations on addressing these challenges include the establishment of a kinship care grant; amending the Children’s Act; and addressing technical issues on the implementation of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005.

A holistic family reunification services model for children in alternative care

Placement of children in alternative care is supposed to be a temporary and not a permanent arrangement (Children’s Act 38 of 2005). However, most children in alternative care stay for longer periods than needed because family reunification services are not being effectively practiced in the absence of a family reunification services model in South Africa. The goal of the study was to develop a holistic family reunification services model for children in alternative care. The researcher used the Design and Development model to undertake intervention research. The study employed the exploratory sequential mixed methods research design, which combined qualitative and quantitative research approaches in a two-phased study. Case study and survey designs were adopted in the respective phases. The researcher collected data for the qualitative phase of the study by means of one-on-one semi-structured interviews and used a questionnaire to collect data for the quantitative study. The findings indicate elements of successful family reunification cases as well as measures to overcome challenges in family unification services and to ensure that social workers render holistic family reunification services. Findings also indicate cases where family reunification is not a possibility. The study concludes that the success of family reunification depends on a wide range of factors. For family reunification services to be effective, these services should be adapted to accommodate diverse, specific and unique needs of families. Furthermore, family reunification services should allocate sufficient time and activities to develop relationships between the key role players involved in the family reunification process. The study recommends that the types of services rendered in the family reunification spectrum should be aligned to a rights-based approach. As an outcome of the study, the researcher designed a holistic family reunification services model to guide and assist social workers who work in child protection services to render effective, comprehensive and timely reunification services to children and their families.Thesis (PhD (Social Work))--University of Pretoria, 2022.Social Work and CriminologyPhD (Social Work)Unrestricte

Development of a solar powered indirect air cooling combined with direct evaporative cooling system for storage of fruits and vegetables in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Doctoral Degrees. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Abstract available in PDF

An appraisal of the role of the universities in city development : a case study of the University of Fort Hare in East London, South Africa

The role of universities in contributing to the development of their host cities is a subject of ongoing scholarly debate. This is because the contemporary complex and competitive economic and technological global environment requires rapid adaptation to shifting opportunities and constraints in a global knowledge economy. Higher education has thus become an engine of development for cities and nations in the developing world. In line with this global trend, the South African government has thus mandated higher education institutions to play a more active role in addressing the development needs of the country. Within this context, this study therefore embarked on an appraisal of the University of Fort Hare’s (UFH) contribution to the development of its host city, East London in South Africa. The study employed a qualitative approach and used semi structured interviews as a primary data collection tool. The sampling technique was purposive sampling as the study targeted key respondents that had rich information about their departments and organisations. The study found that the university interacts with the city on a number of platforms and advisory boards established by some university departments. The main contribution was realised through relevant research carried out by academics in different departments within the city which informs developmental policy for the local government and contributes positively to the private sector. The University of Fort Hare also serves as a major labour supplier for both the public and private sector. The study however established that UFH is not producing technical graduates which are a critical skill in the private sector, specifically in the automotive industry which is the back bone of the city. This skills gap presents an opportunity for the university to expand its programmes so as to address the needs of private industry. In terms of policy, the study recommends the need for a convener or an intermediary to champion collaboration of the university with the city and the private sector

The nature of family reunification services in the Gauteng province

Placement of children in alternative care is supposed to be a temporary and not a permanent arrangement. In the absence of a family reunification model in South Africa, most children stay for longer periods in alternative care than necessary. This article concludes that family reunification services should be holistic in order to be effective, which is possible in the framework of a developmental approach.https://socialwork.journals.ac.za/pubam2023Social Work and Criminolog

Assessment of cyclone idai floods on local food systems and disaster management responses in Mozambique and Zimbabwe

In recent years, countries in southern Africa have experienced frequent hydro-meteorological disasters, such as widespread flooding caused by tropical cyclones. This chapter takes a close look at the destructive aspects of tropical cyclone Idai in Mozambique and Zimbabwe and the emergency disaster management responses. The chapter also seeks to understand the impact of the cyclone on food systems. The chapter is based on a desktop study that made use of scholarly publications and various media and organisation reports as the main sources of secondary data. A key finding of the study is that as the cyclone swept across the two countries, it exposed the fragilities of the local food systems, thereby presenting food insecurity challenges that potentially undermined the drive towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 on hunger eradication. The other finding is that the disaster management responses in both countries focussed on the emergency needs in the affected areas without giving much attention to making the food systems more resilient

Evaluation of Three Animal Powered Weeding Implements in Cotton Based Systems of the Zambezi Valley in Zimbabwe.

This thesis reports the results of a survey carried out in Muzarabani, through use of a questionnaire administered to a total of 83 farmers in Gutsa, Muringazuva, Mfudzi and Kapembere villages to determine the condition of animal powered implements. It also assesses the performance of three animal powered mechanical weeding implements using the mother-baby approach through various options for land preparation, crop establishment and weed management. The assessments were done during the 2000/01 and 2001/02 seasons. The thesis concludes by discussing the merits and demerits of using the different weeding options. Mould board ploughs (OP+Ds) and cultivators (OCs) were generally found to be in a condition average to good as most farmers interviewed had fairly new implements (less than 6 years). More than 50% of the OP+Ds had their hitch assembly removed and cultivators had the two front tines removed. About 40% of OP+Ds had worn out landsides, shares, regulator hakes, wheels and wheel axles while between 30-45% OCs had worn out wheels and axles. More than 80% of farmers rarely replaced their draw bar hitch assembly, frog, regulator hakes, u-piece and screw, u-clamp, plough handles and stays. Only 16-22% of farmers claimed that they replaced the wheel axles, wheels and tines once in three years in cultivators. The rest of the parts for the OCs were rarely replaced. Most farmers (63%) were not aware of the depth of cut adjustment options in cultivators like positioning the wheel arms and adjusting the length of the chain. The use of winter followed by spring ploughing (wp + sp) resulted in reduced subsequent, draft force requirements, supplementary hand weeding requirements and weed density. At the same time wp + sp increased work rates, field efficiency, soil moisture retention levels throughout the season. When practised, it resulted in a better crop stand and increased cotton yield by 33% compared to spring ploughing only. There was no significant difference between using the open plough furrow planting technique and the ripper tine for crop establishment for the various parameters looked at. The use of an OC for weed control resulted in significantly (P<0.001) more draft force requirements than the mould board plough with mould board (OP+D) or without (OP-D). The use of OC in some instances resulted in draft capabilities greater than 12% of the body weight of draft animals, which is considered to be higher than what a span of oxen can comfortably pull for a working day. However, it was noted that the OC had significantly (P<0.001) higher field efficiency of more than 90% compared to OP+D and OP-D of less than 70%. The use of OP + D resulted in significantly (P<0.001) higher weeding efficiency and soil moisture retention at 6 and 9 weeks after crop emergence (wace) while the OC gave the least. The use of the different weeding implements did not result in a significant yield variation, but carrying out winter ploughing in addition to spring ploughing resulted in significantly (P<0.05) higher yields than spring ploughing only. The economic studies revealed that the cost of banded pre-emergence herbicide was lower than the supplementary hand weeding cost. In a season with good rainfall pattern (2000/2001) of at least 450mm distributed over 4 months the additional cost incurred in winter ploughing for wp + sp portions was easily offset by the increase in cotton yield. At the same time in a drought/bad season (2001/2002) though with 540mm of rainfall poorly distributed over 2 ½ months the additional cost incurred in winter ploughing for wp + sp portions was lower than the increase in cotton yield. The study also showed that the highest returns to labour are obtained by using OP+D whilst the lowest overall weeding cost and greatest productivity is achieved with OC, in both cases with a band application of pre-emergence herbicide