Browsing by Subject "South Africa"
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van der Spuy, Patricia; Clowes, Lindsay (History Department, University of the Western Cape, 2007)[more][less]
Abstract: This article reviews Helen Scanlon's book, "Representation and reality", and Nombonisa Gasa's "Women in South African history", and locates each against the historiography of South African women's history URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/139 Files in this item: 1
vanderSpuyAccidentalFeminists2007.pdf (173.5Kb) -
du Toit, Andries (2009)[more][less]
Description: Paper presented at the "Escaping Poverty Traps: Connecting the Chronically Poor to Economic Growth" Conference, February 26-27, 2009 J.W. Marriott, 1331 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, D.C. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/65 Files in this item: 1
duToit_Adverse2009.pdf (408.0Kb) -
Field, Roger (Taylor & Francis, 2012)[more][less]
Abstract: The Greek poet George Seferis (1900-1971) spent 10 months in South Africa during WWII as a senior diplomatic official attached to the Greek government in exile. Drawing on his diary entries, correspondence and poetry this article challenges earlier interpretations of his work best described as a ‘synchronic panoptic vision’ (Bhabha). Beginning with an exploration of the troubled relationship between the ‘glory that was Greece’ and the failure of its early 20thcentury nationalist, expansionist and modernization projects, the article argues that Seferis tried to overcome alienation from landscape and a crisis of creativity in two ways: he transcribed and commented on Cavafy’s poetry, but was unable to resolve his relationship with the latter; by reaching down into the ruins of ancient Greece and back into its mythological past, through a process of negative displacement he transforms these crises into a descent to the world of the dead. Unlike Odysseus, he receives no guidance from its inhabitants, for they speak only the language of flowers and there are none. Accompanying Seferis’ dual purpose use of classical mythology as national heritage and ironic device is a more problematic aspect of modernism – the relegation of Africa and its sub- Saharan inhabitants to a primitive otherness that, he felt, limited his ability to express himself, and which generated some of his greatest poetry. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/512 Files in this item: 1
FieldGeorgeSeferis2012.pdf (266.4Kb) -
Phillips, Julie (Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, University of the Western Cape, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: Background: According to the World Health Organization global alcohol consumption has increased in recent decades, with most of this increase occurring in developing countries. Added to this is the concern of the increased social acceptability of alcohol use and the widespread experimentation with alcohol during adolescence. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to better understand health risk behaviours, specifically alcohol use, among black female high school learners in a designated research locale of a local community in the Western Cape, South Africa. Study design: The method of inquiry in this study was a mixed methods sequential explanatory strategy. Results: A lifetime prevalence of alcohol use was reported by 57.8% of the study sample. All the participants agreed that drinking has a negative influence on adolescent health. Conclusion: Alcohol use in South Africa is an ever-increasing health problem and the current study provides evidence that the prevalence of this behaviour remains a public health concern. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/113 Files in this item: 1
PhillipsAlcohol2008.pdf (68.01Kb) -
Bock, Zannie; Gough, David H. (Routledge, 2001)[more][less]
Abstract: The question of the 'great divide' between orality and literacy has been critically addressed by various scholars of literacy, including social literacy theorists. This paper uses the notions of primary and secondary discourse across both oral and literate contexts to examine this 'divide'. Using evidence from the oral tradition of the Xhosa, it is shown that 'traditional' societies have well-established primary and secondary discourse types. Against this understanding, the issue of 'access' to Western academic literacy is examined. It is argued that within the changing context of South African society and as a direct result of former apartheid policies, individuals may have failed to acquire the cultural capital of both oral secondary and literate secondary discourse types. The literate secondary discourse practices of Xhosa-speaking students at univer¬sity are explored through an analysis of student writing. This paper then reports on several projects which attempt to address some of the concerns of academic staff with respect to student writing. In particular, this section argues for a broadening of the notion of 'academic literacy' and suggests some ways in which texts derived from the oral tradition may be used to develop awareness of secondary discourse types. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/266 Files in this item: 1
Bock_Perspectives2001.pdf (637.5Kb) -
Leon, Natalie; Schneider, Helen; Daviaud, Emmanuelle (BioMed Central, 2012)[more][less]
Abstract: Background: Mobile phone technology has demonstrated the potential to improve health service delivery, but there is little guidance to inform decisions about acquiring and implementing mHealth technology at scale in health systems. Using the case of community-based health services (CBS) in South Africa, we apply a framework to appraise the opportunities and challenges to effective implementation of mHealth at scale in health systems. Methods: A qualitative study reviewed the benefits and challenges of mHealth in community-based services in South Africa, through a combination of key informant interviews, site visits to local projects and document reviews. Using a framework adapted from three approaches to reviewing sustainable information and communication technology (ICT), the lessons from local experience and elsewhere formed the basis of a wider consideration of scale up challenges in South Africa. Results: Four key system dimensions were identified and assessed: government stewardship and the organisational, technological and financial systems. In South Africa, the opportunities for successful implementation of mHealth include the high prevalence of mobile phones, a supportive policy environment for eHealth, successful use of mHealth for CBS in a number of projects and a well-developed ICT industry. However there are weaknesses in other key health systems areas such as organisational culture and capacity for using health information for management, and the poor availability and use of ICT in primary health care. The technological challenges include the complexity of ensuring interoperability and integration of information systems and securing privacy of information. Finally, there are the challenges of sustainable financing required for large scale use of mobile phone technology in resource limited settings. Conclusion: Against a background of a health system with a weak ICT environment and limited implementation capacity, it remains uncertain that the potential benefits of mHealth for CBS would be retained with immediate large-scale implementation. Applying a health systems framework facilitated a systematic appraisal of potential challenges to scaling up mHealth for CBS in South Africa and may be useful for policy and practice decision-making in other low- and middle-income settings. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/552 Files in this item: 1
LeonHealthSystem2012.pdf (230.9Kb) -
Gough, David H.; Bock, Zannie (Applied Linguistics Association of New Zealand, 2003)[more][less]
Abstract: This paper examines the effectiveness of linguistic analysis in developing scientific thinking skills and scientific attitudes. It reports on a project established at a South Africa university in South Africa which engaged students in the analysis of code-mixed data. Students who participated in the project showed gains in being able to analyze linguistic data using problem solving skills. While transfer of such skills to mainstream science teaching was not investigated, the study confirms the effectiveness of linguistic analysis in engaging students in the activities associated with the development of skills for science. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/282 Files in this item: 1
Bock_ApplyingLinguistics2003.pdf (676.4Kb) -
Igumbor, Ehimario U.; Sanders, David; Puoane, Thandi; Tsolekile, Lungiswa; Schwarz, Cassandra; Purdy, Christopher; Swart, Rina; Durao, Solange; Hawkes, Corinna (Public Library of Science, 2012)[more][less]
Abstract: Summary Points: * In South Africa, as in other jurisdictions, ‘‘Big Food’’ (large commercial entities that dominate the food and beverage environment) is becoming more widespread and is implicated in unhealthy eating. * ‘‘Small food’’ remains significant in the food environment in South Africa, and it is both linked with, and threatened by, Big Food. * Big Food in South Africa involves South African companies, some of which have invested in other (mainly, but not only, African) nations, as well as companies headquartered in North America and Europe. * These companies have developed strategies to increase the availability, affordability, and acceptability of their foods in South Africa; they have also developed a range of ‘‘health and wellness’’ initiatives. Whether these initiatives have had a net positive or net negative impact is not clear. The South African government should act urgently to mitigate the adverse health effects in the food environment in South Africa through education about the health risks of unhealthy diets, regulation of Big Food, and support for healthy foods. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/431 Files in this item: 1
IgumborFoodEnvironment2012.pdf (197.3Kb) -
Lahiff, Edward (PLAAS, University of the Western Cape, 2007)[more][less]
Abstract: This paper reviews the types of business models, or landuse models, being implemented in land reform projects involving the transfer of rural land to communities and other groups in South Africa, under both the restitution and redistribution programmes. It draws heavily on the series of Diagnostic Studies prepared as part of the Sustainable Development Consortium’s (SDC) work on post-settlement support, but also draws from other studies on restitution, notably that conducted by the Community Agency for Social Enquiry (CASE) in 2005, and the wider literature on redistributive land reform in South Africa. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/78 Files in this item: 1
Lahiff_Business2007.pdf (3.615Mb) -
Puoane, Thandi; Tsolekile, Lungiswa (Kamla-Raj Enterprises, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: This paper was conducted to describe some of the circumstances that increases the risk factors for non-communicable diseases amongst the previously disadvantaged South African population. The work presented here is based on an action research in an urban black township of Cape Town. The goal was to develop a Non- Communicable Disease model, which can be used to benefit an urban township community. Using a participatory process data was collected during each stage of the development and implenting interventions. Interviews, observations and situational assessment of resources available for promoting healthy lifestyle in the township were used to collect data. Although urbanisation seems to be a driving force in nutrition transition, there are underlying factors that influence lifestyle changes. These includes the environment in which people find themselves. The city provides variety of cheap unhealthy food at a lower price. Due to poverty and lack of knowledge, healthy foods become of less important. People tend to indulge in food rich in fat and sugars due to the belief that they have missed opportunities of enjoying these foods due to deprivation. This has lead to the increase in the prevalence of NCDs among poor South Africans. In conclusion, this work provided important information regarding the challenges faced by the urbanised poor population in South Africa. Although Khayelitsha was used to illustrate these challenges, the situation is similar to other urban townships of in South Africa. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/242 Files in this item: 1
PuoaneChallenges2008.pdf (28.29Kb) -
Chirwa, Danwood Mzikenge (Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape, 2009)[more][less]
Abstract: The rights to food and basic nutrition have been implemented rather unsystematically in South Africa through a hodgepodge of policies and indirectly by legislation. In view of the dearth of jurisprudence, this paper sought to tease out the meaning of children’s right of access to food as well as their right to basic nutrition, to analyse the significance of, and correlation between, these two rights, and to consider their implications for South African law and policy. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/203 Files in this item: 1
ChirwaChildPoverty2009.pdf (585.1Kb) -
Puoane, Thandi; Tsolekile, Lungiswa; Sanders, David; Parker, Whadiah (Health Systems Trust, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: This chapter will examine the current actions, including lifestyle measures, for the prevention and management of non-communicable diseases within a South African context. It will also focus on the biological, behavioural and social determinants of health. Interventions and initiatives directed at primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases are also discussed. This chapter ends with recommended lifestyle changes, which can be taken to influence the adoption of healthy lifestyles, and therefore reduce the risks for chronic non-communicable diseases. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/255 Files in this item: 1
PuoaneChronic2008.pdf (621.8Kb) -
Conradie, Ernst (Stellenbosch University, 2010)[more][less]
Abstract: This contribution explores the significance but also the immense complexities of Christian discourse on confessing guilt within the context of climate change. It draws especially on South African discourse on confessing guilt in the context of apartheid. The argument of the essay is twofold: Christians with an enduring large carbon footprint may wish to confess their guilt in this regard, but typically find it difficult to live from God’s liberating forgiveness and are therefore prone to rather desperate efforts to save the world themselves. By contrast, Christians with a small carbon footprint may opt for alternative understanding of salvation, namely in terms of redemption from the looming threat of climate change. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/456 Files in this item: 1
ConradieConfessingGuilt2010.pdf (126.6Kb) -
du Toit, Francois (Elsevier, 2013)[more][less]
Abstract: This article examines the fundamental rule of South African trust law that co-trustees must always act jointly in regard to trust administration. It highlights the rule's foundation, but also contextualizes some of the practical problems associated with the rule's operation. In particular, the article focuses on South African courts' treatment of the joint-action rule, and shows that judicial engagement with the rule has not been satisfactory in all respects. The article casts some light on possible future developments in regard to co-trusteeship in South African law. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/620 Files in this item: 2
duToitCo-trustees2013.pdf (113.6Kb)DuToitCo-trusteeship2013.pdf (216.6Kb) -
Wakefield, Lorenzo (Queens University, Belfast School of Law, 2011)[more][less]
Abstract: Article 40 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child1 requires states parties to take appropriate measures to ensure that children accused of committing offences are treated in a manner that would ensure that their best interests are upheld. South Africa2 ratified the CRC in 1995, the provisions of which have influenced the children’s rights clause in its 1996 Constitution. Section 28(1)(g) of the Constitution stipulates that children may not be detained, except as a measure of last resort and, should they be detained, it should be for the shortest appropriate period of time. Section 28(1)(g) goes further to give domestic effect to the following guarantees stipulated in Article 40 of the CRC: (1) the right to be treated in a manner, and kept in conditions, that take account of the child’s age; and (2) to have a legal practitioner assigned to the child. Recently, SA has enacted its Child Justice Act 75 of 2008, which came into operation on 1 April 2010. The question to be covered in this article is whether this Act truly complies with the international standards set by the CRC (15 years after SA ratified it); the general comments by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child 3 and other non-binding, yet persuasive instruments like the Standard Minimum Rules on the Administration of Juvenile Justice and the United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty. This article only examines four aspects of the Child Justice Act, being: criminal capacity; pretrial release and detention; diversion; and sentencing. It concludes that, but for a few technical aspects of the Child Justice Act, SA took significant steps to comply with its international obligations when it domesticated the CRC in relation to children who commit offences. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/598 Files in this item: 1
WakefiledChildJusticeAct2011.pdf (228.2Kb) -
Bock, Zannie; Dadlana, Phakamani (University of Stellenbosch, 2002)[more][less]
Abstract: This article aims to characterize typical linguistic and discourse features of academic writing in Xhosa and English among prospective Xhosa-speaking students at the University of the Western Cape so as to account for strengths and weaknesses in the writing and provide possible ‘points’ for pedagogic intervention. It presents an analysis of a sample of entrance essays written by these students in English and Xhosa. The analysis is in terms of a framework which considers aspects of argument, register and syntax. It aims to highlight strengths and weaknesses in student writing and to ascertain the extent to which these characteristics are language-specific or cross-linguistic. The results of the analysis suggest that the ability to argue coherently in an appropriate register is the defining mark of good writing in any language, and that control over the syntax of the language is particularly important for these students when writing in English. The ability to write well, like certain aspects of style, seems to be a generic ability and affects students’ performance in both languages. URI: http://dx.doi.org /10.5785/18-1-8 Files in this item: 1
Bock_cross-linguistic2002.pdf (243.5Kb) -
Puoane, Thandi (MedPharm Publications, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity, and identify factors associated with Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) among adults residing in an urban township in South Africa. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Khayelitsha, a large black township located in Cape Town. SUBJECTS: 107 males and 530 females, aged ≥ 18 years. METHODS: The prevalence of overweight/obesity (BMI ³ 25 kg/m2) and abdominal obesity (WC ≥ 94 cm for men and ≥ 80 cm for women), and their relationship with factors previously found to increase the risk of obesity, such as age, gender, marital status, educational level, employment status, immigrant status from rural to urban, and physical activity level, were assessed using logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity (BMI ³ 30 kg/m2) was 53.4% and 18.7%, and that of abdominal obesity was 71.5% and 23.4%, among women and men respectively. However, more women (21.3%) than men (11.2%) reported walking more than 45 minutes per day. Female gender and being married were associated with a high BMI and large WC. Recent migration was associated with a smaller WC. The level of physical activity was not associated with BMI or WC. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that physical activity may play less of a role in obesity control, or that more than 45 minutes of physical activity per day is required to reduce the risk of obesity, especially in women. At least among South African women, obesity control focused on nutritional interventions may be more beneficial than increasing the intensity or duration of physical activity. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/233 Files in this item: 1
MalhotraPuoaneSAJCN2008.pdf (303.1Kb) -
Sloth-Nielsen, Julia; Wakefield, Lorenzo; Murungi, Nkatha L. (Cambridge University Press, 2011)[more][less]
Abstract: The right to non-discrimination for all children is established in international human rights law. International children’s rights law further provides for the common responsibility of parents for the maintenance of their children. African customary law and common law have always made a distinction between children born in and out of wedlock so far as the duty to maintain them is concerned. The resilience of this customary and common law approach is evident in statutory provisions of the countries discussed in this article. This is despite international obligations under children’s rights treaties ratified by these countries. On the face of it, the distinction of responsibility based on marital status seems harmless. However, in view of gender inequities and resource distribution between men and women in society, such a distinction has serious implications for the rights of affected children. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/577 Files in this item: 1
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Wakefield, Lorenzo; Murungi, Nkatha L. (Pretoria University Law Press, 2011)[more][less]
Abstract: International law approaches the right to education for children with disabilities in a rather generic way. This means that the rights of children with intellectual disabilities have to be gleaned from the general provisions of the conventions. In view of the centrality of intellectual capacity in the context of education, it is imperative to decipher the import of the right to education for children with intellectual disabilities. For this purpose, this chapter explores the content of international law on the right to education of children with intellectual disabilities. It uses two case studies to assess the approach of African states to the domestication of the obligations in this regard. Kenya and South Africa have both ratified the CRC, ACRWC and the CRPD. Further, Kenya has ratified and South Africa signed the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR). URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/545 Files in this item: 1
WakefieldIntellectualDisability2011.pdf (134.2Kb) -
Hart, Genevieve (International Association of School Librarianship, 2006)[more][less]
Abstract: The paper comes out of a month-long case study of information literacy education in two public libraries in a small South African town in the rural province of Mpumalanga, undertaken in October 2004. The participant observation study is the second phase of a two-phase mixed methods study, which explores the capacity of public libraries in South Africa for information literacy education – in the context of the dire shortage of school libraries. The focus in the second phase is on the connections between public libraries and schools. However, the relations between the two libraries and their staff members are found to impact on these relations with the study finding that historical context and the conflicts arising from unequal positions of power impact significantly on information literacy education in the town. The paper concentrates, however, on just two threads of enquiry: the views of teachers and principals in the seven schools of the town on the educational role of libraries as revealed in interviews; and pupils’ use of the two public libraries in seeking information for their school assignments. The study reveals a lack of cognizance of the high level demands of information-seeking in libraries among the teachers. They tend to see the library as a warehouse from which things are “fetched”. The study finds a paradox – a gulf certainly exists between the public libraries and schools but the gulf comes from shared limited conceptions of the educational role of public libraries and of information literacy. The intense gaze of the participant observation contributes a nuanced understanding of the challenges for information literacy education in South Africa. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/471 Files in this item: 1
HartIASL2006.pdf (266.4Kb)
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