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Background: The field of Health Policy and Systems Research (HPSR) views researchers as active participants in processes of knowledge mobilization, learning and action. Yet few studies examine how such processes are institutionalized or consider their health system or wider impacts. This paper aims to contribute insights by presenting a South African experience: the Western Cape (WC) HPSR Journal Club (JC). Methods: The paper draws on collective reflection by its authorial team, who are managerial and academic JC participants; reflective discussions with a wider range of people; and external evaluation reports. The analysis has been validated through rounds of collective engagement among authors, and through comparison with the wider sets of data, documentation and international literature. It considers impacts using a framework drawn from the co-production literature. Results: Since 2012, the JC has brought together provincial and local government health system managers and academics to discuss complex systems' and social science perspectives on health system development. The JC impacts encompass the trusting relationships (group micro-level) that have not only strengthened personal confidence and leadership skills (individual micro level), but also led to organizational impacts (meso level), such as practice and policy changes (practitioner organizations) and strengthened research and post-graduate teaching programs (academic organizations). Macro-societal impacts are, finally, judged likely to have resulted from new health system practices and policies and from academic post-graduate training activities. This set of impacts has been enabled by: the context of the JC; aspects of the JC design that underpin trusting relationships and mutual learning; the sustained participation of senior health system managers and academic managers who are able to translate new ideas into practice in their own organizational environments; and our individual and collective motivations - including the shared goal of health system development for social justice. Our challenges include risks and costs to ourselves, and the potential exclusion of challenging voices. Conclusion: The principles and practice of the JC approach, rather than the JC as a model, offer ideas for others wishing to mobilize knowledge for health system development through embedded and co-production processes. It demonstrates the potential for productive human interactions to seed long-lasting systemic change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expanding floating wind into new markets could support emission reduction targets in several national contexts. It furthers the need for adequate assessments to gain a full understanding of the technology's potential in future markets. South Africa is a prime case study as it has seen limited industry and policy developments despite its huge technical potential for floating offshore wind (FOW). This paper assessed the locational potential of floating wind in South Africa through a three-phased approach that evaluated the key technical drivers/barriers of the technology, conducted a Geographic Information System analysis (GIS) using ArcMap 10.8 to exclude unsuitable sites based on a predetermined exclusion criteria (including marine protected zones, underwater cables, major oil and gas deposits, etc.), and estimated the total harvestable capacity in the feasible sites. The study found that 2% (246,105.4 km2) of South Africa's entire Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is suitable for hosting floating wind turbines, with a potential to generate a maximum of 142.61 GW of floating wind power. Although the Western Cape province holds the highest potential (80.52 GW) for floating wind in the country, the Eastern Cape region, with a locational potential of 20.04 GW, is considered most suitable for early-stage developments due to the availability of grid connection points, limited marine traffic, and proximity to appropriate port facilities. Future work can conduct techno-economic assessments to evaluate the technical and economic implications of developing floating wind in distinct sites in the country's EEZ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This research aimed to assess the leadership role of principals in the implementation of peace education in selected secondary schools in the Western Cape, South Africa. Design/methodology/approach: This study employed qualitative research approach to assess the leadership role of principals in the implementation of peace education in selected secondary schools in the Western Cape, South Africa. Data were gathered from a small sample of six principals from six selected secondary schools which were engaged in the implementation of a peace education programme, and data were analysed using thematic content analyses. Findings: Findings of the study suggest that principals possess a low level of understanding or awareness of their leadership role in the implementation of peace education. The study pointed out the constraints such as time constraints and learners' negative attitudes and social influences hinder the effective implementation of peace education in selected secondary schools. Research limitations/implications: First, the data were self-reported and therefore subject to social desirability bias; participants may have provided socially desirable responses rather than their true belief or experiences. Thus, participants may have overstated their role in and commitment to the peace education programme. Originality/value: Studies that aim to explore alternative approaches to combat violence, such as peace education, are still limited in South Africa. Hence, this paper served to close that gap by contributing to the growing body of research on the leadership role of the principal in the implementation of peace education in the school and exploring barriers hampering its effective implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper investigates the perceptions of medical interns regarding the usefulness of non-mother tongue communication skills taught during the undergraduate curriculum at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. In 2003, the university decided to incorporate Afrikaans and IsiXhosa communication skills into the new MBChB curriculum in order to meet the Faculty of Health Sciences goals to promote quality and equity in healthcare, and to prepare graduating health practitioners for multilingual communities where they would be serving. Despite annual internal evaluations and reviews of the languages courses, the usefulness, if any, of the additional languages in the working clinical environment had not been determined. Methods: Data were collected during the second year of medical internship across a five-year period through survey questionnaires, as well as focus group interviews conducted in the Western Cape, South Africa. Surveys were conducted from 2009 to 2013. Results: The study shows that the usefulness of each of the probed categories was not consistent across both languages. The interns expressed a need for an overall improvement of the isiXhosa course offering, while the outcomes for the Afrikaans language were more positive across all categories except for cultural understanding. Conclusion: The study indicates a positive trend amongst the interns towards developing usefulness in communication skills in Afrikaans and isiXhosa to communicate with their patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2021/2022, galls formed by a nematode, Anguina woodi, were found on the stems, leaves and leaf sheaths of dune grass, Ehrharta villosa var. villosa on Milnerton Beach, Blouberg Beach and Langebaan, Western Cape Province, South Africa. These galls were spongy in texture, deep purple to blackish in colour and non-pedunculate. They were found in clusters, but also as single entities. Larger, harder galls varying from beige to dark brown in colour, apparently caused by insects, were also found on the stems of dune grass at Blouberg Beach and Langebaan Nature Reserve. Some nematode galls were found immediately next to or on top of the insect galls. Those found on top of insect galls seemed to be harder and drier than those found on stems not infected by insect galls. The co-infection of insects and anguinid nematodes has not been reported from the current study areas and was thus included in the present study. Both molecular and morphological studies were conducted on the nematodes and wasps leading to the identification of a host specific, gall-forming nematode from all three localities. The wasps were identified morphologically and molecularly to the family Eurytomidae (Hymenoptera). No insect galls were found on dune grass from Milnerton Beach. The paper includes speculations on a probable association between nematodes and insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The post-apartheid government in South Africa has provided increased opportunities for public participation at the local government level. Local party politics tend to bedevil these local participatory processes. This paper discusses ANC party politics and how they impact on public participation. It draws on a case study of five municipalities in the Cape Winelands District of the Western Cape that was conducted through semi-structured interviews and secondary data analysis. Local ANC politics has a huge impact on local government structures and their participatory processes. The ANC is a unitary structure in its policy but there is a lack of uniformity in understanding, commitment, and implementation of participatory policies at different levels of the organisation and government spheres. Some deployed public representatives work to advance themselves and their factions, at the expense of the ANC and the communities they are supposed to be leading. The findings of this study have as much significance for civil society as for the local state and its representatives. They show that it is not always the case that the state is bad and civil society is good as leaders of civil society get involved in clientelist relationships and blatant corruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on the adoption of rooftop solar photovoltaics (PV) by high-income households and businesses in the Western Cape, South Africa, the article analyzes its effects on the hybridization of urban electricity systems and the ability of municipalities to drive a just transition in cities where inequality remains very high. By reducing municipal electricity sales, decentralized solar technologies threaten the surpluses generated from charges paid by grid customers, which are essential to subsidize electricity services for the poor and support other municipal services. Based on fieldwork in four Western Cape cities, the paper shows that municipalities are implementing a variety of local arrangements (regulatory, tariff, and technical) to control distributed electricity generation and are seeking, with mixed success, to avoid a post-carbon transition model that undermines grid benefits by creating a new energy divide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on a qualitative study that investigated Grade 9 learners’ experiences of creative writing in English first additional language (FAL). Following a social constructivist approach to learning, the paper argues that creative writing is a complex process that demands cognitive and metacognitive skills, so that the language in which learners write matters, since it determines the quality and level of creativity that learners portray in their writing. The study was conducted in a township school in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, and its aim was to investigate Grade 9 learners’ experiences of creative writing in English FAL. Data was collected by means of focus group interviews with selected Grade 9 learners. The key findings of the study indicate that while the learners experienced language-related challenges, they also acknowledged the linguistic and cognitive benefits of creative writing in English. The study concludes that while learners portray positive attitudes towards English, this language remains a barrier to their learning, especially with regard to creative writing that demands imagination and critical thinking. This article recommends that creative writing be given more attention in schools, and that writing in the official languages be encouraged to enhance learners’ creativity and literacy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of compliance units in the adoption of a combined assurance framework within provincial government departments in the Western Cape. It strives to avoid risks being managed in silos and ensure risks are efficiently managed collaboratively. A combined assurance framework provides a coordinated approach to all assurance activities. It aims to optimise the assurance coverage obtained from management and internal and external assurance providers on the risk areas affecting an organisation. Compliance is an independent function that supervises and participates in placing internal procedures in conformity with regulations within the context of the integrity policy covering fields such as corporate governance and fields possibly required by respective Boards of Directors, taking account of risks in various activities. This study followed a qualitative approach, and data was collected by interviewing various officials within the provincial government departments. A sample of 10 respondents ranging from CAEs, Internal Auditors, and Directors was selected to participate in the face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The study aimed to conclude that a combined assurance framework undeniably incorporates the efforts of management and external and internal assurance providers. It builds their alliance and develops a combined and more holistic breakdown of the organisation's risk profile. The general view is that the assurance gap is significant. However, the combined assurance framework will furnish a clear process and criteria for recognising each department's assurance gap and degree of risk coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the usefulness of Google search patterns with Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques for timely influenza-like illness (ILI) forecasting for each of the nine South African provinces. Traditional surveillance methods are limited by delay in reporting. Existing digital disease surveillance studies that employ alternative online data have scarcely explored sub-Saharan African countries. In South Africa, Google search data has only been recently studied for ILI surveillance at the national level. Meanwhile, the differences in socio-economic and technological conditions across provinces call for finer spatial investigation. We perform correlation analysis between Google trends (GT) data for 21 ILI-related terms and real-life ILI surveillance data for each province. Next, we develop models to assess the predictive performance of these GT data for forecasting ILI rates, using time series, machine learning, and deep learning methods. We observe sufficient correlation for only two of the nine provinces: Gauteng and Western Cape. Thus, GT data could only be used to forecast ILI in these two provinces. Interestingly, these two provinces are regarded as the most economically developed. In the other seven provinces, LSTM, a deep learning technique, gives more accurate predictions than a baseline autoregressive model when only past ILI data are used for forecasting future ILI trends. The results reveal that, for provinces for which GT data is sufficiently available, it is not only free and fast, but is an effective predictor on its own as well as when added to past ILI data for forecasting future ILI infection rates. The correlation analysis suggests an association between provincial socio-economic development and the use of digital platforms for disease surveillance. Overall, the study established the need for finer scale ILI forecasting which will inform targeted planning for disease surveillance and interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Housing delivery in South Africa continues to dominate conversations on human rights and social development. Using a social development lens, this paper presents the findings of a qualitative study that aimed at exploring the housing experiences of social rental housing (SRH) beneficiaries and how this interlinked with human rights and social development in South Africa. Using the purposive sampling method, the study selected three social housing institutions (SHIs) in Gauteng and two in the Western Cape province. With each SHI, a focus group discussion was conducted with its tenants to establish if there are any linkages with human rights and social development. Participants shared positive sentiments relating to SRH. The authors of this article note that SRH is implemented from a rights-based perspective, in line with international law and the social development perspective. In concluding the article, the authors provide policy recommendations for government and civil society actors operating in the arena of SRH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an analysis of Francophone immigrant parents' experiences of child language brokering in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Using a qualitative research design, data was collected by means of semistructured interviews from nine immigrant parents who were selected through a convenience and snowball sampling technique. Through the lens of sociocultural theory and acculturation, the key findings indicate that the Francophone immigrant parents displayed positive feelings and had optimistic expectations concerning their children's language brokering skills in English and their future prospects in South Africa. The paper concludes that Francophone immigrant parents' experiences of child language brokering are complex and dynamic and are influenced by the context and purpose of communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Syzygium australe (Australian brush-cherry; the names Eugenia australis and Syzygium paniculatum have been misapplied to this species in some regions) is native to Australia. It has been introduced and used as an ornamental plant in several regions outside its native range and is invasive in Hawaii and New Zealand. The species was first recorded in South Africa in 1968 and has become a popular and widely traded and planted ornamental species. The first reports of naturalisation in the country appeared in the first decade of the 21st century; the species was subsequently flagged as a priority for investigation and potential regulation as an invasive species. In this paper we mapped the current distribution of S. australe in South Africa, determined its introduction status, and modelled its potential distribution. We also investigated whether cultivated plants are producing fertile seeds and compared such seeds with those produced by plants growing outside cultivation. We recorded S. australe at 268 sites across the country, clustered primarily in the Western Cape province. Naturalised populations have established at three sites, all in the Western Cape. Surveys of these established populations revealed ~ 4000 plants covering an area of ~ 7 ha (representing ~ 2 ha condensed canopy area). These populations were flourishing in riparian habitats in urban areas. Species distribution models suggest that S. australe has the potential to expand its current range in South Africa, primarily in coastal regions. Seeds of both cultivated and naturalised plants showed similar high levels of germinability (both 100%). Building on these findings, we conducted a risk analysis using the Risk Analysis of Alien Taxa Framework, and found S. australe to be of high invasion risk in South Africa. We recommend that all populations outside cultivation be controlled, and that propagation and trade be prohibited. However, except where they occur near riparian habitats, garden plantings do not need to be prioritised for immediate control, and can rather be phased out over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the learning and teaching of English as a first additional Language (EFAL) using digital resources. It was a qualitative study conducted in a Grade 10 township classroom in the Western Cape, South Africa. Data were collected through observation of a traditional classroom, a computer laboratory and a media room. In addition, using semi-structured interviews, an EFAL teacher, the head of department for languages and the school principal, were interviewed. The research aimed to understand whether the pedagogical digital literacy practices and the use of digital resources enhance the learning of EFAL. In South Africa, English is the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) for the majority of learners that are non-English speakers. Through the lens of computer assisted language learning (CALL) theory and Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), this article argues that the integration of technology helps teachers to deliver the EFAL content in a flexible and enhanced way. The findings reveal that teachers who teach in impoverished backgrounds and in other languages need to be equipped with digital literacy skills. These skills will address the challenges of literacy currently faced by the country. In conclusion, the amalgamation of an e-education policy with the Language in Education Policy (LiEP) and the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) for the implementation of language digital teaching practices in basic and higher education, should be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa's basic education system is dysfunctional. It scores last or close to last in a myriad of metrics and delivers learners with some of the worst literacy and numeracy competencies worldwide. A bimodal distribution in the results exists when learners from the richest socioeconomic quintile are performing adequately well, while learners from the poorest quintiles are failing. This paper presents a system dynamics simulation model to describe the causal linkages between improved early childhood and pre-school learning practices on the education system as a whole. The paper investigates the difference in performance between rich and poor communities. Three interventions explore the research question of whether it is the number of enrolments into early childhood development programs that increases a cohort's school readiness, or rather the quality of the early childhood development programs into which they were enrolled. The results answer the research question for the Western Cape province by showing that increasing the quality of the formal ECD programs leads to a greater percentage of school-ready five year olds than increasing the percentage of enrolled children, but that decreasing community poverty leads to better results than either intervention. The results show the simulation model to be a powerful tool to assist with policy setting and intervention testing for any other province or country by simply changing the input data and calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy responses to the challenges associated with environmental change, including more frequent and severe climatic events, have interlinked environmental and social impacts. Less attention has been afforded to the latter, and specifically to the question of not just whether but how such responses create or entrench inequality. This paper examines policy responses to drought events in California, United States, and the Western Cape Province, South Africa, in terms of their effects on inequality, revealed in relationships to water access networks. We use concepts of water justice and hydraulic citizenship to evaluate how and why these policy responses reproduced water injustices in the two settings. We focus particularly on two mechanisms linking responses to widened inequalities: values‐reinforcement and strategic communication. Using interviews, policy documents, and media reports, we employ process tracing methods to illustrate these mechanisms through which drought policy impacts hydraulic citizenship experiences, manifesting water injustice. We contribute to emerging examinations of environmental policy responses and maladaptation by demonstrating how concepts of hydraulic citizenship and an emphasis on mechanisms can help us better understand and identify experiences of water injustice. We note policy implications and areas for future research, highlighting droughts as consequential policy sites for advancing social and environmental justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land is a fundamental resource that provides a foundation for the economy. Despite a wide range of studies on land governance systems, there is a lack of literature that analyzes the ability of communities to manage a change to different land governance systems. The study aimed to analyze the potential for the Goedverwacht communal settlement in the Western Cape province, South Africa, to transition from a hierarchical governance structure to one based on a communal land governance system. This aim was addressed by answering the research question: What are the roles, expectations and management strategies of the institutions and stakeholders participating in land governance? The study considered the community's desire to maintain its communal settlement's existence, and the choice between communal or individual freehold land governance. To understand these issues, the study utilized a framework that includes three theories: the theory of planned behaviour, the theory of institutional capacity, and the critical theory. (2) Methods: Through a survey, qualitative interviews, and focus group discussions, the study analyzed various underlying factors that influenced land governance and the land governance system desired by the community. (3) Results: The findings reveal that power dynamics and conflicting interests significantly affected the community's ability to manage potential modernization resulting from land reform. While establishing land rights can positively impact economic growth and social mobilization, the lack of the communal settlement's central government's capacity to manage modernization effectively can lead to instability. (4) Conclusions: The paper concludes that balancing institutionalization and modernization is crucial for effectively managing the transition to new land governance systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for effective teaching and learning. Access to ICT is a complex and dynamic phenomenon that significantly impacts teachers' technology practices. There is a need for more extensive studies to explore the dynamics of access and teacher technology practices in various contexts. This study explored the influence of access on the technology practices of secondary school teachers in the Western Cape, South Africa. A qualitative online survey was used to explore the lived experiences of teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A diverse sample, in terms of gender, age, years of experience of teachers, and socio-economic status of schools, of 22 teachers voluntarily participated in the study. Van Dijk's cumulative model of access to ICT provided a useful lens to explore how and when the dimensions of access supported or hindered teachers' appropriation of ICT. This study found that most respondents were primarily exposed to traditional face-to-face teaching before March 2020. The suspension of in-school teaching, however, caused a dramatic shift in the way teachers interacted with technology, learning materials and learners. Three dimensions of digital inequality, associated with physical access, manifested in South Africa, namely the Virtual Classroom, WhatsApp, and Radio-Television groups. Most participants in this study returned to traditional teaching practices with increased use of technology when schools reopened again. The findings of this study suggest that access to technology is not a linear progression of successive stages that by default culminates in usage. This paper proposes a more holistic contextualised approach to access to create enabling environments for the use of ICT and empower teachers to use ICT in their teaching practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To better understand the aetiologies of epileptic spasms in infants, as well as the safety and efficacy of high dose corticosteroids in tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) endemic resource‐limited settings. Method: This was a retrospective analysis of infants with epileptic spasms managed at the tertiary referral centres in the Western Cape, South Africa. Results: Of 175 children with epileptic spasms, the median age at onset was 6 months (interquartile range 4–8 months). Structural aetiologies were most common (115 out of 175 [66%]), with two‐thirds related to perinatal insults. A lead time to treatment (LTTT) of less than 1 month was more likely in the epileptic encephalopathy/developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) group: 58 out of 92 (63%), compared to 28 out of 76 (37%) of those with developmental encephalopathy (p = 0.001). Failure to recognize preceding developmental delay was common. Ninety‐nine children (57%) received first line hormonal therapy such as adrenocorticotropic hormone. A total of 111 out of 172 children (65%) from the developmental encephalopathy and epileptic encephalopathy/DEE groups had clinical and/or electroencephalogram resolution of spasms within 14 days. In our population, children in whom an aetiology could not be identified were statistically more likely to have moderate to profound developmental delay at 1 year of age: 33 out of 44 (p = 0.001). Based on reported incidence of epileptic spasms, 23 to 58 cases per annum would be expected but a far smaller proportion presented to our centres. Interpretation: Whilst this is the largest cohort of infants with epileptic spasms from sub‐Saharan Africa, the study size is less than expected; this may reflect misdiagnosis and failure of referral pathways. Despite a reported shorter LTTT, infants with DEE had worse developmental outcomes compared to international studies. Hormonal therapy was safe and effective in our setting, despite exposure to high levels of tuberculosis and HIV. What this paper adds: The number of unreferred cases of epileptic spasms in South Africa remains high.Caregivers and health care workers in primary care facilities often fail to recognize developmental delay.The burden of disease from hypoxic‐ischaemic encephalopathy remains high in our resource‐limited setting.Hormonal treatment (e.g. adrenocorticotropic hormone) was safe and effective despite the high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus and tuberculosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The risk that a borrower may not fulfil his/her borrowing obligation presents credit owner (lender) a default risk management opportunity to maximize the risk-adjusted rate of return and to maintain minimum exposure to default associated cost. This paper investigated respondents' perception of the cost of credit default and examines requirements for default risk management (DRM) in the vehicle finance industry in South Africa. It is noted that with an increased level of consumer indebtedness, unstable economy, high unemployment, opportunistic risks like health pandemics, vehicle financing faces a higher probability of default from borrowers. This descriptive investigation utilised quantitative approach using a survey method to collect data from 381 purposive randomly selected respondents who are vehicle finance customers in South Africa, Cape Town specifically. Data collection took place in the Western Cape over a nine-month period, utilising personal interview, and emails to administer questionnaires to vehicle finances' customers as data collection instruments. Responses received were codified and quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS version 25) The paper found mixed and variable respondents' perception of the cost of credit default. In conclusion, it is perceived that South Africa debt would become more costly with credit default. It can be recommended that a default risk management intervention be applied to manage credit default risk within the context of the unified credit assessment policy in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article invetigates the relationships between budget, on the one hand, and technical, quality, scope and stakeholder management project specifications, on the other hand. It argues that budgeting is a viable management instrument that ought to be used as a directing tool towards executing organisational plans and procedures. Budgets are unavoidable strategic tools used in the planning of an organisation's effective supply of services or goods. Therefore, budgets serve as financial representations of the work, services or goods that will be generated and/or delivered by organisation. On the off-chance that budgeting is carried out and monitored appropriately, and in this manner taking every one of the elements affecting legitimate management of budgets plans into account, the organisation ought to have the option to use its resources ideally to achieve its objectives. The strategic imperatives and the type of leadership in an organisation determine the budgeting processes, which vary from one organisation to the next. "Hence, genuine perspectives and sentiments should be solicited from budget managers at all levels of the organisation as well as their expectations regarding planning as an administration tool." This article takes note of issues that managers are concerned with, in relation to the budgetary process in the Public Sector. Also, the paper explains the reasons underlying the current situation and it makes future-oriented suggestions that could have a significant impact on the uses of budget planning as a compelling management tool in project execution. The objectives of this article are to: identify the relationship between budget and technical specifications; discuss the relationship between budget and quality specifications; analyse the relationship between budget and scope specifications; and, examine the relationship between budget and stakeholder management. Data was collected using questionnaires, which was analysed using MS Excel spreadsheet and the results were interpreted. The findings point to the necessity for intensive training and empowerment of budget holders in order to ensure that budgets, budgeting processes, project implementation and anticipated service delivery to the public are all in line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the wealth of Late Pleistocene archaeology that exists across southern Africa's open landscape, it is routinely neglected in favour of rock shelter (re)excavation, biasing interpretation of human–environment interaction. This is compounded by the scarcity of open-air studies that use geoarchaeological methods to investigate the history and processes involved in their formation. The open-air archaeology of the Doring River Valley is an example of this, despite nearly a decade of dedicated study and publication. Consequently, there remains a limited and untested understanding of the valley's formation history. This paper rectifies this by providing a sedimentary context for the surface archaeology exposed across one of the Doring River Valley's artefact-baring localities, Uitspankraal 7 (UPK7). Characterisation, particle size, mineralogical, morphometric, and geophysical analysis of UPK7′s sand mantle resulted in the identification of four artefact-bearing sedimentary units, the aeolian and pedogenic processes involved in their formation, and their proposed order of deposition. This provides a stratigraphic, taphonomic, and environmental context against which chronometric dating and an analysis of the taphonomic, spatio-temporal, and technological composition of UPK7′s surface archaeology can be compared. This work is the first vital step towards understanding the depositional and behavioural history of a landscape, irrespective of context type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phlyctinus callosus and P. xerophilus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are two cryptic species of native entimine weevils, previously grouped together under the P. callosus sensu lato concept, that are pests of economic importance to the deciduous fruit and vine industry in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Laboratory bioassays were conducted using entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) isolates of Beauveria and entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs), Heterorhabditis indica and Steinernema yirgalemense, to determine differences in susceptibility of adult P. callosus and P. xerophilus to potential biological control agents. The test arena used was 24‐well bioassay plates with an inoculation rate of 200 infective juveniles (IJs)/insect for EPNs and 5 × 105 conidia/insect for EPF. Insects were inoculated using a 12.7 mm filter paper impregnated with 50 μL of entomopathogen suspension. Infection was determined after 96 h incubation for EPNs through dissection of cadavers. Insects inoculated with EPF were incubated in the wells for 18 days and mortality recorded daily. Cadavers were surface sterilized and observed for overt mycosis. Differential susceptibility between P. callosus and P. xerophilus was observed in EPF but not in EPN bioassays. Differential susceptibility to EPF could be due to methodology. Low adult weevil pathogenicity was found for all entomopathogens, with variable results obtained from different bioassay batches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The correlation between the level of difficulty of assessments, Bloom's Taxonomy as well as pass rates of courses has been a seriously under-researched area in South Africa. In this study, we proposed the revised Bloom's taxonomy level of difficulty index, before we examined 112 firstyear 2017-2019 final and supplementary assessment papers from the Economic and Management Sciences Faculty of a university in Western Cape. The descriptive statistics showed that these assessment papers are different in terms of duration, total marks, type of questions asked as well as pass rates. It was also found that these first-year summative assessments asked questions mainly at levels two (understand) and three (apply) of the revised Bloom's Taxonomy. In addition, the correlation and econometric analysis did not find a strong correlation between the level of difficulty index and pass rates. Nonetheless, the above-mentioned results need to be interpreted with great caution, because strictly speaking, one should also control for differences in other characteristics (e.g., students' personal characteristics, school characteristics and lecture attendance). To conclude, there is no explicit national policy that guides higher education institutions (HEIs) on how to use Bloom's or any other taxonomy to assess students at the appropriate National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level. Hence, our findings suggest that there is a need for a national assessment policy framework to guide HEIs on how to assess undergraduate students at different cognitive levels as required by the NQF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gated developments are a defining feature of the post-apartheid residential landscape. The fortification practices witnessed in gated developments are part of a wider securitisation of the South African urban- and ruralscapes. This research resides in the ambit of the theory of crime and violence as a precursor to the growth in gated developments. Research on gated developments has tended to focus on their proliferation in larger urban settlements, with scant attention being paid to gated developments in smaller settlements and in rural areas. However, non-metropolitan gated developments are a reality, and they display similar security features as those found in metropolitan areas. This paper compares the security levels of gated developments in a suburb of Cape Town with those in small towns in the Western Cape province. Security features are quantified to determine whether differences in securitisation levels exist between the locales. The gated developments in the city display higher levels of security than those in small towns. However, a closer analysis of small-town gated developments reveals high security levels in towns where tourism is the mainstay of the local economy. As the technology of security migrates from military applications to residential applications, a securified small-town future is a real possibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents prospective of using solar energy resources to produce hydrogen for feeding hydrogen vehicles at a refuelling station in South Africa. Solar energy sources from Vredendal, located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, were used for the study. Assessment was performed for a refuelling station having capacity to meet the hydrogen needs of 25, 50 and 100 number of vehicles per day. The results showed that the annual daily average solar irradiation on the horizontal surfaces and optimally tilted surfaces were 5.77 kWh/m2 and 5.933 kWh/m2, respectively. The solar power required to meet the hydrogen production demand for each of the three refuelling number of vehicles were determined to be 2.24, 4.24 and 8.95 MW, respectively. The cost of energy from the solar PV system as well as the cost of hydrogen production at the refuelling station for each of the three hydrogen vehicle capacities was calculated as (0.24, 0.239 and 0.237) $/kWh and (16.52, 15.95 and 15.67) $/kg, respectively. The PV system would displace 387, 774 and 1548 tons of coal per annum for each of the capacity, respectively. This will result in the avoidance of 780, 1560 and 3120 tons/yr of CO2, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The taxonomic identity and phylogenetic relationships of several southern African perennial taxa related to Frankenia repens are discussed. In particular, F. nodiflora Lam., a misunderstood species described from the Cape region and synonymised to F. pulverulenta, is restored for plants endemic to salt-pans and riverbeds in the coastal lowlands across the Cape Flats (Western Cape province, South Africa). Further, a revision of morphologically close plants, usually identified as F. pulverulenta or F. repens, also occurring in similar saline ecosystems of the inland western South Africa revealed the existence of two distinct new entities not matching any described taxa of the genus. Molecular analyses of nuclear ribosomal (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region) DNA sequence data together with morphological divergence allow recognition of those taxa at species rank, within an independent lineage close to F. repens. In consequence, two new sea-heath species are described in the so-called "F. repens group": F. nummularia from the Nama-Karoo Biome (Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces), and F. anneliseae from the Succulent Karoo Biome (Northern Cape province). Full morphological description and type designation are reported for each accepted species as well as data on ecology, habitat, distribution, and taxonomic relationships to other close relatives are given. Further, an identification key is presented to facilitate recognition of the southern African taxa of Frankenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy remains a major component of households' expenditures, which is also intricately linked to many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Inadequate access to clean energy has been linked to some health problems, which disproportionately affect women and children. This paper analyzed the determinants of energy poverty in South Africa using the General Households Survey data of 2019 to 2021. The Alkire-Foster method of multidimensional poverty decomposition and Tobit regression model were used. The results showed that deprivation in access to electricity declined from 5.94% in 2019 to 4.51% in 2021, while heating with unclean energy increased 46.43% in 2019 to 49.67% in 2021. In the combined dataset, energy poverty incidence was highest in Western Cape (0.5281), while Northern Cape has the highest intensity (0.5965). Alkire-Foster multidimensional energy poverty indicator (MEPI) declined from 0.2183 in 2019 to 0.1814 in 2021. Black households, and farm households showed the highest deprivation with MEPI of 0.2250 and 0.3662 respectively in the combined data. The Tobit results showed that social grants, Western Cape province, black respondents, male headed households, tribal and farm areas residents had significantly higher MEPI. Also, increase in monthly income significantly reduced MEPI. It was concluded that although average MEPI in South Africa is generally low, attainment of the SDG on energy requires integration of programmes and interventions to promote clean energy access among black population, tribal and farm areas residents and those on social grants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study emerged from a desire to understand the motivation of teachers to teach in challenging school contexts on the Cape Flats of South Africa where the legacy of apartheid continues to impact the quality of teaching and learning as the communities experience abject poverty, violence, and gang activity and have little regard for schooling, teachers, or education. This qualitative study employed an interpretative paradigm to understand the personal, lived experiences of teachers teaching in three purposively selected primary schools in Manenberg on the Cape Flats. The participants agreed to at least one semi-structured interview with follow-up questions for clarity if required. The findings suggest that the motivation of the teachers to teach at schools in a marginalised community is positively linked to the relationships they develop with their teacher community and the students and their families. If these relationships are positive, teachers are able to live out their beliefs and remain committed to the school community, which increases their perceived levels of self-efficacy and therefore their motivation to teach in the Manenberg area. Where they have support from the larger school community, their motivation is further enhanced. This motivation can be applied to countries with marginalised communities, particularly countries in the global south. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Access and use of contraception services by adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) remains suboptimal, exposing AGYW to early and often unexpected pregnancy. Unexpected pregnancies are a public health concern, associated with poor neonatal and maternal health outcomes, as well as school dropout, which may result in economic hardships. This study aimed to explore (a) AGYW perceptions and experiences of receiving contraception services from health care providers and (b) health care providers' perceptions and experiences of providing contraception services to AGYW. Methods: Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews with AGYW aged 15–24 years old and health care providers working in eight health care facilities around the Cape Town metropolitan area, in South Africa's Western Cape Province. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results: AGYW and health care providers voiced varying, and often contrasting, perceptions of some of the barriers that hinder AGYW's access to contraception services. AGYW indicated that provider-imposed rules about when to access contraceptive services hindered access, while health care providers felt that these rules were necessary for coordinating their work. In addition, AGYW highlighted health care providers' hostile attitudes towards them as an important factor discouraging access. On the contrary, health care providers did not think that their attitudes hampered AGYW's access to and use of contraception services, instead they emphasised that challenges at the health system level were a major issue, which they feel they have little control over. Such challenges made health care providers' work unpleasant and frustrating, impacting on their work approach and how they receive and offer services to AGYW. Conclusion: The expectation of negative attitudes from health care providers continues to be at the centre of AGYW discouragement towards accessing contraception services. System challenges are among some of the key drivers of health care provider's hostile attitudes, posing challenges to the efficient provision of services. In order to improve AGYW's access to and use of contraception services, and subsequently achieve the country's SDGs, conscious efforts need to be directed towards improving the workload and working conditions of health care providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Institutions of higher learning in South Africa are grappling with occasional power outages in lecture halls, leading to disruptions in academic activities and occasional loss of lecture hours. Therefore, this study presents a comprehensive evaluation of a grid-connected solar PV/Li-ion battery microgrid (μG) system aimed at maintaining a constant power supply to selected lecture halls at a university in the Western Cape, South Africa. The microgrid design, modelling, and simulations, conducted in the MATLAB/Simulink environment, include the solar PV, Li-ion battery, energy consumption of the lecture halls (load profile), boost converter, bidirectional converter, and grid. Using the detailed design, modelling, and simulation, the study evaluates the economic and environmental impacts of integrating μGs, focusing on enhancing energy reliability, reducing operational costs, and mitigating CO2 emissions. The results indicate that integrating the microgrid resulted in a significant 51% reduction in energy cost and a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions by 530 kgCO2e per hour. In Cases 2 and 4, where the battery supplied power, the annual battery degradation costs are 6.08% and 14.9% of the initial cost, respectively. The μG ensures an uninterrupted power supply and improves the overall reliability of the university's energy infrastructure. It promotes environmental sustainability goals of zero emissions and maintains continuous academic activities during grid outages. Furthermore, it fosters a conducive learning environment, supports innovation and creativity in sustainable energy technologies, and sets a standard for other higher education institutions to integrate renewable energy-powered μGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the dawn of democracy promised a new beginning in South Africa, lingering effects of Apartheid remained, including the struggle to address gang violence and gender-based violence amidst the backdrop of widespread organised crime and corruption, social inequality, a sluggish economy, and poor service delivery. The last policy - National Anti-Gangsterism Strategy (2017) - required implementation at provincial level. This study examines the Western Cape policy content and deconstructs the concept of gangsterism. The paper shows that sustained anti-gang strategies and interventions demand structural obstacles and inequality are addressed in the context of the spill-over from the Apartheid era. Notably, it will be concluded that there are long-term benefits of reframing the problem of gangsterism in the Western Cape as 'a youth-at-risk-crisis' with specific attention gender-sensitivity to contribute to local peacebuilding by focusing on youth to exert agency and become empowered in pursuit of individual and community resilience and active citizenry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary commercial agricultural production in the Western Cape bears the legacies of longstanding racialised paternalism. Attending to interpersonal interactions and expectations in this milieu, this paper interrogates the changing conceptions and experiences of poverty, personalism, and development among farmworkers in the neoliberal 2010s. Central to the analysis are two vignettes. The first captures interaction between an employer and an employee of a relatively progressive farming business, and the second presents the experiences of a woman farmworker with an empowerment project run by a non-governmental organisation. Both vignettes show how claims to develop or empower inadvertently affirm the disempowerment of those being developed or empowered, while the privileged status of those doing development remains unchallenged. The Afrikaans idiom of 'as jy arm is, is jy fokol! [if you're poor, you're nothing]' brings out the rawness of emotions, expressing a breach in promises of development, as a way out of poverty and powerlessness. Despite the nominal moral consensus over poverty reduction objectives and policies, the neoliberal economy of development in post-apartheid South Africa produces its own social and material inequalities. The burdens and humiliations resulting from changing character of inequalities manifest in interpersonal interactions, perpetuating feelings of worthlessness among the working poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the concept of social-ecological resilience gains increasing policy attention, there is growing demand for approaches that operationalise it. Amongst these demands is the need to empirically assess absorptive, adaptive and transformative capacities that underpin resilience to better understand the ways in which social-ecological systems can navigate change and uncertainty. We explore the application of a capitals approach for assessing resilience capacities, using an example of deciduous fruit farming operations in the Western Cape region of South Africa. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, thematically coded, and analysed using causal loop diagrams and co-occurrence analyses to identify changes experienced by farming operations, their responses to these changes, and the effects of both on capital resources. We then apply the criteria developed for the classification of resilience capacities. A variety of changes affect farming operations at multiple points across the value chain, and have effects across capital resources. Most significant to farmers are changes which impact the amount of water available and the cashflow they require to sustain their operations. The most common responses employed by farmers consisted of activities which either increase the availability of an affected resource, or decrease its demand in order to maintain the same functions (adaptive capacity). In fewer cases, farming operations were able to absorb the depletion of their capital resources due to pre-emptive management (absorptive capacity). In similarly few cases, the potential or realised resource deficiencies caused by changes were either corrected or decoupled from the farming operation through structural reorganisation towards a different or additional function and types of output being delivered (transformative capacity). Evidence of changes being anticipated prior to their onset were also identified, leading to responses which are used in conjunction with the preceding three capacities. Our findings suggest that the criteria we developed for classifying resilience capacities offer a useful means of operationalising resilience. In particular, the approach we pilot in this paper enables the application of a systems perspective to identify interactions between changes and responses, which broadens the options for identifying management strategies and interventions. The approach we propose can be used to identify key leverage points to strengthen the capacities of vulnerable farmers. Further work is required to integrate consideration of cross-scale effects of farm-scale resilience strategies on the broader social-ecological system. [Display omitted] • Empirical examples of studies which operationalise social-ecological resilience are in high demand. • We assess resilience identifying the capital effects of change and responses in farming operations. • The interaction between changes and responses are used to infer capacities of resilience. • Most response strategies reveal adaptive capacity, with other capacities utilised to a lesser extent. • The criteria employs a systemic outlook which broadens considerations for responses and management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015 the Western Cape Government (WCG) in South Africa introduced the e-Learning Game Changer initiative to offer teachers in public schools information and communications technology (ICT) resources to improve their pedagogy. Despite the efforts by the WCG to improve ICT use for teaching in public schools, successful ICT integration hardly takes place in several historically disadvantaged (albeit affluent) schools, which constitute a minority of schools in the Western Cape. The primary aim of this study was to investigate those conversion factors allowing or impeding teachers in two public primary schools in the Western Cape from attaining the potential capabilities required for successful ICT integration. Amartya Sen's capability approach was used as the study's theoretical framework. The study employed a qualitative research method involving 10 educators observed during their lessons and interviewed. The findings confirmed that only a few conversion factors, such as the attainment of ICT skills through a community of practice and university training by the teachers, provided them with capabilities to use ICT to deliver curriculum content and perform basic ICT skills effectively. Several conversion factors, including teachers' age, provincial and school policies, infrastructure and resources, prevented these teachers from realising their ICT potential. This study contends that the White Paper on e-Education (2004) policy might benefit from the results, which could help to build or rethink programmes that encourage continual teacher training. Transdisciplinarity Contribution: This research shows that policymakers need to take into consideration the conversion factors that may impact teachers' capabilities to deliver curriculum utilising ICTs. This study's findings provide new light on how these conversion factors limit or expand teachers' ICT capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to map place of cancer diagnosis in relation to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) care centre among people living with HIV (PLHIV) within South Africa (SA) using national laboratory database. Design: We linked HIV and cancer laboratory data from 2004–2014 using supervised machine-learning algorithms. We performed a cross-sectional analysis comparing province where individuals accessed their HIV care versus where they had their cancer diagnosis. Setting: We used laboratory test records related to HIV diagnostics and care, such as CD4 cell counts and percentages, rapid tests, qualitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), antibody and antigen tests for HIV data that was documented as HIV positive and laboratory diagnosed cancer records from SA. Study population: Our study population consisted of HIV records from the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) that linked to cancer record at the National Cancer Registry (NCR) between 2004–2014. Primary and secondary outcomes: We linked HIV records from NHLS to cancer records at NCR in order to study the inherent characteristics of the population with both HIV and cancer. Results: The study population was 68,284 individuals with cancer and documented HIV related laboratory test. The median age at cancer diagnosis was 40 [IQR, 33–48] years for the study population with most cancers in PLHIV diagnosed in females 70.9% [n = 46,313]. Of all the PLHIV and cancer, 25% (n = 16,364 p < 0.001) sought treatment outside their province of residence with 60.7% (n = 10,235) travelling to Gauteng. KZN had 46.6% (n = 4,107) of its PLHIV getting cancer diagnosis in Gauteng. Western Cape had 95% (n = 6,200) of PLHIV getting cancer diagnosis within the province. Conclusions: Our results showed health systems inequalities across provinces in SA with respect to cancer diagnosis. KZN for example had nearly half of the PLHIV getting cancer diagnosis outside the province while Western Cape is able to offer cancer diagnostic services to most of the PLHIV in the province. Gauteng is getting over burdened with referral for cancer diagnosis from other provinces. More effort is required to ensure equitable access to cancer diagnostic services within the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis A (HAV) presents a significant global health concern with diverse clinical manifestations primarily transmitted through fecal–oral routes, emphasizing the critical role of sanitation and water cleanliness in transmission dynamics. Age-related variations, notably asymptomatic presentation in children, add complexity. The World Health Organization's (WHO) endemicity classification aids in understanding prevalence and control strategies. This study examines 2023 South African epidemiological data on HAV cases, evaluating age distribution, incidence rates, and provincial disparities. Data from the national surveillance system and weather services were analyzed. Findings reveal distinct age-related trends, with the highest seroprevalence observed in the 5–9 age group with the most burdened areas located in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Gauteng provinces. Furthermore, seasonal rainfall variations correlate with increased incidence in Western Cape and KZN. The amalgamation of results suggest a potential epidemiological shift, emphasizing the need for updated immunization strategies. Noteworthy patterns, like the rise in 5–9-year-olds, may be influenced by factors such as school clustering and migration. Provincial disparities and the impact of climatic events underscore the necessity for dynamic vaccination strategies and surveillance network enhancements. This study highlights the urgency for improved understanding and response to HAV in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The traditional HIV treatment cascade aims to visualise the journey of each person living with HIV from diagnosis, through initiation on antiretroviral therapy (ART) to treatment success, represented by virological suppression. This representation has been a pivotal tool in highlighting and quantifying sequential gaps along the care continuum. There is longstanding recognition, however, that this may oversimplify the complexity of real-world engagement with HIV services in settings with mature high-burden HIV epidemics. A complementary "cyclical" cascade has been proposed to represent the processes of disengagement at different points on the care continuum, with multiple pathways to re-engagement, although the feasibility of implementing this at scale has been uncertain. This study aimed to populate, refine, and explore the utility of a cyclical representation of the HIV cascade, using routine data from a high-burden HIV setting. Methods and findings: This observational cohort study leveraged person-level data on all people living with HIV in the Western Cape (WC), South Africa, who accessed public health services in the 2 years prior to 31 December 2023. Programme data from disease registers were complemented by data from pharmacy and laboratory systems. At study closure, 494 370 people were included, constituting 93% of those of those estimated to be living with HIV in the province, of whom 355 104 were on ART. Substantial disengagement from HIV care was evident at every point on the cascade. Early treatment emerged as a period of higher risk of disengagement, but it did not account for the majority of disengagement. Almost all those currently disengaged had prior experience of treatment. While re-engagement was also common, overall treatment coverage had increased slowly over 5 years. The transition to dolutegravir-based regimens was dramatic with good virological outcomes for those in care, notwithstanding a clearly discernible impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on viral load (VL) testing. People currently engaged and disengaged in care are similar with respect to age and gender. Those who died or disengaged recently were previously distributed across a range of cascade statuses, and a substantial proportion of those newly initiating and re-initiating treatment were no longer on treatment 6 months later. The main limitation of this study was incomplete evidence of HIV testing, linkage to HIV-specific services, and out-of-facility mortality. Conclusions: Using routine data, it was possible to populate and automate a cyclical cascade of HIV care that continuously captured the nonlinear care journeys of individuals living with HIV. In this generalised mature HIV epidemic, most people are treatment experienced. Disengagement is common and occurs at various points along the cascade, making it challenging to identify high-impact intervention opportunities. While historical HIV cascades remain valuable for target setting and service monitoring, they can be complemented with insights from more detailed cyclical cascades. Jonathan Euvrard and colleagues leverage routinely collected data from a high-burden HIV setting to demonstrate the feasibility of populating a cyclical HIV care cascade as part of routine service provision and to identify care gaps and temporal trends and changes to cascade statuses. Author summary: Why was this study done?: While there had been broad enthusiasm for cyclical representations of the HIV care cascade, the feasibility and utility of populating such representations using routine data in high-burden settings like South Africa are unknown. What did the researchers do and find?: The researchers used routine person-level data from 494 370 people who recently accessed public health services in the Western Cape (WC), South Africa, to adapt and populate a cyclical cascade of HIV care. The study uncovered complex patterns of engagement, disengagement, and re-engagement at various cascade points. Early treatment emerged as a period of higher risk of disengagement, but it did not account for the majority of disengagement. Trends over time demonstrated the shift among those starting ART from first-ever HIV engagement to re-engagement and service disruptions resulting from the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. What do these findings mean?: With an appropriate data consolidation environment within the health services, it is readily feasible to continuously populate a cyclical representation of the HIV cascade of care using routine administrative and clinical data. The findings provide insights into the complex nature of engagement with HIV care. The identification of disengagement at multiple points on the care journey suggests the need for scalable, inclusive interventions. While historical cascades remain important tools, the cyclical cascade offers a complementary understanding of engagement patterns, contributing to ongoing efforts to refine public health strategies and improve HIV care outcomes. The main limitation of this study was incomplete evidence of HIV testing, linkage to HIV-specific services and out-of-facility mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is experiencing an upward trend. This study investigates the utilization of space-time cubes to visualize and interpret PM2.5 data in South Africa over multiple temporal intervals spanning from 1998 to 2022. The findings indicated that the mean PM2.5 concentrations in Gauteng Province were the highest, with a value of 53 μg/m3 in 2010, whereas the lowest mean PM2.5 concentrations were seen in the Western Cape Province, with a value of 6.59 μg/m3 in 1999. In 2010, there was a rise in the average concentration of PM2.5 across all provinces. The increase might be attributed to South Africa being the host nation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In most provinces, there has been a general trend of decreasing PM2.5 concentrations over the previous decade. Nevertheless, the issue of PM2.5 remains a large reason for apprehension. The study also forecasts South Africa's PM2.5 levels until 2029 using simple curve fitting, exponential smoothing and forest-based models. Spatial analysis revealed that different areas require distinct models for accurate forecasts. The complexity of PM2.5 trends underscores the necessity for varied models and evaluation tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the factors that influence COVID-19 transmission is essential in assessing and mitigating the spread of the pandemic. This study focuses on modeling the impact of air pollution and meteorological parameters on the risk of COVID-19 transmission in Western Cape Province, South Africa. The data used in this study consist of air pollution parameters, meteorological variables, and COVID-19 incidence observed for 262 days from April 26, 2020, to January 12, 2021. Lagged data were prepared for modeling based on a 6-day incubation period for COVID-19 disease. Based on the overdispersion property of the incidence, negative binomial (NB) and generalised Poisson (GP) regression models were fitted. Stepwise regression was used to select the significant predictors in both models based on the Akaike information criterion (AIC). The residuals of both NB and GB regression models were autocorrelated. An autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model was fitted to the residuals of both models. ARIMA (7, 1, 5) was fitted to the residuals of the NB model while ARIMA (1, 1, 6) was fitted for the residuals of the GP model. NB + ARIMA (7, 1, 5) and GP + ARIMA (1, 1, 6) models were tested for performance using root mean square error (RSME). GP + ARIMA (1, 1, 6) was selected as the optimal model. The results from the optimal model suggest that minimum temperature, ambient relative humidity, ambient wind speed, PM 2.5 , and NO 2 at various lags are positively associated with COVID-19 incidence while maximum relative humidity, minimum relative humidity, solar radiation, maximum temperature, NO, PM load, PM 10 , SO 2 , and NO X at various lags have a negative association with COVID-19 incidence. Ambient wind direction and temperature showed a nonsignificant association with COVID-19 at all lags. This study suggests that meteorological and pollution parameters play a vital independent role in the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School psychologists often face complex ethical and legal issues in their work, which become more challenging as the needs of students and school systems evolve. When faced with ethical dilemmas, it can be difficult for school psychologists to determine the best course of action, particularly when there is no clear solution. This study explored the ethical dilemmas experienced by psychologists working in South African schools in the Western Cape. The aim was to understand the ethical landscape in which they operate. The research was conducted through semi-structured telephone interviews with 16 participants, who shared 58 ethical dilemmas they had experienced. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, identifying six themes: confidentiality, role definition, assessments and reports, workload, consent, and scope of practice. Participants utilized various strategies to manage dilemmas, such as relying on professional codes, setting boundaries, seeking supervision, and prioritizing the child's best interests. The study highlights the complex context in which school psychologists navigate ethical issues and their impact on the types of dilemmas they face. Finally, suggestions are provided for training and practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We combine GPN theory with a water stewardship approach. • Export-oriented fruit producers in South Africa face a range of water risks. • To ensure their water security, they deploy different mitigating strategies. • These strategies depoliticise post-apartheid water allocation in South Africa. • This has negative impacts for water governance & actors beyond the fruit industry. This paper investigates the strategies export-oriented agricultural firms use to mitigate water risks. By doing so, we respond to a gap in Global Production Network (GPN) scholarship, whereby the relationships between economic production and the natural environment have received insufficient attention. We build on GPN 2.0′s formulation of environmental risk as a causal driver of firms' strategies, combining it with the concept of water stewardship. Empirical evidence is drawn from the export-oriented fruit industry in South Africa's Western Cape. We find that while current water risk mitigating strategies are successful in securing water for fruit producers, these also have negative impacts on the wider South African water governance regime by depoliticising water allocation. In post-apartheid South Africa, this is deeply problematic. Our findings emphasise the imperative for research to consider the wider socio-political and ecological context when evaluating firm strategies to mitigate water and other environmental risks in South Africa and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Healthcare workers globally have experienced increased social and occupational stressors in their working environments and communities because of COVID-19 which has increased the risk of mental health concerns. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and correlates of depression and anxiety amongst healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Western Cape, South Africa. In addition, role-related stressors and coping strategies were explored. Material and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of doctors and nurses working in public healthcare facilities across the Western Cape, South Africa. Participants completed the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D), the Professional Quality of Life (PROQL-R-IV), and the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE-R) scales. Data were analysed using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: The sample comprised 416 health workers (303 nurses, 113 doctors). Almost 40% of the sample (n = 161) had CES-D scores suggestive of probable depression, and 45.9% (n = 186) had GAD-7 scores suggestive of anxiety. In the logistic regression model, the odds of probable depression were higher for female participants compared to men (OR = 2.26, 95% CI 1.00–5.10) and for participants who used behavioural disengagement as a coping strategy (OR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.14–1.97). More time spent working with COVID patients was associated with increased odds of having high levels of anxiety [OR = 1.13, 95% CI (1.02–1.25). Substance use (OR = 1.39, 95% CI 1.08–1.81), venting (OR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.01–1.70), and self-blame (OR = 1.42, 95% CI 1.08–1.87) were some of the coping strategies used by healthcare workers. High levels of secondary traumatic stress and burnout were found to increase the odds of both depression and anxiety. Conclusion: Findings of this study suggest that there is a high prevalence of mental health issues among healthcare workers, and a critical need to focus on workplace mental health interventions to support these frontline workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, 16 sediment samples were collected from Bree, Klein-Brak, Bakens and uMngeni rivers of South Africa and were prepared, analysed and evaluated for the activity concentration of 238U, 232Th and 40K concerning its radiogenic heat production using a high-purity germanium detector. The results show that 238U is the prevalent radionuclide in radiogenic heat production, with 232Th and 40K emerging as trace elements. The mean activity concentrations are 28.97%, 63.69% and 7.34% for uranium, thorium and potassium, respectively, from all sampling locations. This shows that a high radioactive concentration of a specific radionuclide does not necessarily imply its increased contribution to radiogenic heat production. The radionuclide contributions to radiogenic heat production at all sampled locations are 59.39%, 35.11% and 5.50% for uranium, thorium and potassium, respectively. The mean radiogenic heat production rate in the study area ranged from 0.0180 $\mu Wm^{-3}$ μW m − 3 in sediment samples from the Bree River in Western Cape to 0.0072 $\mu Wm^{-3}$ μW m − 3 in sediment samples of uMgeni River in KwaZulu-Natal. All values obtained for this study are five times lower than the average continental radiogenic heat production of 1 $\mu Wm^{-3}$ μW m − 3 . This study provides insight into the radiogenic heat production rate due to the presence of radionuclides in all river samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We acknowledge the existing educational inequalities that South Africa faces as a result of differences in developmental and equal educational opportunities. The aim with this study was to investigate the role of non-cognitive learning performance variables that affect the learning performance and success of secondary-school learners. Data were collected from a sample of 395 Grade 9 learners. The proposed learning performance structural model was empirically evaluated by using various instruments and was analysed by means of structural equation modelling. The results indicate statistically significant positive relationships between learning performance and cognitive engagement, learning performance and grit, cognitive engagement and conscientiousness, grit and learning motivation, grit and cognitive engagement, learning motivation and parental quality, learning motivation and tenacity, learning motivation and cognitive engagement, and conscientiousness and resilience. Both tenacity and parental quality acted as moderators of the relationship between environmental unfavourableness and cognitive engagement. The selection of variables was more effective in explaining variance in cognitive engagement than in learning performance. The results of the study could be used to facilitate cognitive engagement as a pivotal variable in learning success among secondary-school learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citizen science data are rapidly transforming the conservation landscape. Targeted participatory citizen science initiatives generate nuanced data capable of monitoring trends in populations and generating early warnings for species and habitats experiencing significant declines. In the Hessequa Atlasing Area, Western Cape, South Africa, citizen science 'atlasers' involved with the Second Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP2) have worked with scientific leadership since 2014 to improve the quality of bird atlas data in their region for species monitoring. In this study, we used reporting rates from SABAP2 checklists in the Hessequa Atlasing Area to calculate changes in range size and relative abundance for the 165 most commonly reported species in the region. We used a seven-tier alert system and broad habitat categories to sort species by priority for conservation action. Our results showed that wetland and marine associated species are experiencing the greatest declines in range and relative abundance in the Hessequa Atlasing Area, whilst urban and grassland associated species are largely increasing. We discuss how observed changes in populations may be used to guide conservation action and provide recommendations for scientists and non-scientific community members on engaging with and responding to the changes highlighted in each of the seven alert levels provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wasps are part of the entomofauna associated with vertebrate carrion. They are known to parasitize and prey on specific life stages of insect hosts such as eggs, larvae, pupae, and/or adults associated with vertebrate carrion. However, reports of parasitic behavior of wasps on carrion-associated insect life stages and their possible forensic implications are non-existent in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. This study is part of ongoing research investigating the entomofauna and their pattern of succession on an adult pig carcass in Cape Town, South Africa. During this study, the parasitic wasp Alysia manducator was noted parasitizing and preying on blow fly larvae associated with the decomposing carcass. The arrival of A. manducator coincides with the occurrence of blow fly eggs and/or larvae on the carcass. These wasps were seen in close association with the eggs and larvae of blow flies on various parts of the carcass and some wasps were seen dragging fly larvae attached to their ovipositors away from one part of the carcass to another. Some A. manducator were also observed walking over several larvae on the carcass while exhibiting a stabbing behavior presumably in search of a host for oviposition. We suggest that the observations recorded in this study are of considerable forensic importance as the dragging effect and predatory and stabbing behavior exhibited by A. manducator could potentially disrupt the feeding and development of the fly larvae on the carcass. This could subsequently alter the process of carcass decomposition and/or affect minimum post-mortem interval estimations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ants have been documented as part of the entomo-sarcosaprophagous community. They have been known to alter the process of carcass decomposition due to their ability to feed on fly eggs/larvae and create post-mortem skin injuries. However, studies on the impact of ants on decomposing carcasses are scarce, especially within the Western Cape Province of South Africa. This study was part of a research project that utilized two (2) neonate pig carcasses in each month of the year to establish baseline data on the insect species associated with decomposing carcasses in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. In the early spring (September 2020), mid-autumn (May 2021), and mid-winter (July 2021) trials respectively, several individuals of Crematogaster cf. liengmei colonized the pig carcasses shortly after deployment. There, they fed on the flesh of the carcasses and further inflicted bite marks and conspicuous post-mortem skin lesions. Following the reduction in the presence of Crematogaster cf. liengmei specifically in the mid-winter trial, non-vital bleeding was observed as a consequence of the skin lesions. In the early spring, mid- and late autumn (May 2021), and early (June 2021) and mid-winter trials respectively, Crematogaster cf. liengmei prevented the formation of large maggot masses, principally through the predation of fly eggs, larvae, and adults. The observations recorded in this study are of considerable importance in forensic investigations as the effect of the necrophagous behavior of Crematogaster cf. liengmei on decomposing remains can be misinterpreted by inexperienced investigators during crime scene investigations and may alter post-mortem interval estimations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to investigates the contribution of the informal sector towards secure livelihoods. Using a case study design, the study focusses on Mandela park, situated in Khayelitsha Township, Cape Town, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Khayelitsha is predominantly an old township established by the apartheid government using unjust segregation laws to foster spatial planning that isolated people of colour in areas with insufficient infrastructure and informal economic activities. Therefore, informal trading became a survival strategy in Khayelitsha, attracting an increasing number of informal traders in public spaces within the township in pursuit of livelihoods. Informal activities are generally conducted to generate income and secure sustainable livelihoods. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses a qualitative research design, incorporating structured interviews instrumental in data collection and in-depth thematic analysis. Findings: The study findings reveal that the informal sector positively contributes to the sustainable livelihoods of those involved in the informal sector and the relatives of those through income generation, family support, wealth creation, source of employment, business incubation and innovation and creativity. Originality/value: The study concludes that given the increasing unemployment rate in South Africa, caused by the stagnant economic growth rate, policymakers should rethink their policies on the informal economy, acknowledge the sector's relevance and support the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]