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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]

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]

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 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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

South Africa has been identified as having a high potential for solar powered irrigation. However, there has been a lag in the development of solar powered irrigation systems (SPIS) there, mainly due to the high investment cost associated with solar technology. South Africa has frequently implemented load shedding, which has affected many farmers. The work reported in this paper sought to determine the extent of solar powered irrigation and characteristics of the system types in use. The extent of SPIS in South Africa was determined using a questionnaire, and categorised in terms of farm size, SPIS configuration (storage of energy), type of irrigation, and location of the system. These were established mainly from a literature search. The questionnaires were administered on Survey Monkey®. The sample size of the study was 138 755 potential respondents. The number that participated and completed the questionnaires included a total of 18 SPIS engineers, installers and designers and 13 SPIS users (farmers). The main problem encountered with the distribution of the survey was finding SPIS users to participate. Results from SPIS engineers, installers and designers showed that most SPIS they implemented were in the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape, at 33% of the responses for both provinces. The total area under SPIS was found to be 364 ha, while the area under irrigation is South Africa is 1 300 00 ha, indicating a high potential for SPIS development. Some details on the extent of SPIS in South Africa were determined in this paper, but more SPIS users need to be identified to determine the details of their SPIS. [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]

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]

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]

Background: HIV diagnosis in South Africa is based on a point-of-care testing (PoCT) algorithm with paper-based record-keeping. Aggregated testing data are reported routinely. To facilitate improved HIV case-based surveillance, the Western Cape Province implemented a unique pilot intervention to digitise PoCT results, at an individual level, and generate an electronic register using the newly developed Provincial Health Data Centre (PHDC). We describe the intervention (phased) and present an evaluation of the operational feasibility of the intervention. We also offer implementation insights into establishing electronic capture of individual level testing data.Methods: Cross-sectional analyses were conducted on records of all patients attending a local Community Health Centre who had an HIV-PoCT during the study period. Data from the intervention were linked to the PHDC using a unique identifier and compared with aggregate data from the paper-based register. Correlation coefficients were calculated to quantify the correlation between the two monthly datasets. To support an understanding of the findings, the Department of Health project management team generated reflections on the implementation process, which were then grouped thematically into implementation lessons.Results: In total, 11,337 PoCT records were digitised (70% (7954) during Phase I; and 30% (3383) during Phase II). Linkage of forms to the PHDC was 96% in Phase I and 98% in Phase II. Comparison with aggregate data showed high correlation during Phase I, but notable divergence during Phase II. Divergence in Phase II was due to stringent data quality requirements and high clinical staff turnover. Factors supporting implementation success in Phase I included direct oversight of data capturing by a manager with clinical and operational insight. Implementation challenges included operational, health system, and high cost-related issues.Conclusions: We demonstrate that rapid digitisation of HIV PoCT data, without compromising currently collected aggregate data, is operationally feasible, and can contribute to person-level longitudinal HIV case-based surveillance. To take to scale, we will need to improve PoCT platforms and clerical and administrative systems. Although we highlight challenges, we demonstrate that electronic HIV testing registers can successfully replace manual registers and improve efforts to monitor and evaluate HIV testing strategies. [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]

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]

Background: While intersectoral collaboration is considered valuable and important for achieving health outcomes, there are few examples of successes. The literature on intersectoral collaboration suggests that success relies on a shared understanding of what can be achieved collectively and whether stakeholders can agree on mutual goals or acceptable trade-offs. When health systems are faced with negotiating intersectoral responses to complex issues, achieving consensus across sectors can be a challenging and uncertain process. Stakeholders may present divergent framings of the problem based on their disciplinary background, interests and institutional mandates. This raises an important question about how different frames of problems and solutions affect the potential to work across sectors during the initiating phases of the policy process.Methods: In this paper, this question was addressed through an analysis of the case of the First 1000 Days (FTD) Initiative, an intersectoral approach targeting early childhood in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. We conducted a documentary analysis of 34 policy and other documents on FTD (spanning global, national and subnational spheres) using Schmidt's conceptualisation of policy ideas in order to elicit framings of the policy problem and solutions.Results: We identified three main frames, associated with different sectoral positionings - a biomedical frame, a nurturing care frame and a socioeconomic frame. Anchored in these different frames, ideas of the problem (definition) and appropriate policy solutions engaged with FTD and the task of intersectoral collaboration at different levels, with a variety of (sometimes cross) purposes.Conclusions: The paper concludes on the importance of principled engagement processes at the beginning of collaborative processes to ensure that different framings are revealed, reflected upon and negotiated in order to arrive at a joint determination of common goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Western Cape Government (WCG) has recently implemented its seventh (7th) Provincial Evaluation Plan that is aligned to the National Evaluation Policy Framework adopted by South Africa in November 2011. The National Evaluation System (NES) and its evolution at the provincial level has been aligned to its Province-wide Monitoring and Evaluation System (PWMES). The Department of the Premier in the WCG centrally drives this system. The institutionalisation of a Provincial Evaluation System (PES) serves as a model for any sub-national government to practice government evaluations at provincial, regional or local levels. To date, thirty-three (33) evaluations have been completed and a further eleven (11) are at various stages of implementation. Objectives: Since the initial rollout of the PES in the WCG, the system has developed, strengthened and matured. This comes from a need for better access to, and understanding of, evaluations. Method: The paper has drawn on the recent evaluation of the NES which selected the Western Cape as a case study; and uses the findings to put improvements in place in the areas of policy, methodology, organisation, capacity, participation with other actors, and use. Results: The main value in sharing this work, is the building of an enabling environment to roll out evaluations on a regional level, that are in line with the national evaluation approach, whilst at the same time facilitating integration with provincial strategic priorities. Conclusion: This paper reflects on the way in which the WCG of South Africa has undertaken the implementation and maturation of the NES at a sub-national level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: South Africa has one of the highest incidences of Tuberculosis (TB) globally. High co-morbid HIV prevalence complicates TB management and treatment outcomes. Growing evidence suggests that integrating the TB and HIV programmes will improve the overall results. Objectives: To describe how TB programme staff at various levels of the South African health system responded to the transition from a paper-based to an electronic register of TB data integrated with HIV programme data. Method: Three primary health service facilities in the Cape Winelands district, Western Cape province, South Africa served as pilot sites for implementation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 TB programme staff purposively selected at facility, sub-district, district and provincial levels of the health system, based on their involvement in implementing electronic TB data. An objective-driven thematic frame was used to analyse the data. Results: Fears about the transition included reductions in data quality, changes to the status quo and a lack of computer literacy. Participants acknowledged benefits of reduced workloads, speed of accessing patient-level data and click-of-a-button reporting. Three factors influenced the ease of adopting the new system: firstly, implementation challenged the vertical position of the TB programme, TB data and staff's conventional roles and responsibilities; secondly, perceptions of the paper-based register as functional and reliable made the transition to electronic seem unnecessary; and thirdly, lack of a process of change management challenged staff's ability to internalise the proposed change. Conclusion: A process of change management is critical to facilitate the efficiency and effectiveness with which the electronic in-facility TB register is implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I argue against contemporary South African representations of the elderly as people at the fringes of society, as frail, withdrawn from social activity or "invisible." Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork carried out in Nuwerus, in the Matzikama Local Municipality of Western Cape Province, I highlight the way the elderly maintain their sense of vitality. I unpack the personal, religious and social dimensions of old age through the local notion of vitality. I draw attention to the subtle ways with which they push the boundaries of old age, consequently challenging conventional notions of health and wellness amongst the aged. The vigour with which the elderly go about their everyday life ultimately makes them the pillars and knowledge holders of the community. This paper examines the practices of the elderly in Nuwerus in order to evaluate the presentation of old age in terms of frailty in the literature with self-conceptions of strength, health and independence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents continuous, high resolution fossil pollen and microcharcoal records from Bo Langvlei, a lake in the Wilderness Embayment on South Africa's southern Cape coast. Spanning the past ~1300 years and encompassing the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA; c. AD 950–1250) and the Little Ice Age (LIA; c. AD 1300–1850), these records provide a rare southern African perspective on past temperature, moisture and vegetation change during these much debated periods of the recent geological past. Considered together with other records from the Wilderness Embayment, we conclude that conditions in the region during the MCA chronozone were – in the context of the last 1300 years – likely relatively dry (reduced levels of Afrotemperate forest pollen) and perhaps slightly cooler (increased percentages of Stoebe -type pollen) than present. The most significant phase of forest expansion, and more humid conditions, occurred during the transition between the MCA and the most prominent cooling phase of the LIA. The LIA is clearly identified at this locality as a period of cool, dry conditions between c. AD 1600 and 1850. The mechanisms driving the changes observed in the Bo Langvlei pollen record appear to be generally linked to changes in temperature, and changes in the influence of tropical circulation systems. During warmer periods, moisture availability was higher at Bo Langvlei, and rainfall was perhaps less seasonal. During colder periods, precipitation resulting from tropical disturbances was more restricted, resulting in drier conditions. While increased precipitation has been reported during the LIA from Verlorenvlei in the Western Cape as a result of an equatorward displacement of the westerly storm-track at this time, the opposing response at Bo Langvlei suggests that any increased influence of westerlies was insufficient to compensate for the concurrent reduction in tropical/local rainfall in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a first report on species of endosymbiotic ciliates (Litostomatea, Trichostomatia) inhabiting the intestine of zebras in South Africa. Ciliates from Mountain Zebra were investigated for the first time in the world. The wild population of mountain zebras in general and the Cape Mountain Zebra subspecies in particular is low in numbers: this species is included as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List. Approximately 15 species of trichostome ciliates from 9 different genera were found in the samples collected from wild zebras in Western Cape, South Africa. Some of the ciliate species are also common to horses and other equids, while others are unique for zebras. The ciliates of Triplumaria genus common to elephants and rhinoceroses, and the species Blepharosphaera ceratotherii previously described in rhinoceroses were found in equids for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: High rates of pre-treatment loss to care among persons diagnosed with HIV persist. Linkage to care can be improved through active digitally-based surveillance. Currently, record-keeping for HIV diagnoses in South Africa is paper-based. Aggregated testing data are reported routinely, and only discordant findings result in a specimen being tested at a laboratory and digitised. The Western Cape Province in South Africa has a Provincial Health Data Centre (PHDC) where person-level routine electronic data are consolidated in a single database, leveraging the existence of a unique patient identifier. To facilitate improved HIV surveillance, a pre-carbonated point-of-care test (PoCT) form was piloted, where one copy was routed to a central point and digitised for PHDC inclusion. Methods: We evaluated the utility of the intervention using cross-sectional and retrospective cohort analyses, as well as comparisons with aggregate data. Data were linked to the Patient Master Index of the PHDC using unique identifiers. Prior evidences of HIV within the PHDC were used to differentiate newly diagnosed patients and those retesting, as well as linkage to care and treatment. Results: From May 2017 to June 2018, 11337 digitised point-of-care HIV testing records were linked to the PHDC. Overall, 96% of records in the aggregate dataset were digitised, with 97% linked to the PHDC. Of those tested, 79% were female (median age 27 years). Linkage demonstrated that 51.3% (95% CI 48.4–54.1%) of patients testing HIV-positive were retesting. Of those newly diagnosed, 81% (95% CI 77.9–84.3%) were linked to HIV care and 25% (95% CI 21.6–28.7%) were initiated on antiretroviral therapy immediately. Conclusion: Digitisation of PoCT results provides individuated HIV testing data to assist in linkage to care and in differentiating newly diagnosed patients from positive patients retesting. Actionable and accurate data can improve the measurement of performance towards the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the impact of various factors on teacher effectiveness is considered in the South African context. The Teacher Effectiveness Model is constructed to answer the research question whether it is the low quantity of teachers or predominantly their low quality that contributes to the basic education crisis of Quintile 1 to 3 schools in the Western Cape, South Africa. The model illustrates the impact of improving the quantity and quality of teachers within the province. This research question is answered when the system exhibits an increase of 13% in the success measure when the quantity is improved and an increase of 10% in the success measure when quality is improved. Improvement in both factors, however, gives the best result with a 17% increase in the success measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on 18-months of ethnographic fieldwork in South Africa's Western Cape province, we suggest ways in which marine resource law enforcement activities can be evaluated at the level of individual fisheries compliance inspectors, to gain a more accurate understanding of the state of marine resource law enforcement. We show that these individual assessments can be scaled up to speak about specific compliance stations, and further, that these local-level assessments can be scaled up to the regional and provincial levels, without losing sight of the needs and value of the individual inspector. This paper contributes to the broader conversation on compliance in marine resource governance, as well as opening a new avenue of discussion: how to incorporate inspector-focussed social indicators. We show that this can be done in ways that take the overlap of the ecological, economic and social dimensions into account, while still being practical in terms of application and evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the decision-making process of patients with pregnancies affected by serious congenital abnormalities. The study design was an exploratory qualitative study. The sample for this study was pregnant individuals who had a prenatal diagnosis of a serious congenital abnormality and were offered termination of pregnancy. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews with closed and open-ended questions, recorded and transcribed verbatim, were used to collect the data; this was then analyzed using a thematic data analysis approach. Five topics were developed: "Health care services", "Home", "Being a mother", "Finding meaning", and "The aftermath". The first four topics describe the decision-making process where the participants filtered through multiple factors to reach their final decision. Although the participants consulted with their families, partners, and community, they made the final decision themselves. The final topics describes activities which were necessary for closure and coping. This study has provided valuable insight into the decision-making process, which can be used to improve services offered to patients. Information should be communicated clearly with follow-up appointments to discuss further. Healthcare professional should show empathy and assure the participants that their decision is supported. • There are limited qualitative data on termination of pregnancy decision-making for serious congenital abnormalities in the African setting. • This paper provides insight into the decision-making process of pregnant individuals from the Western Cape, South Africa. • Decision-making for terminating pregnancy affected by congenital abnormality is multifaceted but with one deciding factor. • Contrary to what is anecdotally expected, in this study the participants made the final decision. • Tragic optimism was necessary for the participants to carry on with their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expected electrification of Sub-Sahara Africa's urban paratransit with an electric minibus taxi (eMBT) has received increased attention in energy research and expenditure analyses. In this paper, several long-distance routes between the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape in South Africa are assessed for electrification. To mitigate the long charging time of eMBTs, we propose a battery swapping approach in which a trailer acts as a mobile battery bank to the vehicle (eMBT+T); which is to be charged from a solar charging station to reduce emissions. Compared to the current MBTs, the proposed model results in only a 6% trip time increase. Crucially, emissions are reduced by 75%, where a 20% increase is seen when using an eMBT. The results show that a trailer battery enables viable long-distance electrical paratransit, and with the integration of solar power charging, this transition can also be sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Road Safety is a major cause of death around the world and South Africa has one of the highest road fatality rates. Many measures, engineering and medical, are investigated. However, analysis of the accessibility of emergency care facilities is often overlooked. This paper aims to fill the gap between pre-crash engineering solutions and literature on trauma injuries and emergency care procedures. The focus is on the role that accessibility to emergency care facilities in rural areas plays, given that 50% of the world's population lives in rural areas, which are often omitted from international research. The Western Cape (a rural province with low population volumes and high volume roads in South Africa) is analysed as an example of access to trauma care in rural areas. Method It is internationally accepted that the time to emergency care facilities influences the survival chances. However, the international literature still debates the exact time period. In this paper, the 'Golden Hour' is used to analyse the accessibility of emergency care facilities in rural areas and establish a geographical analysis method which identifies risk areas. The analysis can be repeated if the international literature debates regarding the exact time period changes. Results A Geographical Information System (GIS) tool revealed that 53% of the fatalities in the rural parts if the Western Cape occur outside the Golden Hour. In high risk crash areas, the fatality risk is up to nine times higher than the province's rural average. People in need of trauma care after a road crash are most likely to survive if they receive definitive care timeously. At the time of the study, the rural areas in the Western Cape had 44 Emergency Medical Services stations and 29 medical facilities that can assist to provide definitive (trauma) care. Further optimisation of the facility locations is recommended and research has begun. More advanced geographical modelling is possible when improved data becomes available on the 'Golden Hour' theory, differential times for varying injury types or travel speeds of ambulances. This, more advanced, modelling can reduce the road crash burden in rural areas around the world further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In early 2012, South Africa's Western Cape Province enacted new alcohol control legislation amid mounting concern with the costs of alcohol-related harms. This has focused on urban shebeen closure to control the informal, unlicensed trade and the harms it generates through crime, violence and injury. In contrast to policy discourse, this paper contends that rather than existing outside regulation, the city's shebeeners embrace multiple (self and collective) regulatory strategies to manage the inherent risks of their own informality. Drawing on novel empirical data including a ‘business census’ and interviews with the police and liquor traders across four Cape Town case study sites, the paper adds new depth to contemporary engagements with the appropriate and equitable regulation of the South African informal liquor trade. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Western Cape Province of South Africa has a Mediterranean climate of winter rainfall and hot, dry summers. The rivers have all been dammed to manage the available water resources. Every year at the end of summer, water restrictions are enforced by fines by the municipality in Cape Town, to ensure economies to eke out the dwindling reserves until the winter rains set in. The paper describes the situation in the 2017 dry season and examines possible solutions to the chronic water shortage such as use of ground water, desalination of sea water and recycling of waste water. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

There are numerous small towns and countryside areas that fail to develop in South Africa. A case in point in this paper is the province of the Western Cape. Two separate studies using different methodologies determined the growth potential of small towns in this relatively better-off province: in the studies of Van der Merwe et al. (2004) and Van Niekerk et al. (2010), data collection formed the basis for statistical analyses and spatial modelling to provide an objective overview of the growth potential of settlements in the Western Cape. Both the studies came to the same conclusion insofar as they identified specific towns in need of alternative interventions for growth and development. It is the main aim of this paper to provide theoretical and practical discussion on recommendations for potential development strategies, particularly for those towns with a low and very low development potential. As a backdrop to the changing nature of the countryside (and in essence, therefore, small towns) the paper suggests a number of generic intervention strategies for Western Cape small towns with low development and growth potential. These suggestions include cross-boundary collaboration, renewable energy, waste recycling, investing in the creative class, investing in rural markets and exploring tourism resources opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: The operating curve parameters of a wind turbine should match the local wind regime optimally to ensure maximum exploitation of available energy in a mass of moving air. This paper provides estimates of the capacity factor of 20 commercially available wind turbines, based on the local wind characteristics of ten different sites located in the Western Cape region of South Africa. Ten-min average time series wind-speed data for a period of 1 year are used for the study. First, the wind distribution that best models the local wind regime of the sites is determined. This is based on root mean square error (RMSE) and coefficient of determination (R 2) which are used to test goodness of fit. First, annual, seasonal, diurnal and peak period-capacity factor are estimated analytically. Then, the influence of turbine power curve parameters on the capacity factor is investigated. Some of the key results show that the wind distribution of the entire site can best be modelled statistically using the Weibull distribution. Site WM05 (Napier) presents the highest capacity factor for all the turbines. This indicates that this site has the highest wind power potential of all the available sites. Site WM02 (Calvinia) has the lowest capacity factor i.e. lowest wind power potential. This paper can assist in the planning and development of large-scale wind power-generating sites in South Africa. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper analyses South Africa's fourth local democratic elections that were held on 18 May 2011. Set within a brief context of global and national political-economic conditions, some recent local government elections in Africa, local community unrest in South Africa and the South African local government electoral system, the paper discusses the nature of the contestation that the principal political parties in the elections engaged in. Drawing on data from the 2001 and 2006 local government elections, and the national and provincial elections of 2004 and 2009, the paper highlights and discusses, with particular focus on the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces, the critical results and trends stemming from the 2011 municipal elections. It concludes that the South African political landscape is volatile, with political parties having the opportunity to seize available political spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper revolves around 'grounded theory', based on empirical work undertaken by the author since 2000 involving case studies of a set of application-oriented research centres/units at Western Cape universities. Most of these research groupings were involved in what are termed triple helix research relations linking university-industry-government (U-I-G). The first part of the paper relates this grounded theory to ideas of Henry Etkowitz and colleagues, about the new third mission (of socio-economic development) of universities undergoing what they term a '2nd academic revolution'. But it is argued that absent from the latter ideas are important additional concepts of "use-inspired basic research' and a (new post-1970s) 'third industrial capitalist revolution'. The second part relates this set of analytical concepts including the 'additions', to the theoretical framework of ideas and questions being developed by the author in a new research project: this focuses on what he terms the 'fourth helix' of university-civil society (U-CS) research relations, with new case studies to investigate these CS linkages. The latter currently have an 'orphan' status alongside the dominant triple helix relations -- but questions are raised about how a scholarship of engagement of university researchers with CS can be enhanced in South Africa and internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Western Cape province of South Africa contains globally unique biodiversity, to which pressure for economic growth and development poses a significant threat. Legal and planning frameworks support biodiversity conservation and biodiversity offsets. Biodiversity plans at different scales provide a clear indication of spatial priorities for conservation. In this context, a draft guideline for biodiversity offsets in the Western Cape has been developed (DEA&DP, 2007) which introduces biodiversity offsets as an integral part of the regulatory environmental impact assessment and development authorization process. The approach focuses on area- and monetary-based compensation to secure and manage priority areas in the long term. The emphasis is on adding priority habitats to the conservation estate, rather than on achieving 'no net loss' in the strictest sense. This paper explains how the context of the Western Cape has shaped its approach to biodiversity offsets: the political, socioeconomic and institutional characteristics are as important in designing a guideline for offsets as biodiversity considerations. The paper notes key challenges facing the province in implementing the guideline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fresh water resources provide a platform for complex and often emotional issues to develop, particularly in resource scarcity situations. Bulk water infrastructure contains elements of a public good and proved vulnerable to failures in market and government driven allocation strategies. Common to both are uncaptured costs and benefits due to shortcomings in cost quantification techniques. Natural ecosystems stands to lose the most since ecosystem services are often not quantifiable in monetary terms and therefore neglected in allocation decision-making. This paper took on the challenge of expanding current decision-support in order to promote more inclusive long-term water management. A case-study approach with the focus on a choice related problem regarding different long-term bulk water resource management options was applied in the Western Cape province. The paper incorporated components of economic valuation theory, a public survey and a modified Delphi expert panel technique. Both spatial and temporal dimensions of the decision-making context were expanded. Two surveys were completed to accommodate these expansions. The first focused on public preference in water allocation management and the relative merit of accommodating public preference in highly specialised decision-making such as long-term water allocation decision-making. The second survey utilized a modified Delphi technique in which an expert panel indicated the relative merit of two alternative long-term allocation strategies. A willingness to pay for "greener" water was observed and may be used to motivate a paradigm shift from management's perspective to consider, without fear of harming their own political position, "greener" water supply options more seriously even if these options imply higher direct costs to public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on material generated in research in an informal settlement in the Western Cape, and building on the ideas of Michel de Certeau (1988) and Shirley Ardener (1993), the paper explores how spaces are gendered. it shows that processes of objectification similar to those involved in map-making operate as punishment for those who violate gendered spatial conventions. The paper calls for an understanding of the contexts within which abstraction emerges, and a careful attention to local conventions. It demonstrates that representations generated using senses other than vision do not elide the temporal: smell- and sound-scapes illustrate the complex folding of time and routine into the everyday in ways that cartographic representations cannot. A phenomenological approach is beckoned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper interrogates the geography of tourism innovation in the Western Cape, South Africa. In particular, innovations by tourism firms are mapped and local tourism innovation networks are analysed. Networking behaviour is examined since it is regarded as indispensable for accessing knowledge and learning for innovation purposes. The analysis draws on a broader investigation of tourism innovation and networking within the Western Cape province. It is revealed that the main tourist regions in the Western Cape are also the most innovative. Whilst external networking relations are observed to be highly significant for tourism innovation, local embeddedness remains critical for stimulating path creation and exploiting local core competencies for the competitiveness and survival of tourism firms and destinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2007, the National People and Parks Programme was rolled out as a platform for co-management between successful land claimants, indigenous natural resource user groups and conservation authorities. It aimed to promote social ‘transformation’ in South African conservation management. This paper engages with the efforts made by Cape Nature Conservation Board and the Boland indigenous healers– Bossiedokters –to resolve conflict around illegal harvesting of indigenous medicinal flora from protected areas. Dialogues emerging around such co-management platforms reveal that inequalities voiced by healers are once again silenced by government practices ostensibly designed to resolve them. Conceptualising this conflict through the lens of ‘environmentality’ suggests its usefulness, as well as its limitations in grasping contemporary South African dilemmas about transformation of nature.Bossiedoktersreveal a substantially different way of being-with-nature in comparison to historically produced dominant conceptions of nature. This difference cannot be understood outside the complex relations from which they emerge and allows a better understanding of the social condition for the possibility of their voices to be heard today. WhileBossiedokterswant to reclaim their pre-colonial social authority, the question remains as to how and whether they will be able to transform conservation practice before conservation practice transforms them. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Smallholder farmers are vulnerable and hardest hit by droughts in Africa. One of the main causes of the increased vulnerability is limited access to resources resulting in limited drought preparedness. The heterogeneous nature of smallholder farmers means that they deal with droughts differently. Responses to drought are context-specific depending on the socio-economic, political, and cultural dimensions, which make it difficult to generalize. However, information on smallholder farmer drought perceptions, impacts on livelihoods, and the way droughts are dealt with at farm-level is scarce and mostly site-specific. This paper presents the findings from a study conducted in the Western Cape Province, in South Africa. The main objective of the study was to assess the impacts of the 2015-18 drought on the smallholder farmer livelihoods, and the coping and adaptation strategies adopted. The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach was used to frame questions on the coping mechanisms used by farmers, and any other strategies developed to adapt to future droughts. The study adopted the qualitative research design and focused on 112 smallholder farmers in two districts. Face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect data, which was analysed using Atlas. ti 8.1 for Windows. The results showed that ownership of assets and support from private and public organisations facilitates better coping and adaptation to drought. There were social networks in farmer groups, but their benefits did not go beyond the members. Further research is required to determine the best models of support to smallholder farmers to empower them for adaption to future droughts. • Perceptions of drought by smallholder farmers did not translate into strategies for drought coping or adaptation. • Drought support was mainly through fodder for livestock. • Livelihood capitals can enhance smallholder farmer adaptation to drought. • Smallholder farmers were limited in their adaptation strategies mainly because of limited resources. • There was limited social networking beyond the farmer groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a brief overview of the relevant post-2000 South African policy for regional (provincial) spatial development within the context of the quantitative findings of a study conducted on the growth potential of non-metropolitan settlements in the Western Cape. The findings are presented at municipal level. Five indices (social needs, economic, physical environment, infrastructure and institutional) and 69 indicators were used to determine development potential and social needs for the 24 local municipalities and three district management areas in the province. The potential indicators for each index were subjected to a factor analysis to select appropriate core indicators for inclusion in the composite indices. Based on their overall performance in the various indices, the municipalities were classified into three categories-high, medium and low. The study results prioritise areas according to their developmental potential and social needs at municipal level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In South Africa, district social service offices are often the first point of entry into the substance abuse treatment system. Despite this, little is known about the profile of people presenting with substance-related problems at these service points. This has a negative impact on treatment service planning. This paper begins to redress this gap through describing patterns of substance use and service needs among people using general social services in the Western Cape and comparing findings against the profile of persons attending specialist substance abuse treatment facilities in the region. Methods: As part of a standard client information system, an electronic questionnaire was completed for each person seeking social assistance. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, the range of presenting problems, patterns of substance use, perceived consequences of substance use, as well as types of services provided were analysed for the 691 social welfare clients who reported substance use between 2007 and 2009. These data were compared against clients attending substance abuse treatment centres during the same time period. Results: Findings indicate that social services offices are used as a way of accessing specialist services but are also used as a service point, especially by groups under-represented in the specialist treatment sector. Women, people from rural communities and people with alcohol-related problems are more likely to seek assistance at social service offices providing low threshold intervention services than from the specialist treatment sector. Conclusions: The study provides evidence that social services are a point of entry and intervention for people from underserved communities in the Western Cape. If these low-threshold services can be supported to provide good quality services, they may be an effective and efficient way of improving access to treatment in a context of limited service availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Koegel Fontein Igneous Complex in the Western Cape Province of South Africa is a high-level granite-syenite intrusive suite with minor plugs and dykes of felsic and mafic composition. Age dating and field relations show that the felsic rocks intruded as two sequential series, beginning with syenites and the Kerskloof suite of felsic dykes (andesite-trachyandesite, trachyte-rhyolite) at about 144 Ma, followed by the Rietpoort granite pluton and quartz-porphyry dykes at about 134 Ma. The intrusion of the mafic dykes and plugs took place between the two felsic series. The early Cretaceous age of the Koegel Fontein associates its formation with Gondwana breakup and establishment of the volcanic rifled margin in southwest Africa. This paper reports results from the first geochemical study of the Koegel Fontein Complex. Two groups of mafic units are distinguished based on mineralogy, field characteristics and chemical composition. The tholeiitic group comprises basalt and basaltic andesites, the alkaline group ranges from basanite-tephrite to phono-tephrite and basahic trachy-andesite. Distinctions of incompatible element concentrations (K, P, Ti) and ratios (Y/Nb, Zr/Nb) indicate the presence of two separate magma series. Regional dolerite dykes (Grip dykes and others) associated with contemporary magmatism along the continental margin occur in and near the complex. These regional dolerites are much more homogeneous compositionally than the mafic dykes of Koegel Fontein. Compositionally, they closely resemble the less-differentiated tholeiite dykes. The felsic units at Koegel Fontein show geochemical and isotopic evidence for two magma series, which correspond to the two intrusive episodes suggested by geochronology and field relations. The first series comprises the volumetrically minor intrusions of syenites, the Kerskloof dykes and the Rooivleitjie granite, with high values (εNd(t) from -0.4 to -1.8) indicating a strong mantle input. Similarities of trace element signatures suggest an affinity with the alkaline mafic units. The second series of felsic magmas makes up the bulk of the Koegel Fontein complex, with the large Rietpoort granite pluton and quartz-porphyry dykes (εNd(t) = -4.8 to -6.9). These rocks may be related to the tholeiitic mafic series but their isotopic composition indicates a large crustal component. The granitic rocks at Koegel Fontein have geochemical characteristics regarded as typical for anorogenic (A-type) granites, including high contents of Y, Nb, U and Th. In this and in many other features, the Koegel Fontein complex resembles the contemporary intrusive complexes in the Damaraland of northwest Namibia. Like the Damaraland granites, the Koegel Fontein magmas are of mixed origin, and their isotopic composition reflect the proportion of mantle vs. crustal source contributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent technological advances have had a major impact on the management of traditional wineries, giving rise to the prospect of computerised decision support with respect to a range of complex harvesting and wine making decisions which have to be taken routinely. In this paper, two nested scheduling problems are considered. The first, referred to as the active cellar scheduling problem, is concerned with making good scheduling decisions within a winery (i.e. optimal assignments of grape intake batches to different processor sets inside the active part of the cellar). The harvest scheduling problem, on the other hand, refers to the larger, over-arching problem of selecting the best possible dates on which to harvest the respective vineyard blocks in order to preserve grape quality. A nested tabu search approach is presented to solve these two scheduling problems simultaneously. This solution approach has been implemented as a computerised decision support tool, called VINDSS, and the practical workability of this tool is demonstrated by means of a special case study at a winery in the South African Western Cape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gated developments have long been a subject of research the world over. Most international and South African studies have focused on gated developments within the metropolitan sphere, with very few studies done on non-metropolitan gated developments. This research attempts to address this research gap by focusing on the spatio-temporal aspects of non-metropolitan gated residential security estates in the Western Cape Province. It was found that most non-metropolitan gated residential security estates were located in settlements along the coast and/or in close proximity to the metropolitan area of Cape Town. Furthermore, the first half of the first decade of the twenty first century witnessed the planning authorisation approval of more than two thirds of all non-metropolitan gated residential security estates. While the locational and temporal aspects of non-metropolitan gated residential security estates in the Western Cape Province are discussed in this paper, there remain a number of avenues for further research into the phenomenon of non-metropolitan gated developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Abalone have been cultured in South Africa for seventeen years. The growing industry has led to increased intensification. Farms are concentrated in certain areas, notably Hermanus on the South coast, and may be close to wild abalone populations and processing facilities. These factors contribute to increased risk of disease emergence. Data on parasite prevalence generated from the abalone health management program between 2000 and 2004 was analysed for trends. Abalone were sampled systematically from participating farms and subjected to gross and histological examination. Data on age, size, gonad development, diet and type of system were recorded. This paper presents the most significant results for gut protozoa, digestive gland protozoa and rickettsia like prokaryotes, which are all gut associated. Prevalence was found to increase with increasing age and size. Higher parasite prevalences were found on the West coast than on the South coast, and outside Hermanus compared to within Hermanus, suggesting that concentration of farms is not leading to increased prevalence. Gut associated parasites were significantly more prevalent in animals fed on kelp than artificial feed. It was found that animals younger than 24months are more at risk of infection when fed kelp than older animals. The results indicate that separation of age groups, removal of poor performers and use of artificial feed, especially in younger animals, are likely to reduce risk of infection with gut associated parasites. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper aims to identify the spatial patterning of burning and occupation within an early Middle Stone Age (MSA) sea cave in the Western Cape Province of South Africa by creating a multidimensional model of archaeomagnetic data recovered from all excavated units. Magnetic susceptibility and other mineral magnetic parameters are shown to provide an excellent proxy for the anthropogenic alteration and spread of burnt material into the surrounding unaltered cave deposits. The identification of combustion features and areas of occupation or different activities within the site can be determined because the movement of people throughout the cave mixes magnetically strong hearth material with magnetically weak unaltered sediments. This is also indicated by micromorphological analysis. The degree of enhancement is also shown to indicate the extent to which a deposit has been altered, and therefore, intensity of occupation, because multiple heatings of deposits are needed to form the concentrations of iron minerals occurring in some layers. This is further supported by a comparison with artifact density for the layers. Variation in the magnetic values between different areas of the site is noted with major occupation or fire building occurring in the front of the cave during earlier MIS 6 periods, while during later MIS 5 periods the entire cave is occupied intensively. The oldest, MIS 11 deposits at the rear of the cave indicate no evidence of enhancement and an apparent absence of any anthropogenic signature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although South Africa is committed to a policy of linguistic diversity, the language-in-education policy is still plagued by the racialization of language issues under apartheid and, more recently, by new challenges posed by internal African migration. Drawing on the experience of a school in the Western Cape Province, this paper explores the role of language profiles in a speaker-centered approach to school language policy. Attention is paid to the ways in which the attribution of learners to clear-cut linguistic categories - in this case English and Afrikaans - and their 'monolingualization' within the process of literacy learning are at odds with both their everyday experiences of language and their linguistic aspirations. Using biographic and topological multimodal approaches with 13- to 15-year-old students at the school, it makes a contribution to the growing corpus of research that foregrounds the learner perspective and emphasizes emotional dimensions of literacy and language learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The use of pollen analysis of herbivore middens in arid and semi-arid areas has facilitated palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and interpretation in places where this may otherwise be impossible due to the absence of organic sediments. This paper presents evidence based on pollen analysis and stable isotope data of hyrax (Procavia capensis) dung middens in the reconstruction and interpretation of the Holocene vegetation history of the Cederberg and Swartruggens mountains. Hyrax middens from upland sites in the Cape Fold Mountains, specifically at Katbakkies Pass (KB) in the Swartruggens and Truitjes Kraal (TK) in the Cederberg, are used to reconstruct past vegetation and palaeoenvironments. Radiocarbon dating of a 20cm sample at Katbakkies confirms a late Holocene sequence, with sedimentation commencing around 3700calyrBP and terminating within the last 600years. At Truitjes Kraal, a smaller (11cm) section appears to represent much of the Holocene, with accumulation spanning the period from around 9500 to 1300calyrBP. Stable isotope and pollen analyses concur in indicating only relatively subtle changes in vegetation conditions over the Holocene, a conclusion that is compared with and supported by other palaeoecological evidence from the region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purchases of agricultural land for diverse reasons, such as recreation or aesthetic appeal (collectively referred to as lifestyle purposes), has implications for agricultural land valuations, commercial agriculture and the acquisition of land for redistribution purposes. This paper reports on the extent of purchases of agricultural land for diverse reasons within an intensive and extensive agricultural farming area in the Western Cape, gathered through a survey of land buyers between January 2005 and October 2007. Descriptive statistics provide demographical information of buyers, their reasons for purchasing farms and the importance of specific characteristics of agricultural properties considered in such purchases. Analyses of variance convey more information regarding the different characteristics of agricultural properties considered by agricultural and lifestyle buyers. Survey results indicated that farm purchases for alternative purposes were substantial: more than half of all transactions in both the intensive and extensive area were for lifestyle reasons. Lifestyle buyers mostly rely on income from outside the agricultural sector for their livelihoods and financing of purchased properties, therefore they could focus on characteristics of farms unrelated to commercial agricultural production in their decision to buy agricultural properties. Characteristics such as the recreational opportunities provided by the property and its aesthetic beauty, including natural scenery, beautiful views and locations within a valley and set against a mountain, appealed to these buyers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]