Search

Abstract: Mining licenses in post‐apartheid South Africa are being granted by the ruling government in sensitive areas that are important tourism hubs and employment generators. Limited research has been conducted to understand mining impacts on protected environments and tourism sites. This paper will focus on the Mapungubwe World Heritage Site as a tourist attraction in Limpopo to shed light on how mining is impacting on the area and on tourism development and local sustainability. This paper examines the difficulties that have been encountered by the tourism destination and surrounding communities due to the mining licences granted. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with key informants (communities, an employee at the heritage site and a government official) and are reported in this paper. We conclude that mining should not be allowed, with the need to rather safeguard the environment for cultural and environmental purposes. Stakeholder participation needs to be taken seriously by both the mining company and the government. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines some of the material assemblages that are formed in international distance education (DE) in Africa. It offers a first exploratory study of materialities in DE and how they potentially distribute and aggregate to form a network to provide education. Through the use of interviews, students lived experiences are explored to unpack the multiplicity of networks needed to overcome the de‐aggregated and distributed institution. The multiplicity of networks that form in DE brings challenges that question how spaces become connected and disconnected and how different materialities shape DE. The materialities in DE produce forces and effects, such as translocal and transmobilites that are more than just the human actor, but extrude materials, networks, and connectives that transform continuously. The interconnectivities of the university and home or institution and students are brought together through enabling technology, but infrastructure does not always have the ability for the facilitation of aggregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Southern African Magnetotelluric Experiment (SAMTEX) involved the collection of data at over 700 sites in Archean to Proterozoic southern Africa, spanning features including the Kalahari Craton, Bushveld Complex, and voluminous kimberlites. Here, we present the first 3D inversions of the full SAMTEX data set. In this paper, we focus on assessing the robustness of the 3D models by comparing two different inversion codes, jif3D and ModEM, and two different subsets of the data, one containing all acceptable data and the other containing a smaller selection of undistorted, high‐quality data. Results show that the main conductive and resistive features are imaged by all inversions, including deep resistive features in the central Kaapvaal Craton and southern Congo Craton and a lithospheric‐scale conductor beneath the Bushveld Complex. Despite this, differences exist between the jif3D and ModEM inverse models that derive mainly from the differences in regularization between the models, with jif3D producing models that are very smooth laterally and with depth, while ModEM produces models with more discrete conductive and resistive features. Analysis of the differences between these two inversions can provide a good indication of the model resolution. More minor differences are apparent between models run with different subsets of data, with the models containing all acceptable data featuring higher wavelength conductivity variations than those run with fewer stations but also demonstrating poorer data fit. Plain Language Summary: We investigate the structure of the upper 200 km of the Earth beneath southern Africa. To achieve this, we utilize an electromagnetic geophysical technique called magnetotellurics (MT) which is sensitive to variations in electrical resistivity within the Earth. To reconstruct electrical resistivity from MT measurements, we use so‐called inversion algorithms. However, the results are nonunique and a variety of different parameters have to be chosen by the user during the inversion process. In order to better understand the possible variability in our Earth models, we use different inversion algorithms and compare different strategies. This allows us to assess the reliability of our results. Based on our models and their comparison, we infer that the lithosphere, the solid outer shell of the Earth, varies in thickness below our study area and is thickest below central South Africa. In addition, we can detect remnants of past continental collisions that have been preserved for hundreds of millions of years since this part of the world was assembled from the collision of various microcontinents. Key Points: We create the first large‐scale conductivity models of southern AfricaWe compare different strategies to construct continental scale models and investigate the impact on the resultsThe main inversion features are common to all models, with most differences being due to regularization [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective knowledge sharing and community engagement can be major enablers in the pursuit of socially relevant benefits from ecological restoration and rehabilitation. Focusing on two ecological restoration and rehabilitation practitioner organizations and their workers, this paper evaluates perceptions of the extent to which short‐term knowledge exchange contributes to social goals in ecological restoration and rehabilitation in South Africa through (1) stakeholder engagement and awareness of community well‐being, and (2) knowledge enrichment. Data collected through impact questionnaires, participatory site visits, practical work exchange, focus group discussions, and a workshop are analyzed using thematic analysis framed by the International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration #1 and #2. We explore participants' perceptions of knowledge exchange benefits and discuss implications for future collaboration in establishing long‐term knowledge exchange. Findings show that knowledge exchange is perceived to result in enhanced teamwork engagement, and strengthened knowledge on restoration techniques through mutual learning, inspiration, and a strengthened sense of community. Findings suggest that sustained knowledge exchange and engagement activities between different practitioner organizations is key to realize and transform short‐term perceived benefits into long‐term applied socioecological impacts across landscapes in dryland Africa. There is a need to progress from short‐term, horizontal learning, to long‐term (horizontal and vertical) knowledge exchange, to inform restoration project design and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To establish the significance of Henry Bernstein's theoretical work on the dynamics of agrarian class struggles in Africa, this paper discusses two important political debates in which he has been both observer and participant, and that have oriented much of the subsequent Marxist work done in Africa on agrarian change. The first was the heated discussion begun over 40 years ago around Nyerere's 'African socialism' and the failures of the ujamaa policy of villagization. The second is the still unsettled debate around programmes of redistributive land reform in South Africa. Bernstein's distinction between the peasantry and petty commodity production allowed him to apply Lenin's theory of peasant differentiation to new contexts, and to locate African class struggles within the contradictions between capital and labour. He thus disposed of two competing visions: the harmonic peasant community and the maximizing entrepreneurial peasant hindered by the absence of markets. Yet, this paper argues, his focus on class formation within the peasantry can also limit our understanding of class alliances in the politics of anti-capitalist struggles in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we provide an overview of the current status as well as broad functions of Englishes in South Africa. We also provide a discussion of some of the contemporary concerns related to the complex and multivaried nature of English in the country. This paper further serves to introduce the major themes that are of concern to those researchers that are interested in the study of South African Englishes, through an introduction of the papers that form part of this Special Issue. Finally, we discuss the current state of the art with regards to researching English in the country where we suggest potential future areas of investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual reality (VR) is becoming ever more used within the field of education. During this study, the researchers created a virtual environment (VE) for use in Southern Africa, where students could practice managing a young adult with a foreign object in the airway. The aim of the VE was to determine whether a viable, "home‐made" solution could be created which could also be expanded later on to incorporate more scenarios. This was due to the expensive nature of existing systems for virtual clinical simulation. To determine whether the VE is usable, two expert review panels assisted in testing the VE. The first‐panel being Computer Science experts and the second Health Science (HS) experts. Each panel evaluated the environment and the scenario using heuristic evaluation and cognitive walkthroughs. The recommendations made during each of the expert reviews were implemented to improve the VE, thus enabling students to experience an accurate, virtual scenario that could positively influence their learning experience. The findings and recommendations made during the expert reviews are presented in this paper to assist in improving future developments within the field of VR in HS education, especially for developing countries in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the potential for South Africa to become an engine for intra‐regional trade and industrial development in Southern Africa. It focuses on new backward linkages that can be created from South African exports of final products to producers of intermediate inputs in other Southern African countries. We do so by identifying South Africa's lead products, where it has formed its own GVCs, and, in turn, earmarking intermediate inputs used in the production of these lead products. Using Revealed Comparative Advantage and Unit Cost analysis, we identify Southern African countries that could supply the identified imported intermediate inputs more competitively than South Africa's existing partners and kickstart regional integration. We explore issues around the nature of linkages, supplier capabilities and industrial policies in the region, with special reference to the identified product value chains. Focusing on the agricultural sector—a key regional priority with immense potential for industrial growth and large‐scale employment—we also identify existing agricultural lead products in South Africa, and the 'new markets' to which South Africa can export. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates two alternative roads running parallel to one another; one being a double-carriageway national road that was tolled 4 years ago and the other being an inter-city single-carriageway road. The purpose of the paper is to test the application of the World Bank-developed Road Economic Decision (RED) model for assessing the economic impact of traffic diversion between two existing alternative roads. In order to do so, the RED model is first used to conduct a cost–benefit analysis of each road in isolation. Thereafter, the model is used to do a scenario analysis followed by a sensitivity analysis. The results show that the RED model is a useful tool for evaluating the impact on society of diverted traffic between alternative roads elsewhere in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban geographers increasingly incorporate the potential of so-called informal livelihood activities to provide resources that can be creatively managed in the transformation of urban space, particularly to the benefit of less well off and marginalized residents. This paper reports a case study in Rustenburg, North West Province, South Africa, where city managers began to promote inclusive development in the early 1990s, just prior to the formal dismantling of the apartheid system. The findings reveal that Rustenburg's urban transformation process, over a decade later, continued to reproduce repressive practices that limit the informal livelihood activities of the urban majority. Apparently efforts of well-meaning city managers to implement a sustainable and inclusive development process are often rendered futile at the point of actually defining the constituents of urban socioeconomic transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects on issues raised by work with children in an ongoing child mobility study in three sub-Saharan African countries: Ghana, Malawi and South Africa. There are now 70 school pupils of varying ages involved in the project, but the paper is particularly concerned with the participation of those children 14 years and under. We examine the significant ethical issues associated with working with younger child researchers, and linked questions concerning the spaces open to them in African contexts where local cultural constructions of childhood and associated economic imperatives (which commonly drive family and household endeavour) help shape the attitudes of adults to children’s rights and responsibilities and inter-generational power relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the role of English in peer interactions among black male youth in two Johannesburg townships. We demonstrate how social meanings attached to English shape ways of using English in the expression of social identities. English is a central tool in processes of authentification and delegitimization in relation to notions of African urban male township identity. Longitudinal ethnographic work, with recordings of spontaneous peer interactions on the township streets, show how social meanings attached to using English have shifted with socio‐economic changes since 1994. These changes have impacted patterns of English use among black youth and male youth in particular. The way in which youth use English challenges structural variety approaches to youth languages in African contexts that treat them as separate linguistic varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of African Journal of Ecology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this paper, we address two major questions. First, the question of whether China and India are displacing the African manufacturing export from the third market. Second, whether there is an evidence of shifting comparative advantage from China and India to Africa. We employed a gravity model with a panel data using 13 African exporters of clothing and accessories for the period 1995–2005 to answer the first question. To answer the second question, we used a flying-geese model and estimated Spearman's rank correlation coefficients on indices of the revealed comparative advantage vectors of the African exporters and China and India for the same period. Both the gravity and flying-geese models predicted similar outcomes. We found that there is strong evidence that China has been displacing African manufactures from the third market while India has been complementing it in the early years of the study. However, the overall third market impact of China and India has been that of complementarity in the later years of the study period. This result is found to vary across countries. Furthermore, we found evidence of shifting comparative advantage from China and India to Africa as the flying-geese theory predicts, South Africa being the leading goose followed by Kenya. The major implication of the study is that, in the world where China and India are reshaping the global economic order dynamically, the outcomes of the traditionally received wisdom of trade liberalization and industrialization policies through export promotion may be uncertain and requires strategic thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the student affairs associations of South Africa and how they pooled their strategy into a Southern African federation, strengthening their impact on student support and development, policy development, and professional development in Southern Africa. The pan‐African developments to strengthen higher education, driven by the Association for African Universities, reveal the ambitious plans to strengthen student support in African higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seagrass habitats are declining worldwide, placing several seagrass‐associated animals at risk of extinction. The Critically Endangered limpet Siphonaria compressa is one of the rarest molluscs in Africa, and has been reported from only two disjunctive lagoons in South Africa. Being a highly specialized grazer that lives exclusively on the narrow blades of Cape eelgrass, Zostera capensis, which is itself listed as Endangered in the South African Red List and has decreased in abundance, conservation initiatives are urgently needed to ensure the long‐term survival of S. compressa.Molecular data (sequence data from the mitochondrial genome and single nucleotide polymorphism data of the nuclear genome) and morphological data were analysed to determine whether the two populations are conspecific, with implications for whether translocation between localities could be a viable management strategy to restore either population in the event of a collapse, or to maintain the genetic diversity of each population.Strong evidence emerged for the distinctness of the two populations, including a lack of shared mtDNA haplotypes that indicate an absence of contemporary gene flow, a divergence time that dates to the late Pleistocene, and a number of morphological characters that distinguish their shells. These findings indicate that the two populations are distinct cryptic subspecies.As the two populations occur in different temperature‐defined marine biogeographical regions, they are probably adapted to different thermal environments. Translocations are not recommended, as this management strategy has considerable potential to result in outbreeding depression and exacerbate the extinction risk. Instead, each population should be managed separately, and several alternative conservation measures are discussed, including the protection and restoration of seagrass beds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Megaherbivores play a critical role in the ecology of African savannas and grasslands. In addition, these systems are forecast to experience more frequent and severe droughts as a product of changes in the global climate. Thus, the continued conservation of megaherbivores and their associated ecosystems will require a better understanding of how megaherbivores respond to drought by shifting their movement, diet and social behaviour. We address this need by investigating the factors affecting changes in the abundance of common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius; hereafter: 'hippos') throughout the six major rivers of Kruger National Park, South Africa, during and following the severe drought of 2015/2016. Specifically, we aimed to understand the role of two environmental characteristics that have relevance to hippos and that changed in response to drought: vegetation condition and the extent of pooled surface water. In addition, we investigated the extent to which pre‐drought density affected changes in hippo abundance. Although vegetation and daytime refugia both appeared to influence pre‐drought hippo abundance, these factors were less important to the change in hippo abundance related to the drought. Instead, the response to drought was most strongly related to the pre‐drought abundance of hippos, where river segments supporting more than 50 individuals prior to the drought in 2015 decreased by more than half on average. Furthermore, we show that the degree of aggregation decreased from 2015 to 2016 because of the drought, but then began to increase again as the rains returned in 2017. Our results suggest that in addition to the large pools that support large aggregations of hippos in typical years, additional smaller pools are likely important for accommodating this drought‐induced dispersion. However, maintaining this distribution of pools will likely become more challenging as southern Africa's population and water demands increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A procedure is required for ecosystem studies which is ordered but flexible and directs workers quickly and inexpensively towards answers to key ecological and management questions. The procedure presented in this paper develops an increasingly complex description of the ecosystem. The initial phase consists of a structural and dynamic description of the ecosystem, followed by a description of its utilization. From this phase, key questions are elaborated and, where appropriate, mathematics models are then constructed. The South African Savanna Ecosystem Project (SASEP) provides an example of the manner in which the procedure can be applied. Examples of key ecological questions are cited, and appropriate models for some of these are described. The use of the approach, in the SASEP, is described by reference to its current objectives, defined in terms of twelve key questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kaposi sarcoma‐associated herpesvirus (KSHV) causes Kaposi sarcoma (KS). The risk of KS is amplified in HIV‐immunosuppressed individuals and antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces KS incidence. Reliable data on the relationship between these factors are lacking in Africa. We used questionnaires and serum from 7886 black South Africans (18‐74 years) with incident cancer, recruited between 1995 and 2016. ART rollout started in 2004. We measured associations between KS, HIV‐1 and KSHV before and after ART rollout. We measured seropositivity to HIV‐1, KSHV latency‐associated nuclear antigen (LANA) and glycoprotein (K8.1) and calculated case‐control‐adjusted odds ratios (ORadj) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) in relation to KS and KSHV infection, before (1995‐2004), early (2005‐2009) and late (2010‐2016) ART rollout periods. KSHV seropositivity among 1237 KS cases was 98%. Among 6649 controls, KSHV seropositivity was higher in males (ORadj = 1.4 [95%CI 1.23‐1.52]), in persons with HIV, (ORadj = 4.2 [95%CI 3.74‐4.73]) and lower in high school leavers (ORadj = 0.7 [95%CI 0.59‐0.83]). KSHV seropositivity declined over the three ART rollout periods (37%, 28% and 28%, Ptrend <.001) coinciding with increases in high school leavers over the same periods (46%, 58% and 67%, Ptrend <.001). HIV‐1 seroprevalence increased from 10% in the pre‐ART period to 22% in the late ART period (Ptrend <.001). Compared to HIV‐1 and KSHV seronegatives, KSHV seropositives yielded an OR for KS of 26 (95%CI 11‐62) in HIV‐1 seronegative participants and an OR of 2501 (95%CI 1083‐5776) in HIV‐1 seropositive participants. HIV‐1 increases the risk of KS in those infected with KSHV by 100‐fold. Declines in KSHV seroprevalence coincide with ART rollout and with improvements in educational standards and general hygiene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study revisits stock market integration in Africa using an information‐theoretic framework that quantifies the flow of information between exchanges. We use daily return data for seven MSCI‐classified African stock exchanges between 2011 and 2021. As Bitcoin has become an important asset class on the African continent, we also explore whether this cryptocurrency confers any diversification benefits. Our method holds that stock markets are integrated if there is a significant flow of information between exchanges. The results reveal a statistically insignificant flow of information among African stock exchanges, and for the few cases in which information flow is statistically significant, the magnitudes are low. South Africa is the most influential stock market, as it transmits most of the total transfer entropy (informational value) in the system. We also observe that African stock exchanges are weakly integrated with Bitcoin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Infant Mental Health Journal is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Resource constraints in developing countries compel policy makers to ration the provision of healthcare services. This article examines one such set of Guidelines: A patient dialysing in the state sector in South Africa may not refuse renal transplantation when a kidney becomes available. Refusal of transplantation can lead to exclusion from the state-funded dialysis programme. This Guideline is legally acceptable as related to Constitutional stipulations which allow for rationing healthcare resources in South Africa. Evaluating the ethical merit of the Guideline, and exploring the ethical dilemma it poses, proves a more complex task. We examine the actions of healthcare professionals as constrained by the Guideline. From a best interests framework, we argue that in these circumstances directing patient decision making (pressurising a patient to undergo renal transplantation) is not necessarily unethical or unacceptably paternalistic. We then scrutinise the guideline itself through several different ethical 'lenses'. Here, we argue that bioethics does not provide a definitive answer as to the moral merit of rationing dialysis under these circumstances, however it can be considered just in this context. We conclude by examining a potential pitfall of the Guideline: Unwilling transplant recipients may not comply with immunosuppressive medication, which raises questions for policies based on resource management and rationing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on social policy. Standards and preconditions for qualities of life; Principles of social development.

Copyright of African Journal of Ecology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Little remains known about the physical size of local sheep from southern Africa during the distant past. Early Venda speakers settled in the region during the middle of the second millennium AD, and an early site associated with them, Mutokolwe B, yielded 11 complete metapodia of sheep. This is the largest find of this nature in the southern African region for farming communities. The fauna from Mutokolwe B dates to between AD 1450 and 1550. Measurements of archeological sheep bones can help tease apart questions of breed development and socio‐economic organization in the past. We used these metapodials to calculate the shoulder height of sheep. Sheep from Mutokolwe B ranged between 61.69 and 71.17 cm in shoulder size (average 66.28 cm), which is similar to other local sheep breeds such as the Nguni found in South Africa. In addition, the size of the sheep from Mutokolwe B falls within the variation of modern sheep found in southern and Eastern Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Caregiver presence at their children's induction of anesthesia is practiced daily around the world. Research exploring the attitudes and perceptions of caregivers regarding this practice is limited within the African context. Aims: The aim of this study was to describe caregivers' attitudes and perceptions regarding their presence at induction of their children's anesthesia. Methods: This descriptive, phenomenological, qualitative study was conducted in 2020 at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, a 3200‐bed facility in South Africa. Twenty caregivers of children (2 to 8 years) undergoing elective surgery were recruited. Data were collected through face‐to‐face, in‐depth, semistructured individual interviews using convenience sampling. Interviews ranged between 11 and 55 minutes in duration and were conducted within 24 hours of induction of anesthesia. The audio‐recorded interviews were transcribed and subjected to inductive reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Six themes were developed: Fulfillment of caregiver role, A positive experience, A traumatic experience, Not prepared for the experience, My world is my reality, and Your world is a place different to mine. Conclusion: A caregiver's perception of the induction process is influenced by multiple factors. A finding specific to our cohort is the interplay between complex multifaceted cultural beliefs and anesthesia of their children. By acknowledging and addressing these beliefs, a caregiver's presence can be tailored to ensure a positive experience for all involved at induction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is much literature to support the view that exporters (both developed and developing countries) pay higher wages than nonexporters. While this so‐called export wage premium has also been found to be prevalent in South Africa, it has not been thoroughly researched, with studies to date having relied on cross‐sectional sample data rather than on the population of firms and workers. Using a newly constructed employer–employee matched panel data set on South African manufacturing firms, the study examined the factors contributing to the export wage premium in these firms—from firm, individual, and job characteristics (both observable and unobservable) to firms' distribution of wages and export destinations (e.g., SACU‐only [Firms exporting only to Southern African Customs Union countries], Africa‐only [Firms exporting only to African countries], or international [Firms exporting to both African and non‐African countries]). One of the key findings was that the export wage premium is not about being labeled an exporter. It is, however, because of the "type of firm" (unobservable firm characteristics) exporters are, the "type of workers" (unobservable individual characteristics) they employ, and the "type of jobs" (unobservable job characteristics) they create. Policymakers should therefore be aware that simply expanding the pool of exporters will not necessarily give momentum to the export wage premium phenomenon. Rather, policy measures should be aimed at increasing firm‐level productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the changes that have taken place in the field of guidance given to the family in Africa in the last one hundred years. It distinguishes several eras in ideas about the family and ways of working with the family in Africa. It traces adaptations in both orientation and technique made by contemporary family therapists in Africa to respond to the changing needs and problems of today's African client family. The essay is restricted to the experience of family therapy in Africa south of the Sahara, excluding South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Irrigation & Drainage is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Understanding the character of hail is an important part of mitigating its impact on life and property. Climatologies of hail over South Africa are rare and based on observed data with a coarse spatial and temporal resolution. In this article, a hail climatology is created for southern Africa from reanalysis data. Pseudo‐soundings are produced from ERA‐Interim data and the HAILCAST model, which predicts the diameter of hail, is run using these soundings from 1979 to 2017 at six‐hourly intervals. The hail day frequency of the ERA‐Interim HAILCAST (EIH) climatology compares well to historical climatologies, although the horizontal resolution of ERA‐Interim makes it difficult to pinpoint the exact location of hail in areas of steep topography. Furthermore, the EIH climatology tends to over‐predict hail with diameters greater than 3 cm. Detail that was previously unavailable, such as the seasonal and temporal distribution of hail over the entire South Africa, is now available from the EIH climatology. The frequency of hail over the winter rainfall area and over countries bordering South Africa is estimated for the first time. It is recommended that the procedure is repeated with numerical weather prediction models with a higher resolution to determine whether the increased resolution will more accurately identify areas of hail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: HIV incidence remains high among African adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), who would benefit from pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Strategies to increase PrEP adherence and persistence need to be evaluated in African AGY, including incentives conditional on high adherence. Methods: The 3Ps for Prevention Study was a 12‐month prospective cohort of 200 women ages 16 to 25 initiating PrEP in South Africa from 2017 to 2018. Participants received retrospective feedback about drug levels at Months 1, 2 and 3; half was randomized to receive a 200 Rand shopping voucher ($13 US) at Months 2, 3 and 4, conditioned on high intracellular tenofovir diphosphate (TFV‐DP) levels in dried blood spots (≥500 fmol/punch at Month 1, ≥700 fmol/punch at Months 2 and 3). The primary analysis was intention‐to‐treat, comparing the proportion with high PrEP adherence (≥700 fmol/punch) at Month 3 by randomized group, based on 100% efficacy among men who have sex with men. Results: Median age of the 200 women was 19 years (interquartile range [IQR] 17, 21); 86% had a primary sexual partner. At Month 3, the mean TFV‐DP level was 822 fmol/punch (SD 522) in the incentive group and 689 fmol/punch (SD 546) in the control group (p = 0.11). Forty‐five (56%) of 85 women in the incentive group and 35 (41%) of 85 women in the control group had TFV‐DP levels ≥700 fmol/punch (RR 1.35; 95% CI 0.98, 1.86; p = 0.067), which declined to 8% and 5% in the incentive and control groups at Month 12 (no significant difference by arm). 44% refilled PrEP without gaps, 14% had a gap of ≥3 weeks in coverage subsequently restarted PrEP and 54% accepted at the final dispensing visit at Month 9. No new HIV infections were observed after PrEP initiation. Conclusions: Among South African AGYW initiating PrEP, drug levels indicated high PrEP adherence in almost half of women at Month 3, with a non‐statistically significant higher proportion with high adherence among those in the incentive group. Over half persisted with the 12‐month PrEP programme although high adherence declined after Month 3. Strategies to support PrEP adherence and persistence and longer‐acting PrEP formulations are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freshwater organisms are threatened by changes in stream flow and water temperature regimes due to global climate change and anthropogenic activities. Threats include the disappearance of narrow‐tolerance species and loss of favorable thermal conditions for cold‐adapted organisms. Mayflies are an abundant and diverse indicator of river health that performs important functional roles. The relative importance of key hydro‐environmental factors such as water temperature and flow volumes in structuring these communities has rarely been explored in the tropical regions of Africa. Here, we investigate the response of mayfly species diversity to these factors in the Luvuvhu catchment, a strategic water source area in the arid northeastern region of South Africa. Mayfly larvae were sampled monthly in stones‐in‐current biotopes across 23 sites over a one‐year period. The relationship between these environmental drivers and mayfly diversity was modeled using linear mixed effects models (LMMs) and a model‐based multivariate approach. Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis (TITAN) was used to model the response of mayfly species to important gradients and identify thresholds of change. Site‐specific characteristic were the most important predictor of mayfly diversity, and there was considerable variation over time, with mayfly diversity peaking during winter. Along this, gradient temperature was the best predictor of assemblage structure, with five out of six reliable indicator species being cold‐adapted, and a community threshold response at 19°C. Results support laboratory‐based thresholds of temperature for mayfly species survival and development, extending empirical evidence to include field‐based observations. Increased global (climate change) and local (riparian vegetation removal, impoundments) changes are predicted to have negative impacts on mayfly diversity and ultimately on ecosystem function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stable isotope analyses provide insights into large herbivore diets. Carbon isotopes are particularly useful for analysing diet given their ability to reflect C3 or C4 photosynthetic pathways and, therefore, distinguish between browser and grazer diets. Although isotopes are useful for comparing diets across a range of spatial and temporal scales, most studies have focused on either interspecific differences within habitats or single species averages across their geographic range. In this study, we use both new and existing carbon isotopic data to compare large mammal herbivore diets across habitat types in southern and east Africa. We examined whether species in the grassland biome of central South Africa had the same carbon isotopic signatures as counterparts from savannas in southern and east Africa. Within the grassland biome, isotopic signatures from faecal samples were strongly correlated with signatures from bone and dentine collagen samples, supporting our approach of comparing faecal data from the grasslands with savanna data obtained mainly through analysis of skeletal materials. Regression analysis comparing grasslands and savannas confirmed that species' isotopic niches within communities were conserved across different geographic regions. However, herbivore δ13C values were generally lower in the grassland compared with the savanna biome, highlighted particularly by the lower δ13C values of several grazer species (but not browsers), indicating greater consumption of C3 vegetation in grasslands. This finding is counter‐intuitive and suggests that non‐woody C3 vegetation may be an important component of grazer diets in the grassland biome. We speculate on various environmental factors, related to food abundance that could underline the pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of the Afrocentric perspective, this article uses South Africa as a test case to critique Mokoko Piet Sebola's piece titled "Peer review, scholarship and editors of scientific publications: the death of scientific knowledge in Africa," which appeared in Koers ‐ Bulletin for Christian Scholarship, Volume 83 (1): 1–13. I argue that Sebola's piece provides a partial guide to understanding the state of the knowledge industry in Africa, particularly in South Africa. Safe to say that Sebola's work deepens scholarly and public discourse on the politics of scholarship in Africa and the world at large. However, I do not intend to blatantly praise Sebola's contribution to this academic area, which remains under researched due to the reasons that are beyond the scope of this article. In particular, the current article aspires to identify scholarly weaknesses in Sebola's work with a view to correcting them by offering an alternative view. This correction deserves the attention of all scholars and practitioners especially because it is interdisciplinary in nature, and it is poised to undo the misinformation disseminated in Sebola's piece. Such misinformation has a potential to overshadow the few truths advanced in his article. Methodologically, this article is based on document review, conversations, and interdisciplinary discourse analysis in its broadest form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Western honeybees (Apis mellifera L.), native to Europe and Africa, have been transported worldwide and are now one of the most important global crop pollinator species. Although the relative contribution of honeybees to global crop pollination is increasingly recognized, relatively little is known about their importance as pollinators in wild plant communities. The only remaining wild and unmanaged western honeybee populations are in Africa. We investigated the importance of honeybees as pollinators of diverse wild plant communities in two protected areas within the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot in South Africa. Sites were far from any known areas of beekeeping, and so all honeybees were most likely from wild colonies. Honeybees visited a large proportion of flowering plant species within these two communities (40% and 35%) and also provided a substantial proportion of visits to the plants they visited (40% and 32%, respectively). However, when pollinator importance indices (based on abundance and the size and purity of pollen loads) were calculated for a small subset of plants, honeybees were only important pollinators of 29% of the plants they visited. Our data provide a first step in determining the importance of honeybees as flower visitors and pollinators in wild plant communities and the potential impacts of honeybee declines on these highly diverse grassland ecosystems. Our work suggests that many plants in the grassland systems studied are visited by non-Apis flower visitors and therefore that conservation efforts should also focus on these pollinator groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the changing impact of oil price shocks on Nigeria and South Africa. Using a structural break approach, recent studies have established the altered impact of oil price shocks consequent to the Great Moderation that commenced in the mid‐1980s. While several studies have focused on the oil–macroeconomic relationship in Africa, little attention has been paid to the variation across different periods. This study investigated the possible changing impact of oil on inflation and the real gross domestic product growth rate in the two largest African economies that are, respectively, net oil‐exporting and net importing countries. A data set from 1970 quarter 1 to 2016 quarter 4 was employed. An impulse response function was used as a referenced model while rolling impulse approach was adopted to ascertain variation across periods. Our findings show the magnitude of the impacts of oil price shocks has declined significantly since the 1990s. Several factors were adduced for the muted effects of oil in the two economies. These factors were largely driven by domestic policies and institutional reforms. Hence, not taking account of the time‐varying nature of the relationship may not provide a complete picture of the relationships between oil and macroeconomic outcomes among African countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Fragmented distributions should show immigration and diversification dynamics consistent with the predictions of island biogeography theory. We test whether this applies to the fragmented Cape fynbos vegetation. Location: Southern Africa, Cape Floristic Region (CFR). Taxon: Angiosperms, Restionaceae (restios). Methods: We used a large occurrence dataset and environmental layers to characterize an existing regionalization and the intervals between the regions ecologically and spatially. We extended the available phylogeny for restios and inferred their historical biogeography using models implemented in BioGeoBEARS. We then measured the relative contribution of immigration and in situ speciation to the species richness of each region within the CFR. We used standard statistical methods to test the predictions of the island biogeography theory. Results: The area and environmental heterogeneity of the seven regions of the CFR are positively correlated with in situ speciation rate. Furthermore, more isolated areas, and areas colonized more recently, have proportionally higher immigration rates, and more central and older areas proportionally higher in situ speciation rates. Main conclusions: The variation in immigration and diversification dynamics among the regions within the CFR is extensive and consistent with the archipelago model of island biography theory. This dynamic may contribute significantly to the diversity of the Cape flora. Such a model could be generally useful for understanding the generation and maintenance of diversity in biodiversity hotspots, and may even scale up to explain continental biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last 40 years, one of the most widespread and conspicuous succulent trees in East and north‐east Africa has been referred to as Euphorbia candelabrum Kotschy or as E. candelabrum Trémaux ex Kotschy. This name is a later homonym of E. candelabrum Welw., and consequently it is illegitimate. The species to which the name E. candelabrum Kotschy has been widely applied is shown to be conspecific with E. ingens, which occurs from southern Ethiopia to subtropical South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alumni tracking surveys are critical for evaluating and improving youth employment training programmes. However, there is little evidence about how to design these surveys, especially in less developed countries. We conducted short message service and Web surveys of alumni of a South African employment training programme. Short message service surveys returned higher response rates and more representative data than Web surveys, albeit at three times the cost. Combining modes increased data quality but may not be warranted, given the additional cost and complexity. This evidence suggests that training programmes can feasibly collect quality, actionable data on their alumni, even with constrained budgets and staff. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This article presents a pilot and baseline African Green Growth Index (AGGI). The work is premised on the importance of Africa implementing green growth strategies. Baseline indicators allow countries to monitor progress towards green growth transition. The AGGI incorporates 48 indicators applied to 22 countries that had the requisite data. What emerges is that 18 out of the 22 African countries sampled scored 50 percentage points and above. The countries scoring below this threshold were: Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria and South Africa. The top five countries on the AGGI (as ranked from 1−5) were: Namibia, Zambia, Ghana, Tanzania and Togo. The authors recommend that for wider acceptance across the continent, the AGGI should work towards incorporating all 54 nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study introduces a peri-urban context of poverty to the study of child development in Africa in contrast to the more typical assessments in middle-class and rural contexts. Spot observations were used to assess universal caregiving behaviors toward seventy-six 3-month-old infants. Results show that middle-class infants experienced distal parenting behaviors instantiated by mothers, whereas rural children experienced proximal parenting practices in interactions with others. Infants growing up in poverty had mothers and other caretakers involved at mostly low levels. They experienced low levels of body contact, body stimulation, and object stimulation, and high levels of face-to-face positions. The study indicates that caregiving in the context of poverty does not necessarily follow familiar pathways and needs to be contextualized accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decades, human activity has been contributing to climate change that is closely associated with an increase in temperatures, increase in evaporation, intensification of extreme dry and wet rainfall events, and widespread melting of snow and ice. Understanding the intricate linkage between climate warming and the hydrological cycle is crucial for sustainable management of groundwater resources, especially in a vulnerable continent like Africa. This study investigates the relationship between climate-change drivers and potential groundwater recharge (PGR) patterns across Africa for a long-term record (1960-2010). Water-balance components were simulated by using the PCR-GLOBWB model and were reproduced in both gridded maps and latitudinal trends that vary in space with minima on the Tropics and maxima around the Equator. Statistical correlations between temperature, storm occurrences, drought, and PGR were examined in six climatic regions of Africa. Surprisingly, different effects of climate-change controls on PGR were detected as a function of latitude in the last three decades (1980-2010). Temporal trends observed in the Northern Hemisphere of Africa reveal that the increase in temperature is significantly correlated to the decline of PGR, especially in the Northern Equatorial Africa. The climate indicators considered in this study were unable to explain the alarming negative trend of PGR observed in the Sahelian region, even though the Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) values report a 15% drought stress. On the other hand, increases in temperature have not been detected in the Southern Hemisphere of Africa, where increasing frequency of storm occurrences determine a rise of PGR, particularly in southern Africa. Time analysis highlights a strong seasonality effect, while PGR is in-phase with rainfall patterns in the summer (Northern Hemisphere) and winter (Southern Hemisphere) and out-of-phase during the fall season. This study helps to elucidate the mechanism of the processes influencing groundwater resources in six climatic zones of Africa, even though modelling results need to be validated more extensively with direct measurements in future studies. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why has 'agency' been such a tenacious concept in historical scholarship on women and gender, and what have been the consequences on this tenacity? This essay tackles these questions and proposes, through a brief examination of the history of skin lighteners in South Africa and beyond, how agency might be pushed in more surprising, more analytically productive directions. Too often agency slips from being a conceptual tool or starting point to a concluding argument. For example, in my subfield of African women's and gender history, statements like 'African women had agency' can stand as the impoverished punch lines of empirically rich studies. Consideration of Walter Johnson's 2003 essay 'On Agency' highlights the intellectual and political imperatives of 1970s Marxist and feminist social history that placed agency at centre stage. This essay examines why, more than a decade after Johnson's critique, agency endures as a 'safety' argument for reasons related to representational politics, research methodologies and the circumscribed imagination of intellectual gatekeepers. It argues that we should move beyond agency as argument by attending to the multiple concerns and desires - some intentional, others not - that animate human actions, including contentious gendered practices, and by examining how different historical actors have themselves understood agency. Agency has a history. By acknowledging and tracing that history, we will be better able to discern the usefulness and limits of agency for our own analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa's Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Program has run four competitive tenders/auctions since 2011, which have seen US$19 billion in private investment, and electricity prices of wind power falling by 46% and solar PV electricity prices by 71%, in nominal terms. Competitive tenders were introduced after an unsuccessful attempt to implement feed-in tariffs. The tenders incorporated standard, nonnegotiable contract documents, including 20-year Power Purchase Agreements and an Implementation Agreement whereby the Government of South Africa back-stops IPP payments by the national utility, Eskom. All of these projects have reached financial close to date and some are already delivering power to the grid. The financing success has been due in part to the requirements for commercial banks to undertake a thorough due diligence of projects prior to bids being offered. The details of the policy package described may be useful for other policy makers in countries developing policies for renewable energy deployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers African news briefs on topics including the terror attacks in Grand Bassam, Côte D'ivoire, the foreign relation of Alegria and Morocco over the disptuted territory in Western Sahar, and the visit of South African President Jacob Zuma to Nigeria.

The article discusses issues on the economic, financial and technical issues on Africa as of November 15, 2014. Topics include the mid-term budget statement of South Africa with slashed economic growth forecast due to insufficient revenue to cover spending, the 14th African Economic Conference (AEX) held in Ethiopia from November 1 to 3, 2014 which focused on research and innovation for the transformation of Africa, and regulatory reforms in Sub-Saharan Africa according to World Bank Group.

A popular maxim in South Africa, a legacy of apartheid thinking, is that the Coloured population does not possess an ethnic identity and that, secondly, in post-apartheid popular thought, that the group does not embrace the collective national identity. The aim of this article is to demonstrate that the Coloured population is not a homogenous group in terms of political thought and primary language, and yet the group reflects ethnic consciousness. The study focused on a population sample (n = 215) in the port city of Port Elizabeth, where the majority of Coloured people in the Eastern Cape Province are located. The findings revealed that the majority of the Coloured population support collective national identity. Another finding is that a significant proportion of the Coloured population regard their ethnic identity as salient. The conclusions drawn were, firstly, that the group showed 'extreme' identity preferences rather than dual identities; secondly, that language played a role in determining the primary collective identity amongst the group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This publication covers economic, financial and technical issues from Africa. Such issues include continental developments, policy and practice, industries, and communications and transport. The publication also covers China's growing share of South Africa's manufacturing import and export markets and foreign loans.

ABSTRACT Global health interventions to provide antiretroviral (ARV) drug treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS in developing countries have linked global and local actors in unprecedented ways. These uneven relationships have been described as creating new forms of citizenship that challenge the liberal understanding of rights and responsibilities bestowed by the state. A comparative case study based on fieldwork from South Africa and Uganda suggests different theoretical understandings of the link between technologies of AIDS treatment and relationships of belonging. Yet, ethnographic data from local clinics in both countries point to similarities that exist across AIDS interventions, and to the importance of counsellors in negotiating the rules of ARVs. Neither patients living with HIV nor the local providers of their AIDS treatment are 'bare life' subjects to be acted upon by a global development intervention. As ARV technologies are increasingly prescribed in developing country clinics, diverse social relationships are taught and negotiated as part of the pedagogy of biopolitics. The following discussion demonstrates how local counsellors and clients negotiate the rules of AIDS treatment together for mutual benefit. The article concludes that AIDS treatment creates relationships of therapeutic citizenship and clientship in ways that constrain the possibilities of citizenship and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which investigates on the resiliency of the community of medicinal plants in the rehabilitation of coastal dune forests in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It mentions that the study separately assessed woody plants from herbaceous plants and the variations of medicinal plants were also investigated. It reveals that the age of woody and medical herbaceous plants increases as the site chronosequence increases.