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Recent Submissions

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Modulation of Tenofovir by Probenecid: Impact on Drug, Interleukin-1β, and Dopamine Concentration in the Prefrontal Cortex and Cerebellum.
(2023) Shabalala, Ntombifikile Euphemia Shabalala.; Mabandla, Musa Vuyisile.
Abstract available in a PDF.
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Strategic application of in silico drug discovery approaches to discover novel TB drugs.
(2023) Kisten, Kimona.; Kumalo, Hezekiel Mathambo.; Mhlongo, Ndumiso Nhlakanipho .
Abstract available in a PDF.
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Differential effects of early life stress and schizophrenia on the development of impulse control disorder.
(2024) Oginga, Fredrick.; Mpofana, Thabisile.
Abstract available in a PDF.
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An investigation of farmers level of participation in revitalized smallholder irrigation schemes in the KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa.
(2023) Rabothata, Matome Freddy.; Mudhara, Maxwell.; Senzanje, Aidan.; Kolanisi, Unathi.
Agricultural irrigation development should be considered an essential cornerstone for food security, economic growth, and adaptation to climate change. Effective irrigation management contributes substantially to many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Nevertheless, current irrigation schemes in Sub Saharan Africa perform below expectations, resulting in unreliable, inadequate, and inequitable access to irrigation water. Due to this, Sub-Saharan Africa is hindered from reaching its developmental goals in the irrigation sector. Various researchers identified five major limitations of African irrigation schemes, i.e., high capital costs, exaggerated and overestimated gains, a lack of understanding of the social reality, the absence of management skills and responsible human resources, and the neglect of operations and maintenance. Furthermore, most studies on African irrigation schemes also identified an overly centralised and bureaucratic management system as a major limitation. Thus, management transfer became a key strategy. Management transfer can be categorized differently according to the mode of implementation and phases, such as irrigation management transfer (IMT), participatory irrigation management (PIM), turnover or responsibility transfer. In South Africa, PIM/IMT policies were adopted and referred to as Revitalisation of Smallholder Irrigation Schemes (RESIS), which aimed at rehabilitating irrigation infrastructure and providing farmers with access to input and output markets, training, financial support and assists with establishment of functional institutions within irrigation schemes. However, most countries, including South Africa, lack effective policy implementation strategies that encourage farmer participation to maintain irrigation schemes after government support is withdrawn. The main aim of the study was to investigate factors affecting farmers' level of participation during the decision-making, implementation, benefit sharing, and evaluation stages of PIM/IMT related programmes such as the RESIS in South Africa, and their effect on farmers' access to water for irrigation in selected revitalised smallholder irrigation scheme in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province, South Africa. The study described demographic and socioeconomic factors of farmers in Makhathini, NdumoB, Tugela Ferry, and Mooi River irrigation schemes using descriptive statistics, an analysis of variance (ANOVA), and a Chi-square test. Multiple Linear and Probit Regression models were used to determine the effect of selected socioeconomic and demographic factors, RESIS knowledge, the RESIS programme and its implementers, and access to irrigation on farmers' level of participation and farmers' access to water in four revitalised smallholder irrigation schemes, respectively. Results indicated that the average age of farmers across four irrigation schemes is 54.38 years. Household heads own 4.66ha of land on average, but farmers in Makhathini and NdumoB have significantly larger plots than farmers in Mooi River and Tugela Ferry. Farmers in different irrigation schemes have statistically significant differences in education and marital status. Despite this, more than half of farmers were married. RESIS was known to more than half of the farmers in the four irrigation schemes. Furthermore, farmers expressed positive attitudes towards training and institutional arrangements, but were dissatisfied with their access to markets, financial support, and irrigation infrastructure. Farmers in Tugela Ferry were pleased with their irrigation infrastructure, but other irrigation schemes were not. Farmers in Makhathini were happier with market access than farmers in other irrigation schemes. Farmers were generally pleased with the participatory approaches, efficiency, effectiveness, and fairness of RESIS implementers. The overall Farmer Participation Index (FPI) in four irrigation schemes was around 50%, indicating that more farmers were not participating. Over 50% of farmers did not have adequate, timely, or equitable access to water across four irrigation schemes. With the exception of gender, all variables regressed against farmer participation were statistically significant. Age, education level, marital status, household and plot sizes, farmers' access to irrigation water, farmers' knowledge of RESIS and RESIS market access, financial support, institutional support, rehabilitated irrigation infrastructure and training, and RESIS implementers' fairness and participatory approach, efficiency, and effectiveness were found to have statistically significant effects on farmers' participation in various stages of the RESIS programme. Farmers' attitudes towards access to rehabilitated irrigation infrastructure, markets, financial support, training, the effectiveness of RESIS Implementers, and farmer participation during RESIS decision-making stages all had a statistically significant impact on their likelihood of accessing water for irrigation in four revitalised irrigation schemes. The implementation plans for the RESIS programme should not be viewed as one size fits all because demographic and socioeconomic factors may vary from irrigation scheme to irrigation scheme. Consequently, the study recommends determining a suitable project implementation plan for each scheme that will encourage farmers to participate throughout all phases of RESIS.
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A critical exploration of student integration and attrition of Black African undergraduate students from selected South African universities.
(2023) Cele, Siyanda Mluleki Kenneth.; Gaillard, Gaillard.
Access to South African Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) has significantly increased; however, success and graduation rates continue to decrease, especially amongst Black African students. Moreover, Black African youths entering university do so against the backdrop of extreme inequalities characterising their schooling backgrounds, class and economic resources. Such inequalities have had a large impact on these students’ decision to drop out of university. Literature relating to Black African students’ experiences of integration and attrition at South African universities is sorely missing. In addition to this, the institutions of higher learning are struggling to find a proper remedy to mitigate student dropout. Hence, it is this gap that the present study sought to fill by developing a new model that can be used by universities to retain Black African students in South Africa’s HEIs. The present study adopted the qualitative approach and the critical paradigm. Secondary data was obtained from a larger study of education and emancipation, documenting the university experiences of students from eight diverse universities in South Africa. The data were collected through in-depth interviews with 66 Black African students. In the present study, data were thematically analysed. The theoretical framework that informed data analysis is Tinto’s Student Integration Model (SIM). The interviews that were conducted with the participants produced rich and thick data indicating that the success of Black African students in South African universities is impeded by such factors as language, poor economic background, unsupportive family background, racial discrimination, gender stereotypes, and discrimination. Most participants mentioned that the medium of instruction used at universities, such as English and Afrikaans hindered their success. The findings suggest that high school education inadequately prepares Black African students for university. Furthermore, financial challenges, gender discrimination, homophobia and racism were found to be significant obstacles hindering most participants from studying at university. Informed by these findings as well as the review of extent literature, this thesis proposes a model that will assist universities to minimise dropout rates amongst Black African students. This model obligates institutions of higher learning to put students’ backgrounds at the forefront in every decision that they undertake to maximise the social and academic integration of students and consequently decrease attrition.