ResearchSpace
ResearchSpace is the institutional repository of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, unlocking knowledge, empowering impact, and preserving UKZN's research legacy.
Recent Submissions
The influence of social media on consumer spending behaviour among young adults in Durban, KwaZulu- Natal.
(2025) Mhlarhi, Nyiko Niki Bruce.; Taylor, Simon Michael.
This study has examined the significant impact of social media on consumer spending behaviour among young adults in KwaZulu-Natal. It shows that social platforms are no longer passive communication tools but have become highly active digital marketplaces that blur the line between content consumption and commercial action. Findings indicate that daily social media engagement, especially among Gen Z (those born between 1996 and 2010), increases impulsive purchasing, aspirational spending, and emotional responses to curated influencer content. The use of integrated shopping features, such as Instagram Checkout and TikTok Shop, further reduces barriers to spending. Thematic analysis identified six key factors shaping these behaviours: habitual platform use, Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), influencer trust, platform-specific influence, ad recall, and budgeting challenges. These themes highlight the importance of psychological, social, and technological aspects in understanding youth consumerism in digital contexts.
This quantitative cross-sectional study examined the impact of social media on consumer spending behaviour among young adults in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A structured, self-administered questionnaire was distributed online using non-probability sampling (convenience and snowball), yielding 158 valid responses from participants aged 18–29. The instrument comprised primarily 5-point Likert-scale items measuring social media usage intensity, engagement with brand and influencer content, FOMO, peer influence, platform preferences, ad recall, impulsive and trend-driven spending,
and budgeting challenges. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means) to profile usage and spending patterns, and inferential statistics, including chi-square tests and Pearson correlations, to examine associations between social media engagement variables and consumer spending behaviours. Factor analysis and reliability testing (Cronbach’s alpha) were applied to validate multi-item scales. The results show that high daily engagement with social media is significantly associated with increased impulsive purchasing, aspirational spending and emotionally driven responses to curated influencer and promotional content. Integrated shopping features (e.g., Instagram Checkout, TikTok Shop) were perceived as reducing friction in the purchase process, facilitating rapid conversions from exposure to transaction. The analysis further identified six key dimensions underpinning these behaviours: habitual platform use, FOMO-related emotional triggers, influencer trust, platform-specific influence patterns, digital advertising recall, and budgeting difficulties. These findings highlight the combined psychological, social, and technological drivers of youth consumerism in digital environments and underscore the challenges they pose for financial discipline among financially vulnerable groups. The study contributes empirical evidence to digital consumer psychology and social commerce literature in an emergingmarket context and offers practical insights for marketers, regulators, and educators. Recommendations include promoting more ethical, transparent digital marketing practices and developing targeted digital and financial literacy interventions for young consumers in regions such as KwaZulu-Natal. In conclusion, the research confirms that social media plays a significant role in shaping spending habits among young South African adults. The digital environment encourages both intentional and reactive purchasing through emotional, social, and algorithmic influences. The blending of entertainment and commerce creates challenges for financial discipline, especially for youth lacking financial literacy. Practically, this study offers marketers insights into customising content strategies and emphasises the need for regulators and educators to address the growing gap between digital convenience and consumer awareness. Theoretically, it adds to the literature on digital consumer psychology and media-driven decision-making. Future research should include longitudinal studies of spending patterns, examine platform-specific psychological effects, and explore interventions to improve digital budgeting skills in developing regions such as KwaZulu-Natal.
The influence of leadership styles on employee motivation at an automotive manufacturing company in South Africa.
(2025) Govender, Luchen.; Gerwel, Cecile, Proches.
South Africa’s automotive manufacturing industry operates within a demanding environment characterised by global competition, technological change, and strict productivity and quality requirements. In such contexts, employee motivation at operational level is critical to sustained organisational performance, yet limited empirical research has examined how specific leadership styles influence motivation within South African automotive manufacturing organisations. This study investigated the relationship between leadership styles and employee motivation at an automotive manufacturing company in South Africa using a quantitative, cross-sectional research design. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 107 operationallevel employees (from a population of 165) across operational-related functions and analysed using descriptive statistics, reliability testing, and multiple regression analysis. The findings indicate that democratic and transformational leadership styles were most frequently experienced by operational-level employees, while autocratic leadership was reported least often. Overall employee motivation levels were found to be moderate to high. However, when leadership styles were analysed simultaneously and overlapping leadership influences were controlled for, servant/coaching leadership emerged as the only leadership style with a statistically significant unique effect on employee motivation, highlighting its particular relevance within the operational manufacturing context examined. The study contributes empirical evidence from an underresearched South African manufacturing setting and underscores the importance of leadership behaviours that emphasise support, development, and empowerment in sustaining employee motivation and operational effectiveness, while acknowledging the limitations associated with a cross-sectional design and single-organisation focus.
Investigating grade 10 learners’ understanding of quadrilaterals in Euclidean geometry.
(2025) Nkwoji, Stanley Izuchukwu.; Sarah, Bansilal.
With the growing focus on geometry education and the challenges South African learners face in understanding Euclidean geometry with reference to quadrilaterals, it is imperative, therefore, to examine the understanding and reasoning of learners, specifically in quadrilaterals. This study focused on investigating Grade 10 learners’ understanding and reasoning of quadrilaterals in Euclidean geometry, within the South African context. Being the entry grade into the Further Education and Training (FET) phase, a sound foundation in geometric reasoning at this FET stage is important for academic progression in mathematics. The objectives of the study seek to identify key factors that influence the understanding of learners in quadrilateral concepts, unearth common misconceptions they hold, and gain insights into learners’ reasoning in terms of the van Hiele model of geometric thought. A qualitative research approach was adopted within an interpretivist paradigm, which aids in understanding the phenomenon being studied. Data was collected from 21 participants from Grade 10 learners, by means of questionnaires, (multiple-choice and open-ended tasks) and semi-structured interviews. The data were analysed using a thematic approach aimed at interpreting the responses of learners to the given tasks. The analysis focused on learners’ reasoning abilities, conceptual understanding, and challenges with properties of geometry, proofs, and classification of quadrilateral shapes. The research findings reveal that learners experience significant challenges, such as misidentification of parallelograms and trapeziums, difficulty in classification of quadrilaterals, and mixing up ‘necessary’ and ‘sufficient’ conditions in geometric-related proofs. Further findings reveal that learners depend excessively on visual cues over analytical reasoning. Procedural errors in constructing proof and misappropriation of geometric terminology were also evident. Most learners’ reasoning in terms of the van Hiele level of geometry is still at the lower levels of Visualization and Informal Deduction, which impedes progression towards the higher level of deductive reasoning. The emerging critical factors that hinder the development of learners’ geometric reasoning were cognitive challenges, language barriers, and inadequate instructional support. The study highlights the importance of considering the use of structured, level-appropriate instructional approaches, in line with the van Hiele model. These include the use of reinforced vocabulary, visual aids, and guided informal proof tasks, which improve the geometric reasoning skills of learners. This will ensure that the identified challenges are addressed, and recommendations for curriculum development, classroom practices, and teacher development are provided as well.
Gold nanoparticle-chitosan hydrogel mediated wound healing and delivery of 5- fluorouracil to cancer cells in vitro.
(2025) Gounden, Varshan.; Singh, Moganavelli.
Cancer is a severe disease, devastating lives worldwide. Despite the numerous benefits of anticancer medication, their efficacy is compromised by insufficient selectivity and rapid metabolic degradation. In response to the requirement for novel drugs with improved therapeutic efficacy, delivery systems are being developed to mitigate the adverse effects of chemotherapy. The management of chronic wounds is a significant yet often overlooked concern, vital for preserving the mental and physical welfare of patients and enhancing their overall quality of life. In recent years, the application of hydrogels has significantly mitigated deficiencies in drug delivery and wound healing due to their similarity to the extracellular matrix (ECM) and stimuli-responsive properties, which facilitate drug release from contracting polymer chains in response to changes in pH, light, and temperature. Chitosan (CS) is an ideal, natural, and biologically compatible polymer that has a structural resemblance to glycosaminoglycans in the ECM and contains NH2 and OH groups that are functionally significant for its pH sensitivity and conformation. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) serve as inert, non-toxic physical crosslinkers for the development of "reversible" hydrogels utilizing electrostatic attraction with the cationic CS. This study outlines the synthesis of a CS hydrogel, physically cross-linked with AuNPs, followed by the encapsulation of 5-FU. The physicochemical properties of the CS, CS-Au, and CS-Au-5-FU hydrogels were analysed, and the identification of distinctive peaks in Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, along with a peak at 530 nm under UV-visible spectroscopy, confirmed their successful synthesis. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the production of spherical nanoparticles (NPs) with an average diameter of approximately 89.31 nm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrated a porous network surface morphology for the CS and CS-Au hydrogels, conducive for diffusion and functioning as a synthetic extracellular matrix. The zeta potentials recorded using dynamic light scattering (DLS) were +11.1 ± 0.1 mV and +15.87 ± 1.18 mV for the CS-Au and CS-Au-5-FU hydrogels, respectively, suggesting moderate stability of the NPs. CS can function as a steric stabilizer to enhance the overall stabilization of the NP. Rheological analyses revealed a non-Newtonian shear-thinning property, characterized by a progressive reduction in viscosity with an increasing shear rate, along with a thixotropic behavioural characteristic attributed to hydrogel recovery following shear stress. This indicated a suitability for injection in vivo and application on dynamic wound surfaces. A thermal stability test using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) demonstrated enhanced stability for the CS-Au hydrogel relative to the CS hydrogel due to physical crosslinking, as evidenced by a 21.21 C increase in the endothermic peak.
The pH sensitivity and reswelling of the CS-Au hydrogel were examined, revealing a significant pH-dependent uptake in water. At pH 4.5, the hydrogel achieved a higher equilibrium quicker than at pH 7.4 and pH 10.5. This can be attributed to an increased concentration of protonated hydroxyl and amino groups, in tandem with the relaxation of the polymer chains enabling water absorption. It was determined that the CS-Au hydrogel attained a favourable drug (5-FU) loading capacity of 77.71%. An in vitro lysozymemediated degradation study of the CS-Au and CS-Au-5-FU hydrogels demonstrated a natural, progressive degradation profile that facilitated cellular proliferation and removal from the body. The drug release studies conducted in simulated cancer and physiological microenvironments indicated a sustained, pH-dependent release with specificity for the acidic cancer microenvironment (pH 4.5 and 6.5). The in vitro 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) cytotoxicity assay was performed on three human cell lines: HEK293 (embryonic kidney), HeLa (cervical carcinoma), and MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma). The results demonstrated a notable specificity of the CS-Au-5-FU hydrogel for the cancer cells (HeLa and MCF-7) and a diminished cytotoxicity in the non-cancer cells (HEK293). Minimal cytotoxicity was observed at all hydrogel concentrations, with some proliferation noted at 20 μg/ml for the CS and CS-Au hydrogels in the HEK293 cells. This suggests suitability for wound healing applications. The scratch assay illustrated the complete closure of the wounds at low concentrations (15.63 and 31.25 μg/ml), confirming the capacity of the hydrogel to imitate the extracellular matrix (ECM). The positive findings from this study confirm the potential of these CS-Au hydrogels to function as smart in vitro delivery systems and scaffolds for wound healing, warranting additional optimizations and in vivo studies.
An assessment of functionalised gold nanoclusters for the delivery of doxorubicin to a breast cancer cell model.
(2025) Bugwandeen, Akshay.; Singh, Moganavelli.
Nanotechnology, a rapidly growing field of science, encompasses manipulating materials at the nanoscale with varied applicability to everyday situations. The advent of nanotechnology has facilitated the formulation of novel delivery systems for bioactive molecules. Gold nanoclusters have lured researchers in the field of nanomedicine due to their attractive qualities, which include ultra-small size, photostability, biocompatibility, and efficiency in drug delivery to tumour sites. Breast cancer is among the most common cancers affecting women globally and is a leading cause of death. Chemotherapeutic agents have been traditionally used to treat breast cancer. The anticancer drugs’ low solubility is due to their hydrophobic nature, and their non-targeted delivery results in toxicity and high levels of drug resistance. Hence, the need for a smart and efficient drug delivery system is necessary to reduce toxicities and improve therapeutic efficiency. Gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) were synthesised successfully using glutathione, followed by encapsulation using the polymer, chitosan (CS), which was conjugated to the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). High encapsulation was observed, with 83 % for the Au-CS-DOX-loaded nanocomplex (AuCTD) compared to 68 % for the CS-DOX-loaded nanocomplex (CTD). Physicochemical characterisation included UV-visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). All nanoparticles (NPs) and nanocomplexes were spherical, displayed hydrodynamic sizes of less than 150 nm, had good stability and were mostly monodisperse. Pharmacokinetic studies conducted at physiological and acidic pH levels revealed that the AuCTD nanocomplex displayed a more controlled drug release over time than the CTD nanocomplex. Cytotoxicity studies were conducted using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)- 2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay on the human embryonic kidney (HEK293) and breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) cells.
The AuCTD nanocomplex showed greater anticancer activity (11.12 % cell survival) compared to the CTD nanocomplex (54.63 % cell survival) and free DOX (32.83 % cell survival) in the MCF-7 cells at the highest concentration of 40 μg/ml. The AuCTD complex showed little cytotoxicity in the HEK293 cells. The high apoptotic indices of the nanocomplex in the MCF-7 cells suggested that apoptosis was a possible mechanism of cell death. Both nanocomplexes displayed no significant differences in the cell cycle analysis, as treatment with both nanocomplexes induced the cells toremain in the G0/G1 cell cycle phase. Overall, the positive qualities of the AuCTD nanocomplex as a delivery system in vitro have been highlighted. These results warrant further studies to determine the mechanisms of action of the nanocomplex and to test these nanocomplexes in vivo using a breast cancer animal model.