Dateline Soweto documents the working lives of black South
African reporters caught between the mistrust of militant blacks,
police harrassment, and white editors who-fearing government
...disapproval-may not print the stories these reporters risk their
lives to get. William Finnegan revisited several of these reporters
during the May 1994 election and describes their post-apartheid
working experience in a new preface and epilogue.
Students Must Rise Mxolisi Ndlovu, Sifiso; Peterson, Bhekizizwe; Macqueen, Ian ...
04/2018
eBook
The Soweto Student Uprising of 1976 was a decisive moment in the struggle against apartheid. It marked the expansion of political activism to a new generation of young activists, but beyond that it ...inscribed the role that young people of subsequent generations could play in their country’s future. Since that momentous time students have held a special place in the collective imaginary of South African history. Drawing on research and writing by leading scholars and prominent activists, Students Must Rise takes Soweto ’76 as its pivot point, but looks at student and youth activism in South Africa more broadly by considering what happened before and beyond the Soweto moment. Early chapters assess the impact of the anti-pass campaigns of the 1950s, of political ideologies like black consciousness as well as of religion and culture in fostering political consciousness and organisation among youth and students in townships and rural areas. Later chapters explore the wide-reaching impact of June 16th itself for student organisation over the next two decades across the country. Two final chapters consider contemporary student-based political movements, including #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall, and historically root these in the long and rich tradition of student activism in South Africa. 2016 marks the 40th anniversary of the 1976 June 16th uprisings. This book rethinks the conventional narrative of youth and student activism in South Africa by placing that most famous of moments – the 1976 students’ uprising in Soweto – in a deeper historical and geographic context.
Raising awareness to support improved health and well-being of young women in sub-Saharan Africa is critical, particularly in the preconception period in order to achieve improved health for multiple ...generations. To inform messaging campaign on preconception health, we conducted eight focus group discussions (FGDs) with young women in Soweto to understand their perceptions and access to health messages. Preconception health was generally not a familiar topic for young women. Participants prioritised information seeking for other pressing challenges they faced such as poverty and unemployment. Within this context, mental health was viewed as important, while physical health only gained importance when illness was present or during pregnancy. Television, radio and community health workers were all viewed as useful communication channels for health messaging. Understanding the importance of preconception health of young adults to benefit from the triple dividend of better health now, better health for the future and for children is a critical knowledge gap for young women. Messages aimed to improve preconception physical and mental health could leverage significant health gains. Health messages should be contextualised within the experiences that young women face and should offer information to help young women cope with their challenges.
Vaccination of pregnant women could prevent 2,105 invasive GBS cases and 278 deaths among infants annually.
Although group B
Streptococcus
(GBS) is a leading cause of severe invasive disease in young ...infants worldwide, epidemiologic data and knowledge about risk factors for the disease are lacking from low- to middle-income countries. To determine the epidemiology of invasive GBS disease among young infants in a setting with high maternal HIV infection, we conducted hospital-based surveillance during 2004–2008 in Soweto, South Africa. Overall GBS incidence was 2.72 cases/1,000 live births (1.50 and 1.22, respectively, among infants with early-onset disease EOD and late-onset LOD disease). Risk for EOD and LOD was higher for HIV-exposed than HIV-unexposed infants. GBS serotypes Ia and III accounted for 84.0% of cases, and 16.9% of infected infants died. We estimate that use of trivalent GBS vaccine (serotypes Ia, Ib, and III) could prevent 2,105 invasive GBS cases and 278 deaths annually among infants in South Africa; therefore, vaccination of all pregnant women in this country should be explored.
Quantification and analysis of urban greenness is important in evaluating the role of urban trees in carbon sequestration and regulating land surface temperature of an urban environment. Landsat 8 ...satellite data was used to evaluate the effects of urban heat island based on land surface temperature (LST) in the affluent suburb of Rosebank in the north and the previously marginalized township of Soweto south of Johannesburg. It was found that the LST of Soweto was 2.58 °C hotter than Rosebank, suggesting that high-density areas with less street trees and parks are hotter than low-density suburbs. The Pearson's correlation coefficient computed between the LST and the Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI) or the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for the two areas, Rosebank and Soweto showed a positive correlation of 0.92 and 0.98) and a negative correlation of −0.91 and −0.99 respectively. The correlation between the NDVI and NDBI also showed negative values of −0.90 and −0.85, respectively. Based on the global bench mark for safe solar UVI, the residents of Soweto are likely to be at risk of skin and eye damage due to prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation than the residents of Rosebank. Thus, this study has effectively computed and evaluated the land surface temperatures of the two study areas from Landsat 8 satellite data, an information which can help potential vegetation cover programs to improve existing disparity in urban greenness in the city of Johannesburg.
•11.15% of the Soweto is affected by urban heat island compared to 1.77% in Rosebank.•The land surface temperature in Soweto is 2.48 °C hotter than in Rosebank.•Vegetation cover reduces effects of urban heat island while built-up areas increases it.•Residents of areas with high to very high UV exposure are likely to suffer from health problems.
Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in South Africa have for the most part been banned, except dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) which is still used as malaria vector control. The aim of this study ...was to determine OCP residues in the aquatic fauna of one of South Africa's most populated areas, Soweto. Risk to human health through OCP exposure via fish consumption was investigated. Clarias gariepinus was chosen as bioindicator because it is an apex predator that is in abundance, but is also a valued food source. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), and chlordanes (CHLs) were detected in the fish tissue with the DDTs being the most prevalent at all sites. Of the three locations, Fleurhof, Orlando, and Lenasia, the latter location's fish had the highest ΣOCP load, ranging between 81 and 1190ng/gwm. The DDTs were determined to be from historic use, whereas the CHL levels indicated more recent inputs. Although the possibility of illegal use cannot be excluded completely, the presence of OCPs outside of their allowed areas of use indicate that these compounds not only stay in the aquatic systems long term, but may be of concern in areas previously not considered high risk areas. The OCP residues in C. gariepinus from the study area pose an extremely high risk to human health when consumed, and has a cancer risk as high as 1 in 10. This potential problem should be kept in consideration when developing national health and conservation strategies.
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•Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) found in urban area•Clarias gariepinus accumulated OCPs in muscle tissue.•The cancer risk associated with consumption was greater than acceptable levels.•Non-cancerous risk was up to a 1000 times that what is considered safe.
Recent scholarship highlights that accumulation by dispossession creates surplus populations who must sustain themselves outside wage labor, often through informal work. This article theorizes a ...different aspect of the relationship between the informal economy and accumulation by dispossession by analyzing how the state and capital seek to capture new spheres of accumulation created by informal workers. Drawing on Searle's theorization of social ontology it explores how reclaimers at a Soweto garbage dump reconceptualized trash as holding potential value and transformed the landfill from a commodity cemetery into a resource mine. The attempt to enclose the landfill therefore required appropriating not only the materials at the dump but the very framing of these materials as valuable. Reclaimers' grievance over this “epistemic injustice” fueled their successful opposition to the enclosure, demonstrating the centrality of “epistemic dispossession” to accumulation by dispossession. Highlighting the epistemic and social agency of informal workers considered the epitome of “human waste” establishes the need to recognize all informal workers as producers of knowledge and social reality and facilitates more nuanced understandings of accumulation by dispossession, how and why it is contested, and how alternatives can be forged.
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•Cost benefit analysis of a municipal solid waste recycling facility.•Internal Rate of Return and Net Present Value of a project.•MATLAB, Python and R-Studio for comparation and ...validation.
Rapid population and economic growth, changes in consumption pattern etc. have become major contributing factors to severe municipal solid waste generation globally. Thus, various methods are being employed to manage the incessant municipal solid waste generation for a sustainable solid waste management and one of the viable approaches is the recycling option. The main objective of this paper is to determine the cost benefit analysis of setting up a recycling facility for the processing of various wastes for use as raw materials by industries. The cost benefit analysis was carried out based on historic data obtained from the municipality and some recent waste composition data. The overall analysis was done using Excel software. From the Excel software analysis, Internal Rate of Return on investment was 42%, Internal Rate of Return on equity was 98% and Net Present Value was R 63, 420,000 (USD$ 4646225.33). In ascertaining the result obtained from the Microsoft Excel, three data analysis and technical computing software (MATLAB, Python, and R-Studio) were employed. This was necessary to compare and validate the cost-benefit indicators (Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return). Besides, evaluating the performance of each software with regards to the cost-benefit evaluation is ideal for a recycling plant like this to establish the feasibility of the project. Moreover, sensitivity analysis was conducted, and a breakeven point of 211 tons of waste was obtained. In addition, the total benefit of recycling was valued and was given as R 486,008,582.85 (USD$ 35605572.16). From the overall analysis, it was observed that the IRR and Net Present Value were alike, about 677 potential jobs could be created on the project and the Net Present Value > 0. Based on the overall analysis, it was concluded that the project is viable.
Abstract
This article reports on the experiences of secondary school teachers teaching human rights education in Soweto township in South Africa. The study was anchored in phenomenological design and ...adopted a qualitative research approach. Twelve participants from four urban public secondary schools in Soweto township were sampled. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews. Findings revealed that the participants’ experiences were negative due to a lack of teaching resources, a lack of training to teach human rights education, and a lack of support from district officials. However, more positively, participants viewed themselves as having a significant role in teaching human rights education despite their challenges. Based on the findings, the article suggests more support from different stakeholders, such as the Department of Education, the South African Police Services (SAPS), human rights organizations, and other non-governmental organizations in relation to teacher training and teaching resources for the effective teaching of human rights education.
•Tenure security for urban agriculture is multidimensional, focus on legal aspects is too narrow.•Tenure security as perceived necessarily does not have to stem from legal tenure ...security.•Investments to urban agriculture are related to all dimensions of tenure security.•Mutually beneficial relationship between farmer and land owner is key asset.
Land tenure regime is considered one of the most crucial assets determining viability of urban agriculture, especially in terms of investments. Many authors have built on traditional agricultural theory that only land ownership and (formal) secure land tenure can incite investments into farming, thus stressing the need of secure land tenure for more prosperous urban agriculture. However, these statements are often built on weak or nonexistent empirical evidence. This research aims to contribute to the discussion on land tenure for urban agriculture by mixed-method exploration of the above-mentioned theory. Additionally, we propose a farming investment index which measures the level of investments by using non-monetary information obtained from respondents. The results of our study show that land tenure security for urban farmers is often seen as a rather narrow concept, focusing only on legal tenure security but omitting its other dimensions such as perceived and de facto tenure security. Nevertheless, all three dimensions of tenure security positively influence investments to urban agriculture.
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