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Until recently, lead-acid batteries were the go-to source for storing energy for UPS/Inverter applications. The most common types of batteries used in wind applications are Valve-Regulated Lead-Acid batteries (VLRAs). But, lead-acid batteries have drawbacks that make them risky and expensive to use in wind turbine applications. They are the element that is most likely to fail at the moment when they are most needed. It is hard enough to deploy and manage lead-acid batteries traditionally. But when VRLAs are used in remote facilities, there are some problems that increase the effort and the cost of using them. Currently, the Soweto Small Wind Turbine is incorporated with the Vertiv (Inverter) and VRLA battery type. TP 100 Vision lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries offer substantial advantages. This battery system is ideal for both UPS/Inverters and energy storage systems, offering excellent compatibility and a secure, durable lifespan. Factory testing was carried out on the installation and testing of a TP 100 Vision battery to a Vertiv-type UPS at a South African company. A variable resistive load bank was added to the UPS output in order to test and evaluate the outcome. This paper presents the factory testing results and proposes the implementation of the TP100 Vision battery to a 500W Small Wind Turbine (SWT) in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the impact of COVID-19 on office space in Johannesburg. This study further explores the role of changing work practices in the office sector in South Africa because of the pandemic and its impact on future office space use planning and management. Design/methodology/approach: To understand the footprints that the COVID-19 pandemic has left on the office space market in Johannesburg, this study uses semi-structured interviews, which were administered to corporate office users, and a thematic analysis was adopted to understand the views, perspectives and expectations of office users. Findings: The study showed that space users perceive COVID-19-induced remote working as having benefits, opportunities and challenges. A notable shift in office space utilization has emerged, with employees increasingly opting for roles that permit remote work. This newfound flexibility, accommodating both on-site and remote work, often makes working from home more appealing than traditional office environments that may no longer align with users' preferences for office spaces. Research limitations/implications: The study is limited to Johannesburg, South Africa, and may not apply to other African markets. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted, and analysis and results were deduced; this may be considered a limitation of this study. Practical implications: The pandemic's impact has brought about irreversible changes, compelling policymakers and business leaders to strategize and prepare. This proactive stance aims to prevent avoidable challenges for employees and companies during future pandemics. A thoughtful approach to the post-pandemic world can usher positive changes in the office and property sector. This includes the coexistence of both remote work and on-site working models. Originality/value: This paper provides valuable insight into some of the outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa that are essential for future office space use planning and management. The insights from this study extend the literature and provide novel knowledge based on an office sector in the "global south." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retirement planning is viewed as one of the cornerstones of long-term household financial security. The responsibility of retirement planning has now been shifted to the individual and is no longer the responsibility of the employer. This paper examines the link between financial literacy and retirement planning among informal sector traders in the Randburg area of Johannesburg, South Africa. A questionnaire approach was used to collect data from 269 randomly selected informal sector respondents. The data was analysed using ordinal regression. Robustness tests were executed using the Wald test. Findings reveal that financial literacy is linked to retirement planning, and especially with reference to informal sector workers. Additionally, education, income and the informal business sector were observed to have a positive and significant influence on retirement planning. The paper contributes to both theoretical and practical discourses on retirement planning for informal sector entrepreneurs which has not received much attention. These results are important for policy makers in retirement planning as well as curriculum development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista INVI is the property of Universidad de Chile 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, I investigate the benefits and potential risks associated with utilizing participant observation to gain a deeper understanding of sexual identity. Specifically, my focus is on examining how young, heterosexual, middle-class, cisgender individuals in South Africa perceive and understand their heterosexual identities, exploring how privilege and heteronormativity shape their experiences. In my ethnographic study, I employed various qualitative data collection methods, including participant observation, to analyze how normative practices were negotiated and sustained in contemporary South Africa. As a feminist researcher, I reflect on the epistemological and methodological choices I made in the study, with reflexivity and positionality playing crucial roles in data collection and analysis. Drawing on experiences in three distinct social spaces in Johannesburg—high-end nightclubs, Tupperware-style sex-toy parties, and traditional braais [barbecues]—I examine the advantages and challenges of participant observation. This paper contributes to the broader discussion on the method's use, highlighting its potential to offer a nuanced understanding of a normalized phenomenon while acknowledging associated risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars examining racial stereotyping and prejudice in racially organised social systems have largely focused on how non-White ethnic and racial groups experience racial stereotyping in White-majority national contexts such as the US, Australia and European countries. There is only scant scholarship on experiences of ethno-racial communities in Black-majority countries such as South Africa, a country where Whites are a minority. Even though there is ample scholarly work on racial stereotyping of racial groups in South Africa such as Coloured people, much of it is focused on their experiences during colonial and Apartheid eras. Little is understood about how Coloured people experience racial stigmatisation in post-Apartheid South Africa. This paper addresses this gap. Based on interviews with fourteen Coloured participants from Westbury, Johannesburg, this study found that many interviewees claimed that Coloured South Africans were negatively racially stereotyped as people who use drugs, as aggressive and violent people, as alcoholics and as criminals. Many participants also resisted and countered the negative stereotypes by talking about Coloured people in positive ways, which shows their agency. The negative stereotyping of Coloured people which prevailed during colonial and Apartheid times is still deployed by society to describe Coloured people in post-Apartheid South Africa. To capture the continuity of negative stereotyping in South Africa about Coloured people, I developed the analytical term of 'perpetual racial stereotyping'. Many decades after the end of the Apartheid system, negative racial stereotyping of Coloured South Africans still continues in everyday life, and Coloured people are still associated with racist prejudices, narratives, discourses and stereotypes that were invented many decades ago by settler colonialism and Apartheid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The best method to measure adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource-limited settings has not yet been established, particularly among adolescents and young adults (AYAs). The use of mobile technology may address the need for standardized tools in measuring adherence in this often marginalized population. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional validation study among AYAs (18– 35 years) attending a South African HIV clinic between 07/2015-09/2017. We determine the diagnostic accuracy of two modes of delivering an adherence questionnaire (self-administered electronic vs interviewer-administered paper-adherence questionnaire) comprising two self-reported adherence tools (South African National Department of Health (NDoH) adherence questionnaire and the Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire (SMAQ)) to identify poor adherence compared to; 1) a detectable viral load (≥ 1000 copies/mL) and 2) a sub-optimal concentration of efavirenz (EFV) (EFV ≤ 1.00 μg/mL) measured by therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). Results: Of 278 included participants, 7.1% and 7.3% completing the electronic- and paper-questionnaires had a detectable viral load, while 14.7% and 16.5% had a sub-optimal concentration of EFV, respectively. According to viral load monitoring, the electronic-adherence questionnaire had a higher sensitivity (Se) in detecting poor adherence than the paper-based version across the NDoH adherence questionnaire (Se: 63.6% vs 33.3%) and SMAQ (Se: 90.9% vs 66.7%). In contrast, when using blood drug concentration (EFV ≤ 1.00 μg/mL), the paper-adherence questionnaire produced a higher sensitivity across both adherence tools; namely the NDoH adherence questionnaire (Se: 50.0% vs 38.1%) and SMAQ (Se: 75.0% vs 57.1%). Conclusion: When using more accurate real-time measures of poor adherence such as TDM in this young adult population, we observe a higher sensitivity of an interviewer-administered paper-adherence questionnaire than an identical set of self-administered adherence questions on an electronic tablet. An interviewer-administered questionnaire may elicit more accurate responses from participants through a sense of increased accountability when engaging with health care workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The African continent is confronted with interconnected challenges of water, energy, and food insecurity, particularly affecting marginalized urban residents. Decentralized Water-Energy-Food (WEF) systems have emerged as potential solutions to alleviate these issues exacerbated by climate change. Despite scholarly acknowledgment of constraints related to WEF, there is a growing global trend towards trials of innovative decentralized WEF systems. This paper contributes to the body of research aimed at demonstrating the applicability of decentralised WEF systems at local level, by showcasing the potential of such systems to enhance water, energy and food security in informal settlements. Focusing on Diepsloot slums in Johannesburg, South Africa, the paper applied space analysis, least-cost modeling of sack farming, and renewable energy technologies in providing WEF solutions that demonstrate feasibility, sustainability and decentralised solutions for informal settlements, compared to the popular broad-based solutions that often neglect these marginalised communities. Utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS), AquaCrop crop modeling, financial analysis, and linear optimization modelling urbs, the study provides a comprehensive analysis of past climate trends, water sources, spatial plant arrangements, and a proposed community centre. The proposed Phezulu 'Up' growers' model and the positive return on investment further demonstrate the feasibility of decentralized WEF systems. Policymakers are encouraged to promote these WEF systems to bolster urban livelihoods and achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably SDG 2, 6, and 7, in marginalized African urban areas. Recommendations and areas of further research include looking into issues of community engagement, partnerships, risk mitigation, strategies for equity and inclusivity and local knowledge integration during WEF implementation, and robust critique of WEF practical interventions and comparative analysis with other WEF models. Overall, the study provides a blueprint for inclusive and sustainable urban development, emphasizing the importance of localized WEF solutions and community empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing amount of academic research has focused its attention on the debate around the viability and potential mutual benefits emanating from rural-urban linkages through cultural planning in the development of smart cities. This paper interrogates the linkages and cultural planning in the proposed smart city in Lanseria, north of Johannesburg, in South Africa. The main research questions for the paper are: (1) How did the Greater Lanseria Master Plan (GLMP) in South Africa fail to integrate culture into its planning? (2) How did communities participate in the development of the plan (3) How are smart village and smart city linkages demonstrated in the GMLP? Lastly, (4) What are the benefits of the integration of cultural planning with community participation in the proposed smart village and smart city linkages? A synthetic literature-based critical analysis of planning documents was conducted to critique, reflect, and evaluate the plan. Findings indicate that cultural planning and community development approaches are missing from the master plan. The paper recommends that cultural planning and co-creation community development approaches should influence the smart village-smart city linkages at the very inception of the GMLP in order to obtain sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the unstoppable global drive towards electric mobility, the electrification of sub-Saharan Africa's ubiquitous informal multi-passenger minibus taxis raises substantial concerns. This is due to a constrained electricity system, both in terms of generation capacity and distribution networks. Without careful planning and mitigation, the additional load of charging hundreds of thousands of electric minibus taxis during peak demand times could prove catastrophic. This paper assesses the impact of charging 202 of these taxis in Johannesburg, South Africa. The potential of using external stationary battery storage and solar PV generation is assessed to reduce both peak grid demand and total energy drawn from the grid. With the addition of stationary battery storage of an equivalent of 60 kWh/taxi and a solar plant of an equivalent of 9.45 kW pk /taxi, the grid load impact is reduced by 66%, from 12 kW/taxi to 4 kW/taxi, and the daily grid energy by 58% from 87 kWh/taxi to 47 kWh/taxi. The country's dependence on coal to generate electricity, including the solar PV supply, also reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 58%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transnational city networks have generally been portrayed as a more inclusive and egalitarian mode of international organizing. However, recent research has questioned these assumptions and highlighted the dynamics of power, domination and control at the heart of the functioning of these networks. These studies have also suggested a North–South power dynamic in global city networks, which seems to deny any significant agency to Global South cities in these networks. In this paper, I seek to qualify this view by analysing the manifestation of agency by an African city in a major transnational city network. I show how, despite finding itself at the bottom of the global city hierarchy, the City of Johannesburg was able to capitalize on the visionary leadership of its Mayor and a favourable domestic political alignment to direct the affairs of the United Cities and Local Governments and in the process shape global discourse on urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research studies as well as anecdotal evidence suggest that there are challenges regarding the NHI plan implementation. These include problems such as an increase in illnesses and a shortage of personnel to drive the project in South African public hospitals. This is exacerbated by the existing situation of most government-funded healthcare institutions, which are characterized by bad administration, insufficient budget, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient drug supply, as highlighted in several studies. The hospital under investigation is one such facility, with a history of patients sleeping on the floor and people being turned away owing to a shortage of experts and an overburdened staff. This situation is concerning, given that the government claims to be providing appropriate funds to the institution. The hospital under research is highly regarded by the surrounding community. However, a visit by the Health MEC in 2014 revealed that the facility had insufficient sanitary standards and a high complaint rate. Based on the foregoing, as well as the difficulties that both employees and patients are confronted with at the  selected hospital, the question that emerges is whether the hospital is fit for the implementation of the NHI.Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the preparation for the launch of the national health insurance scheme at a Johannesburg hospital.Setting: The study was conducted at a hospital situated in eastern suburbs of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.Method: The study employed a qualitative method with an explorative, descriptive, qualitative study design. The population consisted of selected hospital employees, such as doctors, dispensary officers, hospital managers, human resources workers, facility managers, and administration record officials who were employed at the selected hospital. Purposive sampling was used to select participants.Sample Size: Category saturation was used to determine the sample size. The participants for the study were chosen using purposeful sampling, with the researcher aiming for those who were familiar with the NHI scheme at the institution. Semi structured interviews and a focus group discussion were used to gather data. The data from the focus group discussion and semi-structured interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.Results: The investigation found that the hospital was preparing to for the NHI implementation, but that was riddled with lack of resources, poor infrastructure, lack of training, delays in development and poor technological advances.Recommendations: The paper suggests that human resources be increased, infrastructure be upgraded, medicines and equipment be increased, and enough training on NHI implementation be provided.Contribution: The paper adds to the body of knowledge regarding the NHI in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses methodological approaches to comparative urban geography and the consequences of such approaches. It demonstrates three ways by which an imaginative comparison can be constructed and employed: letting the sites speak to one another, repeated instance analysis, and tracing. Successfully employing these methods requires adopting comparison as both an implicit ethos and explicit approach during data collection and analysis, answering "why is it different here?" Reflecting on the impact of utilising comparative approaches, I argue that comparative urbanism helps balance the unique and ubiquitous conclusions from research, and forces researchers to question the norms or assumptions they hold from doing singular case study research, which in turn foregrounds the situational nature of urban governance in analysis. In the specifics of this paper, it also helps uncover assumptions around the power of state and reveals (some) global elite urban networks. This paper addresses methodological approaches to comparative urban geography and the consequences of such approaches. It demonstrates three ways by which an imaginative comparison can be constructed and employed: letting the sites speak to one another, repeated instance analysis, and tracing. Successfully employing these methods requires adopting comparison as both an implicit ethos and explicit approach during data collection and analysis, answering "why is it different here?" [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social justice and environmental sustainability are often joint policy objectives, however, achieving the dual goal of just sustainability has proved difficult in both theory and practice. Scholars argue that a key challenge is balancing trade-offs between sustainability and justice objectives. This is evident within government-led housing, where there is little consensus regarding how to balance the housing needs within the context of existing unsustainable and unjust urban forms, resource constraints and high inequality. This paper explores this conundrum by examining how different logics and motivations influence justice and sustainability outcomes of two government housing projects in Johannesburg, South Africa – Pennyville and Lufhereng. We apply the concept of conflicting rationalities [Watson, Vanessa. 2003. "Conflicting Rationalities: Implications for Planning Theory and Ethics." Planning Theory & Practice 4 (4): 395–407] within a new context, thereby extending the theory and understanding of planning in the face of tensions and trade-offs. Three themes are used to surface different rationalities that influence just sustainability: (1) the assumption that justice and sustainability can be achieved simultaneously within government-led housing, (2) how power, influence and coordination within government contribute to disjunctures between justice and sustainability, and (3) assumptions around infill versus urban expansion for achieving just sustainability. The paper reveals how institutional dynamics, politics and conflicting rationalities diverted each project from their envisioned outcomes. The results show that disconnects between theory and practice are not necessarily driven by conflicts between justice and sustainability, but rather obscured rationalities. Focusing on conflicts between justice and sustainability can deviate attention away from the practical, and sometimes mundane, processes that cumulatively undermine progress towards justice and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable planning of waste management is contingent on reliable data on waste characteristics and their variation across the seasons owing to the consequential environmental impact of such variation. Traditional waste characterization techniques in most developing countries are time-consuming and expensive; hence the need to address the issue from a modelling approach arises. In modelling the complexity within the system, a paradigm shift from the classical models to the intelligent models has been observed. The application of artificial intelligence models in waste management is gaining traction; however its application in predicting the physical composition of waste is still lacking. This study aims at investigating the optimal combinations of network architecture, training algorithm and activation functions that accurately predict the fraction of physical waste streams from meteorological parameters using artificial neural networks. The city of Johannesburg was used as a case study. Maximum temperature, minimum temperature, wind speed and humidity were used as input variables to predict the percentage composition of organic, paper, plastics and textile waste streams. Several sub-models were stimulated with combination of nine training algorithms and four activation functions in each single hidden layer topology with a range of 1–15 neurons. Performance metrics used to evaluate the accuracy of the system are, root mean square error, mean absolute deviation, mean absolute percentage error and correlation coefficient (R). Optimal architectures in the order of input layer-number of neurons in the hidden layer-output layer for predicting organic, paper, plastics and textile waste were 4-10-1, 4-14-1, 4-5-1 and 4-8-1 with R-values of 0.916, 0.862, 0.834 and 0.826, respectively at the testing phase. The result of the study verifies that waste composition prediction can be done in a single hidden-layer satisfactorily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inevitable electrification of the sub-Saharan African paratransit system poses substantial threats to an already crippled electricity supply network. The integration of any electric vehicle fleet in this region will require in-depth analyses and understanding of the grid impact due to charging. This allows informative decisions for sufficient planning to be made for the required network infrastructure or the implementation of applicable 'load-shifting' techniques. This paper presents Grid-Sim, a software tool that enables comprehensive analysis of the grid impact implications of electrifying vehicle fleets. Grid-Sim is applied to assess the load profiles, energy demand, load-shifting techniques, and associated emissions for two charging stations serving an electrified minibus taxi fleet of 202 vehicles in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is found that the current operation patterns result in a peak grid power draw of 12 kW/taxi, grid-drawn energy of 87.4 kWh/taxi/day, and, subsequently, 93 kg CO2/taxi/day of emissions. However, when using the built-in option of including external batteries and a solar charging station, the average peak power draw reduces by 66%, and both grid-drawn energy and emissions reduce by 58%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite increasing recognition of the importance of multicultural sensitivity in psychotherapy, studies offering in‐depth exploration of client experiences are relatively rare, and studies exploring both client and therapist perspectives even less common. This paper explores how clients and therapists experience the presence of racial identity in psychotherapy. Eleven client–trainee therapist pairs attending a free clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa, were interviewed and transcripts were qualitatively analyzed utilizing psychoanalytic research methods. This paper explores three core themes: the difficulty of talking about racial/ethnic identity; the uneasy relationship between psychotherapy and culture; and the struggle for understanding between client and therapist. This paper concludes with an invitation to embrace ambivalence, uncertainty, and partial understanding in the face of racial trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management of greywater and sanitation in South Africa's urban informal settlements is a pressing concern. This review critically examines the legal framework that governs greywater management in South Africa's informal settlements, aiming to shed light on the existing regulations, gaps, and opportunities for sustainable greywater reuse. By scrutinizing the legal framework, the review identifies gaps and challenges in the regulatory environment, including inconsistencies, lack of clarity, and limited enforcement mechanisms. It explores the potential for international best practices to inform possible amendments to the existing legal framework. This was a quantitative research design utilizing a cross sectional survey model. Questionnaires were administered electronically to a sample of 17 municipal leaders from the City of Tshwane, City of Johannesburg and Buffalo City municipalities whose responsibilities were on water management. Descriptive statistics were employed in analysis of the data. Outcomes were reviewed against the alignment or the lack thereof with the SANS 1732:201x standards. This paper underscores the critical need for a coherent and robust legal framework to support responsible greywater management in South Africa's informal settlements. The paper's insights contribute to the ongoing discourse on water governance, shedding light on the pathways toward a more equitable water future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws on the narratives of 29 Zimbabwean migrant women employed in the Johannesburg restaurant industry. It uses qualitative methods through in-depth interviews. Although there is a growing amount of research on the migration experiences of Zimbabwean migrant women, the paper argues that there is a need to deepen the examination of the premigration phase because it is the foundation of the migration process. A thorough examination of premigration in this paper offers a crucial understanding of the circumstances behind migration choices, encompassing incentives, decision-making procedures and premigration arrangements and plans. Some women incorporate menstruation as part of their migration plan and strategy. Menstruation may occasionally shield women from sexual assault by men when they travel to Johannesburg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the multidimensional aspects of inequality that shape urban areas and imagines an alternative future for one such space in Johannesburg, South Africa. It builds on literature from urban studies and planning theory to explore planning practices that politicize inequality, valorize difference and promote the shared management of collective resources. Then, drawing on a decade of qualitative research, the paper imagines how cooperative urbanism could be applied in the factious context of Johannesburg, describing the potential for developing the former mining belt of the Witwatersrand as a series of multi-scalar interventions, networking sites of cooperative action to incrementally address the entrenched inequality of the region. Thus, the paper brings together interdisciplinary conversations on theory with empirical research, discussing concrete ways to continue shifting urban planning and development towards increased environmental and social justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores why young Black South African men refuse low-wage jobs in a time of mass joblessness. Drawing on in-depth qualitative data from an informal settlement on the outskirts of Johannesburg, the paper examines the work histories and social aspirations that underpin young men's decision to voluntarily quit low-wage employment. This inquiry is animated by a long history of urban young men rejecting the wage relation in favour of alternative livelihoods. It shows that the refusal of low-wage jobs is sustained by other forms of inequality and is closely entangled with race, gender and citizenship. The paper argues that the refusal of low-wage jobs is at once a critique of precariousness and racialized inequality, and a political demand for social and economic inclusion. In taking this demand seriously, the paper maintains that voluntary quitting is a relatively unrecognized form of worker resistance, with implications for how we understand labour market volatility, and the place of wage labour in South Africa's policy debates and politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African cities are rapidly experiencing an increase in population, thereby making it difficult to attain self-sustainability. Traffic congestion is a major contributing factor to this issue. Johannesburg's inner-city fits this profile, with an increasing decline in economic and social activities, and quality of life due to traffic congestion. Furthermore, the lack of a road transport infrastructure geodatabase and traffic data in these cities makes it more difficult for stakeholders to make an informed decision on how to effectively manage roads prone to traffic congestion or due for infrastructure upgrade. This paper focuses on developing a geodatabase using factors that cause traffic congestion such as bus stops, traffic lights, speed humps, t-joints, cross joints, street parking, and others. These factors were investigated on some selected roads within the Johannesburg inner-city by enumerating the number of such factors existing on each road with the aid of high-resolution aerial imagery. The developed geodatabase becomes a tool that can support the decision-making process in solving traffic congestion by querying the geodatabase to select roads that are prone to traffic congestions depending on the number of factors occurring along a road. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of History in Africa: A Journal of Method is the property of Cambridge University Press 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.)

The Nelson Mandela Bridge is one of South Africa's monuments at the centre of the drive to foster urban transformation in the city of Johannesburg. It stands out as one of the monumental emblems of transformation after the disappearance of administrative and occupational apartheid. On the one hand, the bridge is used consciously and unconsciously, to rehearse the ideals of democracy by harping on the towering image of Nelson Mandela as a struggle hero. On the other hand, the bridge is 'one of the prestigious projects at the centre of city-marketing and branding'. This article explores three dimensions of representation of the bridge in terms of what Stuart Hall refers to as reflective, intentional and constructivist meaning. The paper does this by examining how these meanings are produced and ordered, as well as, the knowledge, norms and practices that structure the new system of meaning in South Africa. The main argument of the paper is that the South African post-apartheid development ideology of reconstruction embedded in the struggle memory has become a platform on which the sign value of the NMB has become a rhetorical device for the appropriation of commercial interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines different ways of studying – and thereby understanding – social movement spatialities. For more than a decade, literature on the geographies of social movements has explored the multiple spatialities of mobilisation, using concepts like scale, network, place, and territory. Drawing on existing contributions, the study provides a critical engagement that differentiates between several forms of research agendas involving contrasting epistemologies. This engagement contributes to opening up a conceptualisation of multiple analytical approaches by (1) analysing wider processes and political goals spanning different movements, characterised as 'cross‐cutting spatialities'; (2) studying the more specific and diverse spatiotemporal realities within particular movement cases, which describe their 'complex‐situated spatialities'; and (3) considering how inherent tensions arise between the different political practices of specific movements, displaying 'contradictory spatialities'. The reading of these approaches is framed within a relational perspective that employs them in an empirical study of local and global struggles against neoliberalised urban water services. The paper explores the spatial practices of an urban place‐based movement struggle in Johannesburg and a global labour union federation for public service workers – representing two vantage points in the fight for water justice and the human right to essential services. The study demonstrates how the analytical approaches inform one another through complementary but also contrasting perspectives on movement politics. This paper examines different ways of studying and thereby understanding social movement spatialities. These approaches are furthermore framed within a relational perspective by employing them in an empirical study of local and global struggles against neoliberalised urban water services. The study demonstrates how the analytical approaches inform one another through complementary but also contrasting perspectives on movement politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why would the long-term unemployed poor continue to insist that wage labour must remain the key path to income – even in a place like South Africa, with endemic structural unemployment and spiralling inequality? This paper explores this puzzle using in-depth qualitative data from inner-city Johannesburg to unravel the ways in which people's economic expectations are embedded in moral beliefs that equate effort and labour with deservingness and income. To make sense of such moral logics and discourses, this paper theorizes them as part of a cohesive moral economy. This shared moral economy illuminates the means though which norms of fairness, deservingness and aspiration underpin attitudes about redistribution, cash and labour, and thus influence both support and resistance to particular political agendas around radical redistributory economic reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: South Africa presents one of the riskiest patterns of alcohol consumption, with per capita consumption above the African regional average. Globally, there has been an increased focus on the potential of appointing lay counsellors to administer alcohol intervention strategies in resource-limited contexts. Given the increasing need for relevant and efficient intervention strategies in response to high-risk alcohol consumption, screening instruments such as the AUDIT-C have gained increased attention. Methods: This paper explores the experiences of 15 lay counsellors in response to the training received on how to administer the AUDIT-C instrument, as well as provide interventions such as brief advice or an appropriate referral, in the resource-limited South African township of Alexandra, Johannesburg. A focus group was facilitated for this purpose and, thereafter, a thematic content analysis was applied to identify the themes most central to the lay counsellors' experiences. Results: The research findings suggest that the lay counsellors perceived the training to be adequate in preparing them for administrating the AUDIT-C and for providing any relevant interventions, and that their confidence in administering the instrument developed as the project progressed. However, recruitment and administration challenges were experienced in primary healthcare and community settings, and lay counsellors perceived home visits to be more appropriate with respect to issues related to confidentiality and stigmatisation. Conclusion: Overall, while lay counsellors feel that the training they received on the tool and the tool itself is useful for effectively implementing the AUDIT-C in low-resource communities, the availability and efficiency of alcohol treatment services in Alexandra Township need to be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa has adopted a policy on inclusive education through which White Paper 6 (2001) became the roadmap for implementation. One hundred and sixty-four (164) full-service schools were established to provide education to diverse learners. The extent to which these schools practise inclusion has not been well documented. This critical participatory action research (PAR) study was therefore aimed at exploring the development (if necessary) of an inclusion framework for full-service schools. PAR was adopted as a design through which 12 teachers and 15 learners at a full-service school in Johannesburg East District were engaged in action research over a 6-month period, entailing observations, interviewing and focus group meetings. The inductive content analysis of data has resulted in an inclusive teaching framework modelled on Booth and Ainscow's Inclusive Education Index (2002), to address the identified key pillars of inclusive teaching for diverse classes in a full-service school context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The active involvement of patients in medical education is a common practice globally. Despite this, there is a global paucity of data on patients' views on their role in medical education. As such this study aimed to identify factors that influence patient participation in undergraduate medical education in public and private hospitals in Johannesburg. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, using a 23-question, self-designed, paper questionnaire to collect data on patients' perceptions of student involvement in their care – with regard to consent, confidentiality, ethics, and patient preferences. Participants were recruited on a voluntary basis in the Departments of Medicine, Surgery, and Gynaecology, at selected hospital sites. Fisher's Exact and Chi-Square statistical tests were used where appropriate. Results: Two hundred and one adult patients, comprised of 150 public sector patients and 51 private sector patients, completed the questionnaire. One hundred and sixty-nine patients (84,1%) were willing to participate in undergraduate medical education and no notable difference between these sectors was demonstrated (p = 0,41). The results further demonstrated that the main factors influencing patient participation in undergraduate medical education across both sectors were (1) the presence of a supervising professional, (2) the perceived degree of invasiveness of a procedure, and (3) the perceived expertise of the student. In addition, data across other key themes such as consent, confidentiality, ethics, and patient preferences and perceptions were elucidated. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the majority of inpatients across the public and private sectors are willing to participate in undergraduate medical education to facilitate the development of healthcare professionals. It also demonstrated that most patients have a positive experience. However, more measures of quality informed consent need to be instituted to optimise the current role of the South African public health sector, whilst facilitating the development of a similar role for the South African private sector in future clinical education. In addition, further research is necessary to evaluate these findings in a South African context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate change (CC), warming at 'double the global average rate'. The southern African region is already a CC hotspot with climate variability exposing stark societal and biophysical ecosystem vulnerabilities. South African and southern African youth are beginning to claim their place at various CC negotiation tables adding to the voices of government and various civil society groups. In this paper, written by a group of youth activists, civil society organisation leaders, educators and climate scientists, we track the journey that a group of young change-makers and local government officials (in the age range 15–24) have taken in securing a seat at the policy table. The challenges, caveats and course corrections that have been taken in the Johannesburg Youth Climate Action Plan (YCAP) process and the wider country, are interrogated. This YCAP Johannesburg experiment provides a useful learning exercise for subsequent CC policy and practice engagements in the country and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The socio-economic impacts associated with studentification are diverse. International and local research suggests that the process of studentification and growth of private student accommodation can attract certain types of crime to neighbourhoods that have a high concentration of students. Johannesburg is a popular city amongst local and regional students and attracts several thousand students each year. Some neighbourhoods have become popular student districts, providing student accommodation and spaces for student consumption. Drawing on several focus groups, netnography, and semi-structured interviews this paper explores the lived experiences of students and residents impacted by crime in studentified neighbourhoods. The findings of this paper suggest that students are exposed to certain types of targeted crime that impact their safety and wellbeing in Johannesburg. In addition, it was found that the impact of crime varies significantly according to the type of student accommodation and its location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive education has featured strongly in the South African education landscape since it was first incorporated into policy in 2001. Although parents are key stakeholders in the successful implementation of inclusive education, there has not been much research exploring parents' understanding within this space. Therefore, this study aimed to explore parents' understanding of inclusion and exclusion in education from seven primary schools in the Johannesburg area. This paper is based on the qualitative data drawn from a larger mixed methods study where 559 written responses exploring parents of primary school learners' understanding were analysed and 13 semi-structured interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the results. Four core themes were identified, namely, inclusion/exclusion criteria, levels of inclusion and exclusion, effects of exclusion and the effects of inclusion. Sub-themes of interpersonal and extra-personal characteristics emerged for the theme of inclusion/exclusion criteria, while further analysis of levels of inclusion/exclusion resulted in the sub-themes of formal and epistemological access. It was clear that parents' understanding of inclusion and exclusion was grounded more in the practices of inclusion/exclusion as opposed to a more abstract, theoretical understanding. These results are discussed within the context of the SASA and Education White Paper 6 policy within South Africa, as well as literature around the types of educational access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The city of Johannesburg is known as South Africa's crime capital, which hinders investment opportunities for the country and causes insecurities for citizens. This article analyzed the current neighborhood security challenges and sought to develop an innovative and inclusive model of co-producing neighborhood security in Johannesburg. Methods: The findings were based on a case study design. The data were collected through an unstructured interviews with police officers in nine police stations in Johannesburg. Data were gathered on the experiences and perspectives of police officers regarding crime prevention, difficulties in policing and partnership with the community to improve neighborhood security. A content analysis was conducted using Atlas.ti 9 qualitative software. Results: The study's findings revealed that neighborhood security challenges in Johannesburg include socio-economic status, crime, lack of trust, and inadequate resources. Other findings indicates that the use of information and technological means such as social media (App), radio shows, and newspapers are paramount in reducing insecurity and crimes in Johannesburg neighborhoods. The respondents acknowledged that working with other security platforms such as the neighborhood watches, street and community patrollers, and community members is more effective is fighting crime. Originality: This paper contributes to the practical understanding of difficulties in policing in Johannesburg and the potential of co-production in improving neighborhood security. To the best of the authors' knowledge, no previous scientific research has studied how co-production can improve neighborhood security in developing countries, and this paper aimed to fill this gap. The article concludes that partnerships that are innovative and inclusive are far reaching in minimizing insecurity in Johannesburg neighborhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In developing countries, metropolitan cities, due to their economic activities, attract an increasing amount of commuters on a daily basis. This has led to major freeways and roads experiencing high levels of congestion and consequently high pollution levels. In 2020, due to a global pandemic of an outbreak of Corona Virus (COVID-19), the national government declared a national shutdown with only essential traffic being allowed to operate. Given the scenario of the national lock-down this allows for the statistical analysis of the impact of essential traffic on the overall transportation system. Consequently the aim of the paper was to assess the congestion and CO2 emission impact of essential traffic for the City of Johannesburg. Using an exploratory approach, we monitored and collected traffic congestion data from the Tomtom traffic index for the metropolitan city of Johannesburg, South Africa. We develop a relationship between congestion and pollution to visualise the daily variations in pollution and congestion levels. We demonstrate this by comparing variations in congestion levels in two epochs, viz the period without movement restrictions and the period whereby movement is restricted. The results reveal essential traffic on the congestion index to be below 22 percent for both weekends and weekdays. A scenario common only during weekends in 2019. Whilst for the emission index, CO2 levels are approximately less than 45 percent throughout the week. The paper concludes the investment into mining and analysing traffic data has a significantly role for future mobility planning in both the developed and developing world and, more generally, improving the quality of commuting trips in the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematics is frequently considered as value-free, centring entirely on abstract reasoning. However, more often than not, the teaching of values in mathematics classrooms takes place implicitly through the actions of the teacher. The role values play in mathematics learning is also a growing area of interest and is now viewed by many as a contributing factor in the advancement of the quality of mathematics performance. This paper reports on part of a larger study aiming to establish the components that Grade 8–10 learners from a mathematics-and-science-focus school in Johannesburg value as important in the learning of mathematics. A quantitative survey was used to collect data from 249 participants. Principal component analysis was employed to analyse the data. The main findings revealed seven components that learners appeared to value in the learning of mathematics. Knowledge about what learners value in the learning of mathematics can inform teachers' pedagogical practices and the inculcation of values in mathematics teaching, which may, in turn, improve the quality of learning of mathematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalisation and Africanisation remain largely polarised and diametrically opposed to each other between the global and the local in much of the literature focusing on urban restructuring in South Africa in the 1990s. This polarisation has rendered invisible the in-between spaces of glocalisation which yield to new signs of urbanity, and the innovative sites of collaboration and contestation in the act of defining a new urban hood in South Africa. This paper seeks to go beyond the polar-opposite way of thinking about globalisation and Africanisation. It explores the glocal encounter between the two discourses by looking at how the local is created within the discursive terms of global culture and vice versa as well as the material crossovers, within and between the two discursive categories. The thrust of argument in the paper is that the post-apartheid reconstruction process has been driven by a new political culture of global-Africanisation whereby local aspirations and global orientations and vice versa, are now discursively accepted as co-determinants in the creation of South African urban identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a sociology of housing developers, stressing the contingent, socially and spatially embedded nature of their practices. It complicates prevailing views of developers and demonstrates how urban development is, in fact, a spatial praxis requiring adaptability and capacities to adjust dispositions and practices to suit the particular environments in which it takes place. A growing body of work tries to understand the motivations and practices of property developers. While this has contributed to understandings of developers' networks, the ways they understand their roles and the ways different national or regional contexts shape approaches, it largely lacks a spatial perspective, and does not account for the contingency, fluidity and adaptability of developers' actions. Most importantly, it does not theorize how experiences in space shape practices. Developers are still largely presented as powerful actors who are able to exercise domination over space in relatively straight-forward, linear ways. In contrast, in this paper I demonstrate that developers are influenced by competing dynamics and agendas, and actively adapt their strategies and activities in accordance with the demands and realities of particular places. Building on the work of Centner (2008) and Marom (2014), the paper further develops the concepts 'spatial capital' and 'spatial habitus' and attempts to use them to make sense of the practices of property developers and affordable housing providers working in inner-city Johannesburg [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of demand response aggregators in minimizing the cost of electricity generation by distribution utilities in a day-ahead electricity market. In this paper, 2500 standard South African homes are considered as end users. Five clusters (and aggregators) are considered with 500 homes in each cluster. Two cases are analysed: (1) Utilization of renewable energy sources (RES) is implemented by the distribution supply operator (DSO), where it meets excess demand for end users during peak hours by purchasing electricity from the renewable sources of the energy market, and (2) Utilization of RES is implemented by end users alone, and it is assumed that every household has one plug-in electric vehicle (PEV). The aggregators then compete with each other for the most cost-effective energy usage profile; the aggregator with the least energy demand wins the bid. In both cases, energy pricing is estimated according to the day-ahead energy market. A typical day during winter in Johannesburg is considered for the simulation using a genetic algorithm (GA). Results obtained demonstrate the effectiveness of demand response aggregators in maximizing the benefits on both sides of the electricity supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper traces how Maneki-Neko becomes appropriated by a specific demographic of people (mostly business owners) in China as Zhaocaimao since the 1980s, and travels with the recent Chinese migrants to South Africa after Apartheid. It aims to demonstrate how the flows of people and cultural symbols were mutually constructed through the ongoing, intersected process of adaptation and appropriation in new territories. A multimodal discourse analysis was performed on texts and images collected from interviews with ten people in Johannesburg's Chinatowns. The paper arises from the conceptual backdrop of Sanders's (2015) theory on adaptation and appropriation and Appadurai's (1990) work on disjunctures in the politics of global culture. It argues that the process of sustained engagement between Maneki-Neko and the Chinese people who have appropriated it is mutually constructed and undergoes constant geopolitically embedded transformations of sinification as Maneki-Neko travels to new circumstances and contexts. Notably, the transnational appropriation and adaption of cultural symbols from folk traditions in a diasporic context create a sense of empowerment and ownership. Zhaocaimao in South Africa has become a symbol of a micro-identity against the backdrop of the disjunctive global economy and culture of today which turns the locality into a discursive field of Chinese identity/Chineseness and a site of ritual economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper was to establish challenges and benefits on formalisation in South Africa using a qualitative approach. To meet the objective, 15 interviews were carried out with owners of small businesses that had just formalized in Johannesburg and Pretoria. This study contributes to the existing knowledge on small business formalisation by bringing evidence from formalised businesses. The research does so through asking unique questions that cannot be answered quantitatively. Using themes for analysis, the study found conditional formalisation, high levels of bureaucracy, unsustainable fees, information asymmetry, credit or capital unavailability and corruption as key challenges being faced by emerging entrepreneurs. In addition, the study also identified increased chances to benefit from BEE, improved access to information to supply the public sector, improved chances of securing credit, increased credibility of the business and better access to markets as the benefits that entrepreneurs derive from formalisation. This study recommends that informal businesses be supported through skills training initiatives and expanded credit opportunities so that they can be of better size and capacity to formalise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a theory of urban dispossession as depotentiation. 'Depotentiation', as I employ the term, indicates the diminishment of imminent capacities, affects and potentialities. I propose this formulation to both complement and critique Harvey's dominant notion of accumulation by dispossession as the commodification of the urban commons and to contribute to conceptual developments on the stratified and affective dimensions of eviction. The evictions in my study operate in liminal urban spaces where there are no 'commons', but rather incomplete and fragile processes of 'commoning' and high levels of mobility and precarity. This paper draws on ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2011 and 2019 in inner-city Johannesburg in unlawful and other informal occupations, frequently termed 'bad buildings', 'hijacked buildings' or 'dark buildings' and other low-income accommodation. These are sites of extreme precarity and liminality, endurance and potentiality, where tens of thousands of inner-city residents, South African and foreign-national, live without essential services and subject to the constant threat of eviction or deportation. Dispossession of their residents operates not only through the commodification of an urban commons but also through the diminishment of urban potentiality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa's has been battling with energy crisis for many years, and with the ongoing power cuts, the nation has been plunged into darkness experienced almost every day in major cities such as Johannesburg. This paper conceptualises and positions the role of electrical and mechanical energy in food processing and preparation within South Africa's low-income households. The study aims to understand how households' choices and decisions made around food access, preparation and storage are affected by energy infrastructure. Urban studies on informality show that energy is a key input in food processing, preparation, and storage. This study focused on the intersection of infrastructure systems and sought to understand the energy needs and livelihoods strategies of South Africa's low-income households. A secondary focus of this study was on indigent energy policies that supports the provision and access of energy services to indigent households in South Africa. The study adopted a case study approach, low-income households' energy needs in Alexandra township, Johannesburg. This study utilised in-depth interviews and policy document reviews. Data was analysed using correlation and cross-tabulation methods. Findings reveal that measures adopted by the city authorities in the provisioning and access to infrastructure are largely fragmented and uncoordinated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing food prices have implications for basic subsistence, have a strong price visibility and symbolic value, and are characterized by high volatility and inelasticity of demand. Research thus assumes that food price is an important trigger for unrest. Yet, whether food is an especially potent driver for people's willingness to engage in collective action, or whether it concerns grievances about general inflation, is unknown. Does food have a greater effect on the willingness to participate in unrest? The paper investigates the relative importance of food in mobilization potential by using unique data from a survey experiment in Johannesburg, South Africa. The experiment collects information on how price increases in food, fuel, and electricity affects respondents' willingness to engage in unrest. The results show a higher willingness to engage in collective action when presented with increasing living expenses, regardless of whether it is food, fuel or electricity, compared to stable prices. We also consider the level of risk exposure to price hikes, and find that those who report going hungry in the last year have a higher willingness to engage in unrest than those who do not. Thus, food access influences the willingness to partake in unrest during price hikes, also for commodities seemingly unrelated to food. This suggests that for those who are most affected by a price hike it is less important what type of commodity it is. The question is whether it introduces further strain on an already hard-stretched budget. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper theorises the discursive construction of sewerage and sewage in relation to Johannesburg's Jukskei river. In the context of failing national and local water infrastructures, rivers in South Africa are filthier than ever and public trust in politicians is similarly polluted. We explore key moments in public discourse about sewage in the Jukskei, to consider how the visible and affective traces of faecal matter in the river speak to a broader sense of post-colonial collapse of both infrastructure and trust in those responsible for it. We argue that as both material and metaphor, shit-in-the-river serves to expose maladministration and corruption on the part of the government. But it also highlights the fragility of modernity itself as a project. In the context of massive looming water crises, huge shifts in both culture and infrastructure will be required to de-faecalise rivers specifically, and water supplies in general, in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business incubation is a growing phenomenon in South Africa. Using a qualitative research approach, specifically in-depth interviews with business incubator (BI) managers (CEOs, directors, executives, founders, and sponsors), this study reports on the perceived economic value of Johannesburg-based, fintech-focused BIs and the business gains achieved from the activities of BIs. Applying theory related to business incubation, this paper finds that business incubation is equally about assisting and developing start-ups and entrepreneurs as it is about the business gains that BIs extract from the process. Moreover, private sector stakeholders, particularly banks, are perceived as the primary sponsors of fintech BIs in South Africa, and they invest for various business and socio-economic reasons. Foremost among these is business diversification and compliance with South Africa's affirmative action policies, which feature prominently as the primary benefits the banking BIs gain from the process. We discuss this as the positive duality of business incubation. Finally, we suggest several managerial and policy level implications related to our findings, including the importance of strengthening triple helix partnerships and using regulatory sandboxing to facilitate fintech innovations. Overall, this study contributes to our empirical understanding of BIs in emerging economies broadly and fintech-focused BIs in South Africa in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers a devised, site-specific performance in and about the Windybrow, a mining magnate heritage house-turned-arts-centre in Johannesburg's inner city Hillbrow. The work was called Ngale kweNdlu, which translates from isiXhosa as 'The Other Side of the House.' Through scenographic installations and interwoven theatrical narratives, characters and scenes, Ngale kweNdlu sought to draw out the less told, untold and invisibilized elements of the house's 122-year-old story, putting them in critical dialogue with the documented archival history of the building. From process to final product the notion of haunting became an ever richer way of understanding our engagement with complex heritage through theatre-making in the Ngale kweNdlu process. This paper argues for the ways in which haunting played throughout the work, advocating for theatre as a tool to mobilize hauntings productively in navigating heritage with sensitivity to past social injustices and their legacies in contemporary moments. We do draw significantly on the spectral turn of European critical theory, but our sense of haunting is informed more expansively by the ways in which post-colonial and decolonial discourse argue for an understanding of the spectral that takes seriously cosmologies outside of European paradigms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The main aim of this paper is to explore an approach to beginner teacher induction in a Johannesburg, South Africa education district's induction programme. It focuses on how the idea of beginner teacher induction is conceptualised by examining the district induction programme's teaching form and foci. Data were collected through interviews with four district officials coordinating and facilitating the district's teacher induction programme. While it is apparent that beginner teacher induction is being prioritised due to the pressing need for South African teacher professional development initiatives to work more towards developing and strengthening a repertoire of sound instructional practices. Findings indicate that current teacher induction practices offered by the selected district are somewhat misaligned with this imperative. The teaching form and foci of the districts' induction programme reveals serious contestation as pressure to perform is exerted rather than supporting teachers early in their careers. The activities therein are evidently more focused on familiarising beginner teachers with legal frameworks that govern and regulate their duties as members of the public service. Although the district induction programme has an overarching aim of developing beginner teachers' pedagogical practices, upon implementation, the emphasis is on accountability and pressure at the expense of developmental support and capacity building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an approach to quantify the contribution of harmonics between the power utility and customers connected at the Point of Common Coupling (PCC). This method is based on the determination of Thevenin's equivalent circuit at both sides of power utility and customers. This paper describes the steps of harmonic determination of such Thevenin equivalent circuit that does not depend on current injection process or downtime. The Thevenin equivalent circuit is calculated using measured voltages and currents occurring at different times at the PCC when the load changes. With the Thevenin equivalent circuit, the individual contribution of harmonics between utility and customers can be calculated in the power system. A case study of the metropolitan municipality in Johannesburg is presented to demonstrate the application of this method. Results of study conducted between a sport stadium and metropolitan Johannesburg Company indicated the presence of 5th, 7th and 11th harmonic at the PCC mainly injected by the sport stadium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While three million youth in South Africa are not in education, employment or training (NEETS), not much is known about their schooling experiences nor their aspirations for the future. Eighty-seven post-school youth (PSY) were enrolled at a youth development and organisation (IYDO) centre in a Black township to the south-east of Johannesburg. This paper analyses the perspectives of these post-school youths of their formal schooling experiences and their aspirations for the future. The paper is framed by Willis’s (2000) theory of the basic educational paradigm at the heart of the teaching relationship and intentional resistance from working class boys. Analysis of data showed the failure of the schools attended by the participants in providing a reasonable standard and quality of education as the main cause of dropping out of school. In spite of challenging structural constraints both historical and current, these post-school youth are not disaffected nor disengaged from quality education. Contrary to the literature, they aspire for a better life and for educational opportunities that would enable them to access professional and managerial jobs and upward social mobility. Appadurai’s (2004) theory of culture of aspiration enabled making sense of participants’ aspirations. The issue of post school youth requires not only alternative post school programmes but also attention to schooling practices within formal secondary school education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]