Fatigue-management strategies among women with endometriosis in South Africa: a qualitative study

2021 ◽  
pp. 008124632110201
Author(s):  
Zamafiso Nombulelo Sibande ◽  
Rizwana Roomaney
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Psychosocial Intervention ◽  
Public Hospital ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Cognitive Strategies ◽  
Secondary Symptom ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Fatigue Management ◽  
Insight Into

Fatigue is a common, secondary symptom of endometriosis that has not been qualitatively explored. We conducted individual, face-to-face interviews with 25 women in South Africa about their experiences of endometriosis-related fatigue. Participants were recruited at a public hospital in Cape Town and through several South African endometriosis organizations. Interviews were conducted in English and Afrikaans and ranged from 30 min to 1 hr 16 min in duration. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. We found that both the experience of fatigue and fatigue-management strategies were highly personalized. Participants reported using a variety of cognitive strategies, such as planning, pacing, and pushing through their fatigue to reduce the levels of fatigue. Participants also employed physical strategies such as rest, dietary changes, using supplements, and exercise. We found that while participants often tried fatigue-management strategies suggested to them by others, they struggled to maintain these strategies even when they were successful. There are currently no interventions aimed at reducing endometriosis-related fatigue. The findings of this study provide insight into the management of fatigue in women with endometriosis and may be used to develop a psychosocial intervention for fatigue among women with the disease.

scholarly journals Contaminant organisms recorded on plant product imports to South Africa 1994–2019

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Davina L. Saccaggi ◽  
Melanie Arendse ◽  
John R. U. Wilson ◽  
John S. Terblanche
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
International Trade ◽  
South African ◽  
Plant Products ◽  
Important Resource ◽  
Plant Product ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Multiple Contaminants ◽  
Propagation Material

AbstractBiosecurity interception records are crucial data underlying efforts to predict and manage pest and pathogen introductions. Here we present a dataset containing information on imported plant products inspected by the South African Department of Agriculture’s laboratories between 1994 and 2019 and the contaminant organisms found on them. Samples were received from border inspectors as either propagation material (e.g. plants) or material for immediate use (e.g. fruit). Material for immediate use was further divided into two sample categories, depending on if contaminants were seen/suspected by the border official or not: intervention or audit samples. The final dataset consists of 25,279 records, of which 30% tested positive (i.e. had at least one contaminant) and 13% had multiple contaminants. Of the 13,731 recorded contaminants, fungi (41%), mites (37%) and insects (19%) were most common. This dataset provides insight into the suite of taxa transported along the plant import pathway and provides an important resource for analyses of contaminant organisms in international trade, which can inform strategies for risk assessment, pathway management and biosecurity protocols.

scholarly journals Teaching Mathematics during the COVID-19 Lockdown in a Context of Historical Disadvantage

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 177
Author(s):  
Brantina Chirinda ◽  
Mdutshekelwa Ndlovu ◽  
Erica Spangenberg
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Mathematics Teachers ◽  
Education System ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Education Community ◽  
South African Education

The COVID-19 global pandemic widely affected education across the world and engendered unprecedented scenarios that required expeditious responses. In South Africa, the pandemic came on top of pre-existing inequalities in the education system. Using a qualitative research method of exploratory and descriptive nature, this study engaged a social justice framework to explore the teaching and learning of mathematics during the COVID-19 lockdown in a context of historical disadvantage. A sample of twenty-three Grade 12 mathematics teachers at various public secondary schools in Gauteng, South Africa was used in the study. The teachers were selected through purposive sampling. A Google-generated open-ended questionnaire and follow-up telephonic interviews were used to collect data. Data were analysed thematically in five steps. The findings revealed that the WhatsApp platform is a valuable tool that can support the teaching and learning of mathematics beyond the classroom in the contexts of historical disadvantage. The findings also provided insights into how mathematics teachers became learners themselves during emergency remote teaching (ERT) as they had to adapt to digital teaching, find solutions to unfamiliar problems and acquire knowledge from a larger mathematics education community around the globe. The article discusses these findings and teachers’ challenges of transitioning from traditional face-to-face classrooms to ERT and how they were addressed. At the time of publishing the article, most learners in South Africa had started going to school on a rotational basis. Nonetheless, the study reported in this article is of importance as ERT in the context of historical disadvantage has foregrounded issues of inequality in the South African education system that must be dealt with urgently.

scholarly journals Knowledge management according to organisational size: A South African perspective

2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelius Kruger ◽  
Roy D. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
South African ◽  
Middle Management ◽  
Senior Management ◽  
Urban South ◽  
Embedded Knowledge ◽  
Personal Approach ◽  
African Perspective ◽  
Insight Into

Background:To date, few studies have focused on how embedded Knowledge Management (KM) is found in the roots of an organisation. Specifically, not much is known whether employees and managers hold similar perceptions regarding KM or if organisational size plays a role in the establishment of KM maturity.Objective: The objective of this article was to determine what role organisational size plays in the establishment of KM maturity and how different managerial levels viewed their organisations KM maturity.Method: The authors gained insight into KM maturity in different industry groupings over a five-year period from a large urban South African University engaged in numerous collaboration programmes with industry. In total, 434 employees were interviewed over three grouping levels (operational, middle and senior management).Results: The findings support arguments that irrespective of organisational size, knowledge orientated issues are applicable to all organisations. However, with significant differences in scores recorded over all maturity sections in South Africa, the findings indicated that different sized organisations address knowledge-orientated issues differently.Conclusion: Findings challenge the argument that the manner in which knowledge-orientated issues are addressed differ only slightly depending on organisational size. Smaller-sized organisations prefer a more personal approach, whilst larger-sized organisations prefer knowledge transfer via technology. Irrespective of organisational size, commitment holds the key to KM success. Commitment shown by middle management regarding KM is a differentiator.

scholarly journals Plants Used by Bapedi Traditional Healers to Treat Asthma and Related Symptoms in Limpopo Province, South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebua Silas Semenya ◽  
Alfred Maroyi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Study Finding ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Herbal Remedies ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Sclerocarya Birrea ◽  
Time In Literature ◽  
Herbal Therapies

To the best of our knowledge there are presently no ethnobotanical surveys focusing on the utilisation of herbal remedies for asthma in South Africa. The present study is therefore an attempt to fill this gap in knowledge. A total of 140 Bapedi traditional healers (THs) practicing in the Capricorn, Sekhukhune, and Waterberg districts of the Limpopo Province (South Africa) were queried using semistructured questionnaires, supplemented by field observations during face-to-face interview. A total of 104 medicinal plant species (92 indigenous and 12 exotics) belonging to 92 genera, distributed across 54 botanical families, mostly the Asteraceae and Fabaceae (18.5%, for each) as well as Malvaceae (12.9%), were used as antiasthmatics and related symptoms by these THs. Most of the plants were trees and herbs (37.5%, for each), with root (57%), leaf (15.8%), and bark (7.5%), respectively, being the saliently used parts for preparation of remedies.Clerodendrum ternatum,Cryptocarya transvaalensis,Lasiosiphon caffer,Enicostema axillare,Mimusops obovata,Sclerocarya birrea, andStylochaeton natalensiswere widely used and valued by all THs across the surveyed districts. Furthermore, these taxa also scored both the highest use value and fidelity level indexes as asthma therapies. Overall, the larger number of species documented in the present study is recorded for the first time in literature as asthma and/or related symptoms remedies. Our study finding generally contributes towards an establishment of South African database of herbal therapies used traditionally against these conditions.

The implications of the decision in Helen Suzman Foundation v Judicial Service Commission 2018 (7) BCLR 763 (CC) 8 on the functioning of the South African Judicial Service Commission

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nomthandazo Ntlama
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
South African ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
Service Commission ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Future Management

ABSTRACT The article examines the implications of the judgment of the Constitutional Court in Helen Suzman Foundation v Judicial Service Commission 2018 (7) BCLR 763 (CC) 8 on the functioning of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). The judgment has brought to the fore a new lease of life relating to the JSC's post-interview deliberations as a disclosable record in terms of Rule 53(1)(b) of the Uniform Rules of Court. The disclosure seeks to provide an insight into the decision-making process of the JSC in the appointment of judicial officers in South Africa. It is argued that the judgment is two-pronged: first, the disclosure of the post-interview record enhances the culture of justification for decisions taken, which advances the foundational values of the new democratic dispensation; secondly, it creates uncertainty about the future management and protection of the JSC processes in the undertaking of robust debates on the post-interview deliberations. It then questions whether the JSC members will be privileged in their engagement with the suitability of the candidates to be recommended for appointment by the President. The question is raised against the uncertainty about which decision of the JSC will be challenged that will need the disclosure of the record because the judgment does not entail the national disclosure of the record in respect of each candidate but applies only when there is an application for review of the JSC decision. Key words: Judicial Service Commission, appointments, discretion, judiciary, independence, rule of law, discretion, accountability, transparency, human rights.

scholarly journals Depression in the South African workplace

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
Marthinus P. Stander ◽  
Margreet Bergh ◽  
Helen Elizabeth Miller-Janson ◽  
Janetta C. De Beer ◽  
Frans A. Korb
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
South African ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
The South ◽  
Anxiety Group ◽  
Prevalence Of Depression ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Insight Into

Depression is a common psychiatric disorder and can be costly, having a significant impact on the individual and employers. The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) in partnership with HEXOR, with the support of Lundbeck, undertook research into depression in the workplace, because South African information is not available on this topic. It provides insight into the prevalence of depression within the workplace in South Africa, as well as the impact of depression on the employees and employers in terms of sick leave and levels of productivity, especially when the symptoms include cognitive impairment. It is apparent that stigma plays a pivotal role in the reasons for non-disclosure to employers. It further highlights the magnitude of awareness, early detection and the provision of a holistic support system within the work environment, free from bias, to ensure that optimum benefit can be achieved for both employer and employee.

scholarly journals Is It Time For a Coherent Political Question Doctrine in South Africa? Lessons from the United States

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mtendeweka Mhango
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
The United States ◽  
Current Status ◽  
The Political ◽  
Early Application ◽  
Comparative Examination ◽  
Political Question ◽  
Insight Into

This article describes the development and current status of the political question doctrine theme in South African jurisprudence. It does this through a comparative discussion of the application of this doctrine in the United States. The purpose of this comparative examination is twofold: the first is to gain insight into the origins, trends and early application of the political question doctrine. The second is to gain insight into the challenges and best practices in relation to the application of the political question doctrine elsewhere. The paper argues that while the political question doctrine theme exists in South African jurisprudence, this has not matured into a clear and transparent doctrine. It calls for the development of a clear doctrine for South Africa and offers some recommendations.

scholarly journals Brand Consciousness of BOP Consumers in South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3(J)) ◽  
pp. 82-100
Author(s):  
Pravina Devpersadh Oodith ◽  
Sanjana Brijball Parumasur
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Brand Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Brand Awareness ◽  
Bottom Of The Pyramid ◽  
Purchase Decisions ◽  
Consumer Decision Making ◽  
Business Organizations

Bottom of the pyramid (BOP) consumers are not just basing their purchase decisions on price and affordability but on the value derived from good-quality brands. Hence, this study assesses the brand-consciousness of South African BOP consumers in terms of brand awareness, differentiation, recognition, loyalty, trust and preferences for leading brands. The aim is to understand the brand consciousness of the South African BOP market so that suitable brand management strategies may be formulated to profitably serve the needs of this market. The population (2 556 422 elements) included BOP consumers living in relative poverty within the rural areas of South Africa from which a sample of 600 subjects was drawn using area sampling. Data was collected using a self-development questionnaire whose psychometric properties were statistically assessed and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings reflect that there is a high degree of brand awareness amongst BOP consumers, the majority of BOP consumers are able to easily differentiate between the various brands based on the brands’ logos, design and/or coloring, a significant segment displays brand loyalty which alters when price becomes a factor for consideration and BOP consumers lack trust where new brands are concerned and prefer good quality brands. Furthermore, BOP consumers’ brand consciousness and purchase decisions are influenced by education and income respectively. It can also be concluded that the majority of South African BOP consumers are brand-conscious; hence, brands play an influential role in their consumer decision-making process. Beneficial recommendations are presented for business organizations.

scholarly journals Review: How to Steal a City: The Battle for Nelson Mandela Bay, an Inside Account by Crispian Olver

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thina Nzo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Local Government ◽  
South African ◽  
Good Reason ◽  
Close Attention ◽  
Nelson Mandela ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Local Politicians ◽  
Insight Into

The insider account of 'How to Steal a City' undoubtedly is one of the few books that offers a much needed insight into the everyday workings of local government politics and administration in South Africa. This book is underpinned by rich descriptions of local government politics and administration generated through the personal experiences of Crispian Olver. Researchers, scholars, local politicians, municipal officials and practitioners of local government who wish to learn more about South African local government politics should have a good reason to pay close attention to this book.

scholarly journals A Look at the Liquidity Management Practices of Banks in South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3(J)) ◽  
pp. 113-120
Author(s):  
Tafirei Mashamba ◽  
Farai Kwenda
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Adjustment Costs ◽  
Capital Adequacy ◽  
Loan Loss ◽  
Liquidity Management ◽  
Balance Sheets

In an effort to strengthen bank liquidity-risk management practices, the Basel Committee proposed new liquidity requirements for banks in 2010 under the Basel III framework. However, despite the good intentions of the liquidity requirements the new regulations are likely to present some challenges for banks in the course of managing their liquidity. However, before any inference can be made about the possible implications of the liquidity standards on bank liquidity management practices, it is imperative to have insight into the current liquidity management strategies of banks. This paper seeks to determine the current liquidity management practices of banks in South Africa by examining whether South African banks have target liquidity levels which they pursue and also by determining the variables that drive bank liquidity ratios. The study sample comprised six commercial banks operating in South Africa over the period 1993 to 2009. For analysis, a partial adjustment model was developed and estimated using the generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator. The rate at which South African banks adjust their balance sheets was estimated at 8%. This adjustment speed implies that South African banks adjust their balance sheets slowly – probably due to high adjustment costs. Thus, South African listed banks have passively managed their liquidity and partially adjust their liquidity levels in an attempt to reach the optimal level. Furthermore, the following variables were considered to be the main drivers of liquidity ratios in South Africa: bank size, capital adequacy, loan loss reserves, and financial crisis.

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