scholarly journals Listeriosis Outbreak in South Africa: A Comparative Analysis with Previously Reported Cases Worldwide

Microorganisms â—˝  
2020 â—˝  
Vol 8 (1) â—˝  
pp. 135 â—˝  
Author(s):  
Christ-Donald Kaptchouang Tchatchouang â—˝  
Justine Fri â—˝  
Mauro De Santi â—˝  
Giorgio Brandi â—˝  
Giuditta Fiorella Schiavano â—˝  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa â—˝  
Comparative Analysis â—˝  
South African â—˝  
Clinical Symptoms â—˝  
Meat Products â—˝  
Processed Meat â—˝  
Surveillance Systems â—˝  
The South â—˝  
Sporadic Cases â—˝  
Facultative Anaerobic Bacteria

Listeria species are Gram-positive, rod-shaped, facultative anaerobic bacteria, which do not produce endospores. The genus, Listeria, currently comprises 17 characterised species of which only two (L. monocytogenes and L. ivanovii) are known to be pathogenic to humans. Food products and related processing environments are commonly contaminated with pathogenic species. Outbreaks and sporadic cases of human infections resulted in considerable economic loss. South Africa witnessed the world’s largest listeriosis outbreak, characterised by a progressive increase in cases of the disease from January 2017 to July 2018. Of the 1060 laboratory-confirmed cases of listeriosis reported by the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), 216 deaths were recorded. Epidemiological investigations indicated that ready-to-eat processed meat products from a food production facility contaminated with L. monocytogenes was responsible for the outbreak. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) revealed that a large proportion (91%) of the isolates from patients were sequence type 6 (ST6). Recent studies revealed a recurrent occurrence of small outbreaks of listeriosis with more severe side-effects in humans. This review provides a comparative analysis of a recently reported and most severe outbreak of listeriosis in South Africa, with those previously encountered in other countries worldwide. The review focuses on the transmission of the pathogen, clinical symptoms of the disease and its pathogenicity. The review also focuses on the major outbreaks of listeriosis reported in different parts of the world, sources of contamination, morbidity, and mortality rates as well as cost implications. Based on data generated during the outbreak of the disease in South Africa, listeriosis was added to the South African list of mandatory notifiable medical conditions. Surveillance systems were strengthened in the South African food chain in order to assist in preventing and facilitating early detection of both sporadic cases and outbreaks of infections caused by these pathogens in humans.

“Experience that Generates Experience”: The Influence of the Comedy in three South African Writings

2021 â—˝  
pp. 131-142
Author(s):  
Marco Medugno
Keyword(s):  
South Africa â—˝  
Comparative Analysis â—˝  
Creative Writing â—˝  
South African â—˝  
Historical Context â—˝  
Divine Comedy â—˝  
The South â—˝  
Literary Context â—˝  
Divine Justice

This article aims to explore the intertextual relationships between Dante’s Divine Comedy and three pieces of creative writing: Chariklia Martalas’ “A Mad Flight into Inferno Once Again”, Thalén Rogers’ “The Loadstone” and Helena van Urk’s “The Storm”. By employing a comparative analysis, I argue that, even though decontextualised, the Comedy still represents a fruitful aesthetic source for representing particularly war-torn and violent contexts such as South Africa during apartheid and colonialism. I explore how the authors, through intertextual references and parodic rewriting, both re-configure the poem and challenge some of the Comedy’s moral assumptions and the idea of (divine) justice. I aim to show how Dantean Hell, far from being an otherworldly realm, is in fact transfigured and adapted to effectively represent (and make sense of) a historical context. In other words, through an intertextual analysis, this analysis tries to understand why and how the Comedy resonates with the South African socio-political (and literary) context.

scholarly journals Population Structure of Non-ST6 Listeria monocytogenes Isolated in the Red Meat and Poultry Value Chain in South Africa

Microorganisms â—˝  
2020 â—˝  
Vol 8 (8) â—˝  
pp. 1152
Author(s):  
Itumeleng Matle â—˝  
Thendo Mafuna â—˝  
Evelyn Madoroba â—˝  
Khanyisile R. Mbatha â—˝  
Kudakwashe Magwedere â—˝  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa â—˝  
Population Structure â—˝  
South African â—˝  
Value Chain â—˝  
Meat Products â—˝  
Genomic Diversity â—˝  
Whole Genome Sequence â—˝  
Processed Meat â—˝  
Main Lineage â—˝  
High Level

Meat products have been implicated in many listeriosis outbreaks globally, however there is a dearth of information on the diversity of L. monocytogenes isolates circulating in food products in South Africa. The aim of this study was to investigate the population structure of L. monocytogenes isolated in the meat value chain within the South African market. Based on whole-genome sequence analysis, a total of 217 isolates were classified into two main lineage groupings namely lineages I (n = 97; 44.7%) and II (n = 120; 55.3%). The lineage groups were further differentiated into IIa (n = 95, 43.8%), IVb (n = 69, 31.8%), IIb (n = 28, 12.9%), and IIc (n = 25, 11.5%) sero-groups. The most abundant sequence types (STs) were ST204 (n = 32, 14.7%), ST2 (n = 30, 13.8%), ST1 (n = 25, 11.5%), ST9 (n = 24, 11.1%), and ST321 (n = 21, 9.7%). In addition, 14 clonal complex (CCs) were identified with over-representation of CC1, CC3, and CC121 in “Processed Meat-Beef”, “RTE-Poultry”, and “Raw-Lamb” meat categories, respectively. Listeria pathogenic islands were present in 7.4% (LIPI-1), 21.7% (LIPI-3), and 1.8% (LIPI-4) of the isolates. Mutation leading to premature stop codons was detected in inlA virulence genes across isolates identified as ST121 and ST321. The findings of this study demonstrated a high-level of genomic diversity among L. monocytogenes isolates recovered across the meat value chain control points in South Africa.

scholarly journals A Comparative Analysis of Director Tenure in South Africa and Selected International Jurisdictions

2021 â—˝  
Vol 54 (1) â—˝  
Author(s):  
Rehana Cassim
Keyword(s):  
South Africa â—˝  
Corporate Governance â—˝  
Hong Kong â—˝  
United Kingdom â—˝  
Comparative Analysis â—˝  
South African â—˝  
The South â—˝  
Public Companies â—˝  
The United Kingdom â—˝  
Governance Practices

Director tenure attracts attention worldwide and is increasingly being recognised as a crucial element in assessing an external (independent non-executive) director’s independence. Director tenure has recently come under the spotlight in South Africa. Shareholder activists are expressing disapproval of lengthy tenures of directors serving on boards of listed public companies and exerting pressure on long-serving directors to resign from office. This article examines whether the South African corporate governance principles regulating director tenure are adequate or in need of revision. The article examines further the corporate governance practices in leading jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and India that have recently revised their corporate governance practices. It then makes recommendations for enhancing the South African corporate governance approach to director tenure. It also calls on directors to collaborate with shareholders and independent external experts to examine their approach to director tenure and, if circumstances allow, revise the company’s memorandum of incorporation to limit directors’ tenure or provide for a staggered rotation of directors on the board.

Foreigners' Rights to Work and Fair Labour Practices in South Africa: A Review of the South African Labour Legislation and Jurisprudence

2020 â—˝  
Vol 35 (1) â—˝  
Author(s):  
Andre Mangu
Keyword(s):  
South Africa â—˝  
Human Rights â—˝  
South African â—˝  
Bill Of Rights â—˝  
The South â—˝  
Legislation And Jurisprudence â—˝  
Foreign Nationals â—˝  
Lay Persons â—˝  
Democratic State â—˝  
Labour Legislation

After several decades of apartheid rule, which denied human rights to the majority of the population on the ground of race and came to be regarded as a crime against humanity, South Africa adopted its first democratic Constitution in the early 1990s. The 1996 Constitution, which succeeded the 1993 interim Constitution, is considered one of the most progressive in the world. In its founding provisions, it states that South Africa is a democratic state founded on human dignity, the achievement of equality, the advancement of human rights and freedoms. The Constitution enshrines fundamental human rights in a justiciable Bill of Rights as a cornerstone of democracy. Unfortunately, in the eyes of a number of politicians, officials and lay-persons, the rights in the Bill of Rights accrue to South African citizens only. Xenophobia, which has been rampant since the end of apartheid, seems to support the idea that foreigners should not enjoy these rights. Foreign nationals have often been accused of posing a threat to South African citizens with regard to employment opportunities. In light of the South African legislation and jurisprudence, this article affirms the position of the South African labour law that foreign nationals are indeed protected by the Constitution and entitled to rights in the Bill of Rights, including the rights to work and fair labour practices.

The Engagement of Beneficiaries in Farm Governance of Restituted Land through the Communal Property Association Model: The Ideal Versus the Reality of Beneficiary Farms in South Africa

2019 â—˝  
Vol 16 (2) â—˝  
Author(s):  
Mokoko Piet Sebola â—˝  
Malemela Angelinah Mamabolo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa â—˝  
South African â—˝  
Land Reform â—˝  
Farm Management â—˝  
The South â—˝  
African Government â—˝  
Communal Property â—˝  
Farm Ownership â—˝  
Land Restitution â—˝  
Communal Property Associations

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the engagement of farm beneficiaries in South Africa in the governance of restituted farms through communal property associations. The South African government has already spent millions of rands on land restitution to correct the imbalance of the past with regard to farm ownership by the African communities. Various methods of farm management to benefit the African society have been proposed, however, with little recorded success. This article argues that the South African post-apartheid government was so overwhelmed by political victory in 1994 that they introduced ambitious land reform policies that were based on ideal thinking rather than on a pragmatic approach to the South African situation. We used qualitative research methods to argue that the engagement of farm beneficiaries in farm management and governance through communal property associations is failing dismally. We conclude that a revisit of the communal property associations model is required in order to strengthen the position of beneficiaries and promote access to land by African communities for future benefit.

Exploring the South African Government Communication on Land Expropriation without Compensation

2020 â—˝  
Vol 72 (1-3) â—˝  
Author(s):  
Lungisani Moyo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa â—˝  
Food Security â—˝  
South African â—˝  
Small Scale â—˝  
South African Government â—˝  
Eastern Cape â—˝  
The South â—˝  
Land Expropriation â—˝  
African Government â—˝  
Government Communication

ABSTRACT This paper used qualitative methodology to explore the South African government communication and land expropriation without compensation and its effects on food security using Alice town located in the Eastern Cape Province South Africa as its case study. This was done to allow the participants to give their perceptions on the role of government communication on land expropriation without compensation and its effects on South African food security. In this paper, a total population of 30 comprising of 26 small scale farmers in rural Alice and 4 employees from the Department of Agriculture (Alice), Eastern Cape, South Africa were interviewed to get their perception and views on government communications and land expropriation without compensation and its effects on South African food security. The findings of this paper revealed that the agricultural sector plays a vital role in the South African economy hence there is a great need to speed up transformation in the sector.

Book review: Jansen, J. 2017. As by Fire: The End of the South African University. Cape Town: Tafelberg.

2017 â—˝  
Vol 1 (1) â—˝  
pp. 117
Author(s):  
Jared McDonald
Keyword(s):  
South Africa â—˝  
South African â—˝  
Teaching And Learning â—˝  
Cape Town â—˝  
The South â—˝  
Scholarship Of Teaching â—˝  
Creative Commons â—˝  
Vice Chancellor â—˝  
The University

Dr Jared McDonald, of the Department of History at the University of the Free State (UFS) in South Africa, reviews As by fire: the end of the South African university, written by former UFS vice-chancellor Jonathan Jansen.    How to cite this book review: MCDONALD, Jared. Book review: Jansen, J. 2017. As by Fire: The End of the South African University. Cape Town: Tafelberg.. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the South, [S.l.], v. 1, n. 1, p. 117-119, Sep. 2017. Available at: <http://sotl-south-journal.net/?journal=sotls&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=18>. Date accessed: 12 Sep. 2017.   This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Dilution studies on three marine outfalls in South Africa

1995 â—˝  
Vol 32 (2) â—˝  
pp. 297-304
Author(s):  
Willem A. M. Botes â—˝  
J. F. Kapp
Keyword(s):  
South Africa â—˝  
South African â—˝  
Field Data â—˝  
Prediction Models â—˝  
Feasibility Studies â—˝  
The South â—˝  
Average Current â—˝  
Predicted Values â—˝  
Prediction Techniques â—˝  
Domestic Effluent

Field dilution studies were conducted on three “deep” water marine outfalls located along the South African coast to establish the comparibility of actual achievable initial dilutions against the theoretical predicted values and, where appropriate, to make recommendations regarding the applicability of the different prediction techniques in the design of future outfalls. The physical processes along the 3000 km long coastline of South Africa are diverse, ranging from dynamic sub-tropical waters on the east coast to cold, stratified stagnant conditions on the west coast. Fourteen existing offshore marine outfalls serve medium to large industries and various local authorities (domestic effluent). For this investigation three outfalls were selected to represent the range of outfall types as well as the diversity of the physical conditions of the South African coastline. The predicted dilutions, using various approaches, compared well with the measured dilutions. It was found that the application of more “simple” prediction techniques (using average current velocities and ambient densities) may be more practical, ensuring a conservative approach, in pre-feasibility studies, compared to the more detailed prediction models, which uses accurate field data (stratification and current profiles), when extensive field data is not readily available.

The impact of climate temperature on counts, recovery, and death rates due to SARS-CoV-2 in South Africa. (Preprint)

2020 â—˝  
Author(s):  
Neven Chetty â—˝  
Bamise Adeleye â—˝  
Abiola Olawale Ilori
Keyword(s):  
South Africa â—˝  
South African â—˝  
Death Rate â—˝  
Western Cape â—˝  
Warm Climate â—˝  
The South â—˝  
Recovery Rates â—˝  
Death Rates â—˝  
Online Resource â—˝  
The Impact

BACKGROUND The impact of climate temperature on the counts (number of positive COVID-19 cases reported), recovery, and death rates of COVID-19 cases in South Africa's nine provinces was investigated. The data for confirmed cases of COVID-19 were collected for March 25 and June 30, 2020 (14 weeks) from South Africa's Government COVID-19 online resource, while the daily provincial climate temperatures were collected from the website of the South African Weather Service. Our result indicates that a higher or lower climate temperature does not prevent or delay the spread and death rates but shows significant positive impacts on the recovery rates of COVID-19 patients. Thus, it indicates that the climate temperature is unlikely to impose a strict limit on the spread of COVID-19. There is no correlation between the cases and death rates, an indicator that no particular temperature range is closely associated with a faster or slower death rate of COVID-19 patients. As evidence from our study, a warm climate temperature can only increase the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients, ultimately impacting the death and active case rates and freeing up resources quicker to enable health facilities to deal with those patients' climbing rates who need treatment. OBJECTIVE This study aims to investigate the impact of climate temperature variation on the counts, recovery, and death rates of COVID-19 cases in all South Africa's provinces. The findings were compared with those of countries with comparable climate temperature values. METHODS The data for confirmed cases of COVID-19 were collected for March 25 and June 30 (14 weeks) for South African provinces, including daily counts, death, and recovery rates. The dates were grouped into two, wherein weeks 1-5 represent the periods of total lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 in South Africa. Weeks 6-14 are periods where the lockdown was eased to various levels 4 and 3. The daily information of COVID-19 count, death, and recovery was obtained from South Africa's Government COVID-19 online resource (https://sacoronavirus.co.za). Daily provincial climate temperatures were collected from the website of the South African Weather Service (https://www.weathersa.co.za). The provinces of South Africa are Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Cape, Limpopo, Northwest, Mpumalanga, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, and Gauteng. Weekly consideration was given to the daily climate temperature (average minimum and maximum). The recorded values were considered, respectively, to be in the ratio of death-to-count (D/C) and recovery-to-count (R/C). Descriptive statistics were performed for all the data collected for this study. The analyses were performed using the Person’s bivariate correlation to analyze the association between climate temperature, death-to-count, and recovery-to-count ratios of COVID-19. RESULTS The results showed that higher climate temperatures aren't essential to avoid the COVID-19 from being spread. The present results conform to the reports that suggested that COVID-19 is unlike the seasonal flu, which does dissipate as the climate temperature rises [17]. Accordingly, the ratio of counts and death-to-count cannot be concluded to be influenced by variations in the climate temperatures within the study areas. CONCLUSIONS The study investigates the impact of climate temperature on the counts, recovery, and death rates of COVID-19 cases in all South Africa's provinces. The findings were compared with those of countries with comparable climate temperatures as South Africa. Our result indicates that a higher or lower climate temperature does not prevent or delay the spread and death rates but shows significant positive impacts on the recovery rates of COVID-19 patients. Warm climate temperatures seem not to restrict the spread of the COVID-19 as the count rate was substantial at every climate temperatures. Thus, it indicates that the climate temperature is unlikely to impose a strict limit on the spread of COVID-19. There is no correlation between the cases and death rates, an indicator that there is no particular temperature range of the climatic conditions closely associated with a faster or slower death rate of COVID-19 patients. However, other shortcomings in this study's process should not be ignored. Some other factors may have contributed to recovery rates, such as the South African government's timely intervention to announce a national lockout at the early stage of the outbreak, the availability of intensive medical care, and social distancing effects. Nevertheless, this study shows that a warm climate temperature can only help COVID-19 patients recover more quickly, thereby having huge impacts on the death and active case rates.

Opera and the South African Political

2019 â—˝  
pp. 289-311
Author(s):  
Christopher Ballantine
Keyword(s):  
South Africa â—˝  
South African â—˝  
Singing Voice â—˝  
The South â—˝  
Sociopolitical Context â—˝  
Creating Meaning â—˝  
Empirical Means

Christopher Ballantine’s focus is on timbre, in particular the timbre of the singing voice, and how this combines with the imagination to create meaning. His investigation is largely philosophical; but the growth in popularity of opera in post-apartheid South Africa provides empirical means for Ballantine to indicate this powerful but analytically neglected way of creating meaning in the performance of music. His case study shows how timbre can produce musical experiences that have a particular, and often surprising, resonance. Through interviews with leading figures in South African opera, Ballantine demonstrates that timbre is a vital wellspring of imagined meaning; it should especially be seen thus if we seek to understand the singing voice in a sociopolitical context such as that of South Africa during and after apartheid.

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